Our Insistence Upon Resistance - Original Writing

In An Argument for Being a Poser, Liz Armstrong describes the crucial dilemma every young person faces about their identity, and to which subgenre do they belong to. Armstrong argues that such question can be both totally ridiculous, and actually very important; which leads to beginning of the process of discovering “who you are.” Furthermore, she describes the fictional subculture that you chose for your escape; within your chosen subgenre you don’t have to pretend to be different, and people understand you. In other words, your chosen subgenre is your place of escape, it is the place where acceptance and freedom is present. Besides, the fact of looking for a hidey-hole, she informs us with a life changing situation at the age of 16 years old. She describes the experience as being life changing, the kids she came across were simultaneously were role-playing and professing as being someone which they weren’t part of. Consequently, Armstrong used that moment to adapt to new change, which she describes as “not dressing up or being normal again.” She describes herself looking like a punk one day with a spiked collar, a crushed-velvet mini skirt the another day. Thus, for that reason she couldn’t fit in with honor students, nor the art kids. She couldn’t fit in with the honor student because for them she was too weird, but for the art kids she couldn’t draw. For this reason, she went from being a straight-A student to a what she describes a poser. Furthermore, Armstrong argues

Henry David Thoreau uses Aristotle’s appeals in his essay “Civil Disobedience” to convey his beliefs and to convince others to think how he does. He wants people to realize how truly flawed the American system of government is, he does this by showing how he has been personally wronged by the government and how he knows the government can take control of you.

Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and essay writer who lived from 1817-1862. His essay “Civil Disobedience” was written when the Mexican American war was happening and slavery was still being allowed. Thoreau made his essay trying to convince the people of that current United States to rebel against the government when the government is being unfair. His purpose was to create a community which was aware of the government and fight for others not just care for themselves. He did this to get people to care for the mexicans and the slaves who were being mistreated. Throughout the essay Thoreau sounds concerned for the people of his time who do not care for the mexicans or slaves. To convince his audience that we need revolution audience he appeals to their logic by using rhetorical strategies, like extended metaphors, rhetorical questions, and oxymorons.

Sophomore year of high school, I needed a change. I decided to cut off six inches of my hair off. I was no longer the girl who hid behind her hair, I was ‘edgy.’ Even though I love my new short hair cut, there’s not much that can be done with short hair. Therefore, when my brother was planning to get married

Many women agree that wearing a veil is as “insult” towards their rights. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially because we didn’t understand why we had to,” says one of the girls at school (Satrapi 681). They complained that it was too hot and some go ahead and take them off and play with them. Some used their veil to jump rope or throw them away. “Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations for and against the veil” (Satrapi 683). Satrapi is unsure about how she feels when wearing the veil. She states how she was “born with religion” and believes that she would be “the last prophet” ever since she was little. She has a holy book, which has the rules of the first prophet of her country, Zarathustra. She claimed life must be based on “Behave well, Speak well, Act well.” Her grandmother is the only person who knows about her holy book, which she has. The rules say that all should have cars, that maids should eat with others, and that the elderly should not have to suffer. As Satrapi’s grandma questions how she will make it so the elderly will not suffer, Satrapi states, “It will simply be forbidden (Satrapi

I knew that wearing my hijab would identify me as a Muslim, but I was not aware that it would also cause me to be the target for my community’s ignorance. I never thought that it would distance me from people that I grew up with or that people would interrogate my parents about my hijab. I also constantly felt out of place and misunderstood in my community and my society until I realized that the place that I once held in my society had changed. My place in my society had changed the moment I decided to wear my hijab. I was no longer viewed as the smart Bengali girl with the silky jet-black hair; I was no longer just that girl. I was the girl who wore a hijab, and with wearing a hijab came greater responsibilities, my

I believe it is better to do what pleases the real you before doing what would please a hypothetical other. Because of this, the act of resistance that I most identify with is in Alif the Unseen, with the choice of Dina to reject what she is “supposed” to do, and instead dress as she pleases. Her decision to wear the Niqab as an expression of her devotion to sainthood, despite the fact that it would make her worth less to others is a powerful one. Unlike Intisar, who veiled herself elaborately as a mark of high class, Dina chose to do so to resist her expected role as the “bare-faced, underpaid ornament to someone’s office or nursery,” and create for herself a world that she finds beautiful (Wilson, 2012, p. 30). This relates to my life in how I reject the obligation to always dress in a way that is expected of my gender, and instead present myself in a way that pleases me, even if to others it may make me less valuable. Dina and I both place importance on being our most authentic selves, even if doing so is not consistent with what our cultures would want of us.

