“Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience”-Edward Said. I felt that someone who felt actual solitude could very easily compare themselves to this quote, because even though it may seem wonderful at times to be alone, it could also let you see that it might not always be of your own making. Adah is a character that is very solitary and enjoys it, because she gets to see what others can’t, she can be distinctive from her sister Leah which helps her to a point where she can manly think of her mind as a home, until her mother opens her eyes to a whole new reality for her.
Adah enjoys learning things backwards and forwards until she fully understands and can make it her own. When she comes to this new land she takes some time to transition, just like her family, but after some time she begins to want to learn more about the culture just like she has a passion to learn overall. She begins to learn the language of Kikongo and starts to notice the blatant mistakes of her father, which cause her to start losing the trust she had for him, because his untrusting nature has caused him to make silly mistakes.
Although Adah seems to have a greater regard for her sister, Leah, for example when she calls her a goddess of the hunt. This respect that she has towards her sister causes her to push herself from the position she was in before. Yet this is only an assumption, I have no idea how Adah was before she arrived at the Congo. Anyway Adah’s own little world comes crumbling down when she realizes that she just isn't worth it. There was a point in the book when Adah was left abandoned by her mother so she could save Ruth May, so she was left behind in the Chaos of flesh eating ants. Adah might have never experienced this realization of her mom’s character if she was never exposed to the dangers of the Congo. So in all I feel it brought Adah to a closer understanding to who she is , with also a better understanding of her mom.
Adah is a person that could assimilate with the world around her, but she also can find parts of her loved ones or herself that she never knew before. The truth can ruin or begin one’s own world.
This essay was fantastic overall. Your sentences were a little long and some could have been broken up into different pieces but Suzy this essay was fantastic. For the sentence where you use the word silly, you may want to use a different word like brainless, unintelligible just to spice up and keep the level of vocabulary that you were using at the same intelligent level. Also at the beginning of the sentence in the third paragraph try using a different sentence starter than "Anyway." But suzzell that was a great piece!!
ReplyDeleteHey Suzie, you did a good job of addressing the prompt and bringing evidence in from the book. It would be good to condense all the alienating ideas, the ones that made her feel sad, alone, different, unimportant, etc. grouped together so the reader can understand how she felt when she was exiled. Then put all the positive, enriching things that happened and what she learned in another paragraph so the reader can see the distinction between exiles negative and positive effects. Maybe try to keep yourself out of the paragraph too by trying to not say "I" very much. Nice solid essay and hope this helps. Liz
ReplyDeleteHey Susie,
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job supporting your thesis statement with details and examples. I wish you had longer conclusion paragraph to sum up your thoughts and ideas. Other than that, I really liked your essay!
From Jisu (:
I think your essay was really good! the only thing I would change is in the second to last paragraph you talk about hpw you didn't know adah before the Congo and I felt that it caused your essay to lose cohesion.
ReplyDeleteHey Susie, first of all, I applaud you for your honesty. Second of all, it's amazing how even though you couldn't finish reading the last 150 pages of the book, I got exposed to something different through your essay. I would suggest you to make the essay impersonal so it sounds formal. The shift in POV kind of confused me for a second as to who's talking. Also, try and leave something at the end that leaves the readers thinking about something.. Super job - all in all!!
ReplyDelete