Thieves in retirement and All thats left to you

I'll start off by saying that Thieves In Retirement was a total waste of my time. I found it in the library but couldn't find a description of the book so I was kind of in the dark about it. The book is by Abu Golayel and is basically about nothing. For the first time ever I read half of the book and still wasn't interested at all. It was like I was still on page one and didn't know yet what the story was going to be about, only I was on page 52 out of 120 pages. I didn't finish that book because it was going nowhere. The narrator was like an old man who starts off telling one story, and then is reminded by another story, then another and another until I had no idea what the point was because none of the stories are referred to again afterwards.

So after wasting most of my reading time on that book I began All That's Left to You by Ghassan Kanafani. I wasn't able to read the entire book but what I've read was really good so far. It feels good to read from a familiar author.

Finishing my paper

I used the books Persepolis and The White Castle as the base for my paper on culture. I used these two because one book is about a person from the Arab world going to the Christian world and the other is about a person from the Christian world going to the Arab world. It wasn't so easy to write my paper because of how many different things I could write about culture, but eventually I got into this grove and it became really easy. At first the paper was hard to write because the entire time I was trying to define what culture was at times, but when I realized that Culture can mean many things to many people and that trying to define it would be impossible, I just started asking questions about culture. Those questions lead to more questions and the paper sort of wrote itself. I'm pleased with the turnout of the paper, although I think it could be better, I'm still happy with how it came out.

Persepolis links

The books Persepolis 1&2 both deal with the Cultural Revolution that took place from 1980-1987. This link is to a page that summarizes it.

This link it to a youtube video of a man who briefly describes the situation in Iran and how it has changed since the Cultural Revolution. It's a bit short but I think it gets the message across.

I also found this very interesting video of Sadat and the Shah of Iran in an interview from many years ago with who appears to be the Imam of Egypt.

Persepolis

I've read graphic novels before, and this has to be one of the best I've ever read! This book is about the life of Marjane Satrapi. Marjane lived in Iran during the cultural Revolution in the seventies, and the book is from her perspective as a young child. It is strange how normal her family is, she has a loving mother, a protective father, and a wise grandmother. I couldn't believe all of the things that this little girl saw and heard growing up. There is a very sad part in the first book where her uncle says goodbye to her for the last time as he is going to be executed.

The first book is more about how confused this young girl was growing up in the midst of so much turmoil. This book is very interesting because it is all from the point of view of a kid, and it's interesting to see how warped her logic is being that she is so young.

The second book is more focused on Marjane becoming a woman and dealing with becoming an adult. This book surprised me very much. Through out the entire story Marjane is very inocent, somewhat, and knows nothing of things like sex and drugs. Then suddenly she is trying to have sex with her gay boyfriend and getting high every weekend. It's so insane.

I definitely recommend this as someones next read.

Movie Trailer

Sadat Assassination

At the end of the book The Day The Leader Was Killed, the president of egypt at that time is killed. I was curious about this because it is a very short part of the book even though the books title refers to it and the cover has a picture of Sadat on it. I found a website that had a newspaper article from that day on it so its kind of like going back in time and reading the same thing that people all over the world may have read that same day.

The picture I posted here is an actual photo of the assassination.

The Day The Leader Was Killed

So I read "The Day The Leader Was Killed" by Naguib Mahfouz and overall I'd have to say I enjoyed it. The story is focused on three characters, Muhtashimi Zayed, Elwan Fawwaz Muhtashimi, and Randa Sulayman Mubarak. The book is set in 1981 and is about the Elwan and Randa's love and how it suffers due to the social atmosphere they live in. Muhtashimi is Elwan's grandfather and throughout the book he gives Elwan advice about his situation. The book flows well between the characters and is very interesting as the story progresses, until the end. As I've said before for many of the other books we've read in class, the ending is depressing. I don't want to spoil the book for those who haven't read it and are going to, but all I will say is enjoy the happy moments of the book while they last, even though there aren't many.

I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who's interested, so if anyone wants to borrow it just ask me. It's a short read totaling in about 103 pages, I read it in one night, so its perfect for those who don't have too much time on their hands.

The first link I have here, is a link to a website talking about the children casualties in Iraq due to the War. The second link I have here is a youtube of a former U.S. soldier talking about some of the things soldiers are told to do in Iraq. Enjoy!

