Being a medical reporter puts her in a unique position to find people who are facing challenging circumstances and become immersed in their lives over a period of weeks or months. This isn't normally the type of book I would read if I'm being honest. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. By the time Edward reaches the village that Nash established, however, his former slave is dead, and all that remains of his work is a village of lethargic blacks living in the same squalor as the other natives. The second section, West, is Martha Randolphs story. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original It is certainly not a book to speed through, but rather to sit with and absorb over time. Answers: 2 Get Iba pang mga katanungan: English. The shock is too much for the self-righteous Edward, and he goes mad. Publisher. In fact the subtitle of the book SEVEN STORIES THAT SAVED MY LIFE tells it all, as through talking with these people, Smith came to her own sense of closure and acceptance, though it was rather difficult getting past that stage of extreme grief. Log in here. He gripped it, dropped it into a bulging purse. He beats her, then leaves. Several point out . CHItan's a very keen observer. The sound of whistling wind creates an eerie atmosphere. The identity or the name of the river does not matter according to the woman who speaks. Is she the Sita of Tulsidas or is she the Maya Sita who was created to bear the pain and sorrow of the real Sita? Or is she the Sita who was made of gold to sit beside Rama so that the rituals that needed the presence of the wife could be legitimized? A source of solace and inspiration during a time of deepest despair. The central characters are Nash and Edward Williams. One is a requirement of the stage she has to move but she cannot move out of vision. A dramatization of George Washington's perilous gamble of crossing the Delaware River and attacking the Hessian forces at Trenton. Crossing the River Came upon a river shrouded in mist. The Rhine is no ordinary river. However, there is power in storytelling and overcoming and this book enables readers to build on compassion, understanding and empathy with others and just helps understand that we all need to give just a little more forgiveness and awareness for what others might be going through. This book is life affirming, despite being filled with tragedy. The stories are beautifully told, and she links her own parallel recognition with insights of her son. She is left with nothing. She goes on to list some of the things that the river is hiding the scratch of oars, the flowers that have touched the dead bodies, hiding the fury that bursts and destroys trees, plants, shelters, lives It may be hiding many other things within it. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Your email address will not be published. While talking about Thataka, Sita or the woman on stage, uses the first person pronoun and says that Rama killed me in my own forest. Difficulty: medium 3. He arrives in 1834, filled with enthusiasm and high hopes. She will soar to freedom. reflection po sa poem na ito. MWA Pattern & Algebra Years 7 & 8. The father listens from afar for his childrens voices for 250 years. Sample 3 (poetry) Crossing the River Anthony Tan Came upon a river shrouded in mist. Ultimately everything is taken from her. White teenage brothers Grant and Shawn, estranged from their mother, find the connection they are seeking with a racist older man. Mention an incident that shows the naivety of Moti. I am sorry, but the historical background setting, which you give to your . She chooses to speak for all of them. Was the only sound in the soundless mist. Travis returns on a seventy-two-hour leave. I will be keeping this book in my library for future reading. Among various topics, it would be interesting, for instance, to ponder on the complete . Some of the most sentimental lines have been written in the memory, or anticipation of death (Lombardi, 2012). The third work bears the same title as the novel, "Crossing the River," and takes the form of a ship's log. A day in the life of the cofounder of Grab, the ride-hailing giant that beat Uber in Southeast Asia and is eyeing a $40 billion listing in the US. I am you, all of you, she says, all of you asking questions. Phillips paints a picture of the Gold Coast slave trade as something that is no particular group's fault. The woman on stage slides slowly across the white screen and begins to speak. 1. As time goes on, Nash feels increasing desperation about his situation. The poet then is unaware that the images he used can also be functioned as symbols. Tan discusses death through remembering the dead, longing, leaving, and the tragedy of someone. MLS# 201503687. Anthony Tan was born on 26th August 1947, Siasi [Muddas], Sulu. 3) Usage three, also , means "The Past", a noun, as in the opposite of the future. The author, Carol Smith, guides us through her experiences, telling her own profoundly moving story of losing her son when he was just 7, while at the same time drawing connections between her experience and the stories of 7 other people that have faced seemingly insurmountable loss, tragedy or other life challenges. The first section of Crossing the River is a novella, "The Pagan Coast," the tale of an ill-fated project of the American Colonization Society to educate slaves in Christian ways and then ship them to Liberia where they will carry the Gospel to the pagans in the interior of Africa. Partly from the character - those two footsteps on either side of the river. Although some seagulls were dark and others bright, they both flew together as one. Ultimately she was banished to the forest because of the politics which demanded that Rama being a king, should renounce his wife, his queen who is considered impure because she lived in the captivity of a man who was not her husband. The other hand gripped the head of a long pole. Summaries. