Krik? Krak! The Fiction Addiction

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as having flashbacks, upsetting memories, and anxiety following a traumatic event. Soldiers from the Vietnam War first experienced this problem just five years after the war. It wasn't until 1980, that this disorder was first seriously looked at as a mental health problem. The symptoms of PTSD were described under several different names of soldiers, for hundreds of years. However, the Vietnam Veterans whom experienced such symptoms were the first to classify the symptoms as PTSD. For hundreds of years, these symptoms have been described under different names in soldiers from many wars. However, Vietnam Veterans with these symptoms were the first to have the term ‘PTSD’ applied to them. Even though time has passed since the Vietnam War, PTSD is a everyday thing for some Vietnam Veterans.  -TC Works Cited https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/publications/agent-orange/agent-orange-summer-2015/nvvls.asp

During the Vietnam war, there were many terms used that soldiers were expected to know and understand. These acronyms and nicknames were used to talk about everything from different types of weapons to just basic racial slurs. Some terms include: "AWOL"- meaning absent without leave. "Charlie" or "Charles"- this is a basic slur used to refer to the Vietnamese "crispy critters"- burn victims of the napalm (a flammable jelly used for attack) "DMZ"- a demilitarized zone "slope"- a racial slur for any Asian person It was important for all soldiers to know these terms as well as many more, as it was a way for them to communicate with each other on the battlefield. - K.D. sources: the handout that Mr. Gomez gave us in class Google images

A picture of my uncle when he was in the army during the Vietnam War. -NH

The purple field refers to the heightened senses of a soldier in the battlefield. It is believed that this ability comes from satan and that after attaining these senses, the soldier feels like they sold their soul. A soldier in the purple field is described as being able to hear a stick cracking from a mile away and seeing soldiers in the pitch dark without the aid of a “Starlight Scope”.

Brotherhood is a very important theme in "Break on Through" and the entire Vietnam War. The men on the battlefield put everything on the line not only to fight for their country, but for each other and their brothers. The story helps show that people are brought together by the war even when in reality, they never would have talked otherwise. The narrator knows a lot about Gerber's life just due to the fact that they fight together, and without the war, they may never have talked or even crossed paths. - IL

The Vietnam War occurred in thick jungles, foreign to most of the american soldiers that fought in there. Some important words include ambush:  a surprise attack by enemies waiting in a concealed position. An ambush occurred when Hollywood and his team was dropped in the LZ (landing zone) and they struggled to fight through it. Another word would be camaraderie: which is a mutual trust and friendship between people who have spent a lot of time with each other. When the soldiers are in Vietnam together, they are with each other non-stop, and they have to protect and fight for each whether they love or hate each other outside of battle. Without it, individually they would die so they need to have that bond to keep each other live. Sometimes after battles, camaraderie may come naturally since they have experience gruesome things together. -BG

An important theme in both stories so far is  comradery between Marines. I think it is essential for them to have relationships and to be able to show selflessness , bravery and intelligence so that they can not only keep themselves safe, but their fellow marines as well. This is shown in the relationship between the narrator and Gerber in "Break on through". He says that he knows everything there is to know about Gerber and yet he still does not fully like  him. Liking each other is not necessary as long as there is trust. DT

HAITI TODAY In modern times, Haitians continue to be stuck on the wrong side of fortune. Trump, the current president of the United States "questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and "shithole countries" in Africa rather than places like Norway, as he rejected a bipartisan immigration deal." (Los Angeles Times) The people of Haiti are likely not going to be able to seek refuge within the United States while President Trump remains in office.  The White House didn't contradict Trump's statement but did say that "Trump supports immigration policies that welcome those who can contribute to our society." (LA Times) -AA

When all of the soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War put their uniform on, it shows a sense of brotherhood and shared unity among all of them. They are fighting an endless battle of war and hate. They help each other in the hardest of times imaginable. They are the definition of true friendship and family.  The narrator reminisces over his old blue uniform: "The other day-Memorial Day, as it happened-I was cleaning some stuff out of the attic when I came upon my old dress-blue uniform. It's a beautiful uniform, easily the most handsome worn by any of the U.S. armed forces" (Jones, 10) -M.K.

