Post A
"We can publish that in the papers if you like," he said. Mr Handsome with his friend Miss Fatty. "
She laughed. "You're a real ladies' man . I knew it from the first time I saw you."
"Well someone has to look out for the ladies," he said (143)."
One difference in African culture and American culture is that in Africa, being fat is considered beautiful, and skinny women are shunned. While on a case to find out whether or not a woman's husband is cheating, Mma Ramotswe dresses up as a floozy and goes to this man's favorite bar, While she is there, men keep hitting on her, calling her fat and fatty. At first i was wierded out by this backward way of thinking, but it seems to be a nice alternative to girls thowing up or starving themselves to stay thin. What if we were all pressured into being fat? In that case, most Americans would already be well on their way to beatutiful.
Post B
"Mopani Worms?" asked Mma Ramotswe.
The woman turned round and looked at her.
"yes." She offered the bag to Mma Ramotswe, who helped herself to one of the dried tree worms and popped it into her mouth. It was a delicacy she simply could not resist (114)."
This is one of the most disgusting things I have ever read. The idea of eating a worm makes me want to hurl. But I suppose that each culture has their own foods that are considered disgusting to another place. Botswana... worms. France... snails. China... dogs. Iceland... fermented shark. America... trans fats?
Anyway to each his own, but I would never eat a worm.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Blogg No. Six!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post A
"Now this was a bad snake, this one. There is was. Look at the head! Ow! and those evil eyes! Mma Ramotswe shuddered, and read; "the above picture is of an adult male black mamba, measureing 1.87 meters."(112)."
This is a cultural difference simply because there are different geographical features in Africa than in any where else in the world, which allows different animals to live there.THis setting creates many different obstacles for the characters to over come than the story could if it took place in America. There would never be such a poisonous snake in the US. in fact, there isn't many exotic animals at all.
POST B
"Mr. Maketoni took her mug and poured her more tea. he was silent now- not out of anger, or resentment- but becasue it had taken all his energy to make to make his declaration of love and had no more words for the time being (138)."
Dear Mma Ramotswe,
I am very sad that you turned down Mr. Maketoni's marriage. He is a genuinly nice person and would treat you in a nice manner. I know Note scorned you, and it is hard to fall in love after you heart has been broken, but Mr Maketoni seems to really have your best intrests at heart. I hoppe you reconsider.
"Now this was a bad snake, this one. There is was. Look at the head! Ow! and those evil eyes! Mma Ramotswe shuddered, and read; "the above picture is of an adult male black mamba, measureing 1.87 meters."(112)."
This is a cultural difference simply because there are different geographical features in Africa than in any where else in the world, which allows different animals to live there.THis setting creates many different obstacles for the characters to over come than the story could if it took place in America. There would never be such a poisonous snake in the US. in fact, there isn't many exotic animals at all.
POST B
"Mr. Maketoni took her mug and poured her more tea. he was silent now- not out of anger, or resentment- but becasue it had taken all his energy to make to make his declaration of love and had no more words for the time being (138)."
Dear Mma Ramotswe,
I am very sad that you turned down Mr. Maketoni's marriage. He is a genuinly nice person and would treat you in a nice manner. I know Note scorned you, and it is hard to fall in love after you heart has been broken, but Mr Maketoni seems to really have your best intrests at heart. I hoppe you reconsider.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Blog Number 5
Post AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
In Botswana, there is an obvious difference in that "witch doctors" terrorize the land. At Precious' detective agency, she receives a letter from a poor man whose son has disappeared. He does not have the money to pay her for a full investigation, however, he asks if she can ask around if anyone has seen his beloved son. She consults with her friend about the case, and he replies that the boy will never be found, and she should know that. That a witch doctor had taken him.
"Mr J.L.B Matekoni smiled. "Come on, now, Mma Ramotswe. You know as well as I do what goes on. We don't like to talk about it do we? It's the thing we Africans are most ashamed of. We know it happens but we pretend it doesn't. We know all right what happens to children who go missing. We know (90)."
Post BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
"Then, just past the Mochudi turnoff, the sun came up, rising over the wide plains that stretched away torwards the corse of the Limpopo. Suddenly it was there, smiling effortlessly free of the horizon to dispel the last wisps of morning mist (122)."
This is a gorgeous example of the imagry used in this novel. Alexander McCall Smith is a tremendously talented writer, and he definately deserves all the praise he gets for writing this series. This specific quote paints a beautiful picture of the lazy African weather, and makes me think of the Lion King in the very beginning when the Circle of Life begins to play and Simba is being presented to the worls as a new born lion cub.
In Botswana, there is an obvious difference in that "witch doctors" terrorize the land. At Precious' detective agency, she receives a letter from a poor man whose son has disappeared. He does not have the money to pay her for a full investigation, however, he asks if she can ask around if anyone has seen his beloved son. She consults with her friend about the case, and he replies that the boy will never be found, and she should know that. That a witch doctor had taken him.
