POST 7: Introduction of Research Paper

(When I first stepped foot off my cruise ship onto the Dutch island of Sint Maarten, I noticed one particular thing. The entire island was packed with tourist. Some coming off cruise ships, like me, and others visiting the island for more than just a one-day excursion. As my friend and I walked around the island more, all I could notice was the vast amount of international tourist in St. Maarten. It seemed as if the number of tourists on the island outweighed the locals that live on the island. After my long, hot, adventurous day in St. Maarten, we got back on the ship.) < Hook (The one question that lingered my mind the most about St. Maarten was “What makes Sint Maarten/St. Martin such a popular spot for tourist?” A year later, and I finally found an answer to my question.)< Bridge (The split island of St. Martin/ St. Maarten is visited often by tourist due to their decadent cuisine, numerous casinos, and variations of Dutch and French culture.) < Thesis

https://www.royalresortscaribbean.com/top-ten-reasons-to-visit-st-maarten.php

POST 6: Research on St. Martin and St. Maarten

The island of St Martin and St Maarten is very unique, therefor I had a hard time picking what I wanted to research about it. The final question I chose for my research is "What makes St. Martin/St. Maarten a popular vacation spot for tourist?". My answer to that question is that Culinary, Culture, and Nightlife are the main aspects for tourism attraction. While doing my research, I have looked at many different articles, blogs, and journals.

Reading through the blogs about food on the island, and about the nightlife on the island has been the most interesting to me. I found out that many tourists consider St Martin and Sint Maarten the culinary capital of the Caribbean. I also got to read through some yummy recipes and the main dishes served on the island. I am planning on trying to duplicate one of the recipes, and then hopefully bringing it in for my final presentation of the project.

One thing that has been very challenging throughout my research so far, has been finding creditable sources. Many of the websites I have looked through were either very biased or did not provide enough information to support my research. It is very disappointing to me when I read through a whole source and then end up not finding enough useful information.

 I plan on researching more about the culture in St. Martin and Sint Maarten. So far, I have looked more into my other two controlling ideas, cuisine and casinos. I wanted to research how some of the traditions and cultures impact tourism, and then include them into my paper. For example, I plan on reading more about Carnaval in St Martin and Sint Maarten, and then seeing if that event is something that attracts tourist.

I have already visited the French side of the island while on a cruise, but after doing more research on the island and the things that attract tourists, I want to plan another vacation there. 

This is a picture of a dish called Conch and Dumplings. It's a popular, hot and spicy dish in St. Maarten.

POST 5: Revision of POST 4

The short stories "Little Cog-Burt" and "Cotton Candy" both reflect on the social injustices that were happening in the Caribbean during that time period.  Although there are many differences between the two stories, they are also some similarities.

The author of "Little Cog-Burt", Phyllis Shand Allfrey, used her story to express the unfair differences in the social classes in Dominica. Allfrey highlighted the differences between the plantation owners’ and the plantation workers many times throughout the story. On page seven in "Little Cog-Burt", Allfrey wrote, " 'Well, I won't,' she said again, firmly; and in the words which she did not add, but which he so clearly heard her thinking: 'I won't give a party for those dark children, those dark children, those dark children...' ". By including this quote, you can be sure that the character Moira believed she was better than "those dark children", thus putting herself on a higher level, or class, than the workers and their children.

The author Dora Alonso used her story "Cotton Candy" to portray the suffering of the lower class in Cuba during the Cuban revolution. On page fourteen in "Cotton Candy" Alonso wrote, "The monotonous years, for her repetitions of frustrations and renewed desires, killed her grandparents and uncles, and forced her relatives to emigrate. Her lonely forty years fought then, like a dog biting a chain, and her mother agreed to move to Havana". Dora Alonso added this statement because she wanted to describe what the Cuban Revolution was doing to Lola and her family and show how much that they suffered during it all.


Allfrey was an activist in social affairs and equality and Alonso focused on writing for marginalized characters that struggle in a corrupt society. The authors’ messages were not about the same exact struggles, but they are both alike in that they focus on the social injustices that were going on in the Caribbean. 

POST 4: Cotton Candy vs Little Cog-Burt

The short stories "Little Cog-Burt" and "Cotton Candy" both reflect on the social injustices that were going on in the Caribbean during that time period. Although there are many similarities in the two stories, they are also many differences. The author of "Little Cog-Burt" Phyllis Shand Allfrey, used her story to express the unfair differences in the social classes in Dominica. Allfrey highlighted on the differences between the plantation owners and the plantation workers many times throughout the story. On page seven in "Little Cog-Burt" Allfrey wrote, " 'Well, I won't,' she said again, firmly; and in the words which she did not add, but which he so clearly heard her thinking: 'I won't give a party for those dark children, those dark children, those dark children...' ". By including this quote, you can assure that Moira believed that she was better than "those dark children", thus putting her on a higher stepping stool than the workers and their children. The author Dora Alonso used her story "Cotton Candy" to portray the suffering of the lower class in Cuba during the Cuban revolution. On page fourteen in "Cotton Candy" Alonso wrote, "The monotonous years, for her repetitions of frustrations and renewed desires, killed her grandparents and uncles, and forced her relatives to emigrate. Her lonely forty years fought then, like a dog biting a chain, and her mother agreed to move to Havana". Dora Alonso added this statement because she wanted to explain what the Cuban Revolution was doing to Lola and her family and show how much that they suffered during it all. Allfrey was an activist in social affairs and Alonso focused on writing for marginalized characters that struggle in a corrupt society. The authors messages were not about the same exact struggles but they are both alike in that they focus on the social injustices that were going on in the Caribbean.  

