Author: Ibrahim.M

Danticat’s “New York Day Women” Page 1

May 10, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 0 Comments

Ibrahim Mfosah

Research Paper

English 1121 (Prof. Scanlan)

May 8th, 2020

New York Day Women

“New York Day Women” is a short story by Edwidge Danticat. The story is about an immigrant family living in the United States. Suzette and her mother are the main characters of the story. In the story, Suzette sees her mother in the city, during the day, and wonders what her mission was. She followed her around, as if she was a stalker to see what her mother was up to. She made the decision not to call her mother to let her know that she had seen her. A decision she later regretted. Instead, she observed her mother’s actions reminiscing when her mother would do those things directly, or indirectly to her. Throughout the story, the relationship between Suzette, and her mother changes. It goes from a questionable one-sided love from her mother to Suzette learning to appreciate and love her mother.

In Samuel A. James Alexander’s article, “M/Othering the Nation: Women’s Bodies as Nationalist Trope in Edwidge Danticat’s Breath, Eyes, Memory,” he points out how women are treated in many underdeveloped countries. He even details how women in Haiti are raped, and mistreated by people in power, and people who are out of power. This lines Danticat’s “New York Day Women” as Suzette’s mother refuses to return to Haiti, even after his sisters had died. While Danticat’s short story points out the ethic Suzette’s mother has, Alexander’s article explains further the reasoning behind her actions in the short story towards Suzette.

To prove this I will first explore the ethics of both Suzette, and her mother. Then I will explain the reasons for their actions from my point of view. Then I will explore Danticat, and Alexander’s past to connect the short, and the article with them.

(335 words)

“New York Day Women”

May 3, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 0 Comments

Ibrahim Mfosah

Research Prospectus

English 1121(Prof. Scanlan)

April 30th, 2020

New York Day Women

“New York Day Women,” is a short story by Edwidge Danticat. I chose this story, because it points out relationships between most immigrant parents, and their children. Most often children of immigrants tend to have a different lifestyle than their parents. They have different values, and needs, and their ways of solving problems. The children tend to end up assimilating to the cultures of their country of residence. Such is the relationship between Suzette and her mother. They seem to be in conflict with each other, but also sharing a strong love bond.

The story is about a woman and her immigrant mother living in New York City. The mother is an immigrant from Haiti. They have a really interesting relationship between them, as they so often do not agree with each other. Suzette found her mother wandering the streets of Manhattan, and is surprised to see her mother out in the city during the day. She followed her around to see what she was up to. She discovered that her mother actually goes out of the house, and has her daily routine. Suzette monitored her mother’s movements, and actions recalling things that had happened in the past. Eventually, she ends up going back to work feeling guilty for not calling her mother, and letting her know that she had seen her.

The main characters in the story are Suzette, and her mother. Suzette is a daughter of an immigrant mother who has mostly different views from her mother. Her decision was to be different from her mother. She did not call her when she saw her in the city. Suzette changes her ethics throughout the story. In the beginning of the story, she could be seen with a Feminist ethics, but towards the end her ethics changed to virtue ethics. The mother was an immigrant from Haiti, who was more inclined to her native cultures and values. Her decisions are not quite clear, since she did what she said she did not like. Her ethics are the same throughout the short story. She can be described as having Global ethics, and Utilitarian ethics.

Learning Softwares

May 3, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 1 Comment

Ibrahim Mfosah

English 1121(Prof. Scalan)

May 1st, 2020

During this lock-down I have been learning how to use a few software programs suitable for my major. Generally we tend to use softwares for three-dimensional modeling, and two-dimensional drawings. Namely rhinoceros, autodesk autocad, and autodesk revit. Now I have started using rendering softwares, namely lumion and twinmotion. Both softwares have one thing in common. They both have a gaming interface. Which means you can use them as if you were playing a computer game, using the same keys as you would in a game.

The advantage of learning this software is, it helps increase employment chances. More architectural and engineering firms are sorting after render specialists, and even visual effects companies as well. If you have seen a lot of movies in the past decade, you realise that more movies are relying on visual effects to achieve great scenes. I have been learning through youtube tutorials, and tutorials offered by the Arch Tech department, which is very helpful. The good thing is that both softwares are free for students in the United States. So, if you are interested in learning any rendering program that is very easy to use, I recommend getting any of these two softwares.

