Candide- A lovely satire

Summary
Candide is considered a handsome man, but straight off during the story it is obvious he is not that bright. He lives in Germany, specifically under the rule of the Baron of Thun-Ten-Tronch, and is in love with the Barons daughter, Cunegonde. One day Cunegonde sees Candide’s mentor “teaching” physics to a attractive and obiedient maid of her mothers. Cunegonde puts it into her mind to kiss Candide, upon kissing Candide, her father kicked him in the rear until he left the castle. Out of a weird and strange turn of events an enemy of the Baron, the Bulgars, attacked the castle and Candide also ends up in their army. He quickly rises in rank and becomes an officer.
Candide later meets a beggar who turns out to be his old master, Pangloss. His master has caught Syphilis from the maid, who caught it from someone else, who caught it from somewhere else, and so forth. Pangloss states this is the first gift the Old World gives to the New World. With help from his friend Pangloss and Candide end up on a ship, which gets destroyed, as Candides friend drowns from the selfishness of a man. The two men then survive an earthquake to end up in Spain. Pangloss is hanged as Candide was saved by his lovers aged servant, Cunegonde. Cunegonde tells Candide a hurried story of rape, murder, and enslavement she experienced. Candide inadvertently kills Cunegonde Jewish capture, who is renting the home they live in as well as Cunegonde. To finally escape Candide kills the other renter of Cunegonde, a Spanish governor and escapes with his love and her servant. As Cunegonde complains of her perils, her servant states she has been through much worst. Her story starts out about her being the daughter of a Pope; however, things went dark for her and her mother when they were abducted by pirates. The servant and her mother were raped, and enslaved for years and years, never really staying in one country or continent. She witness murder and genocide, greed, the plague every sin and every bad situation. It seemed like all the evil one country could cause; another country could mirror, or even top that evil. Her story ended with the questioning of everyone on the ship to see if their story could be compared to hers, none could compare. Candide lost his love however, when a Spanish ship came after him to trial execute him, for killing the Governor.
Quote
“This earthquake is nothing novel, Pangloss replied; the city of Lima, in South Africa, underwent much the same sort f tremor, last year; same cause, same effects; there is surely a vein sulphur under the earth’s surface reaching from Lima to Lisbon. Nothing probable, said Candide; but, for Gods Sake, a little oil and wine (Voltaire).”
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For all of Pangloss’s intelligence, and his life of philosophy, he is in fact utterly useless. A man who is only book smart can’t really function in society, they have a brain, but that’s it. I believe this was a satire on philosophers who only spend their time thinking about nonsense and not actually trying to do something with their lives.

The final fight: Post 4

Summary#4
Outside of Hispaniola, Haitians and Dominicans are met on a different battleground: New York. Deep in New York City, Dominican immigrants and their Americans children live in close knit neighborhoods and try to blend their island lifestyle with the fast pace lifestyle of New York. In these neighborhoods Dominican drug dealers are shot and killed every year. There was a point in time hundreds of caskets were sent to the Dominican Republic all filled with the bodies of young teenage gangbangers. New York, as the rest of the United States, is considered a holy land too many Dominicans and Haitians. This is quite obvious with thousands of Haitians and Dominicans alike constantly immigrating to the United States.
Summary#5
Back home, the three worlds collide: the United States, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic swirls around in the island of Hispaniola. The three worlds are constantly butting heads on political, economic, and social issues. But, there is a time when the three entities’ lines are blurred. That time is called carnival. Carnival is time period in Hispaniola where both Haiti and the Dominican Republic share a few days of dancing and having fun. The carnival is actually quit wild; all the lines drawn before are crossed. There is an explosion of sexual rejuvenation and loud music blared. This time period is the only time all the cultures within the island come, unite, and act civilized, but after the carnival all of that goes back to the same old.
Quote
#4: "'Even though we live here, we invest back there' 210 "
#5: "They are here in the cane fields that have long represented the center of conflict between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The three worlds have fused into one (Wucker 251)."
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#4: As for Haitians and Dominicans alike, we live here, but our family and national ties are strong. I personally known that my father lived in the US for years after i was born and sent money back to Haiti. This is the same for alot of immigrant families, they live in the United Sates, but send money back to their country and pay attintion to what is going on there.
#5:It seems the only time that Haiti, USA, and the Dominican Republic can finaly coexist is on the days of carnival. The violence and conflict between the three groups can be easily forgotten on the days without rules. There is an obvious fusion of the culrtures; as Haitians, Dominicans, and American-Haitan and Dominicans, come together to celebrate a day without rules, conflict, or political limitations.

