Introduction and Reaction

I recently read Dr. Webb’s article titled “Literature form the Modern Middle East: Making a Living Connection”, and I was quite surprised by what I found. I really thought that this class was going to be just like any other English class, wherein we would read novels, short stories, novellas perhaps, and even watch a film. What I did not expect was to find that so many of his previous students really had life-altering experiences during the course. This only made me more excited for what lays ahead. My enthusiasm for this class is already rocketing off the shelves, after the first day of lecture and getting into groups I was prepared to get into gear and get things started. I agree with a lot of things that were said in Dr. Webb’s article; most people do not know what is truly happening in the Middle East, nor are they very concerned with it, even though they should be. We have spent the better half of a decade heavily involved in Iraq with no real sign of ever slowing down, yet do we, as average Americans, really know anything about what it is for the Iraqis? Sure we can guess that times are hard and that this occupation really is not enjoyable for them, but do we truly grasp and understand what they are going through every day of their lives. No, at least I do not understand. I look forward to being able to identify with the Middle East as a culture through their literary works. I am a great fan of literature and if you throw me a good book I am going to read it, so I am ready to be given a book and to read it, not only to understand the characters on the page but to understand the author and the environment that helped shape the book.