Article 1: Monk puts himself on fire

Title: Tibet monk dies in China after self-immolating

Date published: Jan. 9, 2012 Date accessed: Jan 9, 2012

Summary:

A Tibetan monk, and a significant spiritual leader within his home community, set himself on fire the previous Sunday in the Qinghai, a north-western province of China. Over 15 Tibetans have died due to self-immolation in the past year, and most of these cases have been around north-west China, including Qinghai and other provinces around Sichuan. This is the first time such a protest is taking place in this region. The Tibetans are protesting in such a way due to the lack of religious freedom they are facing. The Dalai Lama himself expresses disapproval of such acts, yet he feels that they are “being driven to desperation by ‘cultural genocide’” due to the oppression they have to live under. However, Chinese authorities say blame the Dalai Lama for encouraging self-immolation. As the Chinese government is unwilling to allow journalists to access ‘Tibet-sensitive’ information, it is very difficult to verify anything.

Response:

Last semester, I had a project in which we had to carve out an issue of some sort, and later on make it into a poster with the help of technology. I chose a political issue – the oppression of Tibetans in China, the region of Tibet specifically. This was a few months ago and around 5 people had set themselves of fire then. The number of people that have died due to the self-immolation since then is alarming! Majority of the victims of this act have been young students who have no other way to show their desperation for freedom and their anger towards (probably) the Chinese government. Ever since that project, I have been keenly reading any article that has to do with the self-immolations and have been following through with events in China.

Vocabulary:

A.    Vigil

a.    “‘Due to his position as a local spiritual leader, approximately 2,000 local Tibetans are said to have held a candlelight vigil urging the local police authorities to release his body,’ it said.”

b.    wakefulness maintained for any reason during the normal hours for sleeping. Root:  from Old French vigile,  from Medieval Latin vigilia - watch preceding a

religious festival, from Latin: vigilance, from vigil alert, from vigēre to be lively

c.    My friends and I are usually vigil when we have an essay due the next day.

B.    Avert

a.    The statement said that police agreed to do this in order "to avert further tension".

b.    to turn away or aside. Root: French avertii; Latin āvertere – vertere to turn.

c.    To avert any possibilities of meeting a monkey on the way to school, I make sure I walk along with a group of people.

C.   Self-immolation

a.    Most self-immolations have taken place in the neighboring province of Sichuan.

b.    voluntary sacrifice or denial of oneself, as for an ideal or another person. Root: Latin immolātus,  past participle of immolāre  to sprinkle with holy meal prior to sacrificing.

c.    It is sad yet inspiring reading about all the Tibetan self-immolators as they seem very courageous and patriotic.