Post A
"We can publish that in the papers if you like," he said. Mr Handsome with his friend Miss Fatty. "
She laughed. "You're a real ladies' man . I knew it from the first time I saw you."
"Well someone has to look out for the ladies," he said (143)."
One difference in African culture and American culture is that in Africa, being fat is considered beautiful, and skinny women are shunned. While on a case to find out whether or not a woman's husband is cheating, Mma Ramotswe dresses up as a floozy and goes to this man's favorite bar, While she is there, men keep hitting on her, calling her fat and fatty. At first i was wierded out by this backward way of thinking, but it seems to be a nice alternative to girls thowing up or starving themselves to stay thin. What if we were all pressured into being fat? In that case, most Americans would already be well on their way to beatutiful.
Post B
"Mopani Worms?" asked Mma Ramotswe.
The woman turned round and looked at her.
"yes." She offered the bag to Mma Ramotswe, who helped herself to one of the dried tree worms and popped it into her mouth. It was a delicacy she simply could not resist (114)."
This is one of the most disgusting things I have ever read. The idea of eating a worm makes me want to hurl. But I suppose that each culture has their own foods that are considered disgusting to another place. Botswana... worms. France... snails. China... dogs. Iceland... fermented shark. America... trans fats?
Anyway to each his own, but I would never eat a worm.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Blogg No. Six!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post A
"Now this was a bad snake, this one. There is was. Look at the head! Ow! and those evil eyes! Mma Ramotswe shuddered, and read; "the above picture is of an adult male black mamba, measureing 1.87 meters."(112)."
This is a cultural difference simply because there are different geographical features in Africa than in any where else in the world, which allows different animals to live there.THis setting creates many different obstacles for the characters to over come than the story could if it took place in America. There would never be such a poisonous snake in the US. in fact, there isn't many exotic animals at all.
POST B
"Mr. Maketoni took her mug and poured her more tea. he was silent now- not out of anger, or resentment- but becasue it had taken all his energy to make to make his declaration of love and had no more words for the time being (138)."
Dear Mma Ramotswe,
I am very sad that you turned down Mr. Maketoni's marriage. He is a genuinly nice person and would treat you in a nice manner. I know Note scorned you, and it is hard to fall in love after you heart has been broken, but Mr Maketoni seems to really have your best intrests at heart. I hoppe you reconsider.
"Now this was a bad snake, this one. There is was. Look at the head! Ow! and those evil eyes! Mma Ramotswe shuddered, and read; "the above picture is of an adult male black mamba, measureing 1.87 meters."(112)."
This is a cultural difference simply because there are different geographical features in Africa than in any where else in the world, which allows different animals to live there.THis setting creates many different obstacles for the characters to over come than the story could if it took place in America. There would never be such a poisonous snake in the US. in fact, there isn't many exotic animals at all.
POST B
"Mr. Maketoni took her mug and poured her more tea. he was silent now- not out of anger, or resentment- but becasue it had taken all his energy to make to make his declaration of love and had no more words for the time being (138)."
Dear Mma Ramotswe,
I am very sad that you turned down Mr. Maketoni's marriage. He is a genuinly nice person and would treat you in a nice manner. I know Note scorned you, and it is hard to fall in love after you heart has been broken, but Mr Maketoni seems to really have your best intrests at heart. I hoppe you reconsider.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Blog Number 5
Post AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
In Botswana, there is an obvious difference in that "witch doctors" terrorize the land. At Precious' detective agency, she receives a letter from a poor man whose son has disappeared. He does not have the money to pay her for a full investigation, however, he asks if she can ask around if anyone has seen his beloved son. She consults with her friend about the case, and he replies that the boy will never be found, and she should know that. That a witch doctor had taken him.
"Mr J.L.B Matekoni smiled. "Come on, now, Mma Ramotswe. You know as well as I do what goes on. We don't like to talk about it do we? It's the thing we Africans are most ashamed of. We know it happens but we pretend it doesn't. We know all right what happens to children who go missing. We know (90)."
Post BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
"Then, just past the Mochudi turnoff, the sun came up, rising over the wide plains that stretched away torwards the corse of the Limpopo. Suddenly it was there, smiling effortlessly free of the horizon to dispel the last wisps of morning mist (122)."
