IRB Blog Post 6

As the story progresses, Sophie thinks and mentions her father more and more. Atie told her that she had been born out of rosepetals, water and a chunk of the sky but Sophie was now old enough to understand that that could not be true. She becomes more and more curious about the absence of a father figure in her life but no one seems to have any answers for her. She would have been able to find a father figure in the man that Atie was originally supposed to marry; the man that lived across the street from them in Haiti, Donald Augustin. Before meeting his wife Lotus he had intended to marry Atie but Martine would not tell Sophie what happened to change that.

The affects of not having a fatherly figure in a child's life can be huge. I am sure that the fact that there was no father in Sophie's life will definetly have a huge impact in her life and i am only waiting for it to become a more prominent fact in the story.

This is a link to a website about fatherless daughters and their experiences growing up and the way that not having a man in their lives has affected them.
http://fatherlessdaughters1.blogspot.com/

IRB Blog Post 5

"You are going to work hard here— no one is going to break your heart because you cannot read or write. You have a chance to become the kind of woman Atie and I have always wanted to be. If you make something of yourself in life, we will all succeed. You can raise our heads." (Danticat, 44)

In my opinion this quote from the book shows that Martine really does care about her daughter and only wants the best for her. She is making her dreams and aspirations relying on Sophie's success. She has faith that Sophie will make her family proud. Seeing this made me feel happy that Sophie and her mother were re-united because though it might be akward and uncomfortable between them right now, I feel that this will be best for them both in the long run. No mother should be seperated from her child, even though in this case Martine is the one that caused the seperation...

IRB Blog Post 4

When Sophie and Atie are waiting for Sophie to board her plane to New York, a random completely unknown and unidentified woman in a navy uniform approaches them and says that she is the one that is supposed to take Sophie to NY to be with her mother. It seemed strange to me that there was no explanation of who she was and I wonder why Atie did not question her more than she did. She forced Atie and Sophie to a quick goodbye and i am starting to feel that she has a questionable role in the story (so far)

IRB Blog Post 3

"'I don't know why you can't go to New York too,' I said. 'We are each going to our mothers. That is what was supposed to happen. Your mother wants to see you now, Sophie. She does not want you to forget who your real mother is. When she left you with me, she and I, we agreed that it would only be for a while. You were just a baby then. She left you because she was going to a place she knew nothing about. She did not want to take chances with you.'" (Danticat, 20)

I chose this quote from the very beginning of the section because it makes me wonder; it has not been mentioned yet why Sophie's mother actually decided to leave Haiti and go to New York nor has it mentioned what time period the story is taking place. The fact that the time period is unknown could play a huge factor in why a mother would think it was better for them to leave their child in Haiti rather than bring them to New York. Also in this quote Atie says that "she did not want to take chances with you". What chances? What fear did Sophie's mother have? Reading this quote only made me more intrigued by the story and made me anxious to have these questions answered.

IRB Blog Post 2

In this first section, though narrated by the main character Sophie Caco, the main focus is her mother that lives in New York. Sophie's mother left her with her aunt for a while as she was going to a place that was new to her and promised that once she was ready, she would call Sophie to come live with her. Sophie does not even remember who her mother is and loves her aunt Atie as her mother now.
Atie however loves her sister (Sophie's mother) very much and respects her wishes even though she may doubt them. She wants Sophie to stay with her but instead convinces her to leave and makes her promise not to fight with her mother and to always appreciate the hard work she has done to make a better life for Sophie.
In Haiti, where Sophie and aunt Atie live, there is an albino lottery agent named Chabin. For the past 20 years Atie has been playing the same number and has never won anything. However when word comes from Sophie's mother that she wants Sophie to come to New York, Atie gives Chabin the number 31 which is the age of Sophie's mother in her remembrance. With that number, for the first time ever, Atie has won money and Chabin makes an effort to make Atie realize that this is a sign that Sophie leaving to live with her mother is in fact what is best for her, as Atie had begun to have doubts.

This is a link about people like Chabin who are albino. Without Chabin having been there to convince Atie that the winnings were a sign, there would be no story as Sophie would have just stayed in Haiti with her aunt.

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Albino+people

IRB Blog Post 1

This is the sky line of New York City. I live in Haiti, but my mother lives in New York. She has sent a plane ticket and a cassette with instructions to my aunt Atie for me so that I can go to New York to be with her. I knew nothing of my mother as she left me with my aunt when I was very young, but she promised that one day she would send a ticket for me so that we could be reunited. Now that that day has come, my aunt has told me all about my mother and tells me that though she does not want me to leave her love for her sister prevails so I must go. I know that Atie is aware of the fact that I love her and think of her as my mother for she is the one that raised me, but the time has come now for me to meet my mother. New York City, here I come.

180 Degrees South

"Fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all."

In my opinion this quote, to Jeff Johnson, meant that being afraid of something that is new or strange to you is the biggest fear there is. He knew that there was no point in being afraid of the fact that the mountain was unknown because that would make him a bigger coward than for any other reason. Being fully aware of everything you will encounter in life leaves no room for anticipation, suspence or excitement; fear is all of those things. So if you are aware of the unknown than there is no longer any fear.
This quote applies to me because i personally have always been afraid of things in which i am not aware or okay with the consequences. I am not much of a risk taker but moving forward in life and going to college and succeeding in the future will involve me having to take a lot of risks. If I am afraid to take those risks because they are unknown to me then I will end up failing due to my cowardliness.

IRB Blog Post 1

For my independent reading project I have chosen to read a novel; Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat.
It is fictional literature and is on the "Oprahs' Book Club" list. It is about a girl that is moved from her small impoverished village in Haiti to New York to be reunited with the mother she barely remembers. The novel is about her struggle and passionate journey through sexual abuse and a new land.