Thursday, March 15, 2012

DR. PAMELA ALLEGRETTO-DIIULIO: Palestine and "Amreeka"

PLEASE POST RESPONSES AFTER THE PRESENTATION IS FINISHED:  
After more than a week of Palestinian culture, students should be prepared to piece together some of the sentiment and spirit of the Palestinian man or woman who has had to endure more than 60 years of occupation.  From the film, Amreeka, it should be obvious how the Palestinian is often a foreigner in their own land; however, there is great sacrifice in making a move to a new country too.  The Palestinian has often found him or herself ostracized, ridiculed, and alone among a world of people wrapped up in their own prejudices and often unable to welcome those they perceive as the "Other," a concept given by Edward Said, a Palestinian Christian who has been a spokesperson for the Palestinian up until his death in 2003.  With artists like Naji Al-Ali with his satirical cartoons of Hanthala, Ishmail Shammout and Tamam Al-Akhar, and poets such as Mahmoud Darwish, the Palestinian has sought his/her way through the voices of paint brushes and ink pens.  We cannot forget that the welcoming spirit of the Palestinian into their home means to be greeted by a delicious cuisine of tabooleh, hummus, Lebanese rice, grape leaves, and a host of delicious deserts like baklava and kanafa.  With all of this in mind, how can we relate elements of the film, Amreeka to the pieces of culture that Palestinians strive to keep alive through their traditions?  How can presentations like these help the world to realize the humanity of a people who have been driven in a large part from their homeland - and do you think that "home" for them is a spiritual place or is that physical land now called Israel a place that will remind them what had been before?

18 comments:

  1. What a couple of weeks this has been! We were taken on an exquisite journey through Palestine, experiencing their cuisine, literature, geography, history, music, art, and politics. The film Amreeka, further brought Palestinian culture into the spotlight. Through this presentation, my opinion on the Middle East has changed. I must admit I was not interested in the Middle, nor would I ever want to visit. I had fallen under an astounding amount of Americans who labels Middle Easterners as terrorists and just bad people in general. As we learned, American media contributes significantly to this. Now, I have come to the realization that the people that live there are real PEOPLE, and a majority of them go about living their lives in a similar way that we do in America.
    I would first like to focus on Amreeka. This film features a mother, Muna, and her son, Fadi, immigrating to America to provide Fadi with an opportunity to obtain a better education. They reside with Muna’s sister in suburban Chicago. Muna and Fadi struggle to fit in to society. One psychological aspect of Palestinian culture is pride. Muna pretends to work at a bank when she is truly working at the White Castle fast-food restaurant next door. She pretends this in order to impress her sister and other family that she is working a respectable job. In the beginning of the film, Muna and her brother idolize their mother. They hold her in the highest regard, characteristic of many Palestinian families. We also saw the Israeli checkpoints when Muna was returning home from work. The checkpoints are brutal and somewhat scary. Overall, Amreeka brought to light that even though America was not “home” for Muna and Fadi, they still managed to make it. Culture sticks with you no matter what.
    Palestine is full of famous literature and art. I was very intrigued by Edward Said’s work on his theory of Orientalism. People of Palestine and even the Middle East are often perceived as the “other.” According to Said, this idea has promoted the stereotypes that have been developed towards Arabs. Naji al-Ali’s “Hanthala” cartoon was extremely controversial. Many Americans would be shocked on how they are portrayed through this character. It was interesting to see Palestine’s viewpoint instead of just America’s. Although I missed the art section of the presentation, I heard from other students that it was fabulous!
    The political situation in Palestine is not good. They have been in a “battle” with Israel for over 60 years. At this point, Palestine is losing severely. There have been two intifadas (Palestinian uprisings against Israel), but both to no avail. Israel has so much control over Palestine that many natives of Palestine refer to themselves as citizens of “Occupied Palestine.”
    The cuisine that we experienced from Dr. Pam’s kitchen, and from the Petra restaurant in Erie was state-of-the-art. I loved all of it! Both kinds of chicken were very tasty. I also particularly enjoyed the Lebanese rice and tabooleh. This will not come as a surprise, but my obvious favorite was the baklava. I would love to have that again sometime. Thanks again Dr. Pam to all of the effort you put into the cuisine. I think that all of us students would agree that was very much appreciated!
    To answer the final question of the prompt, I believe that that home is indeed is a physical place, but with one’s culture, it becomes a spiritual place when one is not at their physical home. This can be seen through Amreeka. Muna and Fadi are very homesick but they realize at the end of the film that they still have their culture with them. Culture is the closest aspect of life to being physically home.
    Great job Dr. Pam! Thanks for the past two weeks, and for closing out the culture presentations on a high note!

