Dew Breaker Part 2
The Bridal Seamstress is about a intern young journalist named Aline who interviews a bridal seamstress named Beatrice who is retiring from her job. Beatrice is also originally from Haiti. After their interview, Beatrice and Aline walk around the neighborhood where Beatrice points out the house of a Haitian Prison Guard. Beatrice tells Aline that when Beatrice was young and was still living in Haiti this prison guard had taken her to a prison and whipped the soles of her feet because she refused to go dancing with him. Aline goes back later to look at the house where a neighbor tells her no one lives there. So Aline goes back to Beatrice and tells her the house is empty. To this Beatrice replies by saying that the man always lives in empty houses because otherwise he would get caught and would be sent to prison. Beatrice thinks that the man is always able to find her no matter where she lives. Aline then decides that Beatrice is mentally unstable because of her suffering.
This was an interesting chapter because it was as though we were going back to the first chapter again and wondering where this was leading because this chapter was not connected like the first 5 chapters. It was also interesting to see that people who did certain crafts in Haiti kept their crafts even after they moved to the United States.
The Monkey Tails chapter was about Michel, the third tenant in the Dew Breaker’s house. Michel looks back to that day in Haiti in 1986 when he was a 12 year old boy without a father. The dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier had been removed from power and the members of the once-feared militia Tonton Macoutes were attacked in the streets by angry people of Haiti. Michel looks for his friend Romain who was abandoned by his father Regulas. Regulas had been a member of the militia and was being sought for by the people for his crimes against them. Romain and Michel decide to leave the chaos and try to get a room in a hotel but they are not able to find a room. Romain had thought he would find his father at the hotel. While they were at the hotel Romain accidentally tells Michel that his father is a local man named Christophe. Michel had suspected this but had never gave it too much thought. Romain then says he is leaving the country and for Michel to go home to his mother. Then we find out that Regulas had shot himself to avoid being captured. Michel then nears heard from or about Romain again.
This was also a unique chapter because it was looking back to a memory from the character who is older at the present time. It was an interesting view of the chaos after the overthrow of the dictator. At the same time it was sad that Michel’s father had not been a part of Michel’s life when he had so close. I also felt sad for Romain because he knew his father but his father was also not a part of his life.
The Funeral Singer chapter was about the three Haitian women who were trying to make it through a diploma class in America. One of the women Mariselle had been a victim of Ka’s father because her husband had drawn an unflattering portrait of the resident. He had been shot as he was leaving the show. Freda is a funeral singer from Haiti. Rezia is a Manhattan Haitian restaurant owner. She was sold into prostitution by her parents. This is the restaurant the three women meet up to do their homework. Freda’s father was a fisherman with whom Freda got experience with sea. Freda’s father was arrested and before that they really “worshiped” the president. Freds had to leave Haiti because she was invited to sing at the presidential palace and she didn’t want to sing.
This chapter gives us a insight into the situation in Haiti through the eyes of women who have gone through the chaos and have now settled in the United States. It also shows us the strictness of the ruler at the time. Things were not fair for the people at the time s many have left Haiti and gone to New York City.
The last chapter is a look a the Dew Breaker in the Past. It talks about the Dew Breaker who kills a preacher who was captured but then was to be released. Then he met the Preacher’s Half-sister, Anna, who is his wife now with whom he had Ka. This chapter was specially interesting because I am not sure about whether or not Anna knew about her brother. She still has a life with the Dew Breaker.
“Transnationalism in the Aftermath of the Haiti Earthquake: Reinforcing Ties and Second-Generation Identity” by:Garvey Lundy
This article looks at the Haitian earthquake in two ways. The first way is by looking at transnationalism and how the Haitian Diaspora responded to the earthquake. The second way is by looking at how the earthquake affected the identity of second generation members. After the earthquake, the transnational connected created connections that allowed the people of the Haitian Diaspora to quickly help the people suffering after the earthquake. Haitian families took in orphans and some were also able to go and help in the recovery. Haitian churches allowed those living abroad to get information about their loved ones. The author also talks about the struggle the Haitian diaspora went through to try to connect to the people in Haiti through cellphone connections that were not too expensive.
The diaspora was kept a bit away form the people in Haiti because they were suspicious that the diaspora was not doing enough to help Haiti. The work the diaspora did at this time helped this situation much because remittances were used to allow Haitians to temporarily come to the U.S and stay here.
When Wyclef Jean tried to run for Haitian Presidency, the Second generation members came to light. Originally, second generation was looked as trying to distance themselves from the Haitian ancestry. The earthquake allowed the second generation Haitians to come to identify themselves as Haitians. Some of them have never gone to see Haiti but they were still able to get a positive image of Haiti.
This article was a surprising look at people who are able to accept their ancestry through a natural disaster. The earthquake helped bring the people living in Haiti and those living abroad together to rescue their country.