Isreal Lobby

I found this article very informative. There were some things that I couldn't believe but it still made sense. As I read I felt like I was reading the script for a conspiracy movie or something. While reading I couldn't help but wonder if these facts were all true and part of me doesn't want it to be true, while another part of me is saying that it has to be. To be honest this article terrified me, to think that our government is a puppet for the Isreal Lobby group is very upsetting. Once again I feel as though I have to compare Israel to a spoiled child and the U.S. as it's parent. When Israel wants something, no matter how outrageous, the U.S. goes out of it's way to provide.

One problem I'm having is that I'm afraid I might be favoring and anti-Israeli perspective because all I've read is anti-Israeli literature. I wouldn't mind reading some pro-Israel if only to reaffirm my opinions of the issue.

Palestine Peace Not Apartheid

Over all I would say that this was another good read, the book was very informative and interesting. Reading it was very frustrating though. It seemed as though every time Palestinian leaders were ready to negotiate Israeli leaders didn't and visa versa. I found myself being surprised page after page as I learned about the history of the conflict in the holy land, and along with this surprise came anger.

I can't believe how these horrible things have happened and yet still the conflict has not been resolved. After all the reading I'd have to say that my sympathy goes to the Palestinians for how much they've had to put up with over all these long years. Its like Israel is a spoiled child, allowed to do horrible things and still get away with it. For instance the attack on Lebanon in retaliation for the Hezbollah kidnappings and killings. Worst of all the U.S. helped Isreal to attack a country that did nothing, ending in nearly 800 dead Lebanese civilians and 1/4 it's population misplaced. Another example is the so-called "Security Wall" that traps Palestinians inside of their own territory, preventing them from going to church in some cases.

But I can't say that Israel is completely to blame for the current situation. It is obvious that the violent acts of the PLO in the past have lead the Palestinian people nowhere. I can't help but think of Wild Thorns.

Wild Thorns

Thanks to Dr. Webb for emailing me the handout on Wild Thorns I missed on Monday. I've been sick since last Thursday so I stayed in my dorm all weekend. With all that time on my hands I was able to read the entire book. I was kinda hoping that this book wouldn't have a depressing ending like all the other stories but unfortunately it did. I did really like the story though and I reading the entire book in three days wasn't hard considering I couldn't put it down. I even read it a work!

I would have to say that my favorite character had to be Zuhdi. I really liked how while he was in jail he began to study and once he was released he was so excited to have learned from all of his books. Which is why I was so depressed when Usama attacked the bus Zuhdi was riding in. Even though he knew Usama was responsible for the attack, he still fought to protect Usama from the Israeli soldiers dying in the process. It was so sad because Zuhdi seemed like he was ready to start anew, ready to make the best of his life and it was all ruined by someone he thought was a friend.

I don't know what to think of Usama. At the beginning of the story I like his character and I empathized for him. I couldn't imagine how angry I'd be if my home were to change so pathetically. As the story progressed I felt even more for the character, but when he began to really think about bombing the buses my attitude changed. As he thought about the possiblility that Adil may be on one of the buses he would bomb, he told himself that it would be a small lose for the greater good. I can see where Usama is coming from but I don't agree with it at all. I think that Usama was right in wanting to rebel against the occupation but he went about it all wrong.

Two other characters I found interesting were Adil and Basil. I felt incredibly bad for Adil and his situation, but I think he may have felt even worse for himself. It was interesting to see how he hid the fact that he wasn't working on the farm and how he was working for the Israeli. Basil was so different from his brother though. Basil was like Usama, both were unsure of themselves at first but reassured themselves by pointing out the flaws in others around them. I thought it was pretty funny how he lied about his time in jail too, glorifying himself by saying he killed guards and such.

Overall I'd have to say that I really liked the book and I am happy to have some insight on the occupation of Palestine. I wish the book could have ended on a happier note just for the characters and how much I wanted them to be happy, but we can't all get what we want. This book proved that point.

