Kelen Ahearn Ms.

Hunt Honors English 9, Period 1 September 27, 2011 Chandas Secrets Essay

Depression From Affection

Devastation is defined as, satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way: a devastating portrayal of society, (Devastating). HIV/AIDS on the other hand has the definition of, a disease of the immune system characterized by increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections, (AIDS). Allan Strattons inspiring novel, Chandas Secrets, is about the sadness and depression of a young girl, Iris Kabelo, having to watch not only her family, but community slowly becoming defeated by the dominate disease of HIV/AIDS. Iris may be stubborn at times, but she has a reason for doing so; she cannot cure or help anyone. Through her words and actions, Iris Kabelo expresses the devastation she experiences with her family in result to the challenges and struggles of HIV/AIDS. As Iris experiences, seeing her family slowly die is not only heart wrenching, but also life changing, and very hard to adapt to. Once Iris mama, Lillian, does not come back after a week from visiting family and getting rid of their family curse, Iris begins to constantly stay at Mrs. Tafa, the neighbors home, and does not come home for dinner. Iris is purposely ignoring Chanda and her family traditions and rules, knowing that since their mother is not home, she does not have to follow them. Seeing that she never acted this way with her mama around, Iris mood has most definitely changed, not for better, but for worse. I have to stay at school to do a makeup test for English.Theres soup leftover from last night I [Chanda] say, Who cares about your stupid soup? Iris says. Well be at Mrs. Tafas.... Iris, I dont have time to argue Good. Cause I dont have time to listen (153). Iris is stubborn, and is not cooperating or helping Chanda throughout the tough time that both of them are living through. Within Iris words, it becomes more and more clear that Iris is colossally impacted by her mother not being home, and having Esther, Chandas sick friend, living with them. Iris wants things to come back to normal, having her mom home, and living happily again, in result, she cops an attitude because of it. With the many changes in the Kabelo household, Iris behavior and actions change as well. Iris, as time goes by, comes to the point where she will not let Chanda walk to school with

her; in fact, Chanda has to walk twenty feet behind her. Iris now is not enjoyable to be with anymore, in fact she makes life harder on everyone else based on her daily attitude. Chanda has so many challenges including school, raising her family, longing for her mom to come home, dealing with Mrs. Tafa, supporting her friend Esther, and now the added pressure from Iris, putting a burden on their family. On top of it all, Iris decides to skip school, and get inebriated in a junkyard which scares Chanda so much, especially after the police have found Iris friends dead in a well. Iris now is choosing to get in trouble, and doing whatever she wants to, because she has no reason not to do it now that her mom is gone. Now that Lillian had not come back for weeks, Iris feels as though she is free to do anything, and does not even think about Chanda and Soly, or how they must feel about it all. Iris is in her own world, doing whatever she pleases, because in her own mind, there is nothing that can stop her. Life can be tough, especially for Iris Kabelo, having to watch her family disappear from the humiliation of AIDS. Iris is totally side tracked, and has drifted away from knowing what comes first, family. Embarrassment or not, family comes first. Iris seems to purposely want to separate from her family, because in her eyes, her family is gone, now that her mom is gone. Iris Kabelo expresses her feelings and burdens of her family and HIV/AIDS through her appearance around her community.

Works Cited "Aids | Define Aids at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/AIDS>. "Devastating | Define Devastating at Dictionary.com." Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/devastating>. Stratton, Allan. Chandas Secrets. New York: Annick, 2004. Print.