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"A Woman Is No Man"

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  When I first read the title of  Etaf Rum’s debut novel “A Woman Is No Man” I was under the impression that the novel would have themes such as feminism and women empowerment. After reading  Etaf Rum’s book title “A Women Is No Man,” I think the title has a double meaning. The first one being that a woman is literally no man and the second on being about women in the Arab community. Throughout the novel women have no voice and are constantly oppressed by their family, they were being married off young, denied access to education and were not allowed to have a social life. What Etaf Rum is trying to tell through her title of the novel about the situation of Arab women in society is that their live are dominated by men, throughout the book the women were condition to devote their lives to men. They were taught to cook, clean, and have babies (preferably boys) even though they have no control over what child they will have. The women are allowed to even out on their own...
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Nidali's Life

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                                                                Blog#6  A map of home a novel by  Randa Jarrar is a coming-of-age story of Nidali’s life and struggles with identity, sexuality, and expectations from her family. The novel depicts the struggles of Nidali and her family, exploring the question of what does “home” mean. Nidali’s story starts in Kuwait, then they are force to leave for Egypt after Saddam Hussein invades Iraq, then she comes to America and has to adjust to the American culture quickly. This has a strong impact on what “home” means to Nidali, she has been moving around for most of her life and this makes it hard for her to call one pla...
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Blog #5

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  After reading the novel Crescent written by Diana Abu-Jaber and the interview with Andrea Shalal-Esa, it is obvious that food has a key role in this novel. In the interview with Andrea Shalal-Esa and Diana Abu-Jaber, she says “food is such a great human connector, it’s so intimate". Throughout the novel Sirine uses food and the scents of food, and foods colors to describe people such as Han. When Sirine and Han get intimate, she describes Han as “...amber and caramel” “he tastes of almond, of sweetness.,” these are few of the many way Abu-Jaber use food as a tool for expression throughout the novel.     Diana Abu-Jaber's love for her culture's food is prevalent in the novel through many characters. Han, dealing with being in exile, expresses how he misses his home and his mother’s cooking. Sirine works at a café and uses food to express herself. Food is use as a human “connector” throughout Crescent. Food and exile are connected as well in the novel. As mentioned b...
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Blog #4

  Blog #4   After the tragic events of 9/11, it was revealed the 19 hijackers were primarily from Saudi Arabia, and that they were affiliated with al-Qaida's Osama Bin Laden. The U.S government launched “anti-terrorism” policies and initiatives that were indiscriminately targeted to Arab Americans, 15 of the policies and initiatives implemented within a year after 9/11 were specifically targeted to Arab Americans and Muslims, After the attacks people around the country were hostile towards Arab Americans and Muslims and these government policies surely did not help the situation, "Mass arrests following the attacks increased generalized suspicion against Arabs and Muslims in this country”.    In Moustafa Bayoumi’s book “How Does It Feel to Be a  Problem?:  Being Young and Arab in America,” he authors the stories of young Arab and Muslim Americans trying to make a decent living for themselves in a country that sees them as the enemy. In Bayoumi’s book he arg...
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Arab-American Literature Blog 3

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  After reading and hearing a few poems by Suheir Hammad and watching the film Salt by The Sea, Suheir Hammad’s title “Born Black Born Palestinian “is not literal and has deeper meaning that ties into her identity, cultural background and growing up in Brooklyn, New York. Black, in Suheir case, is not based on race but a political position “in relation to a dominant power structure,” growing up in Brooklyn, being heavily influenced by hip hop means she was influenced by Black culture. Hammad is not black, but she was influence by Black people, she can relate to the struggles Black people in America go through. Suheir has many poems that speak on things related to the Black community, one of the poems I read “ Yo Baby Yo ” talks about materialism in the Black community “The sneakers you wearing cost more than the soul you sold to pay for them "This quote could also related to materialism in the country as a whole, but it is about the Black community because she mentions name bra...
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Why Did I Choose Arab-American Literature?

 Carl McLamb January 26,2022  I am a freshman majoring in Business Administration, I chose this class to meet my requirements for the McDaniel Plan and also to take this opportunity to gain knowledge of a different culture. I am willing to learn about Arab-American culture and how they faced adversity and discrimination in America. This type of class will be a first for me but I'm opened to learn something new. I also would like too see if there are any similarities with my culture and Arab-American culture. Hopefully by the end of this class I've gained some knowledge that I could use in the Business world.
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