Works Cited

Hwang, David Henry.  “Sound of a Voice.”  Class Reader 26-40. Print. 

Hwang, David Henry.  “Trying to Find Chinatown.”  Class Reader 41-45. Print. 

Satrapi, Marjane.  Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003.  Print.

Whitman, Walt.  “Miracles.”  Handout.  

Yeats, W. B.  “Had I the Heavens’ Embroidered Cloths.” Class Reader 2. Print. 

Hwang...we meet again

So this is the 3rd Hwang play I've read so far and I must say I don't think that I'm that big of a fan simply because I don't like complicated things. I'm a very straightforward person, tell me what you want, tell me what you're writing, tell what you're trying to tell me darnnit! Hwang does the exact opposite..half the time I'm confused in his plays. I mean I really have to go back and re-read every single little detail, just to go back and have to read it again. Come on, really? Maybe it's just me, I always read into things and I dig deeper than I have to and I just end up confusing myself.. (it happens more than you think).

What made me love today so was much as Quency's and Sara's acting! Like I had said before in previous blogs, when watching a play right in front of you it's much more different than reading it because it's right there in front of you. Quency was a joy to watch, I think the whole class can agree! She is such a sweet person and to see another side of her when she was acting and I loved it! I honestly understand the play 10 times more after watching them! Sara's use of the Star Spangled Banner was really smart as it coincided with the play.

Coming from another culture, I could relate to this play, especially when I was watching Sara and Quency. I think a lot of times I boast about being Arabic but I forget who I am sometimes. I get caught up in the American lifestyle that I forget to stay true to my roots...especially if I'm going to be so proud of it.

After watching the video, I went back and reread the play, and Benjamin's character really stuck out to me. I really was interested in him because I thought he portrayed innocence. He truly believed that he was Asian American, even though biologically he wasn't he had inherited the culture and began to love and respect it which I think is commendable and sweet. I think David Hwangs point it is to show readers that your racial identity isn't based on your skin color or looks but instead it's based on it your connections and who you are.

M. Butterfly

       

Ok so normally I wouldn't watch a movie like this, just because it's not really something that would catch my eye. Hwang is a really cryptic author, he doesn't really tell us what's the meaning of a symbol or  certain event until the exact right moment which really makes him a special writer.  I don't know if I liked it, it was a head turner because you didn't expect a lot of things... ( you know what I'm talking about Mrs. Patton)!

The movie is based on a true story, (OoOoO scary!). The protagonist of the movie is a man named Rene Gallimard. He is a civil servant in the French embassy and goes on to fall in love with an Chinese opera singer named Song Liling! His liking eventually leads to an affair that will go on to last 20 years until he is arrested for treason! But the really heartbreaker is finding out that this beautiful "woman" he loved turned out to be a guy. You see in Beijing opera women were banned from the stage so all their parts were played by men disguised as women. Then, if not being a woman was enough, it's showed that he (or she) is a spy as well. 

So let's stop right there and just take a moment to deeply sympathize with this man, not only is the woman he loves a man but she is a spy too...can it get any worse? I shouldn't have asked because it does...
In the final scene it shows Gallimard committing "seppuku" which is a "ritual Japanese suicide through self-disembowelment" So now that we've covered how epically horrible this guy's life is we can move on, finally!

What really caught my attention was the way he committed suicide was directly comparable to the Butterfly's suicide...I mean I think that was pretty weird. Also to me, butterflies are a sign of metamorphosis so I wonder if that has anything to do with how Gallimard has changed throughout the play? Another thing was I wondered if Gallimard was actually gay? It wasn't a topic that was brought up but as I researched the play/movie I came upon someone's opinion that he was gay. I don't know if I believe that because he didn't really know that Song was a guy to begin in with, he was lead to believe she was his perfect woman.

This movie wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be but it's still a pretty horrible ending, I don't care about the symbolism! 

Tis the season for Miracles!!!

It's pretty obvious that poems are not really my strong suit, so it was surprising to like so many poems this quarter! Walt Whitman's Miracles is probably tied for first! I think it's the simplicity of the poem that makes it so beautiful just like it's the simple things in life that make you happy! For me a miracle is standing on my grandmas roof in Nazareth, overlooking the whole city! Or, sitting by the crackling fire when the wind is howling outside your window (while watching a Harry Potter movie for a bonus point!) What makes this so special to me, is realizing that everyone has a different definition of a miracle! When someone thinks of a miracle, I think the first thing that comes to mind is a medical miracle or something really out of the ordinary happening but to me it can also mean something that's special to you. Something that someone else won't understand but to you it can mean the whole world! Most people wouldn't understand my first miracle, but let's switch lives for a second, you'd understand why standing on that roof is the equivalent of a Christmas miracle to me! You'd understand that it symbolizes family, love, and home to me! It's a miracle and I get to call it my own! :)

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles, 
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love, Or sit at table at dinner with the rest, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright, Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring; These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles, The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place. 
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, Every foot of the interior swarms with the same. To me the sea is a continual miracle, The fishes that swim--the rocks--the motion of the waves--the ships with men in them, What stranger miracles are there? 