POST 3: Tétiyette and the Devil

The short story "Tétiyette and the Devil" is a literary text that has a much deeper meaning behind it, than shown. The story is about a young girl who does not listen to her parents and chooses a man based solely off of his looks. This was a mistake though because he was not who she thought he was, and ended up being "a terrible devil" that was "eating her up". The anonymous author of the story had a rhetorical stance that can be found by reading in between the lines. I believe that the intended audience of the short story is young, naive girls in the Caribbean that choose men and/or other things based off of appearance. The purpose of the story is to teach people that things are not always as they appear and although you might have made a mistake, you can be saved before you are completely gone/oblivious to the situation. The message is being conveyed when the author writes on page two, "The young girl looked down to see the young man, and found a good-looking gentleman. She was pleased. She said: 'Have him come up, have him come up, I want him'" (Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam). By reading those lines, you can assume that the girl made her decision based off of the man's looks. Then near the end of the story the author included that the girl regretted her decision and cried out for help from her family. Although they are her parents, they did not go help her and instead her brother did. The author wrote on page four, "When he reached the room, the devil had swallowed half of his sister's last toe. He slit the devil's belly with one single blow, and his sister emerged all whole" (Green Cane and Juicy Flotsam). The meaning behind this line was that although his sisters toe was the only thing left when he came, he was able to save his sister as a whole, before she was completely "swallowed". I believe that this short story was very interesting, and semi weird to say the least but as I continued to reread it, the author's rhetorical stance revealed itself.

POST 2: Intro to the Island of St. Maarten

Sint Maarten, also known as Saint Martin is a small island located in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The island is composed of two different countries, Sint Maarten owned by the Dutch and Saint Martin owned by the French. Sint Maarten / Saint Martin is known to be the smallest island in the world that is divided by two different countries. The total size of the island is 37 squares miles. The division of the island was agreed upon in 1648 after the French and Dutch successfully fought the Spanish off the island. Although one island, these countries differ greatly. Saint Martin, the northern side of the island, has two official languages: English and French. Sint Marteen also has two official languages, but they are English and Dutch. Sint Maarten/Saint Martin was said to be first sighted in 1493 by world famous, Christopher Columbus but the Carib and the Arawak inhabited the island before then. Columbus was also in charge of naming the great island. He named it "San Martin" after the famous feast of Saint Martin of Tour. The capital of Saint Martin is Marigot, while the capital of Sint Maarten is Philipsburg. In 2010 Sint Maarten officially became an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Saint Martin has shuffled in between the Dutch and the Spanish many times, but it is now owned by the French who signed a partition treaty in 1648. Both countries are high tourist locations due to their appealing beaches and warm, tropical weather. Although partially destroyed in 2017 due to Hurricane Irma, tourist continue to visit these beautiful islands.

TRAVELING TO ST MAARTEN/SAINT MARTIN

If you are looking for a nice, warm place to go on vacation, St Maarten is the place for you. To get there, I recommend flying directly from Delta Airlines to the Princess Juliana International Airport. If you are a US citizen you do not need a visa, but you will need a passport to enter St. Maarten. Once you land from your flight, you can drive four minutes away and check into Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa. This is a four star hotel, that is right on Maho Beach. Maho beach is a popular tourist location that is known for its' amazing view and proximity to low flying airliners. I recommend visiting Maho Beach during your one week stay in St. Maarteen. Another excursion that I recommend taking during your week vacation is going on the Tropical Catamaran Snorkeling, Sailing And Beach Experience. Using Trip Advisor the cost of the hotel will be around $1500 for a week stay. The cost of the airfare will be around $890 round trip. For the Maho Beach Plane Sighting it will be about $25 per person and for the Catamaran experience it will be $120 per person. I would also bring around $300 extra for food. St. Maarten does accept the US dollar. If you are looking for a cheap vacation I do not recommend visiting St. Maarten, but I do recommend visitng if you are looking for a memorable experience. 

POST 1: About Me

My name is Casey Kennedy and I am seventeen years old. I attend North Gwinnett Highschool and Georgia Gwinnett College through dual enrollment.  I spend most of my time either working out or working in childcare at my local gym. I hope to major in Food Science and Nutrition. I have been to three different islands in the Caribbean and hope to visit more!