BP5 Introduction

A Guadeloupean festival

         

     How does Guadeloupe celebrate its heritage? Guadeloupe has several festivals that reflect the heritage of its citizens. These festivals define the culture of Guadeloupe. The musical culture of Guadeloupe is reflected through the festival of Terre de Blues Festival of Marie-Galante. Another festivity that reflects a part of the Guadeloupean culture is the carnival.  In carnival,  the community dresses up to celebrate their heritage. There are multiple festivities in Guadeloupe's carnival that exemplify their culture through their excellent food. Guadeloupe’s most captivating part of their heritage is the blend of cultures such as French and Afro-European. 

Blog post 4 Guadeloupe Research

When trying to find information on Guadeloupean culture, there is multiple sources to use. Guadeloupean culture has a variety of cultures inside of it. The cultures I’m primarily focusing on is the French and Afro-European cultures. Guadeloupe is under the jurisdiction of France. The citizens on the island are just as French as the people in France. Guadeloupe has been an island of conflict since it was discovered. The island was fought over several times between the French and British. The French ultimately gained control of the island. The Africans on the island were brought as slaves and they were harvesting sugar cane along with other slaves to the European power houses.

The most difficult part of researching the Caribbean cultures is that there is not just one specific culture to investigate. I’ve had to dive into African culture that tells me why there are certain colors used in the carnivals on the streets. “Gold is an extremely popular color. It represents wealth and fertility (http://blog.africaimports.com/wordpress/2015/02/the-hidden-meanings-of-african-clothing/.)” The carnivals of Guadeloupe tend to last several months and there are tons of colorful parades through the streets.

            Guadeloupe is known for its beautiful waters and beaches, so there are various places to visit. A notorious beach in Guadeloupe is Grande Anse. This beach is a favorite among tourists.  

The next part of my research will be about the music used at the Guadeloupean festivals. The music is called Zouk and I will be looking into the several instruments played in the music. The music has a unique pattern to it that is different from a typical 1-2-3-4 beat.  

BP3 "Little Cog-burt" and "Cotton Candy" Comparison.

In Little Cog-Burt, there is a little boy who cries all the time. This boy is known as Cog-Burt. He is very small and is often seen as a bratty little kid. He receives a gift but does not want it. However, Cog-Burt wants a fairy on the top of the Christmas tree. The woman hosting the party think the fairy is so precious that she shouldn't give Cog-Burt the ornament, but she gives in. Once, she hands him the ornament, she realizes he will never grow any larger.

In "Cotton Candy" by Dora Alonso, there is a woman named Lola whose sexual desires are suppressed by her mother's unwillingness to let her grow up and be out on her own. Lola often names butterflies after men she has desired to be with. Lola grows older with these sexual desires and finds some satisfaction by watching the animals mate in the zoo. As an old woman, she still has the overbearing desires and she eventually sees herself young again in the mirror with an older black man.

In Little Cog-Burt, the boy has an item he wants, and he gets it eventually, but in Cotton Candy the message is unclear whether Lola gets the satisfaction of another man. Both of these stories begin with another person not wanting to give them what they wish for. Lola's mother won't let her grow up and the hostess won't give Cog-Burt the fairy. However, in Little Cog-Burt the ending is more satisfying because the small boy clearly receives the item he wishes. At the end of Cotton Candy Lola saw her desires as a young woman again with the black man, but it's not stated that they have any sexual relations.

A Caribbean mother.

Lola and Cog-Burt are both portrayed as unattractive and unable to communicate their desires. Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Dora Alonso use the characteristics of being unattractive to show the audience how appearance matters. If the Characters in the story appeared to look normal, then they might have been able to get what they wanted easier. Lola felt like since her mom wouldn't let her communicate her desires for men, she couldn't ever state how she felt to a man. Cog-Burt's mother communicates to the hostess that he wanted the fairy. Communication is a struggle for both characters, but if Lola didn't have her mother then she might have gotten a man easier. Cog-Burt wouldn't have been able to request the fairy on his own. The mother's play a big part in both stories. One mother is helpful, while the other is controlling.

Bp2 Analysis Tetiyette and the Devil

A Guadeloupean woman 

 “Tetiyette and the Devil” is the story about a teenage girl who is never satisfied. She is seventeen years old and is in an appropriate age to marry. There are several men who come the see her that are referenced as a “goat (Pg.1)" and a “pig (1)" she denies seeing these men because of their appearance. However, a devil comes a long and is dressed in gold and catches her attention. This conveys a message that she is worried about appearance other than what can be inside a person.

