Gabrielle Juliussen
Phillips
Multicultural Lit
April 17, 2014
Americas Stereotypes
Stereotypes are misconceptions of a person, place, or thing. They normally represent a bad image of something that is not true. Prejudice is an opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. I think we all have or do stereotype people to some degree. It is completely natural for a human to judge someone and make stereotypes about them. When we see someone we normally always make assumptions about them, which some people could say you are labeling them. Events in history, such as 911 attacks, the Gulf War, and the Iran Hostage Crisis, have perpetuated a negative image for Arab in America.
Arabic culture is very religious; family is one of the most important aspects of the Arab society. Most Arabic countries contain Muslims, Jews, ad Christianity, they pray about five times a day and have to wear certain types of clothes. We might see Arabic’s as all Muslims but Christianity is the second largest religion in the League, with over 20 million Christians living in countries. I know that Arabic culture is very strict on most things and I could not imagine my religion like that. My religion is Christian, but I am not as religious as the Arabic culture.
In the article “Terrorized by War on Terror” by Zbigniew Brzezinski, is about the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. They hijacked four airplanes in mid-flight. The terrorists flew two of the planes into two the World Trade Center in New York City. The crash caused the buildings to catch fire and collapse causing the whole city to fill up with smoke and ash. Another plane destroyed part of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane cr...
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...l “The Other Side of the Sky,” by Farah Ahmedi. Farah Ahmedi is born into our world just as the war between the mujahideen and the Soviets begin in Afghanistan. She also had a very hard life growing up, while she lost a leg from stepping into a land mine. All together not all Arabs are bad but the ones that are sure do give off a bad image for the Arab-Americans living in the U.S.
Ahmedi, Farah, Mir Tamim. Ansary, and Farah Ahmedi. The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2005. Print.
Brzezinski, Zbigniew. "Terrorized by 'War on Terror'; How a Three-Word Mantra Has Undermined America." The Washington Post. N.p., 25 Mar. 2007. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Books and Random Thoughts." : Book Review--The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky, by Farah Ahmedi with Tamim Ansary. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Critics have already begun a heated debate over the success of the book that has addressed both its strengths and weaknesses. The debate may rage for a few years but it will eventually fizzle out as the success of the novel sustains. The characters, plot, emotional appeal, and easily relatable situations are too strong for this book to crumble. The internal characteristics have provided a strong base to withstand the petty attacks on underdeveloped metaphors and transparent descriptions. The novel does not need confrontations with the Middle East to remain a staple in modern reading, it can hold its own based on its life lessons that anyone can use.
On the morning of September 11/2001, 19 terrorist working for the Al Qaeda terrorist organization hijacked four commercial planes. They attempted to fly them into multiple U.S targets. One of the planes, American Airlines, flight 11, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center at 8:50 a.m. Another plane, United Airlines, flight 175, crashed into the south tower at 9:04 a.m. These tragedies took the lives of nearly 3000 people and affected the lives of millions.
September 11, 2001 will be replayed and remembered in the minds of this American generation as one of the greatest tragedies on domestic soil. In one day, the world was dramatically altered; but in the days that followed, no group of Americans was affected more intensely nor uniquely than Arab-Americans. Once in a Promised Land, the 2007 novel by Laila Halaby, depicts the real world aftermath which assaulted one fictional Arab couple. Halaby's work accurately portrays the circumstances Arab-Americans found themselves in after the 9/11 attacks, highlighting several themes relating to patriotism, fear, and shame through her accessible characters and narrative stylings.
Khaled Hosseini is the author of “The Kite Runner” the first Afghan novel published in English is a story set in the mid 1970’s to the early 2000’s is about a young Pashtun boy named Amir and his friend/servant and someone who he soon realizes as his half-brother a Hazara boy named Hassan , shows us that Amir goes through man changes as a person would in real life, these changes are what people of all cultures, religions and regions experience without any boundaries stopping them from doing so this is what is known as the human experience. Many experiences such as overcoming obstacles to suffering from disease or illness are all incorporated thorough out Hosseni’s novel. He uses Amir, the main character; to show the readers that in the beginning of the novel how a young boy, naïve to all that is around him can develops into a grown man because of his experiences such as loss of family members, happiness, and friendship something that all of us can experience as human beings and make us who we are.