Presidents: Two countries one island

SummaryAs the Dominican Republic’s economy was exploding, Haiti’s economy was imploding. The Dominicans were under the rule of Ulises Heureaux, he was a nice little embezzler. Dominicans eventually killed him. The two countries fell in near chaos as both countries went in debt. During the late 1930’s, under Trujillo’s control, the Dominican Republic became the US’s main supplier of sugar, However, most of the cane cutters who worked for Dominican plantations were Haitian. The brutal treatment of these Haitian can cutters did not go unnoticed. Even so, the Dominican government blamed the Haitian people and government for the harsh punishment the workers went through. Just as the Spanish justified the enslavement of the Taino, generations later, the Dominicans justified the mistreatment of Haitian workers.In the late 1970’s a young Haitian man became president, at age 19. His fathers name was Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, the man’s name was Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. Baby Doc siphoned money out of the banks on numerous occasions. Baby Doc married a Michele Bennett, their marriage was worth over 3million dollars. The first-couple constantly took money from the already failing economy of Haiti. The Pope once spoke in front of the Haitian people and told them, this must change, in Haitian Kreyol. One man, Jean-Bertand Aristide answered this advice. Aristide was an intellectual that collected certificates and accumulated the skill to speak nine languages. He would become Haiti’s first democratically elected president. He was very outspoken against the mistreatment of Haitian workers in the Dominican Republic. The world had its eyes on the Dominican Republic to change its ways. During this time period, yet again, a strange relationship between Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and The United States occurred. Hispaniola was ready to explode in violence until the US stepped in, and took Aristide with them. Joaquin Balaguer was president, and remained president for 12years. Yet again, he was the creation of another military coup. Before him, Juan Bosch was president; he was the Dominicans first democratically elected president. But, under Balaguer, the successor, the Countries economy, and nationalism reached new heights. He too, was a strong disbeliever of any mistreatment of Haitian cane cutters.

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"Now Aristied was being exiled. A few years ago it was Bosch, now Aristide, the both of them were the first democraticly elected presidents of their country. They were only sepereated by 20years(Wukcer 93)."

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this is yet another parrallelism between the two countries. Though not everyone from either country would admit the coincidences and ironies that happened all throughout the Islands' history, these coincedences, ironies, and parrallelisms are quit obvious, like this one.

sugar: Haitia and The Dominican Republic

So Trujillo tried to cover his tracks but he was discovered anyway. A group of men prepared to assassinate him. The men succeeded in doing so, but their actions led the country to chaos. The Haitians in the west were having presidential problems as well. The current president Stenito Vincent was lax to the ideas of Haitians being killed. The Haitian people did not like his attitude.
There does exist a small town in the Dominican Republic called Little Haiti. There Haitian merchant and Dominicans converge to trade, sell, and buy things. The town harbors the same mistreatment and racial conflict between Haitians. Crime, poverty, and crime is rampant in the town. But, trust and love exists between the neighbors, Dominican and Haitian alike. The town was bred from the immense migration of Haitian workers. These workers came over to work on the sugar cane farms. But, the farm owners and government were well known for their mistreatment of workers. These cane cutters work for near little and are constantly exploited. Dominican workers often dislike these Haitian workers because they are taking jobs. The government has a love and hate relationship between the Haitians.
The government of the Dominican Republic fears the Haitian migrants for a number of reasons: they are a weight load on the government, they are met with disdain from some Dominicans, and some very crazy politicians fear the Haitians could take over the country. But Santo Domingo and Little Haiti reflect the ideals of the Dominican people and government. Not all Dominicans “hate” Haitians, and not all of them are mistreated. The racial, social, religious, and political aspects of either country still exists in these areas, but, the complications are also numerous.