In the story, the mother tries to warn her daughter of the potential evil of her husband. The daughter then lies to her mother by telling her that everything is fine. When the daughter lies to the mother it makes it clear that wealth and appearance is more important to this girl rather than her honesty towards family.

Later in the story, the daughter cries out for help to her mother as her husband starts consuming her. “Oh, Mama! Oh, Mama! Bel-air-drum! The man to whom you married me, Bel-air-drum! Is a terrible devil! Bel-air-drum (3)!" He’s eating me up! Bel-air-drum! The mother is showing her daughter tough love by not helping her. Her mother proclaims, “As far as I’m concerned, I had also warned her to beware (4)." 

During the story there is repetition of the phrase “Bel-air-drum (3),” and this can be used to make the reader or audience remember the story. The intended audience of this story would most likely be for young Guadeloupean girls or teenagers approaching the age of marriage. It’s a folk story to warn the young women of Guadeloupe of a potential love based on appearance, because everyone is not who they appear to be. Also, it informs these women that if they get themselves into trouble the closest people to you may not help, as they have warned you. It also shows, that you must be responsible for your own actions.

At the end of the story the girl is almost fully consumed, until her brother comes upstairs and cuts the devil open, then his sister emerges whole. Even though the sister lied to their mother, the brother is a forgiving person by helping her. The audience is in a conflicted state because the unforgiving mother is just in her own right, but the brother is the savior of the sister. So, who do you side with? 

                                                                             Works cited 

Cesaire, Laurent, I and L. 1991.Green Cane Juicy Flotsam. New Brunswick, New jersey. Rutgers University press. 

BP1 Guadeloupe and Martinique

      

Beach in Guadeloupe

    
    



Have you ever desired of going to Guadeloupe or Martinique? If you have, here are some facts to consider before going. Martinique and Guadeloupe are roughly 170 miles away from each other.  Martinique is the largest of the Windward Islands. Both Guadeloupe and Martinique are under the jurisdiction of France.

                Guadeloupe and Martinique have been fought over for centuries between the French and British. The reason why Guadeloupe and Martinique are under the jurisdiction today of France is due to several peace treaties. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 allowed the French to gain possession of the islands once more after the 7 years’ war. The reason these islands were fought over so much along with many other Caribbean islands, is because of the sugar cane. Tobacco was the most profitable crop until sugar can surpassed it in the world’s economy.

            The culture of Guadeloupe and Martinique primarily consist of African and French settlers. Martinique is referred to the Paris of the lesser Antilles and the most common creole language spoken there is based off French. However, there is still a mixture of languages that include Portuguese, Spanish, English, and some African languages on both islands. The most common African language would be considered Pidgin. In Guadeloupe, men and women believe that they should be respected equally. In Guadeloupe the people of the island practice Christianity, but in Martinique the main religious practice in Catholicism. In Martinique, a dish that the locals eat is named Boudin which means delicious local sausage according to Culturetrip.com. Culturetrip.com states that there is pork, pigs’ blood, onions, and other ingredients included in the local meat. On these islands, most travelers should try the fresh fruit and fish.

Cactusworldwide.com states that the Amerindian people call Guadeloupe “Karukera” which is means island of the beautiful waters. Guadeloupe a landmark you should see when visiting Guadeloupe should be Fort Napoleon. Martinique has some mountainous views that should be explored, and the capital is Fort-De-France. If you ever decide to go to these islands, you should try the different foods, meet new people, and check out some of the historical sights.

About me

  My name is Wayne, but I go by Joey. I live on my own and I work full time. I decided to move out of my parent's house at 18 because I knew it was best for me. Since that day, I have learned how to provide for myself and stand on my own. The prime reason I am in college is because I want to help people as physical therapist. 

      

   When I moved out of my parent's house, I was nervous, and I had every right to be. There were times to where I would have to work on my truck myself and fix it. Working on vehicles was something I have never done before, but I had to learn because I didn't have the money to pay someone else to do it. Getting started on your own has proven to be very difficult to me, while attending college. However, things are better now because I have learned how to save my money and work on my truck.  

     I went to boot camp when I was in middle school, because I got into some trouble. Ever since then, I have been fascinated with how the body works. All throughout highschool I was in weight training. During my time in weight training, I injured my back and I was not able to lie down comfortably. I went to physical therapy because the pain was unbearable. After three months of participating in physical therapy, I was able to lay on my back without it being in pain. After physical therapy, I thought to myself, "I could help other people recover."  With this thought, I knew I could help people stand allowing them to function on their own again. However, there will be times that all I am doing is slowing down the process of someone losing their bodily functions.