Norma and the Snowman, Land of Sad Oranges

I read the smaller story from the two printed out for us, and I think my copy was missing pages because it felt like the story ended way too soon. Not only that my copy was only one page. I liked the other story Norma and the Snowman though. From what I could tell the story must have taken place sometime in the seventies or maybe early eighties due to the reference on Bruce Lee. I thought it was a nice story but I was a bit confused at times because the story would jump time in one paragraph. But the love story was pretty cool, how Said would come down from the mountain just to see Norma about once a month. I also read "Land Of The Sad Oranges" from Men In The Sun, which was kind of disturbing. It was narrated by a boy who's village is taken by what I assume was the Israeli army and leaves with another family (I think his cousins?). They flee to another town and then settle in a house near that town. The entire time this child who is narrating is talking about the father of the other family and basically how crazy he is. At one point the father nearly kills all the children. The name refers to the orange trees that the father once owned before they were misplaced and how oranges reminded them of what they had lost. It was a good story and very interesting to read.

Men In The Sun

The story Men In The Sun was a very interesting read for me. This was the first piece of oriental literature where I felt as though it was real. In the stories we've read before there was always some type of magic or something that disconnected them from reality. With Men In The Sun however the story pulled me in and made me believe in the characters and their situations. I have to say that I am very satisfied with this read. I gave me a whole new perspective of the world and the people in it from the views of the Orient. Like Othello did before, this story's ending has left me in shock, and I feel as though there is this void that the story left empty on purpose.

I really liked how the story gave all of it's characters life through their memories. they weren't introduced and used throughout the story to progress the plot or anything superficial like that. Abu Qais, Assad, Marwan, and Abul Khaizuran all had a past and a reason for why they were where they were. Each one represented different views, opinions, and experience's yet they were all the same in that all they wanted to do was get to Kuwait. The characters made you feel their struggle and understand their reasons so well that I really did feel sad for them by the end, even Abul Khaizuran.

Above is a picture of Ghassan Kanafani, the writer of Men In The Sun. I was surprised to find out that he was killed by a car bomb in 1972.

Maryam and House of Imran

The first thing I noticed about these readings was that they were very similar to the bible. I had no idea how closely the Koran and the Bible resemble each other. I liked reading the Maryam readings but the House of Imran readings seemed a bit repetitive with the whole praise Allah or your soul will be damned repeated in almost every line. Other than that it was an interesting read.

The differences between the three different translations were quite surprising at times. I read the translations of Yusufali and every once in a while I would read Pickthal's translations. There were some translations between the three that were so different I wonder where they came from. For instance in the Maryam reading, the son of Zakariya was named Yahya in the Yusufali and Shakir translations but in the Pickthal it was John! How did that happen? I just thought that was funny.

"But how many (countless) generations before them have We destroyed? Canst thou find a single one of them (now) or hear (so much as) a whisper of them?"
(This was my favorite line)

The Middle East

After reading those internet articles on the Middle East I can't help but feel sorry for this part of the world. It seems as though over the years the Middle East has sort of been swept up in so much conflict I can't imagine what it must have been like for the people who lived there. It was very interesting to learn its history either way and one thing I was wondering about was in the articles. The Middle East has no boarders! There is no defined edges for the "Middle Eastern" area, there is a general idea but nothing is for sure. I also didn't know how much influence the worlds super powers have had over the Middle East in the past, Like Britain, the U.S., and Russia. I read the article entitled "The Middle East" on wikipedia which basically said the same things that "History of the Middle East" Said only the article talked more about what countries now make up the Middle East. I'm glad I have more insight into this part of the world now, and I can't wait to learn more about it.

Terrorists

Rubiyat

I have to say that there wasn't much in the Rubiyat that I understood, and at the time I didn't even think of searching Wikipedia for any translations, so I was thoroughly confused. But there were some poems I did like.

	With them the seed of Wisdom did I sow,
	And with mine own hand wrought to make it grow;
	And this was all the Harvest that I reap'd--
	I came like Water, and like Wind I go.

I thought that one was pretty interesting, the wording is very nice. I did try to write my own, although I don't know how good they are in comparison to Rumi's but at least I tried.

How cruel is fate to keep one from another
each wishing for nothing more than eachother
but time has taken its toll
till now they are separate for the better

To me she is the most beautiful story
the little girl who's name is Zoe
this next year she'll age some more
and then she'll be the most beautiful poetry

Her eyes are large and brown
hair so beautiful it is her crown
no woman's style could ever match hers
all she does is beauty, even her frown

So those were my attempts at writing poetry, I hope you liked them.