I attended a new high school and from that day on, I decided to be shamelessly me. I wore my hair natural more often, the way I’ve come to love. I experimented with products, styles, and twists and always give my curls the freedom to swim through the wind. I no longer need the bows and bobs to fill my tiara; my hair found a voice for herself. In the summer, she’s an unpredictable and powerful lion’s mane; in the winter, she transforms into an ethereal halo surrounding my head. My hair defies gravity and standards. She dances in the sun showers to Indie Rock and welcomes the falling golden-orange leaves. We dash through the busy school hallways together, ignoring the objects that inevitably tumble out. We form relationships with confidence and we look fierce doing it. We stick out like Hercules among mortals. And we wouldn’t want it any other

Peaceful resistance is an important approach to resolving public issues. It always has been. Also known as civil disobedience, peaceful resistance positively impacts a free society. It can have negative ones, but they are mostly positive.

Sometimes it’s something so small and simple that can make all the difference. Take for example when a women can alter a drab black dress into a drop dead, “girl where did you get that outfit moment”. Sarah Mower’s, article ‘ A Passion For Detail’, written in Harper Bazaar magazine circa 1994 explores her personal journey from grunge and an answer to a calling for a skinny black belt(Mower) which initiated her to once again ‘feel like a girl again (Mower).

A hijab I wear to preserve my modesty but it’s much more than that. I can define who I am by wearing the hijab. When I step outside my house every day I know that I’m seen as a walking representation of Islam. And, to know that everything I do is going to be watched or criticized by others is a lot to consume. Because the religion of Islam is not being talked about in a positive way these days by many. I might not like it, but there’s a spotlight on me every time I walk into a room. I have to constantly watch my actions or words when I’m at school, work, the mall or the grocery store. Keeping a smile on my face so people don’t think I’m a sad oppressed Muslim woman. I would love to change a person’s negative perception of the hijab

The hijab is a symbol of piety, patriotism,courage, and resistance not of terrorism, oppression, fanaticism. The hijab is a choice and a movement. In the online magazine TIME, a article originally from the online magazine xojane Mariam Gomaa an American Muslim graduate from Northwestern University who experienced growing up in a post 9-11 environment declares a radically different narrative choosing to wear the hijab as a sociopolitical statement. She counters American trepidation by asserting her own civil rights articulating that, “My religion should not be shed for the sake of someone else’s comfort.”She ties her sense of identity to the hijab crafting the fabric into one of sociopolitical sentiments, describing it as the “American hijab, the antithesis and retaliation to whiteness and the American media, and a nod of solidarity to other people of color.”The hijab is a form of resistance in America, a rejection of Western Influence. She uses the hijab to reclaim and rewrite the western narrative of Muslim women and people as a whole. She takes on the role of contributing and furthering American Islam as started by iconic Muslim figures like Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar by wearing the hijab as an act of defiance against social convention by refusing to the terror and pressure to refuse her religious freedom for the sake of appeasing the world. American Muslim Hijabis fight for social consciousness and social justice advocating for cultural diffusion rather than letting a symbol of cultural identity be removed. She concludes, “This more than a fabric its choosing to be different and a nonconformist and wearing it with pride” This is an act of empowerment, and liberation from societal popular expectations in regards to “beauty,identity,race, and culture”. Women like Gomma exemplify the point of Mallak Al Husban in

The practice of veiling has been a topic of controversy amongst several Muslim and non-Muslim scholars (Ruby, 2006). The “new hijab phenomenon” originated in Cairo approximately two decades ago. Although not a common practice in Cairo, by the year 2000 over 80% of women adopted some form of veiling. The practice of veiling has also been embraced by several other Muslim societies around the world (Carvalho, 2013). The Western world has associated veiling as a form of oppression, gender inequality, and has been an object of pity and fear (Bullock, 2007 & Haleh, 2008). However, these stereotypes are not always reflective of the many who do wear it (Bullock, 2007).

Raihan Ismail is a lecturer in Middle East Politics and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University. In an interview with ABC Radio Canberra - Explainer: Why do Muslim women wear a burka, niqab or hijab? (Source: James Vyver, 2017) Dr Ismail stated "Some women wear it because they strongly believe it is their religious obligation," Dr Ismail also acknowledged that in some circumstances women might be compelled into concealing themselves from public view. "There is a possibility that some husbands would tell their wives 'wear the niqab, I don't want any other men to see you' which is possessive," she said. Such instances, where the freedom and rights of a Muslim woman are challenged is the driving power behind the campaign published by the ISHR. In this context, the representation of the burqa therefore can be controversial as a symbol of persecution and domination of gender roles in the Middle East.