Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Week 7
Reading this novel "Bastard of Istanbul" I have really become aware of how important culture actually is to people. Without culture your life is not complete because you do not fully understand who or where you come from. What these girls went through in their lives is what everyone should go through where they find out who they really are and they learn about their culture. In America you tend to see people let culture go because it is diverse here and people tend to adapt to the American lifestyle. These people should never let their culture go out the door because it is who they really are and adapting into another culture is taking an easy way out because you don't want to go against the norm.
Book Essay
Jon Sable
The novel “Bastard of Istanbul” covers a variety of themes and ideas. The major theme of the book deals with culture. Cultural identity and conflict are two sub themes that are apparent throughout the novel. A person’s culture is very important because it shapes who they are. Knowledge of your culture’s history is also important because it gives you meaning to what your ancestors have been through, their experiences and knowledge shape your own. The idea of cultural identity stuck out to me because I feel as though I experience this every day. Not only living in America, which is a diverse country but also attending Manhattanville College where there is a mixture of different cultures on one small campus. At school you see students from different countries adapting to the life in the United States, no matter how important their previous customs and culture is to them. Knowledge of family is represented in this book, as well as the importance ones history. In the book we see the conflict of culture between the main character Asya and Armanoush as they discover their family’s history. The discovery process that these girls embark on teaches them about their culture, and makes them appreciate where they came from and the hardships that their parents had to endure. They learn of their culture and find a sense of meaning in their life through where they came from. The link that is made between the two girls at the climax of the book heightens the bond that they form through this learning experience.
Asya grew up in Turkey with her mother and three older sisters. There was no father figure for her. Growing up in this extended family Asya had a different upbringing from most where there were only women to guide her. She learnt about the Turkish culture from these women who taught her their heritage. Growing up without a father is especially hard because it leaves the mother to have to provide for the family as well as be an authority figure for children. Asya technically grew up in a single parent house, even though she had her aunts as support. This made her more independent because she had to help herself. This story shows the strength and courage of women living on their own and providing for themselves. The bond of sisterhood is something that Asya grew up knowing but never experiencing. She saw her mother and her sisters and their strength and loyalty her entire life. The values and morals that they were able to teach her in this environment were beneficial to her. As the books progressed we see the strength of sisterhood.
Armanoush is an Armenian American living in America. She grew up with a Turkish stepfather and at this point in her life she is having an identity crisis. She wants to learn more about the culture that she grew up hearing about from her stepfather Mustapha. Even though she was not truly Turkish, her stepfather taught her the ways that he was brought up to which made her adapt to the culture. This is a perfect example of conflict of culture because she was born into the Armenian culture but, raised Turkish and she needed to adapt to that culture and learn the rules and regulations. This is common amongst people that have step parents because they can have two different cultures combine and it makes it hard on the child because it forces them to choose a culture to follow. Living in American you tend to see a lot of children that are being brought up in multi cultural families and they usually one take side of one culture and stick to it. Some kids want to learn more about their culture like Armanoush and go to extreme limits to find out about their past. This sometimes backfires and you find our stuff you would rather not know but, sometimes you find out things that are very important to your life and tend to change you for the rest of your life.
Armanoush goes on a journey to Istanbul in search of her culture. There she meets her stepfather’s four sisters and one of their daughters Asya. Armanoush and Asya hit it off immediately and find a common bond in wanting to learn about their family history. They begin to dig into their families past only to discover tragic events that took place before their time. The girls discover that Mustapha, Armanoush’s stepfather raped Zehila and that Asya is the result of that tragic event. This ties the girls together in being stepsisters. Family secrets come out in this manner. In this case the girls ended up finding information which really meant a lot to both of them because they now knew they were step sisters so a new bond was formed and they are now able to educate each other on their own culture. Armanoush could teach Asya what life in America is life and how different it is from living anywhere else in the world. Armanoush would also be able to learn about the Turkish culture which she went looking for because now that she found out she had a Turkish step sister she knows a lot more about the culture then anyone else she could have asked. These tragic events that the two girls dug up ended up helping them in the long run because they both accomplished their goal in learning about each others cultures and found out more about their family then they ever could have imaged. The discovery that the girls made allows Asya to experience the bond between sisters that she witnessed her entire life with her mother and her sister. Even in a tragic situation, as the one that happened to Zehila, some good has come from it. This is the same around the world, which with tragedy there is always something better to come.