“New York Day Women”

April 26, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 1 Comment

Ibrahim Mfosah

Journal #6

English 1121(Prof. Scalan)

April 27th, 2020

New York Day Women

I chose Edwidge Dandicat’s “New York Day Women” as my favorite story. The story is about a woman named Suzette who spots her mother in the middle of the city. She is surprised at her mother for leaving the house, as she thought she never leaves the house. As she follows her around as a detective, she finds out that she has a life outside their home. The story is a sort of critique from the narrator about her mother. Suzette finds out that it was probably a daily routine for her mother, who seems to have even made friends from outings.

On second look, it looks as if both Suzette, and her mother constantly criticize each other. At the end of the third paragraph, Suzette points out that her mother accuses her of random things, saying, “My mother, who accuses me of random offenses as I dash out of the house.” Anytime Suzette criticizes her mother she starts the sentence with “My mother” followed by a comma. She seems to not like anything about her mother. She refuses to use the gifts her mother gets her, and ends up giving them away.

I would describe the relationship between them as bitter-sweet. They love each other, because they are family, but they do not like each other on many grounds. She used her lunch hour to follow her around the city, but refused to let her see her. She loves her mother so much to do that, but not let her know that she has seen her. Also evident is after Suzette decided to go back to work. She was filled with guilt, and emotions as she rode the taxi back to work thinking, “Would Ma have said hello had she been the one to see me first?”

I think this is more the relationship that people have with their parents as they grow up. Mostly people of other descents(people of the diaspora). It could be due cultural assimilation, or just people trying to fit in, and not necessarily assimilate.

(358 Words)

Problems During This Crisis

April 25, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 2 Comments

Ibrahim Mfosah

Coffeehouse Discussion

Problems during the crisis

Since the lock down, the major problem has been the availability of essential things. Most people still have no access to some, or most these essential needs. I have been volunteering along with other people to supply needy people with the things they need, and food as well. The major problem with this is, since our supplies are limited, it is hard to give everyone who needs it. Another problem is going to all boroughs(except Staten Island). Each day we have to go to the four boroughs(Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx). Doing all this along with school work and other family duties, has impacted my physical health, and to some extent, my mental health as well. It is really surprising to see how many people are very helpless. Thankfully there are more people out there doing good, and helping as much as they could.

Another problem I am facing is lack of sleep and unstable mental, and physical health. With all these things on my to-do list, I have yet to have time for myself. All my time is divided between volunteering, and working on my classes, or doing other family duties. All in all, I have hope that this will all eventually be over, if not sooner.

Explication(Final Draft)

April 19, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 0 Comments

Ibrahim Mfosah

Essay #2: Explication

English 1121(Prof. Scalan)

April 19th, 2020

Explication: “The Bridge”

Hart Crane’s poem “The Bridge,”(350) is a formal poem. It has eleven stanzas, and forty-four lines. The poem is a visual depiction of American life, using the Brooklyn Bridge as the centerpiece, or center image. The poet is painting a picture of Brooklyn at, or along the east river. Two lines from the fifth stanza really intrigues me. Line sixteen, and line seventeen are the first two lines of the fifth stanza. Picking those two lines from the poem, I will explicate them, and break them down as much as I can. The lines are, “Out of some subway scuttle, cell or loft/A bedlamite speeds to thy parapets.” These lines talk about, in a literal context, a lunatic moving around on a subway.

Looking at the first line, “Out of some subway scuttle, cell or loft,” the meaning of the line can be found by looking at the denotation and connotations of the words. First word is “subway” which in the denotation means an underground railway. The connotation for this word is an underground route for pipes, sewers, etc. The common thing between these two meanings is that both refer to something underground, or below grade. The next word is “scuttle” which the denotation is, a container like an open bucket(usually for carrying coal). The connotation means, a small hatch or opening that provides access to the roof from the interior of a building. In the line the poet uses literary devices of assonance, alliteration, and consonance. An example of assonance in the first line is, “Out Of sOme sUbway scUttle, cell Or lOft.” In the same line there is also evidence of alliteration as shown, “ out of Some Subway Scuttle, cell or loft.”

Subway as commonly known is a means of transportation on a train running underground. A train is a carrier, which in this city carries millions of people to their destinations. So in this case, it could mean any of the New York City sewer systems which carries waste away from the city. Since New York City subway cars do not have scuttles, it is fair to conclude that whichever person came out of that place, was coming out of a sewer hole. As commonly known, not everything that comes out sewers are good.

On to the second line, “A bedlamite speeds to thy parapets,” two words stand out. “Bedlamite” and “parapets.” Denotation of bedlamite is a lunatic, or a madman.The denotation for parapet as commonly known is a perimeter wall that extends above the roof. The second line does not have much of a sound devices evident, as is in the line sixteen. There is rather an example of assonance in the line. The example being, “A bEdlAmItE spEEds to thy pArApEts.”

