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[abb-artofwarandpeace]

Beasts of No Nation - pt. 2

As I finish this book, I have tried to read it as a holistic art piece rather than simply just literature. In class, we have learned many tools to rhetorically break down the intention and aspects of society that are being commented on in this piece. I believe that the use of imagery, color and more is meant to get the readers’ imagination to at the very least attempt to create the scene that Agu is in. I believe that by recreating the visuals one can be transported to a point where one can start to see the experience that is happening. From there, one can begin to develop the emotions that coincide. Agu’s youthfulness resonates with a younger version of myself and I find myself feeling bad for Agu. I come from a privileged background and I consider myself lucky to have been given the resources. What frustrates me in this story is that Agu was so close to actualizing the potential that even he saw in himself. Midway through the book, we see a comparison of a city to the market that is supported by lore told by the commandant. He stated that because the greed of the man radiates through the town, “... you can never be trusting anybody or anything in this town. It is the market. It is having everything, but nothing is ever really how it is looking. I feel this is a perfect analogy for how many of us see the world. As I write this, I use technology and resources that most likely have been built by or transported by those that may be experiencing or have experienced similar feelings as Agu. These people are simply just trying to survive, yet, are put into these horrific scenarios due to the greed for wealth and power that those who have ascertained positions of power search for. The idea of the macro view of the beautiful city as looking nice and in good health juxtaposed to the micro reality of the dead animals, bullet holes, and sickly people is perfect to explain the realities of the military-industrial complex. This book has presented a wonderful and graphic outlook on the child soldier and what they feel and experience in the violent hellscape that is war and terror. I am thankful to have gotten the opportunity to read this as I probably would not have initially picked it up myself.

[abb-artofwarandpeace]

Beasts of No Nation - pt. 1

Beasts of No Nation, written by Uzodinma Iweala, is a piece of literature that in my eyes brings a detailed outlook on one of the more complicated situations that some youth find themselves in. The book conveys, in a vividly brutal manner, truths of what a person involved in war has to come to terms with. The escalation of the mental and moral torment that the protagonist Agu faces throughout the first few chapters is representative of the escalation of violence that occurs in war as well. The power that murder and violence has on an individual and others is terrorism itself. No one plans to be a killing machine as a child. Agu had imagined himself as a noble soldier, not a killer. But, when Agu finds himself in the role, he cannot disassociate with the label as it is truer than even being a soldier. I find it very powerful that Iweala manages to showcase the intense juxtaposition of Agu’s past to his present. I think that one feels a sense of sadness to see a child that was so eager to learn and pursue their interests become trapped in a cycle of violence. The sheer vulnerability exemplified in Agu’s character is reminiscent of many young people today. We often are encouraged to blame each participant in these scenarios despite the context that led them to take up such roles. Everyone is only subject to the power constraints around them. When one is left with the choice to starve or join a terrorist group in order to survive, it’s hard to blame someone for at least wanting to survive and to be taken care of. I believe an aspect that Agu also represents is the desire of humans to be validated. The feeling that someone is willing to take care of you despite the many reasons why they should not is complicated and important in any relationship. In Agu’s instance, they simply could have killed him or left him to die. A question posed by someone in our class rings true in this instance: If someone has bad intention but the impact of their actions are still good then is it a just action? If the militants wanted more soldiers to fight for their cause and ended up saving people from disease and starvation through their support then is it a good cause in some ways? I believe that a deeper analysis of situations like these gives context to understand how violence occurs and how to prevent it in the future.

[abb-artofwarandpeace]

Fifty Years of The Battle of Algiers: Past as Prologue

Sohail Daulatzai writes a profound analysis on the implications that the film The Battle of Algiers has had on biopolitics in today’s day and age. I found it fascinating that a film, as old as it is, can still be representative in a “modern” society. The reasoning for the quotes on “modern” is, as Daulatzai makes it bluntly known, our society still has far to go in terms of equality and representation in the global arena. Issues such as colonialism, white supremacy, nationalism, and sovereignty are still heavily debated when in the eyes of those who are oppressed it seems as simple as institutionalized racism and oppression on all fronts. What showcases this is the fact that a film that was meant to induce a feeling of sympathy for the struggle of those fighting against colonial pressure in Algeria; was turned into an example of how to engage in counter insurgency measures in the Middle East by the Pentagon. I find this disturbing and I believe that this exemplifies how intent can easily be manipulated given the context that something is presented in. The malleability of information aids in its ability for propaganda to take advantage of it in order to better support the motives of the ones who present it. I feel that this is the danger that is ever present in today’s society. Media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, or Facebook tend to sensationalize for the purpose of gaining attention and to fear monger for the purpose of gaining followers. This is the capitalist machine at work and it continues to manipulate the truth and inhibit the accurate representation of the struggles that those who are fighting against oppression face. Daulatzai’s writing about this film and the implications of it opened my eyes to the importance of content and perspective when it comes to media.

[abb-artofwarandpeace]

“The thing that’s going to change people, is something that no one is ever going to be able to capture on film.”

[abb-artofwarandpeace]

Banality of Empathy

This week’s discussion on the banality of empathy was quite fruitful in my opinion. What really stuck out to me was the idea of representative thinking rather than trying to assert yourself into a point-of-view or perspective. By this, I mean not necessarily feeling what they feel, but imagining the other side and the implications and contexts that are present. I have sometimes wondered whether empathy is simply an emotional performance put on by those who happen to be more privileged in a situation. Much of this stems from the fact that usually after those flurry of emotions that occur during empathy rarely does action follow from the individual. In turn, this implies that empathy does not equate to altruistic actions. However, I do believe that seeing something does provide imagery on what a situation is and how an individual can imagine the situation with representative thinking. This requires the imagery to be authentic and legitimate from those who are going through a situation that is being viewed by the “empathizer”. A point brought up in class that I feel shows how zero-sum empathy actually is; is how the “empathizer” is the only one receiving any reward in the situation. They get to feel good about the fact that they felt bad for someone. This was actually pertinent on my study abroad trip that I took in Costa Rica this past winter break. During the trip, we were guided through impoverished neighborhoods and shown the conditions that those who aren’t able to make a ton of money live in. Students on the trip, myself included, felt that there was something not quite right about the premise of this “poverty tour” that we had found ourselves on. Yes, being able to actually see the conditions gave us a perspective and understanding of how these people live. However, to go around and have the people living there see us walking around looking at them as if they were zoo attractions felt wrong. A member of the trip pointed out to me that all we were doing on this trip was going around and being like, “Oh damn… that sucks.” or “Wow, this is really a tough situation for these people,” but not actually doing anything to change or help the situation. To me, this experience solidified the banality of empathy and that in order for real change to happen the idea of taking action needs to be prioritized rather than simply a step in the process of empathy.