Quote
"In this world of merchants and refugees, he is a hero of sorts, even to those who warn he is a moun fou. Instead of a lost soul in the streets, a man with nothing, soemone who achieved great things...(Wucker91)."

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These merchants from Haiti enter a strange world. The world they enter has people that do not want them there, and the world they came from is not an ideal place to live. They are now live in a limbo. However, even a man they lable a moun fou(crazy man), is a hero to them. This man has escaped the tragdies and heartaches they face, he has escaped reality.

Cokcfight: Haiti vs. D.R. round 1

Summary
Haitians and Dominicans share a tight relationship, both healthy and unhealthy. The two countries have faced similar odds, fought alongside each other, and fought against one another. The two countries also share a passion for cockfighting. The men of either country wage money on this barbaric sport. The narrator mentions that cockfighting is not entirely a barbaric sport, but it is an extension of life. The roosters that fight represent political parties for Dominicans and Haitians. The cockfighting then takes another symbol; the island of Hispaniola is a giant cockfighting ring. The two countries that make it up are fighting for territory in close quarters, just like cocks fight for territory. The Haitians and Dominicans today have survived centuries of tension and death. The rivalry of these two countries start out with their forefathers, ancestors, and slave masters; all realted to the French and Spanish. Years ago, during the 16th-century, the two nations viaed for the Island. After years of slavery, the Haitian laborers rebelled, and fought off the French. There were left over white settlers. The settlers tried to pass by as mulatto. To prove their identities were real, the current Haitian emperor at the time ordered any person of light skin to sing a kreyol song, if they could not sing it correctly, the person was executed. Years later, France, Spain, and Britain each fought over the country, turning it into a virtual war-zone. Haiti and the Dominican Republic allied and fended off tyrannical rule form their home countries. The two countries would finaly became independent countries, however, tension between the country, suspicions, and vengence was was always around. The two countries, although were in close proximity, were neighbors, have back stabbed each other numerous times before becoming independent nations. After each nation gained their respective presidents, turned dicattors, they went off into near hatred of each other. Under the Dictorial rule of Rafeal Tujillo, the Dominican republic was thriving, until the great depression hit. The government needed a way to rid itself of a large Haitian population that was once there to work on the sugar canes, became obsolete. Tujllo realizing deportation would take too long, decided to take action and massacre the Haitians. His plan was devious: he would blame angry farmers for the deaths, and his sodliers used knives and shovels to kill the Haitain workers. The death toll of the Haitian workers is unknown, some range it to as low as 15,000 and as high as 35,000. Tujillo's reign would end as years later he got assassinted.
Quote
"Their lie uncovered, they met the bayonets of Dessaline's men.(More then a century later, black Haitians would die for failing a similar test in the Domincan Republic)(Wucker 37)."
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There were too many quotes for me to pick out from this book. But this one resonates in my mind the most. Throughout the book, Haitains and Dominicans seemed less then friends or enemies, they at that time were more friendnemies. It is safe to say, any tragedy the Haitians commited on the Dominicans, the Dominicans put a tragedy on Haitians. The quote only shows the complex relationships between the countries, something that I myself as a Haitian have known and exprienced, even still today.

No Country for Old Men

No Country For Old Men (Movie)
Emphasis and minimize
In the movie Characters that are minimized from the book include : Bells wife, Loretta. There is that girl Lewellyn Moss found. Bell’s deputies, and the bounty hunter sent to kill Chigurh. Even Bell himself was minimized (he only had a speech in the beginning and end of the movie).
Chigurh and Moss were the characters emphasized. The two took up most of the frames and scenes in the movie. For some reason or another, the two were never shown to be in the same room as each other. Not once did the movie ever show the two face to face.
Narration
The movie, like in the book, has instances of POV by Bell. However, unlike the novel (which has a numerous instances where Bell is the narrator), the movie mainly has an omniscient narration.
Images
The only reoccurring images in the movie include a wounded man and a handful of blood stained hundred dollar bills. The men who were wounded the most were Moss and Chigurh. The movie showed Moss’ buckshot wound, and the stomach wound he gained from being shot at. The most gruesome wound was the one Chigurh had. He was shot through the leg, and as he soaked himself in the bath, you could see right throw the bullet wound. Then there is the blood stained dollars. In many parts of the movie, both Chigurh and Moss alike, use money to get out of sticky situations. As once Moss used his blood stained money to get into a hospital, to take a man’s car, and Chigurh used his money to buy a shirt for a sling for his arm.
Shot
One shot that caught my attention was the shot in which Chigurh was soaking his leg in a bath. It was an over the head shot because we saw the ceilings perspective of him soaking his leg, it can also be considered a long shot. The shot should Chigurh’s entire body, and framed him and the tub.
Music
I hardly noticed the music of the movie, most likely because it just blended in well.

