The Africa Passage

By Hiba Fatima

Analysis:

The given passage seems to be an excerpt from a travelogue. The writer attempts to break the stereotypes that Europeans have created about Africa. They see Africans as "disease-stricken people", as "hordes of walking skeletons", but the writer presents Africa in a new light. He admires the resilience of the Africans, and convinces the readers to do so too.

The writer talks about the harshness of the African weather, compared with the gentle "politesse" of the European weather. The writer deliberately does this so that later, he can impress the readers with the resilience of the Africans who survive the "pounding" heat.

The Sun is personified as an evil, intimidating predator who "leaps" and "ambushes the night". The Sun is also alluded to Cyclops, a mythical giant who would eat men. The writer believes that the Sun is no less than a violent, contemptuous monster, as evident by the alliteration in line 6. The Sun, the "ready made ball of solid", "catapults directly", like a weapon. This creates a mood of fear.

The writer then wistfully compares the African sunrise to the European sunrise. Here, longer sentences create a dreamy tone. The repetition of "no" and "none" in the second paragraph show that the writer's tone is harsh as he establishes a contrast between the African and European dawn. The latter is personified as the perfect English lady of calm demeanour, while the former has "no appreciation of the subtleties of temperature". This poses a question to the Europeans- will you be able to survive the fierce African climate?

The cruelty of the Sun is further developed upon in the third and fourth paragraphs.The emphatic use of "No." in line 17 establishes a sense of finality and conveys that the writer has accepted the fierceness of the African Sun. The simile in line 18 shows just how frightening it is. It is also merciless and relentless, "it will suck the ground dry of water, dew or damp to deny the tree". This alliteration emphasizes the power and dominance of the Sun. The readers sympathize with the Africans,who are deprived even of shade as the Sun "eliminates" it.

A transition takes place in the fifth paragraph. The writer talks about, how, in spite of the fierceness of the Sun, the Africans, rather than succumbing to the heat, have been moulded by it. The repetition of the word "still" emphasizes the African's strength. Their survival seems all the more impressive to the reader after the writer has deliberately created an inflated exaggeration of the Sun. The brevity of sentences, such as in line 25, convey the writer's awe towards them.

The writer breaks the stereotype that Africans are like "hordes of walking skeletons" in the sixth paragraph. He contrasts the European and African lifestyles by comparing each of their gaits. He praises the "poise" of the Africans and criticizes the clumsiness of the Europeans by piling up adjectives in line 33. The gait of the African women is then specified upon. They walk in a seductive and hypnotic manner, with their "hips propelling them forward". They are alluded to beautiful black Statues of Liberty, to show their charm and independence. The writer uses the similes "ballerinas" and "models" to convey the delicacy of the African women. The list in lines 36 to 37 shows the writer's awe as the women carry these "improbable weights" with ease.

The lone man who stands tall and proud symbolises all the Africans who survive the "impotent" Sun with grace and beauty. The writer lists the diverse topography of Africa, then refers to it as the "most beautiful place in our world".

Finally, the writer clears the misconceptions people have about Africa, creating a mood of admiration. He blames the readers for looking at Africa from "the dark side" of their mind and neglecting all the positive aspects of the continent listed in lines 52 to 54. In the final line of the passage, Africa is called the "luminous continent", which harkens back to the Sun that is now a complement to the Africans.

Directed Writing: 

The currents of the Indonesian Sea do not nibble gently at the coast. No, not today. Today, the Sea is volatile. The waves, dark and heavy, leap forward and crash against the shore. They devour and destroy anything and everything in their path. The Sea is a vacuum, a black hole, or, simply put, the Bermuda Triangle of Jakarta.

 

Yet still, a serenity cloaks the city. An olive-skinned fisherman articulately throws a bait into the waters that kiss his feet. Multitudes of people meander rhythmically through the streets of Jakarta. Swaying. Beaming. Smiling.

No, Jakarta is not the city that crumbles under the weight of the Indonesian Sea every year. It is the city of colour. It is the city of beauty. It is the city of kindness. 

Is inner beauty more important than physical beauty?

By Neha Makhdoom

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or isn’t it?

Quotes are something that have recently become a little bit of a cliché. But this, for all intents and purposes, is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, about me. A friend and I were having an argument about why people in this day and age do not usually believe in helping people out. After I let out a whiny, “But WHY?” he replied to be, and spoke words that I will never ever forget.

“Because not all hearts are bathed in molten gold like yours.”

I have a purpose for telling you this. People say a lot of things in the passing. They’ll compliment you on your hair or tell you how beautiful your eyes are or how ‘adorable’ you are. But a compliment about your personality, even if it’s said in the midst of a heated conversation, or in the middle of the night with drooping eyelids, will always be worth more than even winning Prom Queen.

