Tears of the Desert

This book has been very interesting in all aspects.  It's cool to see how in a land not far away from where we live, so many fantastic things are happening.  Its some what sad however that it still happens.  Many of the characters in this memoir are also very close to my own generation, which sort of helped me related to this book. I also liked that it was a memoir, because even though to me the story takes place in a "fictional world" in reality it's still in the world we live in.  I also think its sort of sad that it is a memoir, because the events that take place here actually happened and are happening.  I also liked the characters, especially the grandmother and Halimas's brothers.  I think that these characters sort of had their own comic relief from this very dark book.  Also the way that the tribal peoples live was very interesting to see.  It you go down even down town Edina, that small little area is hundreds of times more advanced then the setting here.  It's funny, people today still whine about their lives if just a little thing goes wrong.  In Halima's world, it would be so much more difficult for some.  Thats something I took from this very good book.

Opinion

In my opinion, Tears of the Desert is a very good novel. It tells a story that nobody else would be able to tell. Not very many people know truly what’s happening in Darfur, they just know what the media is telling them. This novel gives a completely different aspect on life in Sudan. It tells the reader about how the two different lifestyles of the Arab and village people’s differ. Before reading this book, I had no idea about how life was in this area; all I knew was that it was a dangerous place, and that there were genocides going on. This novel gave me a new perspective, and educated me on how life was in Darfur before all the conflicts. It also shows the value of education to the Sudanese people. In the United States, children dread going to school, and find it as an annoying waste of time. But in this area of Africa, receiving an education is something that is treasured, especially by women. Traditionally women are suppose to be married very young, and are told to have children and take care of the house. They aren’t supposed to have an education. But Halima was given the rare chance to go to school. Her willingness to learn and her family’s support eventually got Halima to the top of her class, and on to the University. She was given an outstanding opportunity, and she made the most out of it. Overall, I believe that this book does an outstanding job illustrating life in Darfur by a native who can easily tell the readers how life was before and during the conflicts, as well as the overall lifestyles of the Sudanese people

Tears of the Desert

I am not quite done with Tears of the Desert, but I am really enjoying every aspect to the book. I think the fact it is a memoir, and a true story makes it even more interesting. It is weird to think how different my life is to Halimas, living in the exact same generation. Just the difference in how Halima's family and families in the US interact and maneuver through life is amazing. I find some of the rituals the Zaghawa tribe do very strange, but to them it is normal, and i am sure vice versa for them. The difficulties Halima faces at the arab school really bothers me because it is not something she should have to face. It reminds me of the civil rights movement, and how people should be treated equal and not put down for having different beliefs or color skin. I haven't quite got to the struggle that Darfur is facing today, but I am both nervous and anxious to see what it is like. I think it will give me a different perspective on how the world works, and to not take things for granted living in a community like Edina. I hope reading this book will also motivate me to make change to things that aren't right, like the brutalizing of africans in Darfur

Week Five

Welcome to Week Five, and our last week week of blogging. This week's post should be on your overall thoughts about the book. It must be a ten sentence summary. You do not need to comment on anyone else's blog, but your post should be up here by Sunday, March 29 You should have made up any missing work by then as well.

question!:]

In the book, Halima stands up for herself, and fights for what she believes in, and her father supports her actions against the Arabs. However in the novel we just read, In the Time of the Butterflies, Minerva, Patria, and Mate are advised to not take direct action by participating in the revolution, and are told to fight the government on a lower level. So, do you think that Halima should fight her battle against the Arabs directly, or should she stand back and try to fix the cultural differences on the sidelines?

Question?

Halima is quite the fighter throughout the memoir. She kicks and screams at her circumcision, refuses to get her scarring, and beats up an arab girl at the school. This feisty asset brings her both positive and negative outcomes. Do you think this trait is something Halima should continue to express? or should she settle down, especially as the genocide begins when she could be put in very dangerous positions?

?

Because of the western intervention in the world our story takes place, is it the west's obligation to try and help make peace here?

Week Four

Welcome to Week Four!

For this week's blog you will post a thought-provoking question that does not have only one answer. Remember that you must make 10 comments this week, not 5. Please do not leave this until the last minute, you have the whole week to get it done.