"Mr J.L.B Matekoni smiled. "Come on, now, Mma Ramotswe. You know as well as I do what goes on. We don't like to talk about it do we? It's the thing we Africans are most ashamed of. We know it happens but we pretend it doesn't. We know all right what happens to children who go missing. We know (90)."
Post BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
"Then, just past the Mochudi turnoff, the sun came up, rising over the wide plains that stretched away torwards the corse of the Limpopo. Suddenly it was there, smiling effortlessly free of the horizon to dispel the last wisps of morning mist (122)."
This is a gorgeous example of the imagry used in this novel. Alexander McCall Smith is a tremendously talented writer, and he definately deserves all the praise he gets for writing this series. This specific quote paints a beautiful picture of the lazy African weather, and makes me think of the Lion King in the very beginning when the Circle of Life begins to play and Simba is being presented to the worls as a new born lion cub.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Blog NUmero Cuatro
Post A
The writing style of this book is very simplistic. There are not many difficult vocab words. It seems like someone is just telling you a story, or actually many stories that are connected through the common factor of Precious. This might reflect that stories and myths were passed down from generation to generation orally in Africa, and not written down. Also , because Botswana is not a developed country, they do not use as many different writing styles or as interesting of word choices.
Post B
Even though we do not get to know many of the characters in this novel, they are all very complex. Mma Ramotswe is hired to watch a girl to see where she goes after school, and if she has been sneeking out to see boys after her afther found a note to a boy named Jack. The girl keeps giving her the slip, so it takes Mma Ramotswe a while to find anything out about her whereabouts. Mma Ramotswe thinks she is cleverly following this girl, tailing her in her inconspicious van, reading a book while she is at the book store, asking the clerks about where the girls is going. But when she finds out the girl is goiong to a movie and decides to follow her there, she finds teh girl sitting alone. WHen Mma is getting situated, the girl comes over to her to confront her. They talk, and soon the girl admits that she is making up these boys to make her father worry, and that all she wants is a bit of freedom. Mma tells what she found out to the girls father, and convinces him to give his daughter a longer leash before she acutally begins to rebel. He agrees.
The next year, Mma runs into the girl when she is out on a walk. She is with a man and introduces him as her boyfriend, Jack.
The writing style of this book is very simplistic. There are not many difficult vocab words. It seems like someone is just telling you a story, or actually many stories that are connected through the common factor of Precious. This might reflect that stories and myths were passed down from generation to generation orally in Africa, and not written down. Also , because Botswana is not a developed country, they do not use as many different writing styles or as interesting of word choices.
Post B
Even though we do not get to know many of the characters in this novel, they are all very complex. Mma Ramotswe is hired to watch a girl to see where she goes after school, and if she has been sneeking out to see boys after her afther found a note to a boy named Jack. The girl keeps giving her the slip, so it takes Mma Ramotswe a while to find anything out about her whereabouts. Mma Ramotswe thinks she is cleverly following this girl, tailing her in her inconspicious van, reading a book while she is at the book store, asking the clerks about where the girls is going. But when she finds out the girl is goiong to a movie and decides to follow her there, she finds teh girl sitting alone. WHen Mma is getting situated, the girl comes over to her to confront her. They talk, and soon the girl admits that she is making up these boys to make her father worry, and that all she wants is a bit of freedom. Mma tells what she found out to the girls father, and convinces him to give his daughter a longer leash before she acutally begins to rebel. He agrees.
The next year, Mma runs into the girl when she is out on a walk. She is with a man and introduces him as her boyfriend, Jack.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Week 3 of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
Post A
In Botswana, the role of gender plays a much more significant role than in the lives of those who live in the United States. In the US there is a supposed equality between males and females, even though not everything is truly fair for the opposing sexes. We would be considered an advanced nation along the lines of sexual equality. In Botswana however, there is a blatant difference in the importance of women compared to men. Women are given away by their fathers, as in like a marriage, and are expected to do all the chores and housework. An example of this is that Mme Ramotswe is given away by her father. "I will speak to your father about this.," said Note. ""I hope he is not an old fashioned man who will want a lot of cattle for you (53)." They are treated like property. The people of Botswana seen to be okay with this inequality. In fact, they think that that is just how life is supposed to be, and if women were treated as equals, it would be a bad thing.
Post B
Precious is a very decisive, confident woman, which are the qualities necessary for being a good detective. She gets an idea, a hunch, and sticks with it. An example of that is when she is assigned a missing person case. She finds out this missing man was a very religious man. When she talks to the church, she discovered that he was getting baptised in a river and was swept away, and didn't know how to swim. The church had not reported the incident because they were worried about issues with the law. She traveled down the river to look for him, but could not find the body. When she was searching, she brought her neighbor's dog with her for protection. She tied him by the car, and when she went down to the river, she heard him growl and bark. When she went to check on him, she saw a crocodile. She shot it, and began to wonder what it was doing in this part of Africa, there is not enough food to sustain a crocodile's appetite. She cut open it's stomach, and found a watch and other items that belong to a human in it. When presented to his wife, she identified them as his.