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    1. Ryan,

      I couldn't agree more! My opinion has changed too, like you. They really are people, and that's how they should be treated. Not because of the things that other people do.
      I also agree that Edward Said's Orientalism was very interesting. I think the YouTube video of him was very helpful. It was so bizarre to me that he didn't have an accent! I loved hearing him personally explain things, unlike reading a critique or review of his idea. I felt like it was so interesting to understand his views of the stereotypical Arab thoughts.
      The cuisine was delightful! I couldn't even believe how much I liked it. I was so skeptical at first, but it was amazing. I, like you, thought the baklava was outstanding and was my personal favorite.
      Nice blog Ryan!

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    2. Ryan-

      I agree with both you and Sophie, my opinions was very much changed. I also found the concept of Orientalism to be quite fascinating.
      I like what you said about home becoming spiritual when you are moved, because I agree. I like how you tied your opinion into the movie.
      Good post!

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    3. Ryan,
      After reading your blog there was one statement that really stuck out to me. "Even though America was not “home” for Muna and Fadi, they still managed to make it." I think it sums up the whole movie. Their home was not even their home. But when they moved, it was not their home either. The people of Palestine, as I've learned in the past week, literally have no home. They have been completely kicked out of their own land and have no place to go. They do their best but still must struggle to find their place.

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    4. Ry-Ry~,
      Your blog made so many good points, particularly about how Muna and Fati were able to make America their "home" by keeping their spirit and culture alive. This is the feeling I got at the end of the movie and perhaps was the "theme" of the presentation. I also appreciate how you used the phrase "Dr. Pam's kitchen", just as Dr. Pam told us the Middle Easterners use. Thanks a lot for a good blog!

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  2. First off, what an amazing presentation Dr. Pam! I was actually very interested when you said that you were going to do your presentation on Palestine. I knew it was close to your heart so I was hoping to see your side of the story of Arab's and how we in America view the world of Palestine.
    I would however like to start with your question of is home a spiritual place or a physical place. There is a song by Gabrielle Aplin called "Home" that I think can answer this question very simply. The chorus of the song is,
    "Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone
    It's where you go when you're alone
    It's where you go to rest your bones
    It's not just where you lay your head
    It's not just where you make your bed
    As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?
    Home"
    I think this can relate to the film Amreeka very well. I think that moving to a new country entirely is very difficult. I would be so scared! It would be completely foreign to me. We saw a lot of difficulties presented to Fadi and Muna in the story. First, they lost all their money basically. Muna had to work in a fast food restaurant, Fadi was getting beaten up in school, and their family was struggling with their relationship and work outside of just Muna and Fadi. It was a complete mess, but I think towards the end Fadi and Muna really start to communicate well and realize that home isn't Palestine. It isn't in America. Home is where you heart is. "As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?" No, Fadi and Muna realized that "home" is what you make of it. Home is wherever they can be together.
    Now, onto the culture of Palestine itself. I, like Ryan mentioned in his blog, had my mind changed. It's not that in the beginning I thought all Arab's were bad people. I knew we couldn't blame the actions of some terrible people on an entire country or race or religion. I knew it wasn't like that, but I was also worried that they wouldn't be very understanding of the American people at all either. I thought they all hated us, when in all actuality -like we see in the film- they aren't. They are very accepting of the American people if the American people are accepting of them. I think that they aren't bad people at all. They just want their home back. I think in Mahmoud Darwish's poem "My Mother" he illustrates this very well. He saw he just wishes for his mother; her face, her touch, her memories. He was to have the "star maps of childhood' back. He doesn't wish any harm. He just wants to reunite with his mother, maybe in death, and be back to her. I think that can relate to the Palestinian people just wanting to be back where they came from. They want what they consider "home" back.
    Now, the food. Wow! Like I mentioned in my response to Ryan's blog, I was very skeptical at first. It was so delicious though! I also loved the music. I had no idea playing a musical instrument like we did in class would be that difficult. I can't imagine what it must be like to be so talented at it! I wish I could do something like that. It was so beautiful to hear and see the arts through the eyes of the Palestinians. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
    I enjoyed the entire presentation! It was very eye-opening, and yes I do believe that something like this can change the views of American people. I think that they can have a deeper understanding and really try to accept that these are people, like Ryan pointed out.
    Thanks for wrapping up the presentations this way Dr. Pam! What a great finale. Now comes exams.

