背景：
1) 海地：第一個獨立的後殖民國家，但現在是世界上最窮的國家之一，政爭暴動不斷。最近發生的是2004年Jean-Bertrand Aristide 被趕下台。（據說Aristide 也用Tonton Macoutes祕密警察。）
2) Tonton Macoutes：本故事的祕密警察叫Tonton Macoutes (Haitian creole意為妖怪，是傳說中以袋子捕捉小孩的老人)，是當時的獨裁者Papa Doc Duvalier 摒除異己的工具﹔用許多殘忍方式捕捉、殺害人民（常常不管他們是否為異議份子）。
3) “Children of the Sea” – 作者訪問一些海地難民（又稱為boat people）後寫成。

故事摘要：本故事的敘述者為一男一女，男子因為是政治異議份子而必須逃離，女子則留在故鄉，但因險些被抓而必須搬到鄉村去。兩人認識已久，而且很親密，但女子的父親反對他們倆。劇情雙線發展，表達二者對彼此的思念，同時有描寫男子在難民船上的經驗，以及女子與父親關係的發展。.

問題

1. What's your general impression of Haitian refugees?

2. Have you heard of stories about people's responses at times of political upheavals and natural disaster? How do we define 'humanity' in those situations?

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請由以下問題選擇回答

1. What does Celianne's baby die of? Why does it not cry after birth?
2. The experience of the 'boat people'? Why are they called "children of the sea"
(Note: 1) 在船上的難民最先是暈船，然後彼此說故事、分享經驗，但最後卻因船漏水而都喪生。轉變是慢慢發展的：p. 10 船發現縫隙--p. 18 Celianne要生產、大家食物都要吃光了。最大的轉捩點應是p. 20：小孩生出，船漏水以致大家必須開始丟棄東西，並打算把小孩也丟入海中。
Note: 2 最後，男子說：”…[my mother] had chosen me to live life eternal, among the children of the deep blue sea, those who have escaped the chains of slavery to form a world beneath the heavens and the blood-drenched earth where you live. . . . I know that my memory of you will live even there was I too become a child of the sea” (pp. 27-28)。）

3. Krik, Krak: The story comes from a collection called Krik? Krak! Krik? Krak (or Cric? Crac!) is a form of story-telling popular in some African tribes and the Caribbeans of African descent. It serves to bring the story-teller closer to his listener, and allows an interaction between the "krik" (do you hear me?) and the "krac"(yes, I hear you). Why do you think this tradition is important to this story?

4. the Sea: Does the sea separate the two lovers, or keep their love?

(Note: the girl says: "from here, I cannot even see the sea. Behind these mountains are more mountains and more black butterflies still and a sea that is endless like my love for you." p. 29.)