In the End

Summary
Earlier, during Moss’ funeral arrangements, Chigurh met Carla-Jean. The two have a brief discussion, and Carla-Jean (on sight of him), knew Chigurh was a mad man. She told Chigurh “you don’t have to do this,” but he replied with no remorse. In the end, he shot her point blank in the face. After leaving the funeral home, Chigurh has his car rammed by a truck. In the street, the two cars are on fire, and Chigurh badly injured his arm. Two boys happened to walk by the wreckage; Chigurh immediately asked them how much one of their shirts cost. The two were puzzled, but Chigurh again asked the question, pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket. The two parties agreed on a cost, and Chigurh used one of the shirts as a sling.
Bell comes over to his uncle’s house (he is a ww2 war veteran). The two have a conversation. The conversation first starts off with how Bell and the Old man are doing. During their talk, they speak of long dead family members. The Old man first mentions his mother, who caused suicide because of his brother’s death during he war. Then he speaks of his father, who was killed in a home invasion, and bravely tried to shoot the invaders with his shotgun even as he was shot in the chest. Then man mentioned his comrades during the war and how he left them behind, even though he had the ability to do so. Bell would be called by the department and here about two boys who found a gun. Coincidently the boys were the two boys who met Chigurh and exchanged a shirt for some money. Bell knew the man was Chigurh and quickly interrogated the only boy left. Bell cut him loose when he realized the boy didn’t have much information. Bell would never find Chigurh. He went to Moss’ family home and spoke with his parents, learning about Moss’ new attitude after the Vietnam War. Bell later went back home, and spoke with his wife; he left a courthouse wife the bowed head of men meeting him. In the final words of the book, and Bell, Bell had a dream. The dream included his father, riding a horse, and holding a rod of flames.

Quote
“And in the dream I knew that he was goin ahead and that he was fixin to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold and I knew that whenever I got there he would be there for me(McCarthy 309).”
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The story ends the way it started: Bell speaking his mind. The first thing eh said was him being Sheriff, and now he is talking about the end of his career and life. His dream also ends with a disturbing fact: the evil Bell has been chasing and trying to control has not been captured. Bell was a Sheriff because the world needed a lawman, like his father, and grandfather before him. So in his own way, Bell is saying this is endless, if at his fathers time they needed law and so at his time, what does that mean for the future? The future will be the same; another lawman will take Bell’s place, then on and on.

Motel shoot out, Murderers, and Mexican Mobsters

Summary: As Moss looks ahead, a man enters the motel. He walks into a room and shoots a man in there. Moss cathes the man, and puts his gun at him. The man did not breathe a word, after Moss nervously asked him questions. Once Moss was outside, a man, who I believed to be Chigurh, opened fire at Moss. Moss, yet a gain, was shot in the arm. He limped away, but before he was gone he took a shot at the man above the motel. Moss ran into the city, finally meeting a Mexican man, who with some persuasion from money took Moss to the hospital. At the hospital, Moss woke up to a man by the name of Carson Wells. It seems Wells is in the same business as Chigurh, and Wells considers Chigurh the ultimate badass. Moss declared he will not get killed by that man, but Wells scares him by stating Chigurh will be after his wife. Meanwhile, Chigurh, is driving around looking for a vet’s office, he is looking for medical equipment for his leg. Churgh gets the medical equipment, and begans to recuperate in a cheap motel. After a few days of lying low, the main characters take action. Moss calls his wife, Chigurh kills Wells, and Sheriff Bell speaks to Carla-Jean. Moss would take a bigger step, and got out of the Mexican hospital he was in. He is first caught up with border police, but the man who was interrogating him let Moss go. I believe it had something to do with his wife, as the man said “whatever you did, tell her sorry, even if it’s your fault.” Moss, yet again, met a man who did not ask him any questions and tried to help him out, even though Moss was in a blood drenched overcoat and hospital wear. Moss would later meet a girl (who happened to be 15) and both of them have a brief adventure. Moss’ adventure would sadly end with his death when he is caught up by Chigurh