Figurative Language

In Tears of the Desert, a lot of imagery is used. The author does an amazing job in allowing the reader to visualize the setting throughout the whole novel. During the section I read this week, Halima arrived at the “big school” in Hashma, which is a much more modernized school than the classroom in her village that takes place under the trees.
“There was a large, dusty playing field, and beyond that a dozen low, oblong buildings, each with fine walls and a gleaming iron roof. These were the classrooms. We peeped inside the nearest. The floor was of earth, there was a blackboard at one end, and there were rows of wooden desks, each of which would seat three pupils. There was no glass in the windows, and the doorways had no doors.” (Chapter 5; page 64)
Halima continues by describing the playing field, and the teacher’s staff room. With that description, I could personally visualize the classroom that Halima would be spending the next months of her life in. After reading the descriptions of the setting, the reader is able to follow the story as it progresses.
Another place where the author uses imagery is when the modern houses of the Arabs are described. After the British gave all their power over to the Arabs, the Arabs figured that they controlled the black population, and with this power, they possess the modern houses with electricity and running water.
“She flicked a switch on the wall, and as if by magic lights in the ceiling lit up. We washed our hands with running water, before being treated to a slice of cake and some pop. As we are, I looked around me at the smooth walls, and the smart, glossy furniture. The walls of my uncle’s house were rough, homemade mud blocks, whereas here they were bright red bricks.”(Chapter 8; page 99)
This description of the house shows the distinction of the Africain, and Arab classes. The Arab’s are obviously the more wealthy class, and the Africans are just living on what they can find. In the next few paragraphs after the passage I quoted, Halima goes on to describe the slaves that work in the Arab houses. I thought it was interesting that Africans were being slaves in their home country. Also, Africans were the majority in Sudan, and the Arab’s were the minority, yet the Arab’s still dominated the social hierarchy. I just found it interesting how different the culture in Sudan is than the culture in the United States is.

Figurative language.

"I told them about the two Khawajat that I'd seen in the market.  I described  the woman's hair, like fine threads of spun gold, and the man's bushy beard, flame red like the setting sun." (Ch. 7,  Pg. 84.)

I liked this use of figurative language that the author, Halima, uses.  The two Khawajat, she is referring to are two Germans who are trying to build a better life for the people in this region.  I thought it was very interesting the way she described the man and woman, because she described the mans beard like the setting sun.  I don't think that people in are society would use adjectives like that.  I also think that this section is important to the reader, because of the way she is describing them.  We have to sort of think like the author in order to understand exactly what she is describing.  It makes me  understand  where she is coming from a little more, because what other red object could she compare the man's beard to. Also in this passage the children are antagonizing and literally chasing these two Germans, yelling Khawajat at them.  The author goes on to say how people in this region know about and have heard about white people, but many have never seen a white person.  That strikes me as something interesting, because In America we see people of different colors and nationalities every single day.  People in other parts of the world don't necessarily see people who look different then themselves.

Literary Elements

Writer Halima Bashir does an amazing job in the use of imagery, and describing in intricate detail what is going on. She also makes things stand out by repeating a certain phrase or idea to make it stick in your brain. The mood especially shines throughout the piece, changing from one to another as her life continues on. One example of imagery is when Bashir describes her experience of being circumcised, or in the books reference "cutting time". When girls in the tribe reach the age of 8 and are supposed to go off to school, they must go through the ritual of circumcision. When Bashir writes A huge, grotesquely fat woman came to join us... The fat lady sat down next to me... I realized that there was no ecaping now." I can just picture her lying there terrified as if i'm in the room. As the ritual continues Bashir describes the procedure "With the first slash of the razor blade, a bolt of agony shot through me like nothing I had ever experienced." Although this isn't the most pleasant thing to imagine, Bashir continues to do an amazing job describing what young girls have to go through. Her use of repetition in the book is seen with her white eye lash. It is first uncovered in the beginning when her father expresses his love for Halima and why she will be so lucky. Later, Halima describes an event when her eyelash is almost ripped out by a man, showing the importance of such a tiny hair. Lastly, when she goes to the doctor he analyzes the eyelash and explains how lucky Halima is. Dr. Hing says "Your daughter-she is very lucky." An example of the mood change is when Halima and Kadiga went with Grandmother to the Lost Valley. You feel the eeriness of the adventure when she writes "We passed through the rocky cleft, the forest closing in all around us, thick and black and mysterious... stillness only broken by the sharp snap of breaking wood and our labored breathing." I am excited to continue reading and see what other literary elements are to come.

