Lipstick Jihad

I realize that I am nearly alone in my opinions of Lipstick Jihad- I enjoyed the book.  I admit that the book has its flaws, but I enjoyed the author’s story, and enjoyed the fact that it was a bit of a change from some of the other readings.

One flaw that was obvious was one that the class discussed the other day: it constantly alternates in the style and format of writing.  It alternates between informational, journalistic, and memoirist writing styles. Now, I do not know much about different types of writing (let alone their technical terms!), but even I could detect these changes.  At first the switches were very distracting and made the story harder to get interested in, but after I got deeper into the story, the switches did not less noticeable.

Another flaw that was brought up in class was that the author did not have enough authority to analyze/criticize Iranian culture in the way that she did.  This is due to the fact that she was born in America, was in a very specific situation (going between the two cultures as a journalist), and also due to the fact that she was ”indoctrinated” with Western Orientalist ideas.  She was a reporter for the New York Times, which raises a huge red flag, according to others in the class.  Though I understand these red flags, I also do not think that her work should be criticized too harshly, either.  In my opinion, her opinion should matter.  Yes, she may have been in a very specific circumstance, but we still get the privilege of looking into that situation through her eyes.  I think there is much to benefit to learning from a person that is going back and forth between two different cultures, and is able to see both sides of issues in a way that other people cannot.  Yes, one culture will most likely dominate, but there are still advantages.

I hope to further analyze this text, and not to discount its story just quite yet! 

 

You Tube Video on Iran

                  The You Tube video on Iran was fascinating- and extremely useful if one does not know any Iranian history.  Though Rick Steves was not always the most tactful host, I still thoroughly enjoyed the program.  As some mentioned in the class, I think it is important to remember, though, that the program was “guided,” and probably heavily screened by the Iranian government.  Nevertheless, both the images and the information given were very helpful in beginning to understand Iranian culture.  At least, for those of us who might never visit the country for ourselves!

                  There were several things in the program that peaked my interest.  One thing was the mighty Persian Empire that was talked about so much.  I had forgotten that it was the Persians who used cuneiform writing.  I had also forgotten how mighty that empire really was (their idea of “peace through strength” was interesting).  Another thing that was important in the film is that fact that Persians are not Arabs- they are Persians, and they speak Farsi, not Arabic.

                  My favorite part of the program, other than just being able to see parts of beautiful Iran, was the part when Rick was talking to the students in Tehran.  Though I did not like the way he was addressing students, I loved their answers.  The young woman student was very bold in her answers, and she did not seem to be afraid to say what was on her mind.  Her comment that war is between governments, and not always peoples, was intuitive.  It surprised me that she was able to state that she believed that the main problem with Iran was that the religion and politics are mixed.  I did notice that the film cut out right around this time, and that made me wonder if they cut out something else that she said.  This would be disappointing, because she was brilliant, and I wished I could have heard more of her thoughts.

Good choice, Iran group!

Two Women

            It has been a few weeks since I watched the film Two Women.  But as I was watching it for another class, I was totally mesmerized by it and its characters.  I loved the two main characters, Roya and Fereshtah. 

                  In the other class, we discussed the significance of repetition in the film, the “beating of the dead horse,” if you will.  My own conclusion was that that repetitive scenes in the movie were not accidental, but served to show how monotonous life would be for a person such as Fereshtah.  They showed how frustrated one would be if she were continually denied justice, freedom, and an education, as Fereshtah was.  Also, the darkness of some parts of the movie may have been frustrating to viewers, but it showed how frustrating and depressing it would be to constantly live inside as Fereshtah was forced to do.

                  Another quam that the other class had with the movie is that most of the men in it men were portrayed as ignorant, brutish, and awful in their treatment of women.  There were only two or so that were portrayed positively (the cousin and Roya’s husband).  Maybe this is because the film is trying to get across a point about Iranian men in general.  The generalization did not seem fair, but since I do not live in that society, I do not know how accurate it really was.

                  In reality, this film is very depressing- not just informational, but depressing.  It confirms some of our stereotypes of Iran as being broadly true, with some exceptions, of course, like Roya.  Watching the film, I could not help but feel terribly for what Fereshtah had to go through, especially the emotional abuse of never being trusted by anyone and never being treated as the responsible, intelligent person that she was.

The Article

                  “The Eternal Forough: The Voice of Our Earthly Rebellion” was intriguing (a word I often use!).  I am not quite sure of its exact context, though, other than that it seems to be referring to a new sort of Orientalism, which it attempted to define.  Though I did not necessarily agree with the entire article, I found the author to be a compelling writer and quite effective at getting her points across, even to people like me, who may not agree with her.  There were several portions of the text that I underlined and marked for referral, which is rare for me(and which is why I loved paper photocopies!!!)!

                  The first portion that I marked was the portion on page 37 where she talks about travelers thinking that Iranian girls are “deprived the opportunity to think” on account of radical teachers and traditional parents.  The author seems to indicate that these travelers then suppose that these girls are less “intelligent” or “dynamic” as other girls around the world.  But I disagree that the concept of being deprived of the chance to think is necessarily linked to the concept of being less intelligent.  On the contrary, maybe some of these travelers view Iranian girls as being highly intelligent with a lot to say, but still as not always having a voice. 