Linking this to the first line, it makes sense that maybe, a lunatic would emerge from the sewers, because that would be where he or she dwells. This may also have a completely different meaning, as many poems do. The explications above are the meanings I deduced in my opinion.

(527 words)

Lock-down Music

April 19, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 2 Comments

During this lockdown, I have been listening to music more than I usually do. I listen to a lot of songs, but there is ONE. If you are wondering which song I am talking about, the answer is simple. ONE. One is a song by an American band “Metallica.” I have never been into their kind of music, until I gave it a try. I am sure the song does not relate much to the current world situation, but it is an everyday issue that bothers many service men, and women in the military. The song is about a service personnel who was injured in battle. He lost his limbs, his eyesight, his hearing, his ability to speak, and was just being kept alive by machines.

The soldier expresses an intense desire to be freed from this misery by asking the doctors to kill him. The loneliness is unbearable to him, since he cannot do anything at all. It is what most of our veterans go through after they leave service. The loneliness can also be connected to what most people feel now due to the pandemic. As unemployment increases, more and more people are panicking, and getting frustrated. There is always a bright side to any situation. We can dwell on the negative, or make good use of the positive.

Explication: “The Bridge”

April 13, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 2 Comments

Ibrahim Mfosah

Essay #2: Explication

English 1121(Prof. Scalan)

April 13th, 2020

Explication: “The Bridge”

Hart Crane’s poem “The Bridge,”(350) is a formal poem. It has eleven stanzas. The poem is a visual depiction of American life, using the Brooklyn Bridge as the centerpiece, or center image. The poet is painting a picture of Brooklyn at, or along the east river. Two lines from the fifth stanza really intrigues me. Picking those two lines from the poem, I will explicate it, and break it down as much as I can. The lines are, “Out of some subway scuttle, cell or loft/A bedlamite speeds to thy parapets.” These lines talk about, in a literal context, a lunatic moving around on a subway.

Looking at the first line, “Out of some subway scuttle, cell or loft,” I can find the meaning of the line by looking at the denotation and connotations of the words. First word is “subway” which in the denotation means an underground railway. The connotation for this word is an underground route for pipes, sewers, etc. The common thing between these two meanings is that both refer to something underground, or below grade. The next word is “scuttle” which the denotation is, a container like an open bucket(usually for carrying coal). The connotation means, a small hatch or opening that provides access to the roof from the interior of a building. In the line the poet uses literary devices of assonance, alliteration, and consonance. An example of assonance in the first line is, “Out Of sOme sUbway scUttle, cell Or lOft.”

On to the second line, “A bedlamite speeds to thy parapets,” two words stand out. “Bedlamite” and “parapets.” Denotation of bedlamite is a lunatic, or a madman. And the denotation for parapet as commonly known is a perimeter wall that extends above the roof. Linking this to the first line, it makes sense that a lunatic would emerge from the sewers, because that would be where he or she dwells.

(429 words)

“Doing Life” Maybe

March 27, 2020 / Ibrahim.M / 1 Comment

I am going on a different trajectory to this question. It is December 2019, and everyone is enjoying the festive season. Nobody was thinking about March 2020 as they are now. Some people were making their new year resolutions. Others, making vacation plans. Fast Forward a month to January 2020, and half the world is in panic of a virus outbreak. Countries start shutting down, and businesses start dropping in sales. All the while the United States never thought it would be hit even harder.

Then March 2020 comes, and the whole country is shut down, with more confirmed cases than where the outbreak started. Leaders not taking effective measures, and not soon enough. My point is we are never prepared enough. Nobody thought the virus could travel this far, and spread at this rate. All you can do is not panic, and cause anxiety. Just live life as you always would, and stay indoors. Take all the precautions, and safety measures given, and you will be fine.

It is like a lesson that the unexpected can happen at any given time. Always have the mindset to be prepared, and plan ahead. This has indeed affected everyone. This being my last semester has got me thinking about my future at City Tech. All in all, it is one of those moments in life when you have sit down and appreciate every single thing you have.

Author: Ibrahim.M

Danticat’s “New York Day Women” Page 1

“New York Day Women”

Learning Softwares

“New York Day Women”

Problems During This Crisis

Explication(Final Draft)

Lock-down Music

Explication: “The Bridge”

“Doing Life” Maybe

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Spelling and Grammar Checkers

Recent Posts

Categories

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

Support

Accessibility

Copyright

Creative Commons

The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

Support

Accessibility

Copyright

Creative Commons