Suheir Hammad's poem almost made me cry as I was listening to it, i felt that it could have a strong impact on almost anyone who watches it. While listening to her poem, I analyzed it through Aristotle's rhetorical appeals, logos, ethos, and pathos. You can tell very quickly that Suheir Hammad was able to appeal to her audience on the pathos side easily. There were many different ethnic groups there listening to her poem and as you watch the audience you can tell every one of them is affected by her poem. Her poem gives a vivid image of what happened on September 11, 2011, an example of this was when she says, "...sky where once was steal, smoke where once was flesh." (Hammad 0:34). Just listening to that you get an image in your head of where the towers and people inside them once were and now it is no more. Ethos and Logos are also used in her poem as well. An example of this is when she says, "My hand went to my head and my head to the dead Iraqi children, the dead in Nicaragua and Rwanda who vied with fake sport wrestling for America's attention"(Hammad 1:20). She is clearly knowledgeable about this issue and she is caring about that issue trying to prove to others that we need to stop paying attention to just what's happening in America and pay attention to other countries too.
I found her to be very persuasive and I agreed with her argument. I feel that anyone who listens to this will relate to her in some way, even if in the beginning you're convinced you won't be you will end up relating to some form of her poem, just by the way she speaks she captures the audience attention. I think that her argument was that Bin Laden and all the people involved in blowing up the twin towers do not represent her as a person or even her as an Arab. Those people are their own person and she is also her own person and just because they are the same nationality and their skin color is the same doesn't mean they are relate-able at all. I also think she wants Americans to realize this too, and it makes her angry because she has no involvement and lives in America but they just assume she knows things about it because of her nationality which is very ignorant of Americans in general. I think that Suheir Hammad's poem is very persuasive and she makes many points that everyone can relate to.
I almost cried too!! her poem was so motivating
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you said, she was very strong about her arguments and made good points.
ReplyDeleteyes !! i almost cried too it was soo touching and real !
ReplyDeleteI have taught this poem for three years and it was not until recently that I could hear it without crying.
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