I have a dream...

I was going through the packet we have and I was just randomly stopping at stories/plays and reading them. I then got to Martin Luther King's speech and I realized the only part I know about is..."I have a dream." It's one of the most famous speeches in the world and I guarantee you that most people haven't even read it so I decided to go ahead and read it! :) It was honestly one of the most beautiful and moving things I've ever heard...if you stop and think about it you'd understand how talented and smart MLK really was. My favorite part of the whole thing had to be the 3rd paragraph when he writes

"But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred laters the life of the Negro is sadly still cropped by the manacles of segregation and the chains of  discrimination..."

This was an especially beautiful thing for me to read because while I was reading this, I put myself into their positions. Obviously I can't feel what they were feeling at the same time but I can sympathize with them. To think that we once discriminated against people who were of different color, it makes me think of gay people today and if we're putting them through the same thing. I mean is it really that different? People back then thought they were 100% right in their choice of segregation and by degrading blacks but aren't we doing the same exact thing to gay people today? It's a topic I would like to hear other people's opinion about, because to me I think it would make a good debate...

The Sound of a Confusing Voice

This past week we had read the play The Sound of a Voice by David Hwang and I decided that I really don't like plays....you know I never really why the author wants to make the point but makes it in the most secretive way ever. Then how are we supposed to find out what he/she is trying to tell us? Both of these characters in the play are complicated and cryptic, they really don't have a lot to say most of the time. You can tell though that throughout the play, both characters are developing a mutual deeper appreciation for each other, they are starting to understand each other! In weird ways though! 

Reem, you're not reading between the lines! To understand this play, you have to really dig deep to find out what the author is trying to tell you. Both of the characters desire another person to fill that pit of loneliness in their life. The symbolism through the play is amazing; something is mentioned in the beginning but you really don't understand the meaning of it till the end! Throughout the play, a mutual attraction is formed between the two characters as they begin to see each other in a different light. Instead of thinking she's odd, the man starts to see the woman as a caring and compassionate. The most important symbol in this play is the flowers because during the plays, voices are heard coming from them but the audience doesn't know what this means yet. The voices sound like "lost imprisoned souls to  him.. "you see if you really go back and reread it, you'll see how much this play has to offer and how beautiful it really is...

Sources: http://leebernier.blogspot.com/2011/04/sound-of-voice-hwang.html

Act after act, followed by another act!

Reem: Today was so much fun because it was different than most days where we sit and lecture (which is always fun) because it was more interactive and the setting was more lighthearted. I really enjoyed watching the plays!

Avatar: Wow, I wish I could have been there! At least tell me about them!

Reem: I can't talk about all of them, that'll go on forever! I'll tell you about the ones that stuck out to me! The first one I really liked was the first play where Matthew and Jennifer acted it out. It's one thing to read a play but then to have someone act it out for you makes it more fun because it feels like it's happening right there in front of you! You kind of go back to reading the play and you rethink about all the stuff you read. Jennifer was a pleasure to watch, she made the acting so believable I found myself laughing along with her! They stayed in character which makes it more realistic and it put the play into perspective for me!

Avatar: What was your favorite part of that one?

Reem: It would either have to be Matthew falling of his bike or Jennifer laughing...both were great so I honestly can't choose! Ok now on to my second favorite!  Susan Glaspells' Trifles was also one of my favorites partly because this was one of best plays to begin with (at least in my opinion). It was also very confusing and hard to follow at times so I kept having to reread parts over and over again just to understand them! THEN, Lucio, Lina, Jaison, and Evelyn made it so much better with their acting! Like I said before reading it is different than watching it right in front of you. You get a better feel of the characters and who they are. You see their actions and how they act with the other people around them. This also has a lot to do with the people acting, So I gave major props to all those people! Lucio did such a good job with the accent, it made it more playful and more fun to watch! Lina then comes on the scene and my eyes are glued to her because she is such a character! She just lights up everything around her with personality and you can't stops watching her!

In the end it was a really fun day, seeing how everyone interprets the plays and how they portray the characters! It definitely made me understand the plays more, I'd actually like to go back and read Trifles now and see if I understand it better after the play! :)

An eye for an eye makes the world go blind..or does it?

