Thursday, December 17, 2009

Reading Log: Desert Flower, Waris Dirie


1)      How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?

Desert Flower is all about a Somalian girl that ran away from her family and began her own life. She wrote all about her childhood since she was in 4 until she had married with a guy that she had met in club. She was very brave in taking her decision to lead her own journey life after her uncle and his family moved back to Africa.

2)      What is the main issue in the text?

The main issue is the circumcision, mistreated to the women and young girl. As for Waris, she was circumcised at the age of 5. This had caused lots of health problems until she had a surgery when she was in London. When she had a menstruation or go to the toilet, she was in trouble and sometimes it took her days to recover. This circumcision is due to her culture that the young girl has to be circumcised before their marriage. However, only a few that survive as this has lead many of them to death. That is why Waris speaks to the public people and wants to help the women in Africa as majority of them do not dare to voice out their problems or suggestions.

3)      What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?

Waris is such a brave woman and is determined to survive in order to continue her life. After running away, she went to her relatives’ houses and even took a job at a construction site to get amount of money for her to send to the mother. Then she followed her uncle to London and worked there as his maid. After the family moved back to Africa, she stayed back and started her journey life. What I like most about Waris is she is brave enough though she has faced many challenges, including the marriage arrangement with an old man, numerous of unsuccessful rapes by bad guys when she was on her way to Mogadishu, and free taking language lessons without her aunt’s permission. Though she has no basic in English, she tried her best to learn it when she stayed with her uncle’s family and started a career as a model.

4)      How does the text develop your understanding of the world?

Things are not happened as we wish to. Therefore, we should prepare ourselves to face any challenges. As a conclusion, Waris never blame any situations that she was in. For example, she had to marry 2 guys illegally that she was not loved in to enable her stayed in Western country. She tried her best and put many efforts so that she could survive from being thrown out from the place she stayed. Besides, after 15 years apart from her hometown, she managed to meet her family and yet she still appreciated whatever she had and never waste it though at last she had a comfortable life.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

A Starting Point


Homeworks are waiting. Need to read 3 novels for EALD next year. =] Currently I just have 2 novels, left only 1 novel titled Desert Flowers. If not, I can't read it in this coming holiday. :( Where to get? Last Thursday, my friend and I went to MPH bookstore, the bookseller said that there was no stock. Need to have that novel before this coming holiday. haiz..

Friends, good luck in our IELTS examination in this coming Saturyday. Hope we get flying colour results. ;) Don't forget to read the novels listed. ^0^

-linda-