Outlook on Christianity In The D.R : Introduction

 |Outlook on Christianity in the D.R
As someone who grew up in the south, I was surrounded by Christians my whole life. Being in the “bible belt” I was exposed to a specific way to be Christian. What I witnessed was a consistent way of practicing throughout the south and it impressed an idea of what i thought the whole world thought Christianity was. As my horizons broaden and I became exposed to Christianity in other ways and in other places, I learned there are many different types Christians. Each Christian holds their own values and beliefs, it does not make them necessarily right or wrong. As a Christian, it is important to learn about other Christians’ theology. I have acquired the knowledge that religion can be vital in the development in a nation, yet Christianity varies depending on location,culture, and people. Although in the Dominican Republic there are many Christians with divergent beliefs, Christianity in the Dominican Republic has played a role in the diversity, liveliness, family, and all around culture of the nation. From Christianity making up the majority of the population, to incorporating their African Heritage, and participating in the corruption of the community; Christians in the Dominican Republic are an educational topic of influential.

This is a church in the Dominican Republic

Research Highlight

My research question is " How has Christianity played a role in the Dominican Republic's society and culture? ".  I was inspired to research this topic because my major is christian leadership. I plan on continuing my education to learn more about the Christian beliefs around the world. It has been interesting to learn the differences as well as similarities between Dominican Republic and American Churches. For example the infrastructure of the churches in both countries resemble one another. If someone where to visit America from the D.R and pass a church they would recognize the building as a place of worship and vise versa.

This is an American Church where service is held

This is a Dominican Republic Cathedral where church service is                           

Although in other ways they are different, such as the fact that many Christians identify as catholic with a small number being Protestant while in America many are Protestant with a couple identifying as Catholic. I was nervous about being able to find information on Christian life in the Dominican Republic but i have actually found many resources. The challenge with finding a lot of good resources, is the fact that many are bias on how Christianity actually affects the culture and society of the nation. It is however astonishing to see the level of value religion holds in the D.R compared to here in America. My next step in researching is to interview some people i know who have actually lived in the Dominican Republic for some time and hear their thoughts on the topic. I think it will help me better understand my answer to my research question. The hardest controlling idea I have is the corruption one. I am struggling to find information connecting corruption in the Church to corruption in the Dominican Republic Church. I will have to try using book resources or videos instead of just websites. That way i will not have to be limited on perspectives on the issue of corruption.

Blog post 5, Cotton Candy & Little cog-but

At first glance I was under pretense that because both short stories were in the same region, the Caribbean, they had a lot of similarities. After analyzing not just the short story itself but its authors as well, I realized that there are important differences. For starters, the main difference begins with the fact that Cotton Candy is based in Cuba and during a historic time in Cuba. This Historic era was the Cuban Revolution. "She did not have to fight in any way to get the benfits in this era" (p 14 Cotton Candy), this line implies Lola status after the Cuban Revolution.

Cuban Revolution graphic

English settlers in Dominica

In Little Cog-Burt the setting is Dominica, and from context clues the reader can infer it was set sometime in the 1800's. This is a century before the Cuban Revolution. Aside from the history of the two passages the contrasting parts of these stories run even deeper. The main characters although both female represent two different spectrums of life in the Caribbean. Lola from Cotton Candy, signified the Cuban working class, as she endured her share of economic struggles having to work day to day. Moira did not face those same struggles in Dominica. Moira believed herself to be better than her laborers. Part of which was due to the fact they were Dominican and she was European. This brings another difference between the stories; Lola was a born citizen of the country in which her story takes place and she was content with that. Moira was not a born citizen and her ill feelings toward Dominicans reflected in her language about them."I won't give a party for those dark children" ( p 7 Little Cog-Burt), is an example in the text of how distasteful she is of Dominicans. Moira was very prideful of herself and her image, where as Lola was not. In Cotton Candy, Lola struggled with herself because of the absence of a "love life" while Moira was married with a devoted husband. 

The authors highlight two different view points of the Caribbean. Cotton Candy shows life in the nation of Cuba through a Cuban, while Little Cog-Burt shows Dominica through the eyes of a foreigner. But in both cases the main character Moira and Lola were marginalized. These characters are different from the rest of society in their area and have their own story. These authors also used their stories to showed motherly influence in the Caribbean. Lola's mother could be seen as strict and over protective, which could exemplify the parenting lifestyle in Cuba. In Little Cog-Burt, Ma'am Jovey was distant and didn't excessively control her child. She gave cog-burt independence. Each writer could be showcasing what parenting was like in those specific times. A parent in the 1800's is not the same as a parent in the 1900's no matter what nation or nationality. Even though both stories have their very own distinct message,  they both end with the happily ever after. Lola finally meets a lover, and Moira gives the doll to a child who appreciates it. I believe when comparing these stories the reader can infer that life in Caribbean no matter the situation, will always works out in some way. 