G.I. Joe's enemy, aka, Vietcong, aka Victor Charles, aka, Charlie. By all accounts, NVA soldiers were extraordinarily tough, resilient, and dedicated to repulsing foreign invaders. --fg

After reading Krik? Krak! I couldn't help but notice how little I actually knew about the country we were reading about. I've obviously heard about the earthquake from the news but this was written before all that. It turns out Haiti has been suffering from systemic problems since it's creation in 1804 and recognized in 1825.                                                      Haiti was previously known as Hispaniola, which was a conglomerate of modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus was the first European to land there and gave it its name. This area was subject to fighting over the French side of Haiti and the Spanish side located in the Dominican. Both sides brought over slaves from Africa to work on the immensely profitable sugar plantations located on Hispaniola. The French would ultimately win this struggle for control and after that it was a struggle for Haitians to become independent. The French Revolutionary Maximillian Robespierre granted

     When I first learned that we would be reading Krik? Krak! a collection of short stories on the various components of the Haitian culture, I thought this would be another depressing and dismal novel about victims of society. It didn't take long however, to be drawn into a complicated and impoverished culture, from the close-up perspectives of various individuals in the novel. I began to see, feel and experience what they were going through. It was shockingly clear, how wide the contrast of my comfortable world is to the poor and heartbreaking world Haitians come from, and I feel very fortunate to be who I am and where I am in this world. It was also evident that in order for the author Edwidge Danticat to convey her message of the suffering that the Haitians faced and provoke emotions from the reader, that her narrative and imagery would include disturbing depictions, sad facts, and not sugar-coat anything. For me, even though the facts of this almost primitive culture

We've all heard of "voodoo", it's the form of black magic that consists of poking a rag doll with pins in the hopes of tormenting the person they represent, right? While that is a form of voodoo, it is extremely different from "vodou". Voodoo is the dark magic that you see on TV, while Vodou is a religion practiced by Haitians. Many Haitians describe Vodou as not just a religion, but rather " an experience that ties body and soul together". Vodouisants believe in the God Bondye, derived from the French words "bon" meaning good and " dieu" meaning God. They consider this God to be unreachable, so they pray through Loa which are lesser spirits. Staying on your best behavior can lead to your Loa protecting you, while acting in any way negative or ignoring your Loa can lead to sickness, death of relatives, and failure of crops. Vodou temples are called "Peristils". Rituals begin by singing and praying in French, and then

In Danticat's story, "Nineteen Thirty-Seven," passing mention is made of an episode of American intervention in Haiti. On the orders of Woodrow Wilson, American Marines landed on Haiti in 1915 and were an occupying force for 19 years, a period in which (according to this piece in the New Yorker by Danticat) 15,000 Haitians were killed. From the narration in "Nineteen Thirty-Seven," it is clear that what is forgotten to us is vividly remembered--and resented--by Haitians. "The yellow prison building was like a fort, as large and strong as in the days when it was used by the American marines who had built it. The Americans taught us how to build prisons." It seems a shame to be remembered as prison architects instead of as builders of hope and decency. Yet it is perhaps a graver error to have these unfortunate episodes become part of our national amnesia, as though we were some sort of bull in a china shop with a short-term memory.

Haiti has never really been on the right side of lady fortune. The country's history can best be described by this meme: BACKGROUND Things were especially bad during the reign of François Duvalier. Also referred to as "Papa Doc" by the natives, Duvalier was a tyrannical and ruthless president. He silenced his critics with the help of his personal, secret police, the tonton macoutes. Those who chose to speak out were punished through harassment, arrest, or even death. He became increasingly unpopular as his political power and wealth grew while the natives of the country suffered from severe poverty. Growing up during the country's most tumultuous times, Danticat composed 9 stories and an epilogue embedded with several of her traumatizing memories from her childhood. Her parents having left for the United States when she was only four, she learned several Haitian traditions having lived with her aunt and uncle in the Haitian city of Port Au Prince. The title origina

"Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat is a very well written book with a lot of Haitian culture, but still some very worldly themes. A constant theme throughout the stories within "Krik? Krak!" is separation. A prime example of separation is within "Children of the Sea" and how the two lovers will never again be together in the flesh. Doomed to this fate after escaping Haiti, they are separated physically yet they still communicate with their writing. Within the story "Between the Pools and the Gardenias," the main character Marie finds and keeps a dead baby, which she doesn't realize, and is therefore separated from the norms of society. Marie, while connected by living her dream to finally have a baby, doesn't realize that hers is more like the doll she had always wanted. When there is separation, there is hope. Hope is a very important theme in all of the stories as well. The two kids in "Children of the Sea" continue to write ea

