This
week, we were assigned the novel, “Baghdad Burning.” The format of this novel
was very intriguing because it was comprised of blog posts that were written by
an unidentifiable woman who disguised herself as “Riverbend.” Towards the
beginning of the novel, the reader learns about Riverbend’s background. She is
an Iraqi who was “born in Iraq to Iraqi parents but was raised abroad for
several years as a child.” When first reading the novel, I was confused as to
why Riverbend concealed her identity. However, I soon began to realize that she
was protecting herself from the danger that she faced during the war in Iraq. She
even admits, “But no matter what- I shall remain anonymous. I wouldn’t feel
free to write otherwise.” The fact that she had to disguise herself for safety
is extremely upsetting to me. However, through this, Riverbend expressed her
strength and determination. Since her identity was concealed, she felt as if
she had the freedom to express whatever she wanted. She also emphasized the
idea that others opinions wouldn’t influence her. When talking about hate mail
that she might receive, she stated, “Tanks and guns can break my bones but
emails can be deleted.”
When
reading this novel, I felt extremely ignorant to reality. I had never thought
about what the citizens of Iraq were feeling and experiencing during the war.
Through her descriptive examples, experiences, references etc, I was able to
really understand the struggle and fear that the Iraqi’s faced in their
everyday lives. For example, Riverbend talked about the “stifling heat,”
constant gunshots, explosions, yelling, job losses, deaths, raids, debt etc.
Can you imagine waking up every morning living in fear?
I
personally am not a person who typically watches the news. However, I am fully
aware that the news does not always do the best job of representing reality. In
my philosophy class in high school, one whole unit was dedicated to the
ignorance of our society. This ignorance is partially based on the fact that
the news omits and/or manipulates a plethora of topics. I think it’s a shame
that social media has such a huge impact on our society. In essence, history is
told by news reporters, not historians. The media has a way of manipulating our
society into believing the favorable view, not necessarily the truth. Riverbend
really opened my eyes to reality; she gave me a whole new perspective and interpretation
of the war in Iraq.
Since
this course is a Women’s Studies course, I also think it’s important to focus
on the women in Iraq during the war. I was shocked to learn that before the
war, women made up 50% of the working force. Riverbend stated, “Females in Iraq
were a lot better off than females in other parts of the Arab world (and some
parts of the Western world- we had equal salaries!).” She then lists the many
jobs women held such as “doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, professors, deans”
etc. However, once the war began, things dramatically changed. Women were not
allowed to leave the house unless they were escorted by men. In general, they
were encouraged to just stay home. However, Riverbend was determined to go back
to work. She was escorted to work and realized that everything was extremely
different. One man even refused to look at Riverbend when speaking to her.
Riverbend was devastated and learned that “they refused to be responsible for
what might happen to [her].” Throughout the novel, it’s apparent that women
lost a lot of rights due to the war. Women lost employment rights, they were
abducted, sent to jail, murdered etc. Riverbend includes an example about a “prominent
electrical engineer named Henna Aziz.” Aziz was assassinated in front of her
family- two daughters and a husband. She was told to stay at home because she
was a woman, but she ultimately refused. Due to this refusal, she was shot and
killed. Riverbend then admits, “She lost her life- she wasn’t the first, she
won’t be the last.” Overall, Riverbend really succeeded in representing the
harsh reality of the war.
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