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Literature from the Modern Middle East: Making a Living Connection

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Literature from the Modern Middle East: Making a Living Connection Allen Webb Webb and his students Literature from the recommend contemporary Middle Eastern texts and Modern Middle East: other resources that will help American students Making a Living learn more about this important part of the Connection world. hile our country is deeply involved ings. As we did background research on texts we in the Middle East, most Ameri- were reading, we were able to post links on our cans, including our students, lack blogs that everyone could follow.2 Wknowledge about the region.1 Yet from Afghanistan to Palestine, from Morocco to Connecting with Characters Iraq, there is a vibrant and exciting literature by living authors that can bring the diverse experi- The Middle East is such a large, diverse, and his- ences and perspectives of this vital part of the world torically complex region it is hard to know where to to our classes. My students have found contempo- start. My suggestion is to begin with literature ad- rary Middle Eastern literature to replace stereo- dressing the Israeli/Palestinian crisis—it is central types, transform worldviews, develop personal to the confl icts in the region and offers students im- connections, and humanize Islam and Muslim peo- portant opportunities for rethinking preconcep- ple, and learn about Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Persians, tions about Arabic people. Perhaps the most and Pushtans. Readings from a class I recently important novel that my students read was Wild taught included many authors from the Middle Thorns by Sahar Khalifeh, according to ArabWorld- East, two of them Nobel Prize laureates. Some of Books.com, “the foremost Palestinian novelist, the works, such as Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni, widely acclaimed for being the fi rst feminist Pales- are already well known. Many others, such as Men tinian writer, and for her ‘sensitive, economical and in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafahi, are gems waiting lucid’ style.” Wild Thorns captures Palestinian life to be discovered. The class also encompassed con- in the West Bank under Israeli occupation and it is temporary fi lms, video casts, speakers, and online an ideal text to introduce American young people resources—a variety of possibilities that any sec- to a living Middle Eastern writer (grades 10–12). ondary teacher can draw on. I offer resources, ideas, Wild Thorns takes place in the town of Nablus and strategies that other English teachers can use and focuses on the Karmi family, whose members to integrate Middle Eastern literature into their have diverse experiences and viewpoints. There is classes. Adil, seeking moderation and commuting against Several times a week my students and I wrote his father’s wishes across the border to work at a con- blogs responding to our reading and continuing struction site in Israel, and his beautiful sister Nuwar our discussion about the Middle East. Students secretly in love with a revolutionary. There is also were able to create their blogs for free in just a few Adil’s brother Basil, a teenager who throws stones at minutes on Blogger.com, and as the semester pro- Israeli soldiers and ends up in prison, and his cousin gressed they were able to develop and personalize Usama, a sensitive boy who left the West Bank to them, changing styles and font, adding links, im- work in the Gulf States but has returned determined ages, and video clips. All of our blogs were linked to become a resistance fi ghter. The book portrays the together via a “blog roll” listing class sites, and stu- challenges of everyday life in Palestine: unemploy- dents and I could comment on each others’ post- ment, military domination, travel through check- 80 English Journal 98.3 (2009): 80–89 EEJ_Jan2009_B.inddJ_Jan2009_B.indd 8800 110/8/080/8/08 22:16:44:16:44 PPMM Allen Webb points, and the exodus of educated people. My West Bank. As we discussed in class, these Palestin- students reacted on their blogs: ians may be the people that, without reading this I like the contrast between Adil and Usama: the novel, my students would likely have thought of as difference in their opinions and ideals and how each “terrorists.” Identifying with characters from con- thinks the other goes about fi ghting the occupation temporary literature by a living Middle Eastern by the wrong means. Usama was a poet as a boy, he writer was transforming their understanding and dies a poet, and in between he seems to have tried to building a bridge between American and Palestin- convince himself he was another person, one with- ian experiences. out dreams and feelings. Adil was, I think, my favorite. He seemed at times to see past the propa- ganda of both the Jews and the Arabs. He was Additional Resources caught in the middle and trying to accomplish what to Understand Context he could and still maintain some understanding Reading contemporary Middle Eastern literature calls and dignity. They are all just people grieving for bringing in additional resources. Rather than a and struggling in a diffi cult time.