The Three Gorges Dam

People have lived for millions of years, surviving the floods, without the Three Goges Dam. The dam is not a necessity, it had been lived without before. Now it is causing water pollution, it was extremely expensive, and the environment is being destroyed. The dam is causing history to be washed away and 1.25 million people are being relocated. You can't ignore all of those things. The dam was not worth it.

First, as the dam was built, it polluted the water. The water rose and flooded 13 major cities. The factories have lots of pollution in them, and, as they were flooded, the water became contaminated. This is still killing many kinds of fish and destroying ecosystems. Also, the Chang river near the dam will no longer be a water source. Water pollution will affect life as we know it in the Three Gorges. 

Money is also a large problem. Building the largest dam in the world cost 22.5 billion US dollars. China will have a very hard time regaining all of that money. Also, people who have lived in the towns and cities all of their life had to find new houses. Houses are expensive and it was not like they could sell their old ones. Lastly, the cities that were flooded cost so much, and they had so much in them. Technology, buildings, and so much more are lost forever. Money is definitely a big problem with the dam.

Another drawback of the dam is how much the environment was impacted. Limestone disintegrates in water, and, seeing how the walls of the gorges are made of limestone, the environment will go through some serious changes. If the limestone shifted, the dam could possibly be damaged and all the time and money would be wasted. To build all the new houses farther up, they will have to cut down more trees. Also, animals found that the country will have to find a new home. The environment is being changed in a negative way to support the dam.

The cities that were destroyed had great historic sights. Many temples that used to be a huge attraction are now under water.  Families have lost so much stuff that was important to them before. They had to start over without their history. Most of the tourist attractions are gone and with them many jobs. The history that was important for many people is now gone.

More than a billion people had to move when the dam was being built. They had to leave their homes where they had their lives. Everyone in the 13 major cities and in all the villages near the river. They had to pay for different homes and start new jobs. Farmers who had lived off their land before had to change their way of life. They had to find new farms and buy food. Urban people had to find a new place to live far away from their old home. They had to restart their businesses and history. In some cases, new beginnings are not a good thing. This is one of them. 

As the Three Gorges Dam was built, things changed for the worst. The dam was not worth all the trouble. It polluted the water and cost billions of dollars. The environment is still being ruined today along with the great history of the cities. Most importantly, almost 1.3 billion people had to move, to save the people in South China. They were not happy when they found out they had to leave their homes forever. Many had to leave the only place they knew. The dam only hurt them, not helped them. The choice to build the dam was like choosing a favorite, and the government chose South China. It had pros and cons but, according to me, the dam was not worth it.

Call it Courage (book review 3)

Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry is a story about a boy who is afraid of the sea. When some boys tease him, he decides he will go out on the ocean to prove he is brave.  Then, he gets caught in a horrible storm. When the storm is over, he finally sees land and the ocean current takes him there.  His canoe is destroyed coming into shore but he and his dog survive.  While drinking from a small stream, he finds a trail that leads up a volcano.  When he reaches the top,  he notices another island nearby. He realizes it looks like the home of the legendary Eaters of Men.  While exploring the other side of the island, he finds a sacrifice pyramid.  As he is about to run away, he notices a spear and finds the courage to get it. He crosses back, builds a shelter and makes a fire. The next day, he starts building a new canoe so he can return home. One day, he finds a whale carcass washed up, and uses a bone to make a knife. Later, he takes his raft out to check the fish traps,  only to find that a shark is stealing his fish. When his dog jumps overboard, he kills the shark to save the dog.  Some time later,  he is charged by a wild boar, kills it and enjoys roast pig for dinner.  One day, he drops his knife into the ocean.  Determined to retrieve it, he dives, fights off and kills the octopus that attacks him. Finally, he finishes his canoe, but before he can leave the eaters-of-men return to the island.  They pursue him in his canoe, eventually turning back when they get too far from land. The boy returns home and for the first time, he is considered brave.

I think one of the main themes of Call it Courage is that fears have to be faced, or they will always be there. For example, the book describes, "But most important of all, he had won a great victory over himself. He had forced himself to do something that he dreaded, something that took every ounce of his will" (64). This support that sometimes the hardest thing to conquer is yourself.   When the boy states he is no longer afraid of the sea, he says, "'The sea, at last, was as much his element as the land'"(86).   Later in the book, he drops his knife into the ocean  and despite the danger, he realizes he must retrieve it.  "How could he abandon his knife? Would Maui (the thought chilled him) think him a coward? Was he still Mafatu, the Boy Who Was Afraid?”(89). Lastly, when the boy returns home, his father is proud of him for facing his fears.  He says, "'A brave name for a brave boy!(115). These quotes all support that conquering fears is a main theme in Call It Courage.   

The setting and the theme of this book are closely related because they both directly relate to courage.  One reason is because he surrounded by the sea and he is scared of the sea.  The book states, "It was the sea that Mafatu feared,"(2). Also,  Mafatu’s Polynesian setting and culture valued courage. “They worshiped courage, those early Polynesians"(1). Lastly, the island he is stranded on is home to the eaters-of-men.  "He had heard Grandfather Ruau tell of the Smoking  Islands, the home of savage tribes. They were the dark islands of the eaters-of-men"(42). This proves that he must be courageous and find a way to leave before they return.  That is why the setting is so important to Call it Courage.

Call It Courage is linked to how the early Polynesians came to their home. The boy used currents to return home and to get to the island. That is how the Polynesians might have made their home. They possibly sailed, using only wind and currents to go to their islands. It is interesting how the book relates to science.

Although this book teaches a good lesson, I would not recommend it to many readers. It seemed very abrupt and not very smooth. When I was reading it I could guess accurately what was going to happen next. Also, parts of the book were repetitive. He fought and killed the shark, then the boar, and then the octopus without much variety in between. This book is not one I would recommend.