This Goldfish Would You Wish

Looking for Palestine by Najla Said is a coming of age story with a twist. Set mainly in New York City, Said tells us about growing up Palestinian-Lebanese American in a time when difference was not necessarily celebrated, and dealing with the demons in her own mind so that she could fully accept herself. Born to the world renown Dr. Edward Said and his wife, Mariam, Said spends her summers traveling to her mother’s home in Lebanon to visit family, learning to value the culture she was born into. Unfortunately, this love of her culture begins to fade as Said enters a primarily Caucasian elementary school. There she is faced with the idea that her culture is different and that she

Diversity is said to make us unique and beautiful, yet too often it creates the ugliest conflicts. History will tell us more often than not that fundamental components of human life (race, religion, politics, culture, etc) are the root of many conflicts. Yet, people seem to make our discrepancies seem praiseworthy, and that we must accept them wholeheartedly. Although acceptance is crucial in forming a more empathetic society, it is important to recognize that one’s willingness to accept others is shaped by their past experiences and upbringing.

My So-Called Enemy is arguably the most powerful piece with the theme of tolerance. Palestinian and Israeli girls must learn to bond with one another regardless of their social, political , or religious background . Tolerance is the whole key of the documentary and what resolves the turmoil between the girls as they learn to accept one another through their

Acceptance is trusting, having confidence, and be welcoming of others. Being able to accept people with an open mind may be difficult at times but depending on our experience and the way we have come to be it can sometimes be very natural. In the three texts, “What, of This Goldfish Would You Wish”, “The Lottery”, and “American Flag Stands for Tolerance,” the author’s focus on the way we interact and relate with others. This quote, “We as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves” said by Barbara Jordan, demonstrates how everyone should be open and willing to accept those who are different and not to discriminate against others.

The stories, “The Monkey’s Paw” and “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish,” are both based on the idea of what someone would do with three wishes. “The Monkey’s Paw” is a short story based on a family which acquires a monkey’s paw that is magical. In the end, it causes many problems for the family. “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish” is a legend about an Israeli boy,Yoni, who is shooting a documentary about what would people wish for if they had a magic goldfish who grants three wishes. One of the interviews goes wrong, and Yoni is killed, but he comes back to life because of a wish granted by a magic goldfish. Although the stories, “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W.W. Jacobs, and “What, of this Goldfish, Would You Wish,” by Etgar Keret, have different settings and the last wished used are contrasting, the magic talisman grants three wishes in both stories.

Chapter three of Eyal Press’ Beautiful Souls follows Avner Wishnitzer, an Israeli combat soldier serving in the occupied territories during the Second Intifada. In the 6-Day War of 1967, Israel captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and has since kept the land under an Israeli military occupation. In 1987 to 1991, a Palestinian uprising involving resistance and civil disobedience, known as the First Intifada, occurred in the occupied territories. Consequently, Israel deployed many soldiers into the occupied territories, and an estimated 1,674 people were killed in total. The Second Intifada, a much more violent Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories, transpired from 2000 until 2005. In response, Israel enacted Operation Defensive Shield, a large-scale military operation, in 2002 to stop the terrorist attacks and suicide bombings of the Second Intifada. An approximate 4,426 people were killed in the Second Intifada. Avner Wishnitzer’s public refusal to serve in the occupied territories was worth getting kicked out of Sayeret Matkal and being disgraced by Israeli society because it made people question the occupation and the treatment towards Palestinians. Even if Avner had been my father, I would have condoned his choices because I could create my own reputation in the military. Additionally, the current controversy over the Israeli occupation legitimizes his stance and actions for many Israeli citizens.

Israel and Palestine have been battling over territory, dominance, and political freedom for many years. After the Second World War, Israeli forces occupied Palestinian territory, ridding the land of Arabs. In response, the Palestinian people demanded control over their historic land, but the Israelis refused to relinquish power over the territory. In a matter of six days, the Jewish Israeli people conquered the West Bank all the way through to the Sinai Peninsula. After the war, the Israeli forces continued to take over Palestinian land by putting pressure on them to abandon their nation. Due to this ongoing conflict, Sahar Khalifeh utilizes violence and social constraints to explore the lives of Israeli and Palestinian men through vivid diction and descriptive imagery in the 1985 novel Wild Thorns.