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    1. Soph-Soph---

      I agree with Ryan on this one! I loved your idea of using a song! i think it really captured the essence of home!
      I too was skeptical of the food, but wasn't it amaaaazing?! I loved it! I agree that presentations like this can change opinions, it most definitely changed mine, but it will take a lot to change some people. Some people are really set in stone on opinions such as these.

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    2. Sophie,
      I like how you used that song to illustrate the concept of home! It's true that home is where the heart is, and since Muna and Fati were together they were able to make America their home. I appreciate how you brought up our playing the musical instrument, I forgot to mention that in my blog! This was truly an eye-opening presentation, as I said before. It really shows how differently people can view the world when they are able to cast aside any preconceptions and prejudices.

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  3. Sophie,
    Your song gave a great answer to the question of where "home" is. What a creative idea! I also agree with your sentiments regarding home in the case of Muna and Fadi. I think that they had the opinion that home is a physical place at the beginning of the film. However, the resolution of the film is Muna and Fadi realizing that "home is where the heart is." Nice job on including Darwish's poem to reflect on Occupied Palestine. I can sympathize with you on playing the instrument, as I am a fellow last-place finisher!! :)
    Thank you for emailing your PowerPoints early!

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  4. I’ll admit it, I was one of the stereotypical Americans before this presentation. Muslim meant terrorist, if they lived somewhere in the Middle East it meant that they strapped bombs to their children and carried weapons under their clothing. Now, I’ll be the first to admit how wrong I was. I think Ryan put it best, “the people that live there are real PEOPLE”. The Palestinians live and love, they have jobs, they have families, they laugh and they cry. They know happiness but their history is stained with sorrow. They are not all terrorists, that is a horrible label based on a small majority.
    I think Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism really got to me and made a lot of sense. The concept of the “Other” really bewildered me at first. I never really paid that much attention to what went down in the Middle East and to be honest, I still won’t. It bothers me too much and often scares me and I don’t need that fear and stress in my life. But because I paid little attention to the dealings in the Middle East I only received the media’s tainted viewpoints. I was spoon fed their lies and remained unenlightened though I thought myself educated enough on the subject.
    I think one of my favorite parts of the presentation (besides the amazing food) was the Hanthala cartoons. The only part of a newspaper I ever look at is the cartoons. Sometimes, on the second or third page of the Daily Press, a political cartoon is featured and on the rare occasion, it deals with what happens on the other side of the world. Of course, when we see these, they are colored with an American’s standpoint. Seeing a cartoon from a Palestinian’s mind set was so cool! I had never even imagined how they must feel about us. I was a little struck by some of their opinions of the US, some even hurt a bit, but that is part of their culture, and I enjoyed having my eyes opened.
    I also enjoyed the art in general. Some of the concepts were very abstract but they were beautiful indeed. I loved how their culture is so blatantly presented for any audience to view, whether in their art, literature, music, or even cartoons. They are a proud people who are not ashamed of who they are and I really admire that.
    As for the film, I found “Amreeka” to be a really good film, even though I missed one day of it. The ending, though rather anticlimactic, actually did a fantastic job as a finish in retrospect. I don’t think that giving “Amreeka” a typical ending would have suited the film. I think that an important message in the film was that life goes on. They Palestinian’s have lost their homeland, yet they continue on. The family moves to America, where things are not as wonderful as they could have hoped, and yet they keep living. Muna lands a job in a fast food restaurant and yet she remains proud. I think that randomly ending the film after the scene at dinner shows you that their lives and the lives of all Palestinians are still going. They are still living life no matter what happens to them .
    Finally, the food. Oh, the food! It was amazing Dr. Pam! Please, bring it in everyday!
    I was scared to try the food at first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to find it, but I found it to be some of the most delicious food we have tried so far. As I think everyone knows, my favorite was the humus, we should have some again, and the baklava. I actually had some this weekend because DD’s Bakery had some while we were there for breakfast.
    I think that home is both physical and spiritual. I think that when you have a permanent home, it is physical. The place where you lay down for bed and wake up for breakfast. But when you are removed form it it becomes spiritual. A place where you find strength and meaning, a place where one day you will return to.
    Great job Dr. Pam! This presentation was amazing!

