Savannah Miller Honors English 12 Due date: 12/3/12

Knowledge of Africa

Africa is a diverse continent full of man traditions! customs! music! art! crises! resources! and has a large "o"ulation# $hen we started to learn a%out Africa! & was intrigued to 'now what goes on in this continent# & was eager to learn a%out the culture# (eing aware of a continent so far awa from where & am "ushes me to want to 'now more and m curiosit 'ic's into action# &n this African unit that we have e)"lored! & have learned a lot a%out man %its and "ieces li'e reading African fol' tales! the novel *hings +all A"art! Kaffir (o ! as well as researching articles on different crisis on the continent! and watching the movie musical Sarafina# &,d li'e to start with African +ol'tales that are rather hel"ful and ver interesting that come along with man morals which de"end on how ou view it# & needed some clarification on certain "arts! %ecause the were hard to deci"her# -ou could com"are it to a riddle and have to figure out what the author meant % certain lines# +ol'tales are stories a%out "eo"les, lives and imaginations as the struggle with their fears and an)ieties a%out the world we all face# *hese stories have %een "assed down % generation to generation % word of mouth# $e have read short fol'tales li'e Anansi,s +ishing E)"edition! *selane and the .iant! and *he Stor of the Dress that

Sang# *hrough all that reading & have learned so man lessons that have to %e taught while growing u"# $e have read Anansi,s +ishing E)"edition % Eric A Kimmel which was a tric'ster tale a%out Anansi,s intention to tric' the fisherman into doing his wor'! %ut in the end he was the one %eing cheated# & li'ed this stor ver much %ecause it showed how much ou cheat ourself when things don,t go our wa # $e learned the different t "es of fol'tales li'e +a%les! *ric'ster tales! /our0oui stories! and +air tales# & wouldn,t e)"ect there to %e so man t "es! %ut there the are# *hings +all A"art is novel % 1hinua Ache%e that shows the native tri%es of Africa in their dail lives2 and from there dealing with the hardshi"s of the 3$hite man4 or missionaries ta'ing over their land! as well as s"reading 1hristianit # *he stor centers on a man who will do an thing to 'ee" the tri%es alive# *his novel made me thin' of how hard change is to go through and ever %od undergoes it man times in their lives# Another %oo' that we read was Kaffir (o % Mar' Matha%ane which tells the stor of a 5 ear old living during A"artheid in Africa# A"artheid was "olitical and social s stem that was under the control of the whites while going through racial segregation# *he things that %lac' "eo"le had to go through were horri%le %ecause the were under a controlling government with "oliceman that would raid "eo"le,s homes % searching their houses and ma'ing sure their "ass%oo' was in order# *he "ass%oo's had all of the "erson,s information and the were o%ligator # & loved watching the movie 3Sarafina4 for the %eautiful songs! %ut it was hard watching the "ain the %lac's had to go through during

that time# *hrough all of this learning! we started to research different articles a%out the "ro%lems that Africa,s citi6ens have to go through each da # & researched a%out the man infectious diseases that have affected the "eo"le throughout Africa# *here are some insect transmitted diseases li'e Malaria and a se)uall transmitted disease that is called A&DS which is the final "hase of H&7 that causes severe damage to the immune s stem# & wasn,t re0uired to do an s"ecifics on Aids! %ut & felt that & needed to research more information on the disease# (esides the diseases going on in Africa! there is also hunger and "overt going on there# &t was sad and heart %rea'ing to 'now and see how little or even no food the "eo"le eat# & am ver than'ful for ever thing & have including shelter and food which is a necessit # & am also than'ful for that and much more# 8earning a%out all the diverse culture ma'es me "roud that & have an education# $ithout an education! & wouldn,t learn something ever da and strive to learn more as & go along# 9ust li'e ever thing and ever where! things have their "ositives and negatives while it is "ossi%le to change the %ad to turn it into "ositivit # Some things cannot %e changed! %ut there is was to deal with them# Africa is 'nown to have %e one of the richest continents when it comes to resources et it,s one of the most "overt stric'en "laces in the world# & ver much en:o ed learning a%out the culture! %oth histor and "resent# & learned so much from this % reading! com"rehension 0uestions! watching! and researching# & am than'ful for how & am %eing taught all of this

and how much 'nowledge & too' from this unit#