HW41: three questions..
Before reading pages 70 though 79 I looked at the three questions being asked..”What is the role of gold in family savings in Iraq?”, “Why are date palms important to the Iraqi people?”, and “Describe the custom of evening tea in Iraq.” I did not find any information about these three questions in the reading. Based on what I already know from reading Riverbend, I know that gold is not common in many Iraqi families. Gold typically represents wealth, for the Iraqi people oil is their main source of wealth. I feel that oil is the Iraqi equivilent of gold. I am really not sure about date palms and their importance to the Iraqi people. The custom of evening tea in Iraq is also not really something I remember being discussed. In my opinion I feel that evening tea is maybe the one peaceful part of the day for people in Iraq. This may be something that each family does once a night as their quiet family gathering. Maybe it takes part when the electricity goes out for the night.
HW40: Teen Boys Working in Iraq
The episode that I chose to watch was Iraqi Teens Work to Help Their Families. This episode is the series called Alive In Baghdad. It was published on October 15, 2007. This podcast was about how Iraqi teens work to help their families. It features three different Iraqi teen boys. One of the boys is fourteen years old and in sixth grade. He works for his father and uncle as a carpenter. He has been working since he was a child. He builds and paints furniture. The scenery is pretty plain. It was filmed primarily outside. Everything seems to looks gray. After watching this podcast a viewer might learn about the current condition in Iraq. Also, what it is like to be growing up in present day Iraq. The difficulties with safety and finances. The podcasts is along the same lines as other videos I have seen about present day Iraq. One thing that really stuck out to me in the podcast was when the teens talked about the safety issue that they face on a daily basis. http://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/10/15/iraqi-teens-work-to-help-their-families/
HW33: Baghdad Burning..
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq. New York: The Feminist P At the City University of New York, 2005. 1-286.
Baghdad Burning is written by a young woman, Riverbend, living in Baghdad. Riverbend is in her mid-twenties and lives with her father, mother, and brother. Burning Baghdad is a blog written by Riverbend during the war. She has very strong feelings about the war and about Americans. This book is said to be necessary reading. Burning Baghdad is a perfect book to read in this course because it is present day and we are all familiar with the war. Also, it is a legitimate blog written by a young woman close in age to the students reading the book. This book is going to be easy to relate to in one sense, but hard to relate to in another sense. Reading this book can be beneficial because it is a point of view from the other side of the fence. It can be a real eye opening to get a different point of view.