MODULE FOUR - Discussion Board

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Southern New Hampshire University *

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Arts Humanities

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Jan 9, 2024

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MODULE FOUR – Discussion Board  Share connections you see between cultural studies or New Historicism and the chosen work. For example, you might respond like this: "The topic of 'Reaching Guantánamo' relates well to this theory because..." The connection between the literary theory of cultural studies and “Reaching Guantanamo” can be understood in many ways. Cultural studies are able to be represented by experiences, perspectives, and consequences. In “Reaching Guantanamo” readers can explore how authors depict the physical and emotional journey of both Salim and Sharif in many different ways on their path to Guantanamo. These characteristics of cultural studies would give an integral account of the experiences of Sharif from the outside and Salim by inference from previous letters. In the excerpt below, Sharif states her reaction to severe emotion in these stanzas from letter eight: The neighbors got an apology And a few thousand dollars. They calculate based on And And age. The worth of a , of a human . hands shook as she opened . She took it out front And ripped it . a little pile And set fire to it right there, right in front of . (1-10) This illustrates the emotional journey that Sharif witnessed from her neighbor as well as an experience she’s having during the time when Salim is incarcerated. This example also highlights

perspectives of her life in the outside world through letters when Salim is inside the prison. By showing the emotional journey and differentiating encounters of Sharif and Salim, the illustration captures the complexities and subtleties of culture and society. It permits readers to pick up a more profound understanding of the characters and the social setting in which they exist. The stanza “And ripped it . a little pile / And set fire to it right there, right in front of .” (Sharif, lines 8-10) gives the reader the ability to see the anger her neighbors are emoting from something that could be purported to be a ‘pay off’ when in a previous line she stated, “And a few thousand dollars.” (Sharif, line 2). Additionally, cultural studies of “Reaching Guantanamo” could include interdisciplinary studies such as sociological, anthropological and historical. These different interdisciplinary studies help enable educators and literary scholars to explore the various aspects of “Reaching Guantanamo”, by understanding the cultural, social, and political dimensions of the detention camp and what it meant to Salim and Sharif during his incarceration. Cultural studies have investigated literary works in conjunction with other cultural practices and artifacts which may offer a complete understanding of the incredibly complex issues surrounding Guantanamo. As an example, experts might look at books like The Road to Guantanamo by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross or Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi to help explore how these literary works feature a different view on awareness about the experiences of those held at Guantanamo. This would also give good insight into the experiences of those they left behind. This in-depth look at other literary works helps scholars broaden their understanding of the cultural and social implications of the detention camp, which in turn, could give more guidance regarding the sociological, anthropological and historical meaning of “Reaching Guantanamo”.

 Justify your choice of theory. Why do you think this theory relates to the literary work chosen? What are the advantages or disadvantages to using the other theory? Cultural studies' literary theory has strong connections to "Reaching Guantanamo” due to the sociological aspects of the poem. There are many examples of the exploration of personal and familial identity as we are gleaning glimpses of how Salim’s incarceration at the detention camp affects Sharif. Using this lens, "Reaching Guantanamo" can relate to these cultural aspects by highlighting Sharif’s growing grief throughout the letters she sent to Salim. As an example, Sharif explores her life and emotions regarding Salim’s incarceration by trying to normalize his days with nonsensical things that she’s done throughout the day, including him on errands that she’s run or explaining about the nest she has seen. She states: have made a nest under our . An now the nestlings always . (1-3) Further, in another passage she shows how the detention of Salim affects her personally. She longs for him to be home and to hear his voice. She wrote: I want to hear you say “ please.” I want to hear you into the phone. (Sharif, lines 15-18) These sociological viewpoints of her correspondence serve as an excellent representation of her depicting cultural studies in literary theory. This focal point illustrates how Sharif's letters gave her a false sense that she was "near" Salim by giving him a look into her day, but in the long run

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