In the midst of a raging civil war between rebels and a corrupt government, young boy Valentino Achak Deng traveled alone around Southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya, in search of rescue, his family, and a place to call home. Years later, upon his move to Atlanta, Georgia, Deng assisted author Dave Eggers in writing a novel about his life. Often considered a picaresque story of adolescence and triumph, What is the What, conveys invaluable messages to the reader while maintaining an entertaining, even humorous at times, story. Looking through the eyes of a victim of the war, the novel manages to cast Valentino as a hero, not soley for his survival, but also for his realization that war and terror are omnipresent. What is the What graces anyone who dares to open it's cover with learning heartening motifs, the rich culture of a country that seems to live in it’s own universe, and the sacredy of child hood.
Opening on a scene where Valentino is already settled in America, What is the What surprises readers expectant of a setting in Southern Africa with the busy streets of Georgia. The first conflict introduced to the reader is that of Valentino robbed, held hostage, and tantalized with the nickname, “Africa.” The message is clear; war is everywhere. Beginning in the late 1900’s, with a complex past far earlier, the Sudanese civil war continues to be the longest running civil war in African history. Only recently did the war make any progress, granting South Sudan independence on July 9th, 2011. Over two million innocent civilians dead, and four million displaced persons, the war has left Sudan fraught with turmoil and it’s people overwhelmed with fear. Author, Dave Eggers, relays to the reader that although he may have escaped a phy...
... middle of paper ...
...hat children are exposed to. In What is the What, Eggers makes it obvious to the reader that child hood is a precious gift. The simple game of hide and seek becomes highly appreciated after reading What is the What.
A powerful tale of a boy forced to grow up overnight, alone, bewildered, and struggling to survive, What is the What puts a fresh spin on the classic tale of triumph by imposing upon the reader powerful lessons. From cultural enrichment on the Dinka people to appreciation of childhood, Eggers makes it clear that the tale is meant to impact lives forever. Reading of a childs life, with no shortage of unimaginable horrors, the reader can only hope to learn half as much as Eggers hopes you do. Regardless of quantity, anyone brave enough to pick up What is the What will surely be awed by it’s poetic ability to capture both the hearts and minds of readers.
The Middle East and the western world have maintained a delicately balanced relationship for decades, if not centuries. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a country officially established under heavy British influence in 1946, offers a prime example. Queen Rania of Jordan, however, works actively to strengthen relationships and breakdown dangerous stereotypes. While many see Muslim women as downtrodden and subjected, “The queen is widely admired in the U.S. and Europe, where she is known for her glamorous
Whether it is the Ancient Greece, Han China, the Enlightened Europe, or today, women have unceasingly been oppressed and regarded as the second sex. Provided that they have interminably been denied the power that men have had, very few prominent female figures like Cleopatra, the Egyptian Queen, or Jeanne d'Arc, the French heroine, have made it to history books. Veritably, it was not until 1792 when Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women addressed the issues of gender equality
Chinese Taboo: Postpartum Recovery In Asian countries and some parts of Europe, people still practice postpartum recovery, based on the ground that post pregnancy recovery would help new mothers recover from exhausted state and promote breast milk. According to Yin and Yang theory in Chinese medicine, a month’s of rest and strictly nutritious diets is beneficial for new mothers to keep their Yin and Yang balance. In this paper, I am going to introduce how Chinese postpartum recovery processes in
The decades' old Chechen conflict has not received much media coverage in the West; however, there has been one aspect of this struggle which has been reported upon: female suicide bombers, known as “Black Widows”. Various sources attribute their actions to being victims who suffered traumatic loss of loved ones, brainwashing by Islamist zealots, being rape and/or being drugged. In my paper, I sought to learn more about the motivations of these women to see if there is more behind than what I