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    1. Kat,
      I love that you brought up Hanthala. I love them! They are very harsh and brutal, but that's what I love about them. They are honest. They are confessions. And you know me and confessions. I loved the artwork, it was very amazing. It was, like you said, really eye opening to see.
      I think the ending was very strange and unexpected, but it fit the film well. I love that it left you on a cliffhanger. Also, like you said, it wasn't a typical American ending. Which is why I love watching different culture films, because we are able to see the similarities and differences in each culture.
      nice blog Kat!

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    2. Kat,
      I appreciate your honesty in following Middle Eastern affairs, both past and present. I will continue to follow it, just becomes I am a nerd when it comes to news. Hanthala certainly is a predominant figure in literature. I agree that it interesting to see cartoons through a Palestinian point of view, though sometimes offensive towards America. Though strange at first, the ending of Amreeka DID suit the overall message of the film. Nice job.

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      Kat,
      I totally agree that Hanthala somewhat relates to the political cartoons we see in the newspaper today. There are so many different interpretations that make it impressive. Admittedly, the few times that I do read the newspaper it is for the political cartoons and comics. They leave a great impression because of how many ways you can view them. The artist obviously knew how powerful artwork could be and was aware of it before he was killed for his works.
      I also agree that the ending, though unsatisfying at first, was perfect for the movie. It was not a typical movie so it didn't need a typical ending. It sealed up all the perfect customs by blending traditions with a new beginning. It represented the culture really well and I greatly enjoyed it.
      One a side note, DD'S HAS BAKLAVA?! I'm totally getting that next time I go. It will be great. The food was so fabulous!