‘Wild Thorns’ by Sahar Khalifeh is an insightful commentary that brings to life the Palestinian struggle under the Israeli Occupation and embodies this conflict through the different perspectives brought forth by the contrasting characters. We are primarily shown this strife through the eyes of the principal character, the expatriate Usama, as well as the foil character of his cousin, Adil. Khalifeh skillfully uses literary devices such as emotive language, allusions and positive and negative connotations to highlight life under the Occupation. As the audience, these techniques help encourage us to consider the struggle more in depth, and due to the wide variety of characters, invite us to relate to them.

Being understanding and accepting of others can’t be useful in establishing positive relationships with those that are different from us. I the short story “What of This Goldfish, Would you Wish?” by Etgar Keret, the characters show how they do and do not accept people who are different. In the short story “ the wife's story” by Ursla k. Le Guin, the characters reveal that they're not accepting of people who are different than them. Lastly in from texas v.s johnson a majority court opinion by William J. Brennan, there are examples of acceptance of those who are different.

What would it be like to be completely surrounded by war in one’s own home? For two children in The Bite of a Mango and A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, this was their everyday reality. The Bite of a Mango follows the life of a twelve year old girl named Mariatu Kamara. A Long Way gone follows the life of a fourteen year boy named Ishmael Beah. Both books are true stories that personally recount the events of how the war affected not only their towns, but themselves as children. In both stories, the families must face unimaginable hardships and obstacles. They must make decisions and navigate through life to determine how to survive and make it through. Despite the fact that Mariatu and Ishmael both has an association with the

Is a mood changing story about a young girl named Dumas. She was seven years old when she had to move with her family to America in 1972, They moved because of their Dad's new job. The two years she was there, She was swarmed with questions, Confusion, And bullies. Since in the 1970’s, People didn't know much or anything about Iran, Where it is, What it looks like, People, Culture, Etc. Dumas was a strong girl and knew how to handle situations well. People didn't seem to really care about the culture or geography, they cared about Camels, and what the camels ate. Not only did clueless Americans surround her, Bullies did too. They would taunt her and tease her saying “I ran to I-ran” pg.91 Dumas. However, She was strong, and at such an age, it can be hard to deal with people like this, The bullies wanted to know some ‘’Dirty words” in her native language, So, She taught them “Man Kharam” which translates to, “I’M AN IDIOT!”

She realised that people of any age will do anything to assist what they are fighting for. Furthermore, Stack lived through a portion of the second Palestinian intifada. During this struggle countless suicide bombers came by day and Israeli tanks acquired Palestinian land in the West Bank by night. Stack describes this period of time as complete chaos, where, “violence fed violence. Blood washed blood”. Stack knew a Palestinian woman who was a victim of the brutality during the first intifada. She was tortured during the days of this time period for being part of an underground Palestinian political movement. Stack’s Palestinian friend was “tortured for days, beaten, abused, threatened with rape” by a barbaric Israeli interrogator. Although she faced strong hostility from the interrogator, she also faced kindness in the form of an anonymous Israeli man who “sat with her hour after dark hour” and attempted to help her get through the pain. This shows that an individual can interact with both negative and positive things throughout a conflict. Stack later faced a conflict when she wrote a feature about how the body parts of suicide bombers had caused a policy debate in Israel. This feature caused Stack to receive hundreds of hate mails regarding as to how she “humanized [suicide bombers]” by writing about them as actual people with families.

Ever since, Palestinians have had to adapt to new places and cultures in order to survive, which makes it more difficult for them to preserve their own. Said presents several examples of transculturation throughout the essay. For instance, the use of the Mercedes, even though Said describes it in negative terms, the use of the Mercedes has come in handy for Palestinians. Enduring one disaster after another, Palestinian identity is arduous to preserve in exile. It is a struggle of having no country. Our country is a big part of who we are. As we are born, we are destined to become a part of it. It becomes part of our identity. Things that we grew up with meant something to us. We usually treasure things that became part of our lives. Even unconsciously, we take hold of it. Home brings us memories, memories that we want to hold on up to our last breath.

The story “Araby” as told by James Joyce is about a young boy that is fascinated with the girl across the street. But deeper down the story is about a very lonely boy lusting for her love and affection. Throughout the story, we see how the frustration of first love, isolation and high expectations breaks the main character emotionally and physically. James Joyce uses the first-person viewpoint to tell this story which helps influence the plot, characterization, themes, and understanding of the main character.

Joe Sacco’s graphic novel, Palestine, deals with the repercussions of the first intifada in Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land. The story follows the author through the many refugee camps and towns around Palestine as he tries to gather information, stories, and pictures to construct his graphic novel. While the book is enjoyable at a face level, there are many underlying themes conveyed throughout its illustrated pages and written text.