Haitian and American relations: mid 1900s http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2875200093/GVRL?u=gillsb_ca&sid=GVRL&xid=e8797ed5. Prevailing Themes of Flight in Krik? Krak! http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=2&docId=GALE%7CA256457390&docType=Critical+essay&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=GLS&contentSet=GALE%7CA256457390&searchId=R3&userGroupName=gillsb_ca&inPS=true Oral Traditions and Krik? Krak! http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T001&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&docId=GALE%7CH1100074376&docType=Critical+essay&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=GLS&contentSet=GALE%7CH1100074376&searchId=R3&userGroupName=gillsb_ca&inPS=true An Overview of "Children of the Se

Set in the United States and Haiti in the late 1900s, "Caroline's Wedding" is the last story in Krik? Krak!, the compilation of stories about Haitian by Edwidge Danticat. If in "New York Day Women" Danticat introduces us to the struggles and pitfalls of Haitians when they first arrived in the United States, then in "Caroline's Wedding" she shows us the solution to those struggles and pitfalls. There are plenty of topics that appeared in "Caroline's Wedding"--from cultural understanding to family relationships to adapting to American's culture. Among these topics, one thing stood out the most for me: the anxiety when Gracina applies for her naturalization papers and her utmost happiness when she receives her American passport. For many American citizens, these documents are just a piece of paper that people are bound to have when they were born, but for Gracina, they are her "weapons", her bullet-proof vest, and her armo

The story "Seeing Things Simply", by Edwidge Danticat, follows a young adult named Princesse whom poses nude for a painter from Guadeloupe, named Catherine. Princesse is modest, but also very self-confident. However she fears negative attention which is why she hesitates and asks Catherine to turn around as she undresses. Princesse admires Catherine's sophistication and outlook on the world. The first few paintings Catherine draws of Princesse, left her wondering how Catherine could capture her body in such a way. Catherine tells Princesse "It is hard to catch a likeness of a person unless the artist knows the person very well. That's why, once you find someone whose likeness you've mastered, it's hard to let them go." The two women really start to form a bond making things very comfortable. One can see Princesse starting to open up, becoming more willing; every day Catherine taught her something new. Whether she's teaching her about life, art, o

Edwidge Danticat, born on January 19, 1969, in Port-au-Prince is a Haitian American author. She was raised in Haiti by her aunt and uncle because her parents migrated to New York when she was young. Danticat learned in French in Haiti and spoke Creole with her family. Her mother's name is Rose Danticat and her father's name is André Danticat. She has a brother whose name is André Danticat as well. Still living in Haiti, at the age of nine she starting writing. Just three years later she moved to Brooklyn, New York to reunite with her parents and live in a predominantly Haitian-American neighborhood. This new change pose as a difficulty to her and she was not particularly comfortably with all of her surroundings. It was when she was feeling like this that writing gave her serenity. Edwidge went to Clara Barton High School, also in Brooklyn. The racism that was present in the United States at the time was not something she was aware of until she got out of her Haitian community

"A Wall of Fire Rising" What I think:   Krik? Krak!  a novel full of short stories that somehow all connect with one another. Each story revealing a new piece of information or another character that will be used in the next story. This is one of the reasons I loved reading  Krik? Krak!  Not only are all the stories tied together but they also incorporate different pieces of Hatian history in them, which makes the novel even more interesting and exciting to read. However, if I were to pick a favorite one of my stories in the novel, it would have to be "Wall of Fire Rising", which has an unexpected and tragic ending to it.  Main Characters:   The Father--> Guy     The Mother--> Lili   The Son--> Little Guy   The owner of the hot air balloon--> The Assad's   Info on Little Guy and his part in the play: Little Guy just got a part in his school play, he got to be Boukman! For any of you who don't know wh

Haitian schoolchildren WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday balked at an immigration deal that would include protections for people from Haiti and African countries, demanding to know at a White House meeting why he should accept immigrants from “s---hole countries” rather than people from places like Norway, according to people with direct knowledge of the conversation. — New York Times , January 11, 2018 After spending a few enlightening weeks reading and discussing Edwidge Danticat's stories, it's my firm belief that our class came to understand the unimaginable hardships faced by the Haitian community, including the diaspora living in the United States. Although Haiti's litany of natural catastrophes and manmade disasters is difficult to comprehend, the stories Danticat tells of remarkable courage and resiliency sparked real sympathy in my heart and in those of my students. That's why literature is perhaps more important now than ever.   —fg