Breath, Eyes, Memory

2. Do some research on the Caribbean and Haiti, particularly. How do we get a view from this text for some of the problems that have plague the Caribbean or Haiti specifically? Use examples and quotes from the text.

Dazzling white sand, blinding sunshine, crystal clear aquamarine waters. Swaying palm trees and gentle waves lapping the shore. Every "Corona" commercial you have ever seen. This is our image of the Caribbean here in the United States. Unfortunately, the true Caribbean is not a cruise line postcard. It is a collection of impoverished native cultures that are struggling to survive. "Breath, Eyes, Memory" is a novel that follows the young life of a Haitian girl, Sophie, where the dismal state of Haiti's livelihood is instilled in her character. We can see Haiti's influence on Sophie's family, as well as on Sophie's behavior.

The true Haiti, the one we do not see from our Carnival cruise ship, suffers from a multitude of problems that have plagued the country for many years. Haiti has a population of about 8.7 million people, but only 53% can read. Over 4 million Haitians are illiterate. Unfortunately, only about 20% of students reach the sixth grade. This lack of education contributes to the poor economy in Haiti. It is estimated that 80% of the population lives in poverty. Also, Haiti is consistently ranked as the least developed country in the Americas. The section of the population that have jobs work in agriculture, but it contributes very little to national revenue. Plus, the majority of agriculture in Haiti is subsistence farming.

Gender issues are also highly prevalent in Haiti. The idea of female purity is extremely important. We can see the obstacles Sophie faces in the novel because she is a girl. She has no future in Haiti, where she would most likely grow up to marry an illiterate man, aid in his small subsistence farm, and have children-some that may not survive. When she moves to the United States, her mother constantly encourages her to obtain the most education she can possibly get. Martine is sure to tell her daughter this piece of wisdom almost immediately after meeting her, "Your schooling is the only thing that will make people respect you" (43). As a mother, she wants to give her child the opportunity she never had. Martine says, "You have a chance to become the kind of woman Atie and I have always wanted to be." (44).

It is interesting that, in Martine's eyes, as well as many other Haitians, Sophie's academic success goes hand in hand with her female purity. Martine goes out of her way to discourage Sophie from seeing boys, for fear that it might distract her from her studies, and thus ruin her future. Martine is comforted by the fact that Sophie has never interacted with boys before. She believes Sophie will have a better chance of getting her degree without men in her life. Like her mother, Ife, Martine "tests" Sophie's virginal purity when she suspects that Sophie is becoming involved with a boy. This is traditional Haitian practice that Martine learned from her mother, who learned from her mother, and so on. It is a sad cycle where Haitian society expects so much from the women, and yet allows them to do so little, in terms of education and profession.

Works Cited
"Haiti." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 11 Nov. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/251961/Haiti>.