Entry 1

I chose this class because I was intrigued by how it focuses on a minority group in America, which set it apart from other literature courses. I wanted to learn more about the Arab American community, and their experience thus far. I realize that I know very little about this community, and saw this as an opportunity to educate myself, and expand my knowledge. I was also interested in knowing great writers from different cultures. As a young kid, I've always loved to read, and would get lost in my imagination while reading. This course offers both my love for books, as well as interest in different cultures.

I hope to learn more about Arab American culture in this course. I also want to understand the journey that many of these writers embark on. I also hope to find out more about different authors, as well as books. I am interested in better understanding how life changed for this community after the 9/11 incident. As a minority myself, I can sympathize with the importance of keeping one's ethic identity while living in a completely different country, and I want to be able to see their perspectives. While reading the article, many authors talk of keeping their identity, and it was something that I could relate to.  Sam Hamod said "There is something lost in the blood" when talking about how Arabs were forced to americanize their names, and it left quite an impact on me due to a similar experience. I had my name changed to Hannah when I first arrived to the US, and I only recently started going by Hana again. I believe that this course will help me learn about how other minority groups in the US operate, and I want to hear more stories about people I am able to relate to.

I have very little knowledge on the Arab American community, which is a huge reason why I took this course. My knowledge goes as far as being aware of the discriminations that they had to face due to stereotypes derived from September 11. I hope to learn the beautiful aspects of this culture, and the rich stories that authors from Arab American backgrounds compose of.