"Breach" (by Aliya) - Contemporary Imperialism

Based on real events, Breach provides exploitation on the truth of the United States’ invasion of Iraq. Proclaimed as a great and forceful raid on world-wide terrorism and despotism, the incursion was intended to mark the uprising of an exceptional and more dogmatic American imperialism. After the launch in March, 2003, few anticipated the fail of the United States in their attempt to take full control of the country. Set in Baghdad, Iraq, 2006, Breach exemplifies the negative affects on America when the number of casualties amplifies, ethnic issues increase and uncertainty advances to neighboring countries; the Iraq war has undeniably become a representation of Americans’ global vulnerability.

Going back and forth between World War II and the war in Iraq, Breach presents the trend of American imperialism throughout various nations. With the help of colonies, protectorates and spheres of influence, the United States has, in typical Marxist terms, been an imperialist nation for over a century. In this light, Breach sends General Douglas McCartney through two of the three largest as well as lengthiest wars the world has seen. As a young high school dropout, only 17 at the time, McCartney enlisted in the army during the last year of Hitler’s reign. After the second World War had ended, McCartney was sure he had signed off with respect to such brutal fighting. A few decades later, though, he had been called in by a couple of his old mates for one last ride on the peak of adrenaline and adventure; the United States had already set their mark in Iraq and they were ready to move in more forcefully and with more might than any attack prior.

With great sensibility and devotion, General McCartney leads troops into Baghdad where he comes into contact with his old general, Earl Jackson, who had been sent in during the 2003 launch on Iraq. Though Jackson is American, he has adapted to the life in Iraq and gained a sense of trust with the Iraqis, yet he has lost any sense of self he used to hold with evident pride. McCartney faces the possibility of losing his own sense of self while constantly running into new and unfamiliar technology which hadn’t been used during the last war in which he had fought. Everything is intimidating, but will it drive McCartney to his wit’s end?

That Devilish Tone (Second Draft)

You, with your devilish tone, send us home
to moan and groan. And you keep us, persistently,
on our toes, because no one knows what goes with you.
Without a tinge of remorse in that devilish tone of yours -
which, by the way, scorches and burns us, turns us white
with fear to utter a word - you slip in remarks that ache
and make us take, and double-take.
Why do we put up with you?

But all you do is "put up" with us, and thus, our lack of trust
in you is justified. In no way can we just confide in you
when you continue to do as you do, and pursue gratitude
through a magnitude of hate and "attitude." You roll your eyes,
wide, with vexation when we disagree with you.
And all of your sighs and grunts may stunt your growth;
because your constant state of bent over closure, with
your arms locked and jaw tightly shut, won't be of aid to you
when you whine about looks and aesthetic pleasance.

Rather, it will simply add to your essence, your unpleasant essence.
Your lack of poise destroys your forceful arrogance.
And directly above that lack of poise, accumulating
in that skull, three inches thick, is nothing but air, which I guess
is fairly sensible, because the density and mass are vast in scope
and it makes me wonder...
Is that why your hair is so big?

What good will it do for you? A temporary fix - fixed in that mind,
closed off from reality - seems empowering, but it makes you
intolerable when you push and pull with deceptive intentions,
that eat away at you everyday. And everyday,
you whine and complain with chilled and shrill shrieks about
what went wrong with so-and-so,
and who upset you through-and-through.

And everyday, that devilish tone, amplified with every word -
absurd, while making stomachs turn - forbids your lips,
which grip onto repulsive sounds, sounds more and more like
a desperate cry for help and assistance to retract this distance.
You know the one - that distance you place and continually trace,
and retrace, without an apparent trace of consideration for
the walls you've built.

When you finally face the face that belongs to you,
coated in caked on make-up; when you finally see
through those hateful eyes, behind which despise lies, endlessly;
and when you finally see your lips, torn up by the acid
spewed from your throat, from which that devilish tone erects...
You'll probably be surprised, and you will realize that maybe
you should clean your mirror a bit more often.

4th Correspondence with Kenya

“Heart of Darkness,” which is a frame story, presents an inside look on the cruelty that went on in the Congo after King Leopold of Belgium privately claimed the country. The story begins with an unknown narrator, telling the story that Marlow told him. Marlow, who represents Joseph Conrad, starts off his story, explaining how he had been fascinated by maps, and more specifically, how interested in the blank spaces on maps he had been. As years went by, however, Marlow did, indeed, come to a realization that the blank spaces on maps were not as literally empty as they were in a more figurative manner. In Marlow’s words, “it had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery. It had become a place of darkness.” The loss of luster in the “blank” spaces resulted in pure darkness. When something “glows,” so to speak, it is noticed and appreciated by its surrounding inhabitants, but post-losing its incandescence, the space becomes dark and more unapproachable.

Along with his portrayal of emptiness, Marlow describes the Congo River as a coiled snake, saying that the entrance into Africa is the head, while the body spirals into the heart of Africa. In a literal sense, a snake typically receive nothing but negative connotations, which makes Marlow sound as if he has nothing but negative things to say about Africa. Snakes can be dangerous in various ways, which makes them unappealing. So, Marlow referring to the entrance into Africa as the head of a snake essentially means that going into Africa will be a one-way trip into a hell pit.

Despite the bad thoughts of Africa, Marlow continues on his trip into The Congo. Even at the very beginning of his actual trip into the heart of Africa, he thinks of the people as sheer savages, due to his warped idea of civilization. As he takes in his surroundings, he sees nothing but darkness, which only increases his discontent for “the unknown.” Initially, Marlow does not realize that his attitude toward the people and habitat of Africa will conflict with his overall experience. It is most definitely valid that his ignorance will lead him into nothing but self-destruction.

Untitled (Rough Draft)

You, with your devilish tone, send us home
to moan and groan. And you keep us, persistently,
on our toes, because no one knows what goes with you.
Without a tinge of remorse in that devilish tone of yours -
which, by the way, scorches and burns us, turns us white
with fear to utter a word - you slip in remarks that ache
and make us take, and double-take, on why we all
put up with you.

But all you do is "put up" with us, and thus, our lack of trust
in you is justified. In no way can we just confide in you
when you continue to do as you do, and pursue gratitude
through a magnitude of hate and "attitude."

What good will it do for you? A temporary fix - fixed in that mind,
closed off from reality - seems empowering, but it makes you
intolerable when you push and pull with intentions of
deception, that eat away at you everyday. And everyday,
you whine and complain about what went wrong with so-and-so,
and who upset you through-and-through.

So, everyday, that devilish tone, amplified with every word -
absurd, while making stomachs turn - elicits reproach and
a lack of approach from those who dare withstand your presence;
that essence, unappealing to most, that discomforts thoroughly.