Klynn’s blog

HW 32: Baghdad Burning, Responding to Riverbend

In the forward written by Soueif he makes it clear that Baghdad Burning, written by a female source only known as Riverbend, is one of the best ways to understand the true happenings of the Iraqi war. People are constantly putting in their “two cents” about the ongoing war in Iraq, and yet for many of them, it is not a personal war. Other than being bothered by images of it on TV and articles in magazines, they have no real connection to the war. It’s completely legitimate for someone to have their own opinions on any sort of occurrence, but to be adamant about something in which they cannot personally relate to, must anger those who can. Riverbend has grown up with this war, affecting her, her family, her neighbors, and the people of her country. She started to blog about her experiences. As Soueif quotes Riverbend in the very beginning of his forward, he talks about the person that sits behind the computer and supports the war. Imagine Riverbend, as she sits on her roof with her brother while they guess what times of weapons are being used only by hearing their sound. Would a type of person like Riverbend who has actually lived this war, support it? Within the introduction it introduces numbers. These numbers are the casualties of not only our American soldiers, but the soldiers and civilians of Iraq. These numbers are enormous compared to those of the American deaths. It’s impossible to believe a young girl who sometimes cannot even bring herself to write because life seems too depressive, would support a war that is destroying her country, her home, and making her life miserable.