Quote
“I knowed you were a smart ass the moment I saw you settin’ there (McCarthy 260) ” and “I knowed you were crazy the moment I saw you settin’ there (McCarthy 140).”

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I think it is important to see the parallels between Carla-Jean and the girl Moss met. The two both met Moss when they were around 15 or 16. The two have a casual looking relationship; jokes from Moss and Carla-Jean or the girl wondering if he’s speaking truths. There is also a definite fondness between the two relationships. My reaction to the two quotes is that they symbolized the beginning and end of Moss’ life. Moss’ life truly began when he met Carla-Jean, the love of his life, and it ended when he met the girl after Chigurh easily tracked Moss down. Carla-Jean's quote intensifies this symbolism as she sais this at Moss' funeral.

No Country for Old Men

who Summary
The Book starts out with a sheriff talking about a man he met. The man was a 19 year old who lived in the county. He was charged with murder, and sentenced to death. He killed his 14 year old girlfriend, all because he wanted to kill for a long time. The sheriff ends his short story by saying he hopes he never meets a person like that again.
The story then turns to an omnipotent point of view; the story begins with Chigurh, a man in handcuffs by a deputy. As the deputy talks on the phone, Chigurh, jumps on him and begins to strangle him with his cuffs. He kills the sheriff and takes his car. Chigurh then stops a driver. As the driver exits his vehicle, Chigurh shoots him between the eyes and drives off. The narrator then introduces a hunter, Llewelyn Moss. He is hunting deer, when all of a sudden a group of them noticed him. As they ran, he shot one in the leg, but it got away. Moss was walking back home when he noticed a limping dog. He immediately realized the dog was injured. Moss would later find down the road car wreckage. Within the car wreckage there are numerous dead men and a dead dog. Moss would turn to a man speaking in Spanish asking for water. Moss completely disregarded the man’s plead and discovered a bag of money. He counted the money and went back home. But he would go back to the wreckage, even as his wife asked him not to. When he arrives at the wreckage spot two men are already their. The two shoot at Moss, and Moss is struck on the arm by a buck shot. Moss escaped home to tell his wife she should leave, he will meet up with her later.
Back in town sheriff Bell and his department discover something behind a court yard (though I’m still confused on what it is). Bell fears something is coming soon. Chigurh enters the story; he drives around and picks up a man. The two men exchange conversation and Chigurh enters a store. He speaks to the manager, scaring the poor guy a bit with his creepy look and constant questions. During their discussion, Chigurh asks the man to call heads or tails. After much argument the man calls it, he was correct and Chigurh begins to talk to the man. He states that anything can be an instrument, and that the coin is just a coin and he leaves.
Llewelyn gets off a bus and enters a hotel. He counts his money, pulls out a gun he “borrowed” from the men he discovered and laid on his bed. He decided he would go eat. As Sherriff bell picks up his fork, the phone rings. He gets on the phone and one of his deputies is on the line. The two men make plans to go check out the wreckage Llewelyn previously discovered. Meanwhile, Chigurh drives towards Moss’ home. He grabs his gun and shoots the door open. Chigurh enters the house and begins to search the home top and bottom. He discovers mail on a desk and reads the name of the recipient.

Quote
"Lllwelyn: Tell my mother I love her.
Carla-Jean: Your mother’s dead Llwelyn.
Llwelyn: Well I’ll tell her myself (24 McCarthy) ."

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I sort of smiled when I read this line. But then I realized that Llwelyn is willing to die for the money he gained. The bag of paper he runs around with is putting his life at stake. And that same bag he holds is interlocking the lives of three men. When these three men meet, people will die.