Sunday, February 23, 2014

Helping




The thing I most liked about the chapter “Helping” was how the author demonstrated the difference between helping someone and helping someone cheat, especially the fact that he was able to provide a cultural background in all of it. The truth of the matter is that we are taught from little to seek help from those who sit next to us, as Cooper clearly states. For example, I remember when I was a little girl and my teacher use to say: “If you don’t know, ask whoever is next to you. If they don’t know, call me.” There is a very fine line between explaining how to do something and telling the person what to do. Sometimes is hard to help someone without actually doing the work for them.

      We are taught in a way that we feel that winning is not the most important but competing is. This feeling is taught to us in many ways. For example, in Puerto Rico there was a television program called “Uncle Nobel” where it showed winners and almost winners. In my opinion, that feeling of competition was not well encouraged as it is today. Being competitive is not a bad thing, one should always aspire to win or obtain a goal. However, too much focus on being competitive can cause unnecessary frustration and not as a motivational method for bettering one’s self.
                                  
     Learning to be fair is one of the most complicated things in life. Learning to differentiate between helping someone and doing the work for them is the trick. It is not always easy to tell someone you like no without them being offended. Culturally speaking, it’s especially hard for Puerto Ricans. We are not all able to obtain the same level of education and that can create limitations. However, we need to motivate ourselves to overcome any limitations and that is what will help us shine the brightest.  

Teaching English



      
        Puerto Rico is a country that has gone through many different situations because of its political status. Puerto Rico’s primary language is Spanish. Politics has always interfered with the country’s educational system throughout the years, during its many phases. One of the phases that marked the island was the moment that the country became a commonwealth of the United States. This union brought a solid implementation of bilingual studies in the island. However, the intention of making English the primary language over Spanish on the island came long before. On the other hand, the intentions of the United States to try and promote English on the island failed due to the resistance on behalf of the locals known as “jíbaros”. The major reason why the locals were against English was because they felt it as an imposition from the United States.

        The chapter “Teaching English” teaches us that the curriculum implemented by the United States to teach English was very deficient; it did not meet the needs required to introduce a new language to the island or the personnel capable of teaching it either. Also, those who did notice that the curriculum that was being offered did not meet the standards required and wanted to make changes were ignored completely. Today, looking at Puerto Rico’s past we can recognize that there has been progress with the assimilation of the English language. However, the teachings in many public schools in the island can still be considered deficient for students with interest in university studies. The current curriculum is weak and must be modified, given the fact that the English language has become the most commercially spoken language in the world.



Monday, February 17, 2014

Jamaica Kincaid Reflection

      Jamaica Kincaid was born in Antigua in 1949; she later became a writer. She was sent to New York to work as an au pair in 1965. Her native country of Antigua is an island that remained under the control of the British up to 1981. This fact has a large influence in Kincaid’s book Small Places. Due to the presence of the British, a large sense of discrimination arose against Antigua’s local habitants. In Small Places Kincaid demonstrates the large differences that existed between Antigua’s locals and the British power that ruled their island. A clear example of this in the book is when the doctor (Jewish refugee), demands certain conditions from his patients. The doctor would not treat any child that was not completely clean because if that was not the case he wouldn’t date to treat them. Another example presented in the book is the construction of Mill Reef Club, which was being handled by the North American, would not permit the presence of any Antiguan locals unless they were servants. A large number of examples are presented throughout Small Places. These examples presented by Kincaid help the reader understand why she is so hard on foreigners, holding a special sense of hatred towards the British and North Americans in particular. Without knowing Antigua’s background or Kincaid’s history, one would be under the presumption that she is filled with hate and resentment towards foreigners without just cause. However, as one reads Small Places the reader is able to understand the inequality that existed toward the Antiguans.

                              (Mill Reef Club)

      On the other hand, I still find the authors position unjust when looked at with an up to date point of view. We cannot judge people on the actions made by someone’s country in the past, it’s not a fair stance. Many foreigners visit the island of Antigua; a country which is economy is primarily based on tourism. In effect, the author should not be able to hold accountable the tourist or be so intolerant with visitors that cannot do anything to change the actions made by other people so many years ago. Additionally, the tourists that visit the island are exactly that: tourist. They are only there by passing and it cannot be expected of them to make a positive difference in a place where they will only be a few days. Kincaid cannot be so judgmental on every foreigner that touches Antiguan soil. Without a doubt, Antigua went through a very difficult time by those who were in power. However, we cannot forget the foreign tourist are who are currently uplifting the Antiguan economy.


      Now, given the period the author had to go through during her time in her native country created a horrible perception about outsiders. The author might not still have this perception about foreigners given her country’s independence which was obtained no more than 50 years ago. Discrimination still goes on today, there will always exist people in the world that have an unjust feeling of superiority. Although, we can be proud to say that there is significant less amount of discrimination today than 20 years ago. People have been able to create a much more tolerant and consciousness. Today, people understand that we are all different, and that our skin color, race, accent or native language aren’t a limitation of our abilities or mind and let alone a reason to discriminate against us.