Week Three

Welcome to Week Three of the Discussion! This weeks discussion will run from Monday, March 9 to Sunday, March 15.

This week's discussion will be on figurative language and literary elements in your book. Please find an example of these in your book and POST a 10-sentence comment on it. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, please don't wait until the last minute.

Setting in Tears of the Desert

Taking place in Darfur, or Sudan, the small village Halima and her family live in seems to be very rural. Not so much like a farm, but I picture it more as a sand-filled little hut village. The Zaghawa tribe is proud to say they have never been conquered by the white men of Britain throughout their existence. Halima's father is one of the most successful men in the Zaghawa tribe, so their home or bah is bigger then other huts. The hut is divided into different rooms, some for sleeping and one for a central living area. Outside of their home is a chicken coop with a small yard enclosed with a tree branch fence. The village has its own water supply coming from a well that everyone shares. Kids play in the mud as women collect their weeks amount of water for their family. School in the village takes place under a tree for shade, and teaches simple yet key things to the young students. A good distance from the village is a place called the Jebel Marra, a forest where women go to collect wood. As Halima grows older her father decides to send her to a town called Hashma so she can attend a better school. She lives with her uncle there, whose house is similar to theirs in the village. However other houses in the city are much more extravagent. They have brick walls, and glass windows and electricity which Halima admires. Her school, The Hashma Junior Academy for Girls, Halima describes as the smartest place she has ever set foot in. There are classrooms with desks and blackboards, and a play field and buildings with iron roofs. I have not yet gotten into the tragedies in the Darfur land, but so far it seems like a beautiful place.

Setting

The setting in Tears of the Desert is very well described in the novel. The author does a terrific job in allowing the reader to see where the story takes place in their mind. From the descriptions I’ve read, I see the village as a dusty, and very rural place. I think it allows the reader to realize the difference of wealth in Africa compared to what’s considered wealthy in the United States. Even though Halima’s family is very rich, they still live in huts, which would be considered very poor in the United States. The setting helps show the culture of the Zaghawa tribe, and how the landscape shapes how they live their lives. For example, although there is firewood for sale in the village, Halima’s grandmother is very persistent on fetching her own firewood, and in order to accomplish this chore, they must walk far distances. This part of the setting also helps the reader envision the Zaghawa village as a spread out community that’s pretty run down of natural resources. Also, it’s very distant from any major cities in the region. When Halima’s mother was rushed to the hospital, the author made sure the reader knew how secluded the village was from the nearest major city. Overall, I think the setting really helps the reader see where the story is taking place, and allows them to feel as if they are seeing the story in action while it’s happening.

Setting

The Setting in Tears of the desert seems to be very peaceful.  Although the landscape and weather seems to be harsh in a Americans point of view, the characters don't seem to be vexed by it.  I think when the author describes the chores that she had to do there, it also gives a very vivid description of the world around her.  You see the necessities of an older world, like fire wood, a village well, and medicine women. You also see the modern world in here to.  Jeeps, hospitals and the use of english when the father cursed the grandmother.  I think this mixture of worlds is very interesting, because of the very near conflict that will engulf the region.  Its hard to see the children playing warrior with wooden swords and mud horses, knowing what is coming soon.  I also think that the materials that they use describes the setting, because when there was little water, they tried to make things of entertainment, out of the mud around the well.  Its strange to see in American eyes how one of the richest families children makes things out of mud for entertainment. The people here have nothing, but the things of the earth around them. I think that shows a little bit about this region.

Character Analysis

From what I’ve read so far in Tears of The Desert, the main character seems like a character that could easily be related to. She seems like she’s a real person, and someone that knows what she’s talking about, which is obviously true since this is a memoir. Halima respects her elders, and does what she’s told. She seems like a very curious child, and is always asking questions about her family’s past, and other parts of life. She also complains about many things her grandma tells her to do, but I think she realizes that her grandma is only teaching her how to be a strong person, so she does as she’s told. Halima’s family is a wealthy family in their village. Her father has a car, and he’s one of the few in the village, which shows his success. Something Halima said in the first few chapters that I’ve read really surprised me. In their culture, they cut each other, and give each other specific scars on their faces, and they find these scars beautiful. I think this is interesting, because in our culture, scars aren’t the most attractive thing. In the Zaghawa culture, they’re seen as beautiful marks, and they represent a person’s accomplishments, as well as their family ties. Overall, I see Halima as a strong, curious, and smart young girl who’s proud of who she is.