It is very easy to judge a book by it’s cover. Inner beauty is something that is infinite. Symmetrical faces and big, green eyes are never going to change that. And who are we to say who is pretty, and who is not? I know for a fact that people from around where I live think that having eyes which are anything but medium brown is a sign of some kind of angelic beauty.

But myself, and maybe a handful of others would beg to differ. I’m not saying that having blue, or green or bronze eyes makes you unattractive, but personally, I think there’s nothing better than a pair of brown, owl-esque eyes. Everyone has different preferences, but when it comes to inner beauty, nearly everyone’s looking for the same thing. Nobody wants cruelty. If a person is beautiful on the inside, I think that that beauty will shine out of them regardless of whether they have a full set of pearly white teeth and a flat stomach, or not.

Physical beauty is also something that disappears with age. Even the skinny , blond super models eventually have saggy thighs and lines on their faces. Some people age gracefully, some do not. Who a person is, their little quirks, the way they speak, the way they are is something that does not go away. It may evolve over time, but it never really goes away.

People are judged because of the way they look nearly every day. Stereotyping happens all the time. Fat, skinny, dark, fair, goth - all of it. And even a person like myself, who believes so deeply in the importance of inner beauty manages to pass some comments about peoples appearances. But if you look at the flaws in a person’s face, you see who they are. I am, and have always been of the opinion that a smile is a key to the soul. One smile and you can conjure up the person’s whole life in your head.

I know how generic it is for me to think that inner beauty is more important than outer beauty, but that really is the truth. Looks will change, fade. But a person with a pure personality will be eternally beautiful. Even one day when they are old and grey, the same person will shine out of them as they did 20 years ago.

A person makes friends, falls in love with someone. Even if they are ‘gorgeous’ or are not. If they have an ugly personality it will never work, but someone who does not have angelic beauty, but a godly personality, will always find their way around, and manage to make friends. They may not be able to bat their eyelids and charm people with their perfect hands, but they will always be able to do it with a bit of they that is reflected in the way they smile, the words they use, and the people they help.

The reason that the ‘bathed in molten gold’, casually sitting in school over lunch quote will always mean more than an excited ‘Your eyes are so pretty!’ conversation is that at the end of the day, you can always help the way you look, but you will never be able to shake off who you truly are.

Anger: Calming the monster inside us!

By Hiba Fatima

Have you ever felt so angry at someone that you imagined killing them in the most brutal way you can? Have you ever been so frustrated, so exasperated, that all you ever wanted to do was to scream? Every teenager has felt this way at one point in their life or another. That's okay. Sometimes, people are just inviting you to high-five them. In the face. With a chair.

Says Mrs. Shernaz Darrah, Principal of Beaconhouse School System, Karachi, "It is alarming how I've been observing countless incidents of bullying at the school. Most of it primarily stems from the high school section."

Mr. Mehdiali Dharamsey, English Language teacher of the eleventh grade, further added, "My students- they are volatile. A discussion metomorphisises into an argument, an argument into a scuffle, and a scuffle into chaos."

That's what happens when you let anger culminate inside you. It cloud your judgement and may even force you to make decisions you will regret. Sarah Shahid, 19, told Top of the Pops magazine, "I ran away from home last year because I was seething mad at my mum for confiscating my cellphone. I came back three days later, but in those three days, I realized just how stupid I had been. My anger motivated me to act in the most destructive ways."

So what do we do about this crimson monster called anger?
We close our eyes, take a deep breath and tell him to calm down. There are many ways in which you can vent out your feelings without being violent or irrational. One great way to do this is through art. Painting a blank canvas with the colours of our choice actually helps us express our feelings. Sughra Azeem, an art teacher from Beaconhouse, told us how students automatically picked colours like red, orange and even black when painting while angry. "It helps you with intellectual development as well as anger management." she said.

You could write your feelings down in a journal. Mad at your friend, sibling or teacher? Write a poem about it. Perform it with all your emotion. Let your anger stimulate the creative juices in your mind to flow. If you love doing so, you might just be a slam poet!

If you really can't do anything but hit something when you're angry, then listen to this story of John Green, 17, from Sean Covey's book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers". Green, whenever he was furious, would escape to the basement of his house. He would pick up a hockey stick and a ball and hit the bare walls of the room for as long as it took to vapourise his anger. "Doing so did wonders for me." Green says. "I found a way to manage my anger, without hurting my family with the rudeness I usually showed." You could join Karate classes if you likes Mr. Green's story!

