Dead Men’s Path

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Questions on Chinua Achebe’s “Dead Men’s Path”
1) Create a short character sketch of Michael Obi, the story’s protagonist or main character. Is he an enthusiastic person? What is his job? Who does he work for? Is he positive about making an impact? Also sketch out Nancy Obi. What is her attitude to her husband and his chosen career? Back up what you say with at least one short QUOTE SANDWICH with a QUOTE and CITE for EVIDENCE
2) Recent fiction often dramatizes conflicts when different values collide (sometimes with ‘tragic’ or unhappy) results. What does the dead men’s path represent to the colonial administration / missionaries? What does it represent to the village? How is the path a METAPHOR about conflicting values? (A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares one thing to something else without telling us — a SIMILE uses LIKE or AS to tell use a comparison is being used.) Again use a QUOTE and CITE to back up what you say
3) Sketch out the character of the village priest in about 25-50 words. To explain the meaning of the path, the priest says, “Let the hawk perch and let the eagle perch” (Achebe 64). Tell us what this proverb means to you and the scheme of the story. Also, is Michael Obi respectful to the traditional values and beliefs represented by the village priest? (Does his ‘tone’ in Obi’s answer surprise you?) In this conflict, can the reader know who’s ‘right’? Why or why not? (How does Achebe take sides? How can you tell?)
4) Challenge Questions: Take a look at the ending of the story. In the ending, who is blamed for the destruction of the school building? Why has Michael Obi lost his promising career running a school? Is this fair? (Is it ‘tragic’ because it is caused by conflicting cultural forces that no one seems to control? Remember, Michael Obi is ‘between cultures’ — he is African but was educated in the British system, where he learned a different set of beliefs.) Also, look at the language of the last sentence of this piece. How is the ‘tone’ or word choice different than the rest of the story? Once again, anchor what you say with one direct QUOTE and CITE from the ending of the story for EVIDENCE
 
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Research on a charity

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Identify an organized charity (I have chosen Bread For City, https://breadforthecity.org). Below are questions to kick start research and while your research should address them, they are not limited to these questions. These are intended to get you launched but I want to encourage your own instincts in crafting the essays. While I encourage creativity, you are required to write about the connections between what you have learned about the organization and course readings:
* What is the name of the organization and what (if any) message about the organization is disclosed by its name?
* What kind of organization is it? Where is it and where does it do its work and what kind of place is that?
* What are its goals/mission statement?
* What is the founding history of the organization, including who was the founder and backstory about them (i.e., what led them to create organization and define its focus/work?)
* What does it do as its primary activity (i.e., what is “the work” of the organization?) How do its actions/programs relate to its mission statement? What is your assessment of the connection between mission statement and the work of the organization?
* Does the charity provide materials benefits (like basic needs supports of food, housing, etc.) (and if so, what sorts) and/or moral uplift/counseling (and if so, what sorts)—or possibly some combination of the two?
* Is this a membership organization? Who are the members and what is the basis of membership? Where do they meet, do their work, etc.? When and how did they become organized?
* Is the organization based on patron-client relationships? Who are “the patrons” and “the clients” and how are they recruited/selected?
* How would you characterize the relationship between the charity and their social justice focus? Are they providing emergency assistance (e.g., after a natural disaster)? Seeking long-term structural changes?
* Based on what you can learn about the organization, how does it conceptualize the people they are hoping to help? Victims? Clients? Partners? Co-community members?
* How did you find out about the organization and its work? What kind of media/online presence does it have either directly or through connections with other organizations and/or media outlets?
* How does the organization work in coalition with others? Find specific examples of when and how. Are there turf issues between it and other organizations working in the same area (geographically or topically defined)?
* What can you discern about the internal processes of the organization? Does it seem to operate according to democratic principles; is there one strong leader, perhaps a charismatic founder? Is there a large or small staff?
* How do the readings of the two weeks of the course about charity help you understand the charity organization that is the focus of your essay?
* How does the organization define charity (explicitly or implicitly)?
* Make specific connections with key concepts and arguments in the readings, for example about Wagner’s conception of “repressive benevolence”; Poppendieck’s arguments about charity and dignity and charity’s “moral bargain”; and Peck and Tickell’s notions of roll back and roll out neoliberalism.
 
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Disaster Diplomacy

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A theory has been advanced for what is called “Disaster Diplomacy.” For example that public health disasters could lead to diplomatic breakthroughs with U.S. adversaries such as Iran and North Korea. Its premise is that international disaster response can be a form of diplomacy. Its primary feature is that disaster aid can serve to overcome political differences and create an atmosphere of cooperation between countries that previously were adamantly opposed on most issues.
Provide your position on disaster diplomacy and if it can be applied to real-world situations. Is this a realistic concept or idealistic wishful thinking that, at best, produces only temporary, transitory benefits?
Required:
There are no right or wrong answers but you must support your response with critical thinking, relevant examples, and cited sources.
Write a substantive initial response (275 words minimum but 300 words would be better if able, not including citations).
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Reflection of broader cultural values

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Discuss the social construction of childhood, evaluating the experiences of children throughout U.S. history as a reflection of broader cultural values. How have things changed over time? Which era did you find most interesting or surprising? Why?
 
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