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. As against the popular valorization of him being godlike, venerated by all alike, we have here an alternative reading of the myth. It designates something real, something we can touch, and it also stands for something else that is real even if tangible. Crossing the River; Seven Stories That Saved My Life is a beautifully written book that captures so much of what it means to be human and how to navigate one of the biggest challenges we will all face at some time in our lives; grief over the loss of a loved one. Voices are heard both male and female. A heart wrenching memoir by a mother going through the grieving process of Loss. She is also the bride who died in the fire and she is the stone that is broken down in places of worship because it has no hands, no mouth and simply rolls off. The shadows and the voices imply that. The river can symbolize the attitude you have when you go through various events in your being. Lord Tennyson was a poet of the Victorian period and remained the poet laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during his lifetime. Death elicits such deep and varied emotions from individuals across the globe. And also from the Book of Songs, where a lot of river-crossing happens - but not for hunting trips. There she meets the wagon master, who agrees to take her west with his train. It is distance in the metaphorical sense. The play revolves around the question of the identity of Sita which ultimately moves beyond the epic figure of Ramayana to encompass all who have faced oppression and subjugation. SETTING The poem is set in the river setting of Crossing the River, the boat moved toward the other bank which the boat symbolizes the transportation of death, and the other bank symbolizes the place of the dead. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Despite that I still view this read as a moving experience. But that is a narrative written by men. 1 Mar. The poem, written in 1889, is a metaphorical meditation on death, which sees the speaker comparing dyingor a certain way of dyingto gently crossing the . 7.A cynic's new millenium by Dr. Anthony Tan; 8.You and your love by Princess Luna/Crossing the river by Dr. Anthony Tan; 9.Hollow by Baby Raych /Sweet Goodbye by Berny Hermosa/You, Beggar by Ana Angeles; 10.Veritas by Windel Z. Canband/Light and Shade by Irene Chiqui/Writing new lines from old sorrow by Vinci Bueza If you picture the river as forming the letter "S," then the safest part to cross would be the middle of the letter "S," between the bends of the river. eNotes.com, Inc. It's the literature of leave-taking, writing about death when the moment has not even come yet. Her bent head and her hands hanging low, create an air of despondency around her. The dream of seeing a river has a symbology of the dreamer's life journey. She is not able to find a way to break her shackles and soar to freedom. The stage is bare. There is dialogue in the play but not between two or more people. She writes, I saw that what I mistook for safety was my world growing smaller and smaller, the tunnel closing in on me. Let your life happen to you, she seems to urge. What if it was written by women? The last date is today's . In the beginning of the play the woman had appeared on stage with her head bent low. The central characters are Nash and Edward Williams. Was Sita ever asked what she felt or thought? From St. Anthony Falls to downtown St. Paul, some 15 river miles, the river falls more than 100 feet. It belonged to the boatman of the river. Paragraphs 1-4: 4. Ed. There has to be movement on stage and in this particular section of the play, the woman who had been simply standing on stage begins to move. She calls herself the pawn, the cheated and says that she roams the forest because of love, lust and politics. She is Sita who has nothing. Whewww. 2.Why or Why not?How does Dalisay use Evidence https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/opinion/content/184020/building-the-national/story/, Compare and contrast these modern literary genres using the Venn Diagram - Blog, Text-Talk Novel, Hyper Poetry Activity 3 Write the similarities and differences of the Doodle Fiction, Manga and. Soon after the babys birth, Travis is killed in action. She is someone with whom the audience feels a connection. If you are feeling down, this book contains inspiring examples illustrating how to hang on and make the most of your remaining days. This time the woman lifts her head and looks up. She is Ravana if Rama so wishes,; she is Sambuga who gets destroyed; she is the horse who gets thrown into the ritual fire; she is the frog who dies by Ramas arrow; she is the tree that is cut, the river that is bound, the girl child that swallowed poison as soon as it was born. I shall cross the river she declares. She has to remain visible to the audience. Many thanks to Abrams for my ARC copy through Netgalley for an honest review. These stories are cleverly entwined with the story of her and Christopher. The only other input is in the form of voices that are heard and the shadows that play on the screen. She is the Sita who bears sons, she is the oppressed Sita, Sita of a kind. Learn more{{/message}}. Guam. She compares herself to stone. Where have we seen you? She, her husband and their only child, a daughter, are sold to different owners when their original master dies. All of their stories are life-affirming and inspiring weaving in the joy, love, courage and resilience that help overcome the sadness, pain and hopelessness that can accompany unbearable grief. By comparing her to figures in religious paintings or the statues in temples the audience are being enticed to make guesses and are drawn towards the play. The shadows appear again on the screen and the voices speak. Although Tennyson is famed for his poems based on mythology this poem does not fall under that umbrella except for a possible reference to a "pilot" which I have . Literature doesn't always have happy endings; sometimes the stories end in death or in some other loss. A little spooky how many things parallel my own life. She felt cheated and humiliated. To the woman on stage it makes no difference which Sita she is. Each is portrayed as being in some sense the child of a nameless father who sells his children into slavery, and, although each spends much of his or her life outside of slavery, this peculiar institution has indelibly marked them all. Poetry- In this study it is a form of literature widely uses imagery and symbols to evoke meanings. ask the voices. It is also the loss of someone you love both physically and mentally. James knows that his father battled with the dichotomy of trying to maintain Christian beliefs while dealing in slaves, and the implication is that the conflict drove him mad. 2008 eNotes.com She finally reveals her name. He is able to return on leave to marry Joyce - whose divorce from Len is finally settled - just days before the birth of their baby, Greer. This is an intimate, touching yet a powerful person story of the author Carol Smith. