Courtney Adams Blog #8

I get goose bumps as Hammad reads her poem.  I felt that Hammad’s poem was very insightful and touching for different reasons. As her poem begin she reads, “Please God let it be a mistake, the pilots heart, the planes engine” (Hammad 0:33).  For every person who lived in the United States on September 11^th 2001, this pulls a heartstring.  By using such vivid pathos from that day, Hammad appeals to the audience of the entire US nation. As her poem progresses and she explains her story of being a Muslim of this time period she motivates people of color.  After the tragedy she explains, “One more person asked me if I know the highjackers … Assume they know me, or that I represent a people” (Hammad 2:09-2:22).  Her choice of words uses both ethos and pathos to describe her oppressed viewpoint.  She explains how often people of a specific race are looked upon as all the same.  There are not many facts or logos she can use to describe her poem.  What she is speaking about is an emotional journey without any data or numbers, so the omission of logos is acceptable.

I definitely believe that Hammad turns her poetry into her side of an argument surrounding the war.  Although she does not show the other side of the argument, her descriptions of the other acts of violence in the US and how she disagrees with them, introduces an argument.  She brings up the argument, “And when we talk about holy books, hooded men and death why never mention the KKK” (Hammad 2:56).  This resonates specifically in people of color but also calls out whites for their flaws.  Its as if she is arguing against the entire Caucasian community.  Not only has she felt personally persecuted to make her argue but she realizes how bias many people are for assuming all Muslims are terrorists.  She is fighting for her rights as an American citizen and to be treated no differently than any other white citizen.