This study examines stereotyping of Arab Muslims in the New York Times for the past forty years. Theorists suggest that stereotyping of a minority group effects the public's opinion of that group. Other communication media theorists say that only under extreme conditions will the negative stereotypes reflect the publics' opinions of the portrayed minority group. The parallel theory between propaganda and stereotyping by the mass media is examined. Theorists including Thomson, (1977) & Myers, (1992), related to mass media effects strongly agree claiming that repetitive and non-contradictive images in the media are an effective form of propaganda. The research samples are random article reviews of the New York Times for the past forty years. Using every fifth year and 2 random numbers ranging from 1 to 12 is used to select an article search date. Islam was the search term. The Gudykunst & Kim( ? ) method of analyzing a stereotype is used to evaluate the 8 New York Times articles. The results indicate 95% of the articles were "vague," labeling entire group rather than individual. Out of the total 100%, 70% of the article used unfavorable trait characteristic labeling.
It is difficult to face anything in the world when you cannot even face your own reality. In his book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses kites to bring out the major themes of the novel in order to create a truly captivating story of a young boy’s quest to redeem his past mistakes. Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the story and throughout the entire novel, he faces enormous guilt following the horrible incident that happened to his closest friend, Hassan. This incident grows on Amir and fuels his quest for redemption, struggling to do whatever it takes to make up for his mistakes. In Hosseini’s novel, kites highlight aspects of Afghanistan’s ethnic caste system and emphasizes the story’s major themes of guilt, redemption and freedom.
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
Although “Araby” is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boy's trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. James Joyce’s uses the boy in “Araby” to expose a story of isolation and lack of control. These themes of alienation and control are ultimately linked because it will be seen that the source of the boy's emotional distance is his lack of control over his life.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a powerful novel that often has the ability to appeal to the reader's emotions. Hosseini tells a tale of childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, who grow up in the same house but lead completely different lives due to their different backgrounds. Hassan faces many struggles due to his status as a Hazara, his cleft lip, and his absent mother. His best friend Amir is privileged in many ways because of Baba, his influential father, and his position as a Pashtun. To fully experience Hosseini’s powerful narrative, the reader must be able to grasp the way of life in Kabul by educating themselves about the significance of Hazara v Pashtun, and the importance of honor and loyalty.
Claim: Throughout this memoir, Marji grows from a young religious girl to a rebellious teenager that pushes God away due to her witnessing the revolution in Iran, meeting and losing her Uncle Anoosh, and her parents showing her the flaws in their government system.
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
War establishes many controversial issues and problems within society and can often expose an individual to many economic and sociopolitical hardships; thus creating an altercation in the way they view life. Amir, from the novel The Kite Runner and the novel’s author Khaled Hosseini, both saw the harsh treatment toward the people of Afghanistan through a series of wars, invasions, and the active power of a Pashtun movement known as the Taliban. Amir, much like Hosseini, lived a luxurious and wealthy life in Kabul. He is well educated and immerses himself in reading and writing. After transitioning from a life in Afghanistan to a life in the United States, both Hosseini and Amir faced obstacles in order to assimilate to American society. In The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist Amir parallels the experiences and hardships that Hosseini endured in his own lifetime.
In his novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, Khaled Hosseini skillfully illustrates many aspects of Afghan culture to the reader. The novel explores the struggles that have plagued Afghanistan, and how they have affected the lives of its people. Through the story’s two narrators, Mariam and Laila, the reader is presented with examples of how the nation’s culture has changed over time. Through “A Thousand Splendid Suns” Khaled Hosseini emphasizes the struggle in the area between traditional beliefs and progressive changes, specifically as they relate to women’s rights. Throughout history it has been shown these that progressive reforms are unable to coincide with strict Islamic beliefs.
Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, grew up in prejudiced Afghanistan during the 1960’s as a middle-class Pashtun living with Hazaras working for his family. His move to America after the Communist Coup proved difficult for his family, especially his father. In his novel, Hosseini writes through a young boy, Amir, very similar to himself, who grows up with his father and two Hazara servants in Afghanistan at the time of the Taliban attacks. Both Amir and his father, Baba, treat their servants, Hassan and Ali, like family. Society, however, does not approve of such relationships between Pashtuns and Hazaras. As Amir hides and watches horrified, another Pashtun boy rapes Hassan. This leads to the continuation of Amir’s internal conflict about the treatment of Hazaras by the public, and also makes him feel guilty and self-conscious throughout his entire life. In addition, Amir strives for affection and attention from his rather indifferent father. Amir’s outward conformity to societal values in his relationships with both Hassan and Baba, as a result of his inner struggle and guilt, contribute greatly to the significance of The Kite Runner.