My Paper

So at first my plan was to write about what honor, respect, discipline, and dominance in men stems from. The only problem I had was that I didn't know exactly know what I wanted to write about, so basically I began to list everything about men in Muslim culture. I noticed though that whenever I tried to give an example of how men felt that their manhood was most important to them, I found that the best examples involved women. So now I've decided to focus more on the relationship between men and women in the Middle East and how it affects each sex's role in society. If I'm correct I think this was what Dr. Webb was talking about today in class.

When writing my rough draft I found some pretty interesting sites on the Koran and other things in Muslim culture based around men and women. This site here has some translations of the Koran on the role of the man to the woman, it's pretty interesting.

Sindbad The Seaman

For my reading, I chose to read some of the Sindbad voyages. I read up to the fourth voyage, and to anybody else who read the Sindbad voyages, is it just me or is Sindbad an idiot for going on these voyages even though each one nearly cost his life. Sindbad is one lucky sailor, it seems as though he gets left behind alot. Not only that,but he gets left in the most horrible places. For instance in the third voyage he gets left on an island inhabited by giant ogres, one of which cooks and eats some of Sindbad's crew three nights in a row. After escaping that island he gets stuck on an island inhabited by a dragon like creature who eats more of his crew. He eventually escaped that island, but seeing as it was only his third voyage, I don't think he learned his lesson. The story is pretty entertaining though, filled with strange creatures and horrific monsters, I really look forward to reading all of the voyages.

1001 Nights

*
I chose Tale of the Bull and the Ass, and The Fisherman and the Jinni for the stories we needed to read for Wednesdays class. The first story was pretty entertaining, and focused on a man who could understand the language that animals spoke. This story is being told by the Wazir and is basically a long and drawn out way of saying to his daughter, he will beat her if she keeps talking nonsense. The second story I read was about a fisherman who finds a lamp containing a Jinni, and I thought it was very interesting that instead of offering three wishes to this man he offers the man a choice in how the jinni will kill him. In the end the Fisherman outwits the jinni and traps him in his lamp. One very funny line from the story is what the jinni says after the fisherman has tricked him was, “I did but jest with thee.”

Over all I really enjoyed the reading, and I like how the story flows from one to another while the larger main story stays intact.

*(Robin Williams definitely had nothing to do with the genie in this story.)

Saladin

I never heard of Saladin in my life before now, but I have to say I'm really glad that I know who he is now. He sounded kind of ruthless in the wikipedia article, with the decapitations and all, but other than that he seemed like a very interesting guy. I really like the way he was portrayed in Decameron and I thought it was really cool that he was so nice to Messer Torello after all that time. I really liked the story as well, at first I just wanted to get it read but once it took off I found myself enjoying the reading. I read the lawyers tale my senior year in highschool and I can't say I enjoyed it as much as the Miller's tale.

Over all I enjoyed reading most about Saladin in Decameron, and I am happy to have read this story. I really liked how Torello made his presence known to his wife Madonna, that was pretty slick. I have to say though, that my favorite part of the story was this, ""Oh," quoth the abbot, "thou art no longer a child, nor yet so new to this church, that thou shouldst so lightly be appalled: go we now, and see who it is that has given thee this childish fright."So, with a blaze of torches, the abbot, attended by his monks, entered the church," ... ", the efficacy of the potion being exhausted, Messer Torello awoke and heaved a great sigh. Whereat the monks and the abbot quaking and crying out: "Lord, help us!" one and all took to flight."

Othello

I must say that Othello isn't my favorite play, but I do admire it none the less. I first heard of Othello a few years ago when I watched the movie "O", a modern remake of the play. On the DVD version of this movie was the original play in black and white, which I thought was very interesting and worth watching. In case anyones interested here is a link to imdb.com on the movie. "O"
I don't think I've ever been more disturbed by a play in my life.

I'm really glad that I read the article though, it shed alot of light on the context of the play and I think I would hate Othello if I hadn't of read it. I didn't know much about the time period that Othello was written in, but now that I do, I understand much more about the play's story and the characters within it. For instance, I was pretty confused about where exactly Othello had come from and why he was in Cyprus, I had assumed that I had misunderstood the part of the play that explains that but thanks to the article I know that the play never really reveals this information. I really liked that the article explained Othello's reasoning when he gave his speech after murdering Desdemona, this was actually my favorite part.