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  5. First, of all, I would just like to say to Dr. Pam that it was great to see you present a culture that was so dear to you. You did an absolutely fabulous job showing it to us rather than just telling us about it. I think that you presented it in such a way that we understood it really well by the end of the presentation. As you said, I don’t believe that the presentation on Palestine could have been done without prejudice but you did your absolute best just to give us the facts and explain everything to us. You brought it so much helpful material and it was great to see it.
    I think that the movie Amreeka really depicted everything that you were talking about with how Palestinians are no longer welcome in their own homes. It was interesting to see it from both a modern and traditional point of view. This movie was obviously a couple of years old so some of the opinions shown from the modern points were slightly outdated but not extremely. Even now, Americans view Arabic and Muslim nations as automatically terrorists. These people are completely judged for something that they have never done and are abused for it. Even in their own country, they are viewed as strangers. The movie really showed all of this. It also really adequately showed the traditions they had. Like Dr. Pam said as the movie went on, the people treasure their mother figures and have a very high pride in themselves. One of the things that really stood out to me in the movie was how when they went through airport customs and had to say where they were from, Muna insisted that she was from Palestine, not Israel. It just went to show the national pride that they stress so much. They also showed a lot of the cultural food in the movie. It was great to see and also to taste.
    One of my favorite parts was all the amazing food! It was all so traditional to the Middle East and tasted fabulous! Pita bread and Baklava were my two favorite foods. The pita bread was so enjoyable and the baklava tasted so fabulous! I would willingly eat them again any time. They were filled with so many flavors. I think that was the best part about the food. There was so much diversity and there were a ton of different spices involved to make a simple dish taste about twenty times better. There were a few things that I didn’t particularly like, such as the grape leaves, but they were still interesting to try. My second favorite part was Hanthala. He was such a unique little character. He had such a great meaning and stood for so much. He was also really adorable. It was interesting to see the satire he was placed in. He just was very iconic. It was great to see some of the ideals of Palestine without words so that we could shape our own interpretations.
    I earnestly believe that presentations like this can really help us all better understand the issues that Palestinians are undergoing. We got to see the extreme loss of land that they underwent. We also were able to see the different forms of oppression they had to suffer from. Nonetheless, they perservered and made the best of it. It shows how their main goal was to gain back their homeland. It helps people to be aware of everything going on from their perspective. It is informative and helpful. This homeland is not only the physical land in which they resided but also the spiritual land and the home which they longed for. It stood for everything to them.

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  6. Blog Continued....

    If there were any possible issues it would have been how much information was given. It was very desne and sometimes hard to keep track of. Sometimes, I couldn’t judge what I did and didn’t need to know. It was somewhat disheartening. I found that it would have been much easier if the handouts were smaller and had followed the presentation more. Sometimes, we only covered a few things on the papers.
    Overall, the presentation was amazing. I was so glad to leard of a culture I knew virtually nothing of. It was a great learning experience. I want to thank Dr. Pam for teaching all of us about this wonderful culture and I have one more thing to add. This is most likely the last blog we will be doing related to the presentations that have been given. I would like to thank everyone so much for taking me on a trip around the globe. It was a fantastic experience and I have learned more about those cultures than I ever expected to. The past few weeks have been seriously enjoyable. Thank You!

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  7. Throughout the past two months, our eyes have been opened to different cultures throughout the world. However, I feel that Dr. Pam's presentation on Palestine was the most eye-opening to me for three reasons: Firstly, that I had never really heard of Palestine aside from brief mentions on the news before. I admit that I was ignorant, not only to their culture but also their political state! Next, Dr. Pam's presentation portrayed the "Other" in a way that allowed us as the audience to see through their eyes. We were able to watch from the point of view of the Middle Easterners, who are unfortunately often prejudiced against in the United States. Though certainly not all Americans act in the way that was portrayed in the movie, it is clear that racism and prejudice occur against the Palestinian immigrants. I felt badly to imagine how some people's fear and hatred affected the family, such as the reluctance to use the father's doctoral practices because of his race or the cruel treatment of Fati and Muna by the ignorant high school students. It is unreasonable to act that way toward another human being, which is simply what all people are, no matter what race or country of origin they happen to have. Finally, the factor that differentiated Dr. Pam's presentation from all the rest is that she has first-hand experience in the Middle East and therefore was able to depict the Palestinian spirit. Ignoring the political positions of the United States, Palestine, and Israel, the presentation on Palestine depicted an occupied people who want nothing more than to reclaim their home. Whether we agreed with the opinions or not, were introduced to Hanthala and the political cartoons that spoke out against the Israeli occupation. We watched several YouTube videos that showed the undying spirit of the Palestinian people and the resistance they are putting up against the occupation . We saw the pride of the Palestinians illustrated in the movie, from their unwillingness to accept money or financial aid from others to Muna's reluctance to admit that she was working at White Castle.