        Recently, our class did group projects, one that caught my eye was the one on torture. It really disgusted me that peeing on people, making them work non-stop, giving them horrible food, basically trotting them really actually happened. I live in a world where everything seems perfect, I don't really hear abut what's going on anywhere else. Maybe it's because I don't let myself listen, it's not really something I to hear? It's inhumane what goes on out there, I don't see how anyone can be able to think that's ok. To physically torture someone? The mere thought of it makes me queazy, how can someone be ok with putting someone through so much pain just to get an answer? How can someone be ok with peeing on someone else? It's vulgar! And I'll never think that it's ok!

     Reem, do you know how many bad people there are out there? There are men who rape little kids and think it's ok!! Do YOU think it's ok? Now let's say there's this "bad person", they are in jail and they are not giving us the vital information we need to go save someone else. What should we do? If there is a way we can get answers then we should do it! There is no question about. I understand that torturing someone isn't "nice" to think about, but what if it helps save 100's of other people. We should be thinking about them not about that one low life sitting in jail. That's what you should be worried about.

A Delightful Coincidence

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Reem: We had read this poem in class and when I first read it I was like what?

Avatar: You need to learn to gives things a chance before you judge it.

Reem: I know I know, and I've definitely learned my lesson because this is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. AND the best part it, it came up in my Humanities class and I was already ahead of the class because I kept rereading it over and over again in English!

Avatar: What did you like about it so much?!

Reem: The author does such an amazing job of explaining something so deep in such a beautiful way!

Avatar: Ok well explain it to me! I want to know!

Reem: Well basically the cloths symbolizes the authors love/hopes/dreams. He can't afford cloths because he is poor so instead he gives his love, hopes, etc..to the person he loves. The person who holds his dreams in his hands has the power to make everything he wants come true or she could simply break them. That's why she should "tread softly". This is all in 8 lines too!!

Avatar: That does sound pretty amazing!

Muslim Clothing Code

        The Hijab is a symbol often characterized with modesty, privacy and morality. It not only refers to the physical body covering, but also embodies a metaphysical dimension, where al-hijab refers to "the veil which separates man or the world from God.” "Hijab can also be used to refer to the seclusion of women from men in the public sphere."

And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimār over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husband, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. (Quran 24:3)

      When looking up more rules about the social etiquette and code, I found that there are many regulations that Muslims have to follow. For example "it is permissible to keep certain Animals as pets in Islam but certain pets such as dogs and pigs are forbidden."

-I also found etiquette and sleeping, proper etiquette includes "mentioniong the name of Allah "Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem" and lying on your right side in accordance with the Prophet's peace and blessing of Allah"

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijab

I always feel like somebody's watching me. And I have no privacy. -Rockwell

    If someone came up and told me that the government was coming to arrest me for simply writing my opinion...I would be like "What the heck man?" Our first amendment states that we have freedom of speech. So let's go back to arresting me, you're saying that I have the power to say whatever I want but at the same time you're going to put me in jail for it?
         What's the point of that?! If we lived in a world where we couldn't voice our opinions it would feel like we are all prisoners; always fearing if what we are saying is going to get us into trouble. In the book 1984, by George Orwell shows us the life of people who don't have any freedom and let me tell you, it doesn't end well. People are born to speak, so let them! What kind of people would try and take that away from you?


       I'll tell you what kind of people Reem, people who want to keep you safe, people who care about your well being. You keep thinking that it's a bad thing, but what if someone is out there conspiring against the government right now?! You think we should let them be, let them have their "freedom of speech" because that's our "right" 
Well screw our rights! I would much rather be safe, you can do all the talking you want, go right ahead but all they are asking is for you to not post anti-government stuff/opinion articles. Why are you arguing with something that is only meant for your own good?

Shiny Hair is Attractive?

I apparently never knew why Muslim women wear veils, I just thought it was because they didn't like showing parts of their body including their hair. Imagine my surprise when someone in my class says it because "shiny hair will attract men."
Therefore if you have shiny hair then all men will want to have sex with you...what? I actually don't get that, I mean I guess when a guy has nice hair it's attractive in a weird way but never to the extent that the Muslims think of it.
I thought I grew up in a a very conservative place, Muslims make us all look like party people!









Reem, wearing a veil is not just about covering your hair, it's about respecting your body. Men shouldn't see you as an object, they shouldn't be attracted to your physical features but to who you really are on the inside.  
       Don't look at it as covering our shiny hair but as treating our body like a temple and protecting it. God gave us a a beautiful body, we should not maim it or treat it like a piece of meat. Men need to treat us a like a queen but they can't do that if they just see as a sex object now can they?
     Just remember that you have your own beliefs as well, you'd expect people to respect them.