How would you feel if your ancestral homeland belonged to someone else. What if it were you living in those mounds of trash and knowing that at any moment your lowly hovel (which your family was forced to live on after their home was taken from them) could also be taken away from you, and you would be forced out in order to build some apartments to house these invaders.
You don't know how these people feel and you never will. In fact both you and I are both contributing to their suffering, as we allow our democratically elected leaders to funnel funds to their oppressors.
"What are they to do?" you may ask. "Can't they fight back?" yes they can and they have. Yet, through violence they have condemned themselves. For now people like you and I know them as terrorists and fundamentalist extremists. We have been told that this is a religious war and that "Islam wants to wipe Judaism off the face of the map" Yet do you expect people who have had their homes taken away from them are ready to negotiate? You may think that non-violent protest is an option. That perhaps, if these "terrorists" laid down their arms and took up picket signs they would be taken seriously. But do you really think a nation that is backed by the most powerful country in the world would care about a couple of crazy Muslims protesting??
Picture a young boy living in Gaza. He lives with his parents and his siblings and his grandparents in a cramped hut made of recycled materials. He is raised on stories from his grandparents about their old home. This was an actual house and not a dump. A house that they owned. They even keep the key to the old house hung up on the wall. This is so that they can always see and always remember what life was like before they were thrown out. Before they were forced onto the crowded and cramped living quarters of Gaza. Imagine that this boy never sees this house but always dreamed about it and life before his people's expulsion. Before, when the streets in his country had Arabic names. Now imagine that this boy witnesses a family member, perhaps a brother, killed or injured during a protest. Imagine he has seen this exact situation happen before with neighbours, friends, and/or relatives. Knowing his experience with his "government" and his upbringing what else could he feel but hate? what other emotion could be felt. Now imagine hundreds of stories like these. Young men who witness this in their everyday lives. It is no wonder they fall into the ranks of the extremists. It is now wonder they take up arms. This is not a fight to exterminate a different religion. This is a fight for basic survival.
How can we stop this? What must be done? We must stop the injustice of the exile of the true inhabitants. Help convince your Nation's leaders to put pressure on Israel. We must tell Israel that no peoples will be oppressed with the hard earned American tax money. Maybe then these "terrorists" will come out of their hovels and be willing to negotiate. Maybe then they will trust us.
Boy could I feel the emotion. You were right, this did seem a bit too abrasive than invigorating or inspiring. I liked that you were angry, and had energy. However, at the same time, I feel accused or guilty of my ignorance or not contributing. When you said "You don't know how these people feel and you never will," right off the bat. It turned the post into a "kincaid" rant of American hopelessness (besides for the last paragraph). I enjoyed your hypothetical for it gave context. I also noticed you tried to use more complex sentences and grammar. In terms of writing, try not to repeat the same words like "Now imagine." If you use it too much, it takes away from the emphasis you're going for. Other than that, I think you applied pathos really well! Good job!
ReplyDeleteI really really liked reading this post and I loved that you picked such an interesting issue, since its so different from everyone else's. This post brought a lot of emotion and the pathos is very strong. The way you told the story of the little boy in Gaza really got to me and the imagery was amazing. Another strong point was that though you asked the reader questions, you answered them, so good job overall!
ReplyDeleteNice post. Laura's right; it's definitely different from any ones that I've read so far. It seems you stretched yourself with the style of this piece. it's a bit unnatural sounding at times, which is ok because it means you're trying some new stuff. Despite being slightly awkward at times, I love the power behind the post and I like how the final paragraph tells how people can redeem themselves despite having turned their backs on this issue.
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