Dominican Republic

            In June of 2011, just after my 16^th birthday, my church youth group went on a mission trip to Dominican Republic. It was one of the best trips I have ever been on in my life so far. We went into the trip kind of expecting the worst. However, it ended up being a fantastic week filled with prayer, bonding, and pure joy.

            Before we left for DR, our friends and families kept trying to warn and prepare us for what was to come. We all received multiple vaccines and prescriptions for anti-malaria medications. We were warned about the mosquitoes and not to drink the tap water. People kept emphasizing that it was a third-world country. One person, who had never been there, described it as “one of the shittiest parts of the world.” I also remember hearing that people would hate us and/or try to rob or hurt us because we were white. Basically, it sounded like our options were to catch a disease or be murdered, neither one of which sounded good. We were excited for the trip, but at the same time, we were absolutely terrified.

            After a long day of flying, we arrived in the Santo Domingo airport in Dominican Republic. We met Brother Robert, a Franciscan friar, who would be our guide for the week. We got on a bus and headed to the friary we would be staying at. A lot happened over the course of that week, but I am just going to hit the highlights.

            One of my absolute favorite things we did in DR was visiting an orphanage. When we first arrived, I’ll admit, it was super awkward. The kids didn’t know what to do with us, we didn’t really know what to do with them. There was bit of a language barrier. It was just very weird for a minute. Then, we broke out the toys we had brought for them and it became a party. We were blowing bubbles and throwing balls and having an absolute blast. Our new friend, Dihandy, looked at us and said, “You guys are like Santas to them right now.”

            A day or two after we visited the orphanage, we were outside the friary playing games when daily mass was letting out. All of a sudden, we looked over and saw a rush of children coming at us. It was the kids from the orphanage! They swarmed us and gave us lots of hugs. We were so excited to see them. On our last day in town, Brother Robert even surprised us by taking us back to see them one last time. That last day, we didn’t have all the toys and things we’d had the first time and we still had just as much fun. A few of the kids sang for us and we sang for them. When it was time to say goodbye, we all shed lots of tears and the kids were so sweet and tried to calm us down.

            Throughout our week, we had eucharistic adoration almost every night. For those that don’t know what that is, it’s when you take the eucharist (the bread you see given at communion during mass, which Catholics believe is the body of Christ) and display it on the altar in a metal frame-like thing called a monstrance. Because Catholics believe the eucharist is the body of Christ, eucharistic adoration is a sacred thing. It’s a special time to pray with Jesus physically present. To some of you, this probably sounds crazy, but that’s fine.

            In youth group, we always loved getting to have adoration, especially on retreats. It was always a very emotional experience. After the first time we had it on this mission trip, we started asking for it every night. Brother Robert loved that we were so into it, so he was usually more than willing to oblige. He said that whenever he would go to get adoration set up, the other friars were always surprised. They would say, “you’re making them do adoration again?”, and he would explain that we had asked for it. I guess quiet prayer time with Jesus isn’t something a lot of teenagers typically beg for.

            Overall, that trip was one of the best experiences of my life. After being prepared for the worst, I was pleasantly surprised. The Dominican people are some of the most joyful people I have ever met. We were all very surprised by that. Everyone we met, whether it was at the orphanage, at mass, or in the hospital, was just so happy. Our first-world teenage minds were absolutely blown. I give Dominican Republic five stars.

The Anthropocene Reviewed

    I recently finished reading John Green's latest book, The Anthropocene Reviewed. In this book, Green writes essays about various aspects of modern life. He covers everything from illness, to sporting events, to trees. If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed the book so much, it inspired me to write essay reviews of things in my own life. Those will be posted here soon. Stay tuned!

An Analysis of Metaphors in Chris Colfer's A Tale of Magic Series

 

Chris Colfer’s Land of Stories series may be targeted towards young readers, but in his latest releases, A Tale of Magic and A Tale of Witchcraft, there are a few metaphors his target audience may not quite understand. In A Tale of Magic, one can see metaphors for the struggles of the LGBT community, as well as women, while also alluding to the witch trials of the 17^th century. A Tale of Witchcraft makes not-so-subtle references the topics such as abortion, mental illness, and even the current state of our country.

            A Tale of Magic, the first of Colfer’s Land of Stories prequels, outlines the story of Brystal Evergreen, also known as the Fairy Godmother. In the Southern Kingdom, where Brystal lives, as well as many other regions, practicing magic is illegal. It is also illegal for women to read in the Southern Kingdom. Early in the book, Brystal gets in trouble for both. At home, she gets in trouble when she is caught reading a book her brother gave her. She later gets a job as a maid in the local library. While working late one night, she finds a book with two incantations. If you recite the first one and something happens, it means you are a witch. If you something happens when you recite the second, you are a fairy. Brystal recites them both for fun, only to discover she is a fairy (Colfer 2019).

