Life of an immigrant
The narrative “Blank Spaces” by Cockerline shows how Elizabeth is seeking refugee status in Canada. She is forced to do this, because of her previous life, which was engulfed with misfortunes that forced her to get involved with unlawful and immoral acts to survive. She believed that once she obtained refugee status in Canada she would live a safe and healthy life. By assessing critically the life Elizabeth went through in the story I will show how gender inequality and oppression affects all aspect’s of Elizabeth’s life that ultimately force her seek refugee status in Canada. This is significant because she believes that once she attained refugee status in Canada she would rebuild her life to become much better.
From childhood, Elizabeth was oppressed because she was brought up in a village filled with mal chauvinism and the women were considered inferior. In school, her male teacher took advantage of her and went to the extent of abusing her. She did not know the consequences of the teacher’s actions, but after awhile she got pregnant. This was offensive to her family especially her father. At the time, the father was considered a respectable person and every one respected him. Once her father discovered about the pregnancy she was chased away from her home, and shunned by the entire village. Since gender inequality was immense at the time her mother could not come to her rescue instead she kept quiet and let her daughter go to an unknown destination. Not aware of where she was headed to she left the village to find a casual job in the capital.
When she tried to seek assistance of getting to town, the truck driver pretended to be good. She mistreats her by taking advantage of Elizabeth’s womanhood without caring that she was expectant. Elizabeth felt much pain but she was still young and could not take any action to free her from the bad encounter. She was dropped near the city was an old woman decided to assist her for the night considering she was young and expectant. The woman asked what she wanted into which her reply was that she wanted to seek for job in the capital. The following day she was assisted with fare to get to town. In the capital of Nairobi Elizabeth knocked on different doors to seek for employment in the end, she got a servant’s job at Mr. Ngoya’s house.
Mr. Ngoya had other servants who were ready to help Elizabeth through her pregnancy. She had a difficult time as she tried to balance between laundry work and her pregnancy. When the day to deliver finally came, Elizabeth gave birth to a stillborn child. She became expectant a number of times afterwards in which a fellow servant assisted her to get rid of them. Throughout her life, men took advantage of her putting her health at risk. When Mr. Ngoya began to send her to the market Elizabeth knew she could earn more money through prostitution. So she embarked on the new mission without knowing the dangers she put herself through.
After a long struggle in the city, Elizabeth decided to migrate to Canada as a refugee to improve her life. She had the hope that once in Canada everything would be all right. The immigration officer at the Kenyan-Canada’s embassy told her refugee status would be earned after some tests were carrying out including blood test. Based on her past life Elizabeth was scared and told the immigration officer there was no need of the tests.
Throughout the mistreatments and oppression because of her gender, Elizabeth had no choice but to oblige to what her teacher, father and employer wanted of her. She did have no power to make her own decisions and decide whether it was proper to do the unlawful actions. When she decided to join prostitution she had no choice too because life was so difficult and she had to do something to make ends meet. The environment she was raised in triggered the choices and actions that she embarks on; in addition, gender inequality was at its peak and women had no choice but is oppressed by men. The only wise decision within her power was to seek refugee status in Canada and change her life.
Gender inequality in Africa oppresses women and takes advantage of them in many ways. Elizabeth was oppressed and mistreated because she was a woman. She had no power over her life and could not make wise decisions for herself. Gender inequality affects many women in Africa and others end up oppressed to old age Elizabeth was lucky to even seek a chance to change her life completely.
