Life and Debt

This week’s lecture and viewing of the film Life and Debt opened my eyes to an inequality I had not really considered, global inequality. Whenever I considered the idea of inequality I thought about how certain people in a community had more access to resources than others. I had never really contemplated how certain governments were systematically oppressing other governments and therefore the people of those nations. Life and Debt’s focus on Jamaica shows just how vast of an impact this idea of global inequality can have on an entire nation. A major focus of the film was how the loans that Jamaica accepted from the International Monetary Fund ended up causing more harm than good. The IMF charged them steep interest rates and forced them to invest in short term development. They restricted the Jamaican government from using the money for building up infrastructures like education and healthcare. These projects could have led to the long term growth of their nation, but the IMF knew exactly what it was doing. In the movie they explained that 80 percent of the vote is required to change the policy of the IMF, and major economies like the United States and China control most of that vote. This leads their policies favoring the few “elite” countries and…

When did you first realize that life was not as easy as you had once thought? I am still confused about how to fix the highlighted parts. Imagine when you were fifteen years old your parents told you that your family was in debt. How would your life change? How would you change? The challenges I faced when I was in high school shaped the person I am today and taught me that life is not as easy as it seems. Because we were in debt, my parents worked a lot. I realized that I needed to step up or…

The film Life and Debt, by Stephanie Black, is a documentary that portrays a powerful example of economic globalization that can have on a developing country. According to “globalization and anthropology” “Globalization is ongoing and dynamic movements of capital, goods. Also, globalization is refer as trade, travel, finance, culture and ideas that people associate with communication technology. Great example of globalization is, the growth of MacDonalds restaurants around the world. Life and…

The film Life and Debt serves as an example of how globalization can negatively affect countries, particularly developing countries like Jamaica. The article Introduction to Gender and Globalization discusses the topic of corporations and their unskilled female employees. Women represents 80% of the unskilled labor force that corporations hire (Gunewardena and Kingsolver, 8). In the film, there is a place called the “free zone” in which corporations operating in Jamaica do not have to follow…

Ans 1: Life and Debt is a 2001 American movie directed by Stephanie Black. It examines the economic and social state of affairs in Jamaica, and specifically the impact on that of the International fund and also the World Bank's structural adjustment policies. Its start line is that the essay a little Place by Jamaica Kincaid. The result, she argues, has been the destruction of Jamaican business and agriculture, the top of Jamaica as a self-sustaining economic entity, and its conversion into a…

Film Summary In the documentary “Life and Debt”, the author, Stephanie Black, uses her native country Jamaica as a case study to focus on the problematic economy of her country and how the country's semi-permanent obligation to international disposal organizations have contributed to the erosion of native agriculture and business, as well as interviewing everybody from United Nations agency executives, to a former Jamaican Prime Minister, a university economic expert, Rastafarians, and village…

When you think of the beautiful land of Jamaica, what comes to mind? Initially, you may think of Montego Bay. A serene vacation spot with sandy beaches and clear crystal waters. Dancing in the resort to reggae music, having the time of your life. Enjoying the much-needed relaxation, and time off from responsibilities, forgetting the problems of the world. For most Americans, Jamaica is known for the land of relaxation, censoring out the hardship and struggle that the small island faces. The film…

Monica Korb [Delete John Smith and put your name here] COM 101—Spring 2015 A Small Place Essay Jamaica Kincaid’s memoir, A Small Place, offers an instructive example for understanding how a reality can differ greatly between people relative to their point of observation. Kincaid explains her experience of Antigua as both a “paradise” and a “prison.” It is because of this dual reality that Kincaid expresses a conflicted sense of life. She also mentions how one’s landscape is a reflection of…

Jamaica Kincaid’s “On Seeing England for the First Time” is reflection on her youth in Antigua and the lasting impact it had on her. Because Antigua was a British colony, Kincaid and every other person inhabiting the island were taught just how great Britain truly is. Brits are well-mannered, had a rich history, and lived enviable lifestyles. The version of Britain that Kincaid learned about is heavily sanitized and far from the truth, but that does nothing to stop it from being permeated…

A Small Place written by Jamaica Kincaid (2000) is recognized by a number of scholars highlighting how the content exposes readers to the past and present culture of the narrator's native country Antigua. Kincaid (2000) addresses the corruption in the Antiguan government, the influence of English colonialism, tourism as a neo-colonial structure, and in short identifies factors that contribute to the lost identity of Antigua. Nonetheless, one should take notice that the author frequently…