Lost culture is something which is very common in the United States because of the diverse culture we live in. There are so many different people living here that it is hard to keep a culture without losing some sense of who you really are. It is very difficult to grow up in an area that is so diverse and to try and grow up maintain a certain culture because you do not have the things you need in order to follow your culture. This is why people that move to American are forced to adapt and change their culture a little bit. They need to be willing to give some things up in order to fit into the American culture. This is represented in the book through Armanoush’s loss of her culture, thus her making the trip to Turkey. She wanted to discover part of herself that was missing through her Turkish heritage. A person’s culture is very important because it represents who they are and where they came from. Armanoush is one of many people in the United States that suffer from a lack of their original culture. Many people journey back to the “homeland” to learn about their ancestors.
For some people it is hard for them to adapt into a culture because sometimes people have bad ideas about a culture different from their own. In today’s world you see a lot of people who are racist and judge people by how they look and not who they really are. For example in the Middle East you see a lot of problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians over land. This land is so important to both people because it represents who they are and without it they are losing who they truly are and neither group is willing to let go of their culture. With all of these actions going on in the Middle East it gives them a bad name and people tend to associate people that look like them to the ones who are committing these deathly attacks.
“Bastard of Istanbul” is a very knowledgeable and helps us realize how important culture is to some people. Culture is so hard to follow for some people because of where they live and who they live with. Sometimes people do not find out about their past until they look into it in detail and find out who they really are. It is very important to know and take pride in your culture because it is who you are and you should never let that escape you. These girls in this book were lucky to find each other and find the truth behind their life’s because without this even ever occurring their lives would have been incomplete because they would never know who they truly were.
The novel “Bastard of Istanbul” covers a variety of themes and ideas. The major theme of the book deals with culture. Cultural identity and conflict are two sub themes that are apparent throughout the novel. A person’s culture is very important because it shapes who they are. Knowledge of your culture’s history is also important because it gives you meaning to what your ancestors have been through, their experiences and knowledge shape your own. The idea of cultural identity stuck out to me because I feel as though I experience this every day. Not only living in America, which is a diverse country but also attending Manhattanville College where there is a mixture of different cultures on one small campus. At school you see students from different countries adapting to the life in the United States, no matter how important their previous customs and culture is to them. Knowledge of family is represented in this book, as well as the importance ones history. In the book we see the conflict of culture between the main character Asya and Armanoush as they discover their family’s history. The discovery process that these girls embark on teaches them about their culture, and makes them appreciate where they came from and the hardships that their parents had to endure. They learn of their culture and find a sense of meaning in their life through where they came from. The link that is made between the two girls at the climax of the book heightens the bond that they form through this learning experience.
Asya grew up in Turkey with her mother and three older sisters. There was no father figure for her. Growing up in this extended family Asya had a different upbringing from most where there were only women to guide her. She learnt about the Turkish culture from these women who taught her their heritage. Growing up without a father is especially hard because it leaves the mother to have to provide for the family as well as be an authority figure for children. Asya technically grew up in a single parent house, even though she had her aunts as support. This made her more independent because she had to help herself. This story shows the strength and courage of women living on their own and providing for themselves. The bond of sisterhood is something that Asya grew up knowing but never experiencing. She saw her mother and her sisters and their strength and loyalty her entire life. The values and morals that they were able to teach her in this environment were beneficial to her. As the books progressed we see the strength of sisterhood.
Armanoush is an Armenian American living in America. She grew up with a Turkish stepfather and at this point in her life she is having an identity crisis. She wants to learn more about the culture that she grew up hearing about from her stepfather Mustapha. Even though she was not truly Turkish, her stepfather taught her the ways that he was brought up to which made her adapt to the culture. This is a perfect example of conflict of culture because she was born into the Armenian culture but, raised Turkish and she needed to adapt to that culture and learn the rules and regulations. This is common amongst people that have step parents because they can have two different cultures combine and it makes it hard on the child because it forces them to choose a culture to follow. Living in American you tend to see a lot of children that are being brought up in multi cultural families and they usually one take side of one culture and stick to it. Some kids want to learn more about their culture like Armanoush and go to extreme limits to find out about their past. This sometimes backfires and you find our stuff you would rather not know but, sometimes you find out things that are very important to your life and tend to change you for the rest of your life.