Little cog-but vs. Cotton Candy

Little cog-burt and Cotton Candy have clear distinctions of differences, but being that that both stories come from the Caribbean; there are cultural similarities in the way both stories play out. For instance in both of the short stories, beauty was influential on the actions of the characters. In little cog-but the whole story in a way revolved around a doll and what made that doll so special in Moira's eyes was the hair. The importance of this hair came from the fact it was European hair and everyone else in the story was African descendent with much more different hair. Moira's husband said "ours are so fair as toothpaste and honey and theirs are like lumps of toffee"(pg 7 little cog-burt), which is represents a popular opinion of europeans toward people in the Caribbean. In cotton candy beauty is also prevalent in the sense that when the writer described her she was made out to be ugly, "a big woman with a tick waist and straight, fat, piano like legs, arms with hanging flesh, and feet that twisted like a wild parrot." (pg 15 Cotton Candy). They contrast because the main character represented Cotton candy looks down upon her own beauty but uplifts the beauty of her supporting character briefly mentioned in the end. Not only is he uplifted but she embraces his darker skin, "the beautiful black man" ( pg 17 cotton candy). In little cog-but Moira was so negative toward the dark skin people. She felt superior to them like when she said " I won't give a party for those dark children, those dark children" (pg7 little cog-burt). They both contrast a popular Caribbean issue of colorism but from two different perspectives and two different times.

Tetiyette and the devil

The author of Tetityette and the devil was a young Guadeloupean girl who wrote this narrative as a common tradition of theirs called a funeral tale. The message of this narrative is all about being in a toxic relationship but it is told as a fairy tale. It starts off with “once upon a time” which for leads the audience to perceive that it will be a light hearted fairy tale with the typical happy ending. In reality it was a rather gruesome story between a young girl and her suitor. Considering who the author is i believe she might have been telling something from experience. The young girl in the story was even younger than the author. Even though this was a rather dark story the author uses literary devices to give it the fairytale effect. For example when Tetityette was crying out for help each time she repeated “Bel-air Drum” (pg 3 Tetityette).

This was an example of analepsis, which puts emphasis on it. A bel-air drum is a representation of a guadeloupen fertility ritual. I this relates to the message of a toxic relationship in the sense that although the passage states the “devil” is eating her, it could represent the spouse sexually abusing the main character. Being in a position of an abusive relationship it can be consuming and overwhelming for the victim. Furthermore the narrative could also addresses how a relationship could get to that point. The main character didn’t want to be with the other suitors who wanted her because of how they looked but she naively fell into the devil’s trap by his good looks (pg2). I think the message in that comes down to how the the devil knows your weaknesses and knows how to draw you in if you are not careful. In the story the author made wrote Tetityette go against the advice of her family and ignore the red flags that the relationship she was in was the wrong one. Her mother told her how to clearly find out who he truly was and Tetityette followed through but still stuck by him. That reflects the message of how sometimes when someone is in a unhealthy relationship it is hard to get out of the relationship because you are in love. Over all the ending follows the typical fairytale with the Man coming to save the day and rescue the “damsel in distress” and everything was happy in the end. I think the author’s overall purpose was to in a story-telling way warn other young women of the dangers of getting into the wrong relationship. The audience of the narrative although technically is for funerals and adults, i think the audience for this piece is for young unwed women. This story could help other carribean women because of the underlying lessons and that is why it is a great story to put in this collection Green cane juicy flotsam. The point of the book Green cane juicy flotsam is to share the stories of the lives of Caribbean women from Caribbean women and this story of Tetityette does just that.

Who is the Dominican Republic?

The Dominican Republic is part of the Carribean Island Hispaniola. The capital is Santo Domingo, and its currency is the Dominican Peso. The official language is Spanish. The history of the Dominican Republic starts with Diego Columbus, who a Spanish colony on the land in 1496. The D.R is the second largest island in the Caribbean behind Cuba. The land is rich with resources but the main resource is Sugar. Sugar brings in a good amount of the lands revenue. On the other hand some might say there outgoing resource is their golf courses. Being that it is surrounded by water, D.R has many golf courses around it coast that are "breathtaking". D.R is a great place for tourism and is often a stop for tourist when visiting a Caribbean Island. A popular thing in the Caribbean is Rum and the Dominican is no exception. The have three main different types of rum that are Excellent! Unlike in America per say, the economic culture doesn't surround itself with currency of their "dollar" (Dominican Peso). In there economic culture an exchange for something in equal value is just as useful as pesos. Like America Baseball is a huge sport their, it considered to be their national sport. As well as Coffee is there national drink. The D.R is a very well of nation being that it has the largest economy in the Caribbean and is the tenth largest in Latin America. From Tourism to natural resources, to the people, and food; the D.R is a beautiful island with much to offer and even more to learn about.

About Me

I am Hope. My name is a pretty good description of who I am. It is important to be very optimistic in my opinion. Always see the glass half full not half empty. Even though I am very young, people usually perceive me as older. I like that aspect about me because it shows maturity which means people are more likely to show respect to you. I want to live up to my name and bring hope to those around me. Part of being hopeful in my opinion means exploring the world and all it has to offer. The sky is the limit and I was to exceed it. It is awesome for people to allow their curiosity to run wild and learn.

Life should be about spending your years creating great stories and memories and sharing them with everyone you can. Its all about finding ways to smile and sharing smiles!