                  I was also intrigued by the part of the discussion where she says that something went wrong in Muslim societies for them to have gone from being ahead of other civilizations to being “behind.”  I wondered what she meant when she called the Europeans “lucky” or “clever” for not being Muslim.  In that same part of the discussion, she aptly diagnoses the West’s illness of “technology worship.”

                  I think our discussion on this article, especially as compared and contrasted to Persepolis, will be great!

Persepolis

            Having just finished Persepolis, I have to say that I was disappointed with the ending.  I loved little Marjane in the beginning, but grew annoyed with her character when she got older.  Overall, though, I enjoyed the book, especially since it was my first graphic novel to read.

                  The author’s portrayal of Marjane as a little girl was perfect.  Marjane was spunky, loveable, and adorable.  I loved how her family as a unit was strong and admirable.  The mom and the dad had an excellent relationship, and they truly cared about their only daughter having a promising and satisfying life.  Each member cared about the desires of the other members (with the exception of Marji’s selfishness sometimes).  And I loved how Marji always came back to her family for reassurance.

                  The beginning of the book was definitely my favorite part; its humor amazed me.  I especially enjoyed the parts about the headscarves, and how the girls made fun of them and performed stunts with them.  And Marji’s immediate obsession with politics, religion, and social issues, even as a small child, was intriguing.  I especially loved the part when she was imagining herself as the last prophet and said that “no old person should have to suffer” and it would “simply be forbidden” according to her rules.  Her simple childishness was effective in getting the author’s points across.  Another hilarious part was when she and her friends had their own “revolution” and shouted “Down with the king!”  Some of these incidents reminded me of my own interest in politics at a young age, and how refreshing it is to hear children talk about politics in simple terms.  I grew annoyed with her character later, though, because it seemed like she lost her sweet innocence, and hardly ever seemed satisfied with her life.  But I appreciated that she always kept a strong connection with her family and never lost her deep affection for them.

                  I also have to say that the illustrations were extremely effective.  Having not read a graphic novel before, I was thoroughly surprised at how compelling it could be.  I was pulled into the story at once by the images, and it held my interest for much longer than most books do!

Anthony Bourdain Episode

            The Anthony Bourdain  episode of “No Reservations: Saudi Arabia” was fascinating.  Kudos to Katie for picking it out!  It was educational and hilarious! 

                  It was surprising to me that the show was allowed to come to Saudi Arabia at all.  And because it is rumored to not always be the safest place for non-Muslims, I am surprised that Anthony chose to go there!  But I am glad he did… so we could all benefit from his experiences!  I was slightly shocked that the woman (was her name Donya?) who led Anthony around did not think women to be very oppressed in her country, or at least she did not express it in front of the camera.  She did not speak out against her inequality, and maybe did not even think of it as inequality, though she could not drive or go out into the public uncovered.  Though she seemed to have much more independence than I would have thought for a Saudi woman, I wondered how much of this was due to her being raised in the United States. 

                  Though Donya tried to show that Saudi culture was not necessarily oppressive to women, just different form Western cultures, it was still sad to see all the women covered from head to toe in black while walking in public.  And what was up with the closed booths at the restaurant?  It was actually sort of a neat idea for a restaurant, but not for the purpose (I think) it was supposed to serve in that culture! 

                  I was actually surprised that Donya was allowed to travel with Anthony.  Was her husband with her while she traveled?  I did not think that this would be allowed for a Saudi woman, especially one who was married.  I just wonder if it was a special case because she was a film maker, or if she was ridiculed or even punished for traveling with another man who was not her relative. 

                  Oh, and the food on the show looked wonderful, except, of course, the camel and the lizard!!!!

More Turkey!!!!

                  The “excursions” in Turkey the last couple of weeks have been a blast!!!  Many thanks to the Turkey group, who have let us experience tastes of Turkish culture!  The Turkish and Armenian dishes that the girls brought last week were wonderful!!!

                  The film on the rising importance and influence of Turkish music was a new topic to me, as were the many of the images of Istanbul.  It was rather strange seeing the modern city of Istanbul, especially the parts of the city where the night life was very active.  It actually saddened me, wondering if the West’s influence in the country has mainly revealed itself through rebellious teenagers and wild music.  This would be sad, but it may be true.  It is also sad to see the images of some parts of modern Istanbul, compared to how beautiful parts of the city were during the Ottoman Empire.  Maybe there are still parts of the city that maintain this beauty, but the images that stuck out to me were the ones that looked like run-down parts of Chicago.

It was also wonderful to have Dr. Mirzeler come to speak last week.  He is very eloquent and it was neat to hear him talk about some of the wonders of the Ottoman Empire, especially during the Tulip period.  The images he showed us were beautiful, and I loved the history he gave about the old bridge that is seemingly indestructible!  The signature /seal of the Sultan was also fascinating, and it would be neat to learn more about its history.  I don’t know about everyone else, but his stories made me want to travel back in time to see the wonders of the Ottoman Empire myself! 

Thanks, Turkey group!