This is a gorgeous example of the imagry used in this novel. Alexander McCall Smith is a tremendously talented writer, and he definately deserves all the praise he gets for writing this series. This specific quote paints a beautiful picture of the lazy African weather, and makes me think of the Lion King in the very beginning when the Circle of Life begins to play and Simba is being presented to the worls as a new born lion cub.
In Botswana, there is an obvious difference in that "witch doctors" terrorize the land. At Precious' detective agency, she receives a letter from a poor man whose son has disappeared. He does not have the money to pay her for a full investigation, however, he asks if she can ask around if anyone has seen his beloved son. She consults with her friend about the case, and he replies that the boy will never be found, and she should know that. That a witch doctor had taken him.
"Mr J.L.B Matekoni smiled. "Come on, now, Mma Ramotswe. You know as well as I do what goes on. We don't like to talk about it do we? It's the thing we Africans are most ashamed of. We know it happens but we pretend it doesn't. We know all right what happens to children who go missing. We know (90)."
Post BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
"Then, just past the Mochudi turnoff, the sun came up, rising over the wide plains that stretched away torwards the corse of the Limpopo. Suddenly it was there, smiling effortlessly free of the horizon to dispel the last wisps of morning mist (122)."
This is a gorgeous example of the imagry used in this novel. Alexander McCall Smith is a tremendously talented writer, and he definately deserves all the praise he gets for writing this series. This specific quote paints a beautiful picture of the lazy African weather, and makes me think of the Lion King in the very beginning when the Circle of Life begins to play and Simba is being presented to the worls as a new born lion cub.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Blog NUmero Cuatro
Post A
The writing style of this book is very simplistic. There are not many difficult vocab words. It seems like someone is just telling you a story, or actually many stories that are connected through the common factor of Precious. This might reflect that stories and myths were passed down from generation to generation orally in Africa, and not written down. Also , because Botswana is not a developed country, they do not use as many different writing styles or as interesting of word choices.
Post B
Even though we do not get to know many of the characters in this novel, they are all very complex. Mma Ramotswe is hired to watch a girl to see where she goes after school, and if she has been sneeking out to see boys after her afther found a note to a boy named Jack. The girl keeps giving her the slip, so it takes Mma Ramotswe a while to find anything out about her whereabouts. Mma Ramotswe thinks she is cleverly following this girl, tailing her in her inconspicious van, reading a book while she is at the book store, asking the clerks about where the girls is going. But when she finds out the girl is goiong to a movie and decides to follow her there, she finds teh girl sitting alone. WHen Mma is getting situated, the girl comes over to her to confront her. They talk, and soon the girl admits that she is making up these boys to make her father worry, and that all she wants is a bit of freedom. Mma tells what she found out to the girls father, and convinces him to give his daughter a longer leash before she acutally begins to rebel. He agrees.
The next year, Mma runs into the girl when she is out on a walk. She is with a man and introduces him as her boyfriend, Jack.
The writing style of this book is very simplistic. There are not many difficult vocab words. It seems like someone is just telling you a story, or actually many stories that are connected through the common factor of Precious. This might reflect that stories and myths were passed down from generation to generation orally in Africa, and not written down. Also , because Botswana is not a developed country, they do not use as many different writing styles or as interesting of word choices.
Post B
Even though we do not get to know many of the characters in this novel, they are all very complex. Mma Ramotswe is hired to watch a girl to see where she goes after school, and if she has been sneeking out to see boys after her afther found a note to a boy named Jack. The girl keeps giving her the slip, so it takes Mma Ramotswe a while to find anything out about her whereabouts. Mma Ramotswe thinks she is cleverly following this girl, tailing her in her inconspicious van, reading a book while she is at the book store, asking the clerks about where the girls is going. But when she finds out the girl is goiong to a movie and decides to follow her there, she finds teh girl sitting alone. WHen Mma is getting situated, the girl comes over to her to confront her. They talk, and soon the girl admits that she is making up these boys to make her father worry, and that all she wants is a bit of freedom. Mma tells what she found out to the girls father, and convinces him to give his daughter a longer leash before she acutally begins to rebel. He agrees.
The next year, Mma runs into the girl when she is out on a walk. She is with a man and introduces him as her boyfriend, Jack.
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