Armanoush goes on a journey to Istanbul in search of her culture. There she meets her stepfather’s four sisters and one of their daughters Asya. Armanoush and Asya hit it off immediately and find a common bond in wanting to learn about their family history. They begin to dig into their families past only to discover tragic events that took place before their time. The girls discover that Mustapha, Armanoush’s stepfather raped Zehila and that Asya is the result of that tragic event. This ties the girls together in being stepsisters. Family secrets come out in this manner. In this case the girls ended up finding information which really meant a lot to both of them because they now knew they were step sisters so a new bond was formed and they are now able to educate each other on their own culture. Armanoush could teach Asya what life in America is life and how different it is from living anywhere else in the world. Armanoush would also be able to learn about the Turkish culture which she went looking for because now that she found out she had a Turkish step sister she knows a lot more about the culture then anyone else she could have asked. These tragic events that the two girls dug up ended up helping them in the long run because they both accomplished their goal in learning about each others cultures and found out more about their family then they ever could have imaged. The discovery that the girls made allows Asya to experience the bond between sisters that she witnessed her entire life with her mother and her sister. Even in a tragic situation, as the one that happened to Zehila, some good has come from it. This is the same around the world, which with tragedy there is always something better to come.
Lost culture is something which is very common in the United States because of the diverse culture we live in. There are so many different people living here that it is hard to keep a culture without losing some sense of who you really are. It is very difficult to grow up in an area that is so diverse and to try and grow up maintain a certain culture because you do not have the things you need in order to follow your culture. This is why people that move to American are forced to adapt and change their culture a little bit. They need to be willing to give some things up in order to fit into the American culture. This is represented in the book through Armanoush’s loss of her culture, thus her making the trip to Turkey. She wanted to discover part of herself that was missing through her Turkish heritage. A person’s culture is very important because it represents who they are and where they came from. Armanoush is one of many people in the United States that suffer from a lack of their original culture. Many people journey back to the “homeland” to learn about their ancestors.
For some people it is hard for them to adapt into a culture because sometimes people have bad ideas about a culture different from their own. In today’s world you see a lot of people who are racist and judge people by how they look and not who they really are. For example in the Middle East you see a lot of problems between the Israelis and the Palestinians over land. This land is so important to both people because it represents who they are and without it they are losing who they truly are and neither group is willing to let go of their culture. With all of these actions going on in the Middle East it gives them a bad name and people tend to associate people that look like them to the ones who are committing these deathly attacks.
“Bastard of Istanbul” is a very knowledgeable and helps us realize how important culture is to some people. Culture is so hard to follow for some people because of where they live and who they live with. Sometimes people do not find out about their past until they look into it in detail and find out who they really are. It is very important to know and take pride in your culture because it is who you are and you should never let that escape you. These girls in this book were lucky to find each other and find the truth behind their life’s because without this even ever occurring their lives would have been incomplete because they would never know who they truly were.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Week 6
I think that there is a "clash in civilizations" because in the Middle East everybody is fighting for something they want and they have it envisioned what they want and some are willing to go to extreme levels to do so. This clash of civilizations breaks people up into groups and make people chose sides on who they believe. I feel sympathy for the Israelis because they go through this everyday over a piece of land. A land that was given to them. The Israeli may not do the right thing but, it does not call for the killing of innocent people. That girl had no reason to die and it’s not right to take someone’s life like that. Palestinians position is that they are fighting for something that should be there’s and they are retaliating because the Israelis are not working with them. Each group fails to understand that everyone is important and the world will never be perfect. Each group of people is important to civilizations and without them it would set us back. If it was my daughter who was caught in one of these attacks my reactions would be settle and I would most likely retaliate with violent ways.
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