Christie+Melendez

Christie Melendez leynettespann@gmail.com Antonia Rosado- (508)982-3095

Thesis Statment:

My Thesis is that in the book "Krik? Krak!" Danticat uses symbols to portray the struggle people has gone through in Haiti.I will show examples from the book To deminstarte how the auther "Danticat" uses these symbols & relates these struggles to the reader.

Christie L. Melendez English 3

 In the book “Krik? krak!” //Edwidge Danticat// uses symbols to portray the struggles that have happened in Haiti. For example, the “Black Butterflies” symbolizes bad news in coming in the story //Children of the Sea.// When manman & her family reached Ville, rose Danticat saw a Black Butterfly floating around her & her family & she began to run but it has already carried its news. She went under the banyan tree with manman transistor (//radio//) & she hears that there is more killings in Port-au-Prince, & another boat sank off the coast of the Bahamas.  A second example, Cileanne & her child from the story //Children of the Sea// to me symbolizes the upsetting & terrifying things these females go through living in Haiti. Multiple soldiers raped Cileanne a 15-year-old girl & she had to watch her family be humiliated by the soldiers. She had to watch them force her brother to become intimate with his mother, he refused but the mother told him to obey the soldiers because she was afraid they might kill on the spot if he had put up a fight. Afterwards the soldiers arrested & accused him of moral crimes. From all that happened to Cileanne cute her face with a razor so no one would know whom she was. Next thing Cileanne was on a boat to Miami Not eating much just scarps people would give her, then her water sack had burst & she was giving birth but when her baby girl was brought to the world she hadn’t cried Cileanne & right then & there she knew her baby was dead. The people wanted to throw the baby off board because it was bringing weight but she dug her nails in to the baby, she didn’t want to let her daughter go she loved it very much but when it was thrown off the boat she went in two & killed herself.  Third example, Lili & her family from the story //A Wall of Fire Rising// has gone through much struggle they were a family that loves each other very much & get along & spend time with each other every minute they can,& very supportive of their sons interest in things but they just want to escape from struggling & be free. The husband Guy did not have a job but did look for one & they did not have enough to buy enough food. When things got bad Lili boil clean sugarcane pulp to make her special sweet water tea, which is, suppose to suppress gas & kill the vermin in the stomach that made them very hungry until Guy could find a day’s job. Guy just wanted so badly to leave that life & he found a Way through A hot air balloon he saw everyday working at the Sugar Mill the obsession he had towards it the he looked at it like the way you look when you saw an attractive woman. When he was finally in the balloon, it was said that he jumped off right on front of his wife & son. I think he did it because he could not take it anymore the life he was living not supporting his family the way he wanted to.

[ **As I was reading through your essay, I found many spelling errors. I think you should look over your spelling, also I think you should give more details about "The Black Butterflies" and "The Violence That Happen In Haiti." Other than that is pretty good.]**