Copper Sun

A recommendation from my mother, a high school English teacher, Copper Sun was definitely penned for a younger audience. I have to remember that this novel is written for the "juvenile" audience; the same reason I have to excuse the writer of the Twilight series. As such, it is a good insight into what Africans and slaves experienced in the early days of this country. Although I could recommend it on this level, I did not enjoy my reading of the novel. There were portions of it that were too arbitrary in the writing. I understand that the elderly and/or experienced people in life can be seen as sages, but there were moments that I felt she broke from her writing mid-thought and then came back to it unable to complete the transitional idea. As a writer myself, I have experienced this. Kudos to her for getting past the "perfectionism" that keeps me from submitting anything for publication...ever.
I remain in the search of a good quality novel dealing with the slavery issue. I am intrigued to discover if this is a hole in literature or if I just haven't been exposed to the good writers of said genre as of yet.

A Christmas Tradition

I'm not sure how many film versions exist of this classic Christmas tale, but there does seem to be a plethora of them. Probably due to this, I have never opened the text before. Although, I felt that I knew what it would contain. For the most part, I believe I was correct. However, it was easier to distinguish certain qualities as portrayed by Charles Dickens instead of the interpretations of producers and directors.
A Christmas Carol is not a surprise story. It's about the ability of man to repent and turn again to the good things of life: human interaction, joy and service, as well as the concept that there is always time to change, as long as we capitalize on the opportunity. The interesting thing I discovered was the partial hint at Dickens' displeasure with America (it has been mentioned in certain articles that Dickens at one time traveled to the United States in a effort to promote international copyright laws, an issue that has continued to plague the world in one form or another even today).
Dickens' philosophy on the redeeming value of assisting our human brothers and sisters echo the importance of Christian values in business dealings as well as familial relationships. Truly, by becoming more giving and benevolent, we can assist our fellow man in not only survival but also in success in this world.

Third Side of an Issue

In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe points out the many layers of "both sides" of the slavery issue. However, I think, thus far, that her point is that there is not a correct stance on the issue and parts must be taken for both aspects.
For instance, the "Northern" philosophy of slavery being cruel and un-Christian is correct. However, at least from Stowe's point of view, there still lingered a segregation and almost disgust of encountering the blacks. Therefore, although citing the Bible for defense, these individuals were not letting the true purpose be manifest: that of treating all humans like unto themselves. In like manner, although there were, perhaps, slave owners who treated their slaves with kindness and possibly even indulgence, they were wrong not only for keeping humans as property, but never recognizing that they were humans and equals in intellect, emotion, and potential. Thus, there is a necessity to "choose the better part" of both sides and combine them to the perfection that is necessary for true equality then or now: all human are human and should be treated as such. The Golden Rule truly applies in human rights' positions.
There continues to be work that needs to be accomplished as our society looks upon the issue of HUMAN rights and equality. There continues to be a pervading misconception that to promote the rights of one group (women, black, Hispanic, or whatever) while simultaneously punishing another (white, men, whatever). Only when society recognizes this will we ever truly triumph over the persecutions, punishments, and guilt of the past to build a brighter future.

Other thoughts...here