In Botswana, the role of gender plays a much more significant role than in the lives of those who live in the United States. In the US there is a supposed equality between males and females, even though not everything is truly fair for the opposing sexes. We would be considered an advanced nation along the lines of sexual equality. In Botswana however, there is a blatant difference in the importance of women compared to men. Women are given away by their fathers, as in like a marriage, and are expected to do all the chores and housework. An example of this is that Mme Ramotswe is given away by her father. "I will speak to your father about this.," said Note. ""I hope he is not an old fashioned man who will want a lot of cattle for you (53)." They are treated like property. The people of Botswana seen to be okay with this inequality. In fact, they think that that is just how life is supposed to be, and if women were treated as equals, it would be a bad thing.
Post B
Precious is a very decisive, confident woman, which are the qualities necessary for being a good detective. She gets an idea, a hunch, and sticks with it. An example of that is when she is assigned a missing person case. She finds out this missing man was a very religious man. When she talks to the church, she discovered that he was getting baptised in a river and was swept away, and didn't know how to swim. The church had not reported the incident because they were worried about issues with the law. She traveled down the river to look for him, but could not find the body. When she was searching, she brought her neighbor's dog with her for protection. She tied him by the car, and when she went down to the river, she heard him growl and bark. When she went to check on him, she saw a crocodile. She shot it, and began to wonder what it was doing in this part of Africa, there is not enough food to sustain a crocodile's appetite. She cut open it's stomach, and found a watch and other items that belong to a human in it. When presented to his wife, she identified them as his.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
My research topic is the conflict between China and Tibet.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/22/china.protests/index.html
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-sub-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5307&method=date&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y&keyno=0000004676&0000004676=Y&title=China%2C%20Foreign%20relations%2C%20Tibet&leadiss=Y&auth_checked=Y
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-olympics-torch.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=china+tibet&st=nyt&oref=slogin
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/22/china.protests/index.html
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-sub-display?id=SMN0307H-0-5307&method=date&res=Y&ren=Y&gov=Y&lnk=N&ic=Y&keyno=0000004676&0000004676=Y&title=China%2C%20Foreign%20relations%2C%20Tibet&leadiss=Y&auth_checked=Y
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-olympics-torch.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=china+tibet&st=nyt&oref=slogin
Monday, April 21, 2008
Week 2 of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Post A
There are several cultural difference shown in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency so far. One is the respect toward parents. She loves her father who has recently passed away, leaving her the money to start her own store.
Fathers play an important role in Botswanian culture. She speaks of pleasing her father many times and writes his life story down so it will not be forgotten now that he has died. Also, one of her cases is to solve the mystery of whether or not a character's dad is truly her dad. Her father had left her as a child and then this man came to her years later and told her he was her father and that he was sorry he had left her. Although he didn't have much proof of his actually being her real dad, the woman let him stay with her because it was what she was supposed to do. As it turns out, he was an impostor, which Precious found out by tricking him into admitting he was not really the girls dad by telling him his daughter was gravely injured and would need his blood to save her.
Post B
Dear Precious,
I am sorry for you. You are a respectable woman, and you try to always do the right thing. It's a shame that you got involved with the musician Note. He was such a bad man. What I don't understand is why he married you. He didn't seem to want a wife, to be tied down to one person. And he didn't have to be, he was a free man, who had a good career, who liked living on his own. So why did he have to come into your life? Why did he propose if he wanted to be with other women? And why did you stay with him while he beat you? I understand that women believe they can change men, make them better, and that their man isn't so bad. They also like men who are new to them, like Note was because he was an experienced, well-traveled, talented musician. When he left you, I was very glad that such an evil man was out of your life.
There are several cultural difference shown in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency so far. One is the respect toward parents. She loves her father who has recently passed away, leaving her the money to start her own store.
Fathers play an important role in Botswanian culture. She speaks of pleasing her father many times and writes his life story down so it will not be forgotten now that he has died. Also, one of her cases is to solve the mystery of whether or not a character's dad is truly her dad. Her father had left her as a child and then this man came to her years later and told her he was her father and that he was sorry he had left her. Although he didn't have much proof of his actually being her real dad, the woman let him stay with her because it was what she was supposed to do. As it turns out, he was an impostor, which Precious found out by tricking him into admitting he was not really the girls dad by telling him his daughter was gravely injured and would need his blood to save her.
Post B
Dear Precious,
I am sorry for you. You are a respectable woman, and you try to always do the right thing. It's a shame that you got involved with the musician Note. He was such a bad man. What I don't understand is why he married you. He didn't seem to want a wife, to be tied down to one person. And he didn't have to be, he was a free man, who had a good career, who liked living on his own. So why did he have to come into your life? Why did he propose if he wanted to be with other women? And why did you stay with him while he beat you? I understand that women believe they can change men, make them better, and that their man isn't so bad. They also like men who are new to them, like Note was because he was an experienced, well-traveled, talented musician. When he left you, I was very glad that such an evil man was out of your life.
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