Margaret Cezair-Thompson, "Geography Lessons" (1999) (page 207-10)

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WebLinks: Contexts for Exploring Visual and Verbal Texts

Cezair-Thompson's essay depicts aspects of Jamaican life not readily familiar to many Americans, who tend to associate the country with reggae music and brilliant beaches. The writer manages to show both domestic life and a larger socio-political portrait of the country that defies easy stereotypes. How does her image of Jamaica challenge the image of Jamaica presented by tourist bureaus and travel books, like Lonely Planet?

What "geography lessons" can you learn after reading Cezair-Thompson's essay and the following Web links? How does the essay changes your ideas about geography in general?

http://www.wellesley.edu/English/CreativeWriting/cezair-thompson.html
Click on this link to see Cezair-Thompson's homepage at Wellesley College. Here you'll see a photo of the author and information about her interesting Jamaican-American background.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/jamaica/history.htm
Cezair-Thompson alludes to an escalation in violence in recent Jamaican history, and laments that the country isn't as safe as it was when she was young. On this link sponsored by the travel guide Lonely Planet, you can learn more about Jamaica's turbulent history, and some of the causes of the recent violence.

http://www.aag.org/Careers/Intro.html
Cezair-Thompson claims that geography is no longer a required subject in many parts of the world. This may be true, but geography remains an exciting field of study, and the foundation for many different kinds of careers. To learn more about what kinds of careers that you could pursue with a geography degree, click on this link run by the American Association of Geographers.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm
Part of what makes "Geography Lessons" interesting is the contrast between the traditional imagery of Christmas as a cold weather holiday and the reality of Jamaican weather, where it's hot even during Christmas. Have you ever wondered why we associate Christmas with such things as poinsettias, pine trees, and Santa Claus? This site at Howstuffworks.com describes the origins and meaning of Christmas imagery.

http://geography.usgs.gov/
Cezair-Thompson claims that in Jamaica "the language of geography was dead." The people of the U.S. Geological Survey would probably disagree. Here, you can learn about the mission of geography at the USGS and see some fascinating maps showing the changing relationship between Americans and their environment.

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