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. The first observation is that she looks tired and there is sadness in her eyes. To someone you haven't seen for 3 years. For more than a decade, he was a member of the English . Soon! With little energy I blew it long and thin, Remembering what I had been taught, Cupping it between my delicate hands. The movement of an actor is an important aspect of his/her performance. Smith is a skilled writer, and yet the skill is also deeply emotive, vulnerable, and connective. So once again the question is put to her with an emphasis Who are you? This time however some guesses are made. A long set of stage directions project the woman replying to these questions and at the same time moving her arms, raising them to her shoulder level as if they were wings. Hamilton is haunted by the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father's death on his final voyage to Africa. It is distance through the ages. As she lies dying in a cold Denver house, Martha recalls being put on the auction block after her owners death. In the end the shadows disappear, the white screen glistens in the background and the woman stands facing the audience with a bright face, looking ahead to freedom and to a new identity. He has won three Don Carlos Palanca awards: two for poetry and one for the essay. The main body of Mr. Phillips's novel consists of four taut narratives -- two white voices, two black; two male, two . 31 Too early for bird call, or wing beat, Too early even for wind. Gradually - and due in part to a breakdown in communications, which prevents Edward from receiving his letters - Nash becomes disillusioned with the ways of the white man and the notion that white civilization will work in Africa. She was happy and came laughing, thinking and then destroyed. Just as river water runs in its path, so does life. Try it today! Sita who entered the forest, got imprisoned in the forest and is now roaming in the forest. So far so good. A curiosity regarding the womans identity is built up in the play. "Somewhere in England" is the final independent work within the novel Crossing the River. Movement and action on stage is important for any performance. Ambais Sita however, is not a mute victim. Her life has turned into stone. The way the content is organized. Answer: Moti believed the words of the pundit about crossing the river uttering the name of Lord Vishnu. Here are the stories of these children: Nash, Martha, and Travis. The shadows here signify society that wants to prevent her from speaking and exposing an unfair system. In her book CROSSING THE RIVER, Smith discusses dealing with the death of her seven year old son, weaving together seven other tales of others who suffered great loss and dealt with it in their own way. I remember the words of Rilke's "Ninth Elegy": Maybe we're here only to say: house,/bridge, well, gate, jug, olive tree, window / at most, pillar, towerbut to say them, remember,/ oh to say them in a way that the things themselves/never dreamed of existing so intensely.Albert Faurot, the music teacher, gave me a bilingual edition of Rilke's Duino Elegies and . Smith details her journey to coping with the passing of her child by throwing herself into work and telling the stories of others. Ganga? When only a half-inch glass separates by Vinci Bueza, 5.Back from where we've started by Jaemie Falcon, 7.A cynic's new millenium by Dr. Anthony Tan, 8.You and your love by Princess Luna/Crossing the river by Dr. Anthony Tan, 9.Hollow by Baby Raych /Sweet Goodbye by Berny Hermosa/You, Beggar by Ana Angeles, 10.Veritas by Windel Z. Canband/Light and Shade by Irene Chiqui/Writing new lines from old sorrow by Vinci Bueza, 5.How Do I Love Thee? Sita has already identified herself with Thataka who was another victim. Came upon a river shrouded in mist. Story in a Nutshell. Sita gives voice to the injustice of it all and her body language expresses her fury. One of those grief things that finds you when you need it me thinks. Captained by Englishman James Hamilton, the ship sets sail from Bristol in August of 1752, bound for the Gold Coast of Africa to take on a cargo of slaves. 34 conch shell on a beaded string Hung on the branch of a leafless tree. In Crossing the River we get to see Sitas story from a different angle altogether. We have to remember that in her play Ambai is constantly moving from past to present and for contemporary readers and audience the symbolic associations of a cross are obvious. We too want to know who she is. Marcus Gordon Anthony @MarcusGAnthony. When the white woman returns to find the corpse in the morning, she realizes that she never asked Martha's name, and she frets over the necessity to give her a Christian name, so that she might receive a Christian burial. Good. Sita acquires the symbolic dimensions of being the representative of all the oppressed and subjugated women who have been victims of patriarchal hegemony. Light is being used effectively to focus on this one character on stage. She speaks out against her victimization in a strident manner and recounts with bitter irony the events that hurt and humiliated her. He was in a daze, his mind unable to come to grips with the bare facts. A single character speaks on stage addressing the audience and at times addressing the voices that put questions to her. Nothing is more devastating than the loss of a child, I suspect. The fierce feminist in Ambai surfaces here in her strong critique of Rama through Sita. There is also the whistling sound of the wind. by Elizabeth Barrett, 8.Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson, 10.Writing new lines from old sorrows by Vinci Bueza, 13.A Cynic's New Millenium by Dr. Anthony Tan, 20.Back from where we've Started by Jaemie Falcon.