            Brystal’s conservative father is a well-known political figure in her town of Chariot Hills. Because of this, and the fact that magic is illegal, Brystal cannot let anyone know she is a fairy. She has to stay “in the closet” so to speak. Colfer himself is an openly gay man. I may be reading too deeply into things, but I feel that Brystal, and others like her, having to hide who she really is represents the struggles of those in the LGBTQ+ community often feeling they have to hide who they really are out of fear of rejection and discrimination, which can sometimes lead to violence, from those around them. If caught using magic, Brystal could face rejection from her conservative family, especially her father, rejection by the community, and possibly the death penalty (Colfer, 2019).

            Eventually, Brystal is caught and arrested for using magic. She is put in prison, tried, and nearly sentenced to death before her father steps in and has her sent to a correctional facility instead. The penalties for using magic are reminiscent of the witch hunts and trials held in Europe and North America in the 17^th century. A simple Google search will show that women were tried and killed for being “witches” after committing such offenses as being female, being left handed, having an argument, allowing milk to spoil, and being too young or too old, among others (Hewitt, 2021 & Beckmann, 2015).  

            In A Tale of Magic’s sequel, A Tale of Witchcraft, Colfer makes references to a few very current issues. The first issue I caught some allusion to was abortion. In a later part of the book, Lucy, one of Brystal’s fellow fairies, is cursed with a Shadow Beast, a creature that uses a witch’s body and helps them with one enchantment. While discussing expelling the curse, Lucy and her friends get into an argument. It is later stated that Lucy’s arguments are a side effect of the curse, but there are some obvious references to discussions and arguments often had around the topics of pregnancy and abortion. For example, when Lucy first begins to have doubts about expelling the Shadow Beast she says, “‘What if I regret this decision later? What if this is my last chance to have a Shadow Beast?’” (Colfer, 2020). This is a point often brought up by pro-life advocates when discussing reasons not to have an abortion, as well as doubtful questions asked by those considering an abortion. Lucy also argues that it is her own fault for ending up in the situation and that the Shadow Beast should not be punished for her mistakes. Her friends respond with arguments such as not expelling the Shadow Beast will result in her death, she shouldn’t throw her life away over one mistake, and that she is not ready to raise a Shadow Beast, all of which are arguments often made by pro-choice advocates in regards to pregnancy and abortion.

            Shortly after the scene with the Shadow Beast, Brystal has a conversation with Mistress Mara, the headmistress of the Ravencrest School of Witchcraft, in which it is revealed that Brystal’s recent intrusive negative thoughts, emotionally distant behavior, and lack of self-confidence were the result of a curse. As upsetting as this information is, Brystal is also relieved to know that her recent thoughts and behavior were not her fault. This can be seen as a metaphor for mental illness, the curse being representative of the chemical imbalances that often cause them. Much like Brystal discovering she was cursed, speaking with a professional and receiving a diagnosis can help those with mental illnesses understand more of what is going on and begin to recover. Mistress Mara tells Brystal that in order to overcome the curse in her mind, she must use her mind. When the intrusive thoughts come back, Brystal uses positive self-talk, a common therapeutic tool, to talk back to them and build herself up.

            The book ends with Brystal encouraging her friends by reminding them not to confuse fear and facts, hold on to hope, and not to let people use their emotions to control them. After the chaos of 2020, a lot of people need these reminders. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of confusion and controversy. Biased media outlets on both ends of the political spectrum have not helped. It is hard for many to determine fact from fearmongering and emotional manipulation. Between the pandemic, natural disasters, racial justice issues, violent protests, and lots of political controversies, we are in a time where it is hard to hold on to hope, but for many, it is the one thing we can hold on to. 2020 showed us that almost everything is temporary and can be taken at any moment. Hope is all some people have right now, so we need to keep it alive and keep moving forward.

            While I do have some reservations about including such controversial topics in children’s books, I do understand the importance of putting such topics in terms kids can understand. There is a lot of heavy stuff going on in the world right now, and thanks to the internet, it is nearly impossible to shield kids from it. It is hard for many adults to understand and explain a lot of what is happening, so I appreciate Chris Colfer using relatable fantasy characters to try and help our youth understand. I especially appreciate ending the book on such a positive, optimistic note. Everyone, kids and adults alike, need that right now.

 

 

 

 

 

References

Beckmann, L. (2015, October 22). 17 Signs That You'd Qualify as a Witch in 1692. Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55276/17-signs-youd-qualify-witch-1692

Colfer, C. (2019). A tale of magic. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Colfer, C. (2020). A tale of witchcraft. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company/

Hewitt, D. G. (n.d.). 18 Reasons One is Executed for Witchcraft during the ‘Burning Times’. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from https://historycollection.com/18-reasons-one-is-executed-for-witchcraft-during-the-burning-times/17/