Another way to pacify yourself is by performing yoga. "Yoga requires so much attention that your mind is actually vacated of grief and anger because it is so focused on your posture." Ms. Maliha Subzwari, a yoga instructor at Body Beats, Karachi, told TP magazine.

Having greater control over your emotions makes you a more pro-active person. When you're angry, you're also confused. You focus on problems, not solutions. Solutions that your mind cannot emulate while your judgement is clouded. Every little thing other people do annoys you. That's why it's so important to learn how to manage your anger. Next time you're angry, try Dr. Fiza Shah's idea, "Breathe deeply, press your forefingers against your temples and just pretend to scream, with your mouth agape but voice silent." You'll feel lighter, happier and satisfied. All this because of one thing: anger management.

Should Abortion be Legalized?

By Humza Jami

Abortion is the medical act of terminating pregnancy by removing an embryo or a fetus from the uterus of a woman’s body. The status quo for abortion being legal varies from country to country. The general trend lies with extremely religious states, including but not limited to the Holy See and Saudi Arabia, resorting to actions such as the cancellation of doctor’s licenses if they perform abortion on grounds other than being the absolute last resort. The absolute last resort implies that the mother’s life is at risk in this scenario.

The side of the argument which in particular fights the case of abortion not being legalized bases their cases on two distinct but intertwining lines. Firstly, they talk about the social and cultural backlash associated with abortion. The social backlash is more or less associated with the labeling of mothers who have undergone abortion as a metaphorical “black sheep” of society. Why and how does this* happen you may ask? They get alienated. They are branded similar to the unfortunate souls who have had miscarriages. They are labeled impure or dirty; having compromised their chastity for the sake of pleasure and getting away with it by simply prancing off to a clinic. The mother starts getting disowned by her own medieval mindset relatives. She becomes the butt of all gossip mongers’ fresh stories. This is absolutely preposterous they argue, and it’s not fair for abortion to be legalized at all as it opens the door for any woman to undergo the treatment and be subject to discrimination from society as a result.

Secondly, they argue that abortion takes away the life of an unborn child, albeit in the form of a fetus. The fetus being an unborn child has rights according to this belief, and it deserves to live its own life, regardless of the precarious circumstances surrounding its conception and hypothetical birth. The call it murder and call those who oppose executions but support abortion hypocrites. According to this belief, human life has begun for the fetus, which is illustrated by “it” being referred to as a person, rather than the “fetus” in speech. When a pregnant woman feels a kick within her belly, she doesn’t say that the “fetus” kicked, but she says that the baby kicked. The baby is a human being, life has begun for it, and it deserves to be given a shot at life is a brief summation of their argument. They believe that even if the parents can’t afford to raise the child, there are a fair amount of adoption schemes and foster homes present to take care of the baby.

Now coming towards what the supporters of the legalization of abortion have to say for themselves, they base their arguments on two primary heads. First comes with the right of the mother having a choice of whatever she wants to do with her own body. The rights of the mother must be prioritized in this case as she is already alive and there are a number of possible complications that could occur with the fetus. The mother might have tried and used every form of sexual protection available to mankind if it was a recreational activity which impregnated her, but that does not mean that she is forced to give birth. After all, if any man can choose leave any of their sexual excursions without any scars that might haunt them for the rest of their lives, why does a woman have carry around a child in her womb for nine months as a one? Why does a woman have to suffer changes to her body which she might not welcome? Is she any less of a human being that she isn’t giving a chance to opt out of it? And it is pleasing to see in this light that legislation does exist, even the strictest of countries, it is permissible to abort if the mother’s life is at stake. If it can be used a last resort in EXTREME situations, does it actually quantify being completely legalized? A large majority out rightly say yes. And yes, legalizing it applies the broader principal of the freedom of choice to the case too, which I believe is an inalienable human right.

Now the second line of argument which people present in favor of legalizing abortion, which concerns permitting abortion in the case of rape. Rape is one of the most terrifying and horrendous things a woman can go through, and a child born of rape would haunt her for the rest of her life. Consider it this way, scars heal, but a child carried around by a woman inside her womb for nine months will be an everlasting symbol of the torture she underwent. And it automatically falls in line of social backlash, a bastard born out of rape would again be labeled as a black sheep, be alienated from society, be the butt of gossip. And again, legalizing abortion for these cases can prevent a bastard from being born, and all of this can and will be prevented.

To conclude, I consider that the arguments against legalizing abortion are flawed in respect as the mother’s rights have to be compromised to ensure that the rights of the fetus are safeguarded. Also, there is social backlash associated with both sides of the argument, with some relief being provided in abortion is in the end legalized. And it is for this reason I would be proud be the chief proposer for the legalization of abortion ANY day.