Character Analysis

After reading a good section of Tears of the Desert, I have gotten a good feel for who the author Halima Bashir is. So far, the memoir has just elaborated on her childhood growing up in Sudan in the Zaghawa Tribe, which is split into three clans; Towhir, Coube, and Bidayat. Their family of 6 (so far), Halima, her Grandma Abu, Father Abdul or Okiramaj, Mother Eya, and brothers Mohammed and Omer are one of the wealthier families in the village. Their great fortune, her father believes, is due to the birth of Halima and her white eyelash spotted at birth. Being the first child, Halima and her father have bonded the most. Her name, coming from the medicine woman who saved her father's life, means a lot in the Bashir house, or bah in Zaghawa. The nickname Rathebe was given to Halima as well by her father. Halima's dark dark skin and tameless hair sets her apart from most of the young girls in the tribe, including her best friend Kadiga. However, Halima enjoys the different look because it makes her feel independent. Most of the girls wear simple clothes, always barefoot and their hair in special braids. Halima is a fighter with speed, just like her grandma, but is still a young girl who cuddles up to her mum and father. In the Zaghawa tribe it is a tradition to get marked on your face, but Halima has yet to have it done, as I have only read to her age of 8. From my understanding of the index, Halima will continue to explain her life as it progresses, so I am excited to see who she grows to be. At the end of the first chapter, Halima writes "When my father told me "and who knows, maybe one day you will be a healer just like the village medicine woman Halima," My father didn't know it, but his words were a prophecy of the future." This foreshadowing tells me Halima will make change to the horrors of Darfur.

Week 1

Week Two

Welcome to Week Two of our discussion. This discussion will last from Monday, March 2nd to Sunday, March 9th.

This week's discussion is on Setting. Please POST a 10-sentence comment on setting. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, but waiting is not recommended!

Week One!

Welcome to Week 1 of our Discussion. This discussion will last from Monday, February 23rd to Sunday, March 1.

This week's discussion is on Character. Please POST a 10 sentence comment on character. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, but don't wait until the last minute!!!

ARE YOU GOING TO READ THIS BOOK?

If so, please comment on this post with your name and hr and answer the following 2 questions by Monday, February 2nd.

1. Why do you want to read this?
2. How are you going to acquire the book?

Welcome!

Welcome to 3rd quarter OR. The book we will be discussing here is Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir. This is a brief summary of the book.

"Eyewitness account of the systematic genocide inflicted on the black African tribes of Darfur province by Sudan's Arab government. Assisted by British broadcast journalist Lewis (co-author: Slave: My True Story, 2004), Bashir begins with her mostly happy childhood in a small village in the western desert. She does not whitewash the past, however: As a young girl she resisted the ritual facial scarification that was customary in her Zaghawa tribe, but could not escape genital mutilation (described in horrific detail). She was the daughter of a cattle herder prosperous enough to send her away to secondary school and to medical school in Khartoum, where she endured (and defied) Arab scorn and mistreatment. While the initial chapters charm with their fascinating portrait of tribal desert life, those that follow are grim. When government officials learned of the young doctor's determination to treat the wounded from both sides of the conflict destroying Darfur, Bashir was at first threatened and then detained and gang-raped. Following the burning of her village and the rape and slaughter of its inhabitants, she fled south and after some months was able, with the help of a paid agent, to board a plane leaving Sudan. The memoir's final portion recounts her life in England, where she entered a marriage arranged long-distance by her father. Bashir and her husband (a cousin from her village) repeatedly attempted to gain asylum as refugees, but they were nearly deported; thanks to publicity drummed up by the Aegis Trust, an NGO active in efforts to end the Darfur crisis, they were able to remain in England. Bashir still has no knowledge of the fate or whereabouts of her family in Sudan.An epilogue provides statistics about the extent of the killing and devastation in Darfur, the failed attempts of the international community to halt it and the enabling role of China, a major importer of Sudanese oil and principal supplier of its arms. Both heartrending and chilling."
Courtesy of: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Tears-of-the-Desert/Halima-Bashir/e/9780345506252/?itm=1