—Diane Hall background lecture before beginning the novel, I One of the most signifi cant parts of Wild Thorns, in my opinion, was the scene where Basil is found that learning about the context after connect- arrested. There are children fl ooding the streets, ing to the characters was more effective. Reading yelling and laughing at the Jewish soldiers. They Wild Thorns led students to want to know more, to be are screaming in protest to show their disgust at updated on the most recent the occupation. There is absolutely no inno- happenings in the Palestine/ Developing personal cence left in Palestine, even the children are get- Israeli situation. President connections between ting arrested. When Basil is taken off, his father is Jimmy Carter’s book Pales- students and characters cold and shows no remorse or sadness that his son tine: Peace Not Apartheid had is in jail. He merely says, “But what came over the been recently published and was a strong starting point boy? Does he think he can free Palestine all by provided valuable back- for crossing the large himself?” (Khalifeh 106).—Molly Grube ground information. Indi- cultural distances between One thing I found very intriguing as I fi nished vidual chapters could be up Wild Thorns was the passion and love that sev- the United States and the eral of the characters had for their country. Basil, easily excerpted. Dan Brim Middle East. Teachers for instance, illustrates a typical young man who is blogged, can draw on personal willing to do anything for his country. He gathers I used to think that it connections to foster with his friends at the local cafe to discuss the pol- was a matter of “good more comprehensive itics and even risks going to prison to stand up for vs. evil” in the Middle his beliefs. He quickly realizes, though, how much East when I was grow- understanding. he doesn’t understand and how naive he actually ing up. After reading is. A lot of parallels can be drawn to American Jimmy Carter’s book, I see that things are hardly youth, and their response to the 9/11 attacks.— so black and white. The historical chronology in Heather Winowiecki the fi rst ten pages of this book painted a very clear picture for the points being made within the Notice how the students explore characters. book. Developing personal connections between students and characters was a strong starting point for cross- Perhaps the most disturbing thing Carter de- ing the large cultural distances between the United scribes is the separation wall being built by Israel in States and the Middle East. Teachers can draw on and around the West Bank and Gaza Strip. As Linda personal connections to foster more comprehensive Cross shared, understanding. In this regard, Heather’s comments The wall constructed around the West Bank area turned out to be especially productive. Many stu- is really unfair to so many. Built right along the dents know people fi ghting in Iraq and Afghani- border all the way around the West Bank, it stan. Making reference to Khalifeh’s Wild Thorns, divides peoples’ homes from their lands. There is Heather’s post connects American young people even a church where many Palestinian Christians after 9/11 and rebelling young Palestinians in the have worshipped for years that is cut off from the English Journal 81 EEJ_Jan2009_B.inddJ_Jan2009_B.indd 8811 110/8/080/8/08 22:16:45:16:45 PPMM Literature from the Modern Middle East: Making a Living Connection people it serves. The church is on one side of the curriculum. Our understanding was enriched by wall and the worshippers are on the other side. contemporary Palestinian short stories. Although not likely to be found in a standardized textbook, Other resources that were infl uential to stu- these stories are easy to add to your course. The dents’ understanding of the wall—and the reaction evocative four-page story “Stealing Away, We Re- of Palestinian young people to it—were powerful turned,” by Rasmi Abu Ali, captures the experience video clips that I found on YouTube and that we of Palestinians sneaking back to their homes and watched and discussed in class. The fi rst clip we olive groves after having been forced to leave (grades watched, “Israeli Apartheid Wall” (1-28-06), makes 6–12). My students responded positively to “Norma the wall real, as a person simply walks along it, ob- and the Snowman” by Yehia Yakhlaf, a story de- serving graffi ti, trying to fi nd “a view toward scribing a university student who decides to join a peace,” and wondering “Is there anybody out there?” group of Palestinian fi ghters (grades 10–12).
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