    I would like to offer an enormous "THANK YOU" to Dr. Pam for all of her hard work on the several food days we had! We were so fortunate to get a taste of the Middle Eastern palette. My favorites included the tasty and filling Pita bread, the garbanzo bean salad, the Tabouleeh, and of course the delicious Baklavah! Dr. Pam put so much effort into allowing us to experience her "kitchen", as the Palestinians would say, and I greatly appreciate it!


    There is an ancient cliche that says "Home is where the heart is". I think this holds true for the Palestinian people, because even though they were dispersed from their homeland they are still able to identify themselves as Palestinian. The final scene in the movie illustrated this point to me, seeing the family partaking in all of their customs at the restaurant. Even though Muna and Fati were homesick for the Middle East, they were able to find the joys of their own culture in America. And despite the fact that they weren't in their own house or even country, it was clear as they laughed and sang that their hearts were. In this way, they were able to find a "home" in America.


    These past two months have truly been an eye-opening experience for me as I learned about several different cultures around the globe. I can hardly say anything besides thank you to everyone who worked so hard on their projects, and to Dr. Pam for bringing it all together. I really enjoyed this quarter and am looking forward to what we'll learn next!

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    1. Although she'll never read it, but I liked Sam's saying about "home is where the heart is". Even though the Palestinians face suffering and hatred, they still have their faith to define who they are. Even if they are in America to escape the tragedies in their own country, they did not have to lose touch with their traditions and who they are.

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  8. Religion has been the center for conflict for many centuries. Religion can be defined as a beliefs system, a way of life, or even a guide for life. The film Amreeka exposed the cruel and inhumane prejudices the "others" face. After the terrorist attacks of 9-11, the sleepy masses of America viewed all Middle-Easterners as terrorist. The religion of Islam was regarded as a corrupt and immoral practice. But in retrospect the results of the terrorist attack was caused by the corruption of minds of men who had no moral structure to begin with. The religion of Islam reveres life as a sacred gift. Americans only censure and condemn the foreigners as terrorist not because the attacks, but because they are afraid and lack understanding. They feared that these people, the "others" were barbaric murderers. So, they thought if they banned together and condemned all foreigners that they would be safer, but in reality what is that really doing? It simply cause more hostility, violence, unrest, and death. In Amreeka the importance of tradition was prevalent. Tradition defines who you are. In the film, Mana tried to teach her son that, but he fell victim to the prejudices and mockery. He tried to fit in with the traditions of America. The film opened my eyes even more to the hardships the Middle-Easterners fully face. They're humans just like you and I. We have our own beliefs and as do they. It is beyond me how humans can be so ignorant and blind to truth, instead they follow fallacies of prejudice and racism to only add to the chaos. The film exposed how human beings will always clash in beliefs no matter what. Genocide and war won't ever change it. Humans were bred to hate other humans. Its a tragedy. Muna's story exposed hope, even though she was treated like dirt, she was working at a White Castle for no one else would hire her, she still showed her heart in the eyes of her enemies.
    Dr. Pam, although months ago, I truly did develop a better understanding on the Palestinian culture and beliefs. I had no idea the country faced world-rascism as well as its own inner turmoil. One nationality doesn't need to face oppression and prejudice as a result of one corrupt group's actions. The food was interesting. I still remember the baklava. It was my favorite.
    Presentations like these can help educate the masses, but people have to want to change for a hope of humanity. Unfortunately, history proves repeated cycles of carnage and hatred. But where there is hate there is love. Life is about balance. Each of us can pick a side of the balance.
    Home for anyone is among loved ones. A place of comfort. But in a world filled with such evil, home can be a somber and bleak location. I believe home for them truly is spiritual. I do not believe in a deity or have religious aspects, but I do feel true love and comfort comes to what you believe and for them, thats their faith and tradition.

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