Palestine By Joe Sacco; A Book Review Essay

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.

Elias Chocour’s novel, Blood Brothers, represents his point of view on the contemporary Palestinian position regarding the holy land of Israel. The book traces the transformation of Chocour’s life, from a Melkite Christian Palestinian boy into a powerful spiritual leader and innovative agent in facilitating better race relations in the region. He shows how Palestinian’ needs were left out during the formation of the State of Israel, and how their plight is highly misunderstood, and often grossly distorted because of ignorance. Chocour’s depiction of the problem facing non-Jews is highly illuminating, and Blood Brothers will dispel many illusions and fallacies that cloud the facts surrounding the

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.

1.) What did you find to be some key themes in this book? (Please list and describe at least 4).

In addition, I will examine the current state of political and human rights in Israeli occupied West Bank and analyze how they are approaching a level of apartheid. Finally, I will summarize the effects of these social tensions between Israel and Palestinians in the terms of how potential open conflict could reignite.

Once Usama returns, he is disgusted to find streets filled with complacent Arabs who have accepted the Israeli rule and “workers who bought things greedily, ate well, dressed well.” ‘Greedy’ is an important and interesting adjective the author uses to describe the people of Palestine, as it carries a very negative connotation that describes the people with a naked and selfish ambition along with a voracious lust for riches and wealth. Through this integration of ‘greedy,’ as the audience we are averse to the Palestinian people and empathize with Usama as he paints himself as the lone hero that will save Palestine. Through this crude description of the Palestinians, we can see that in his eyes, they have traded and

There are two very important themes in this book. One theme we do not want to acknowledge although we may need to enjoy the book to acknowledge, were as the other theme is an integral piece of the novel. The theme we do not want to acknowledge is that violence may be necessary and even the best option in certain situations. The theme we need to acknowledge is that no matter what we are, we are all living creatures and should treat each other as equals. This book is a very good read due to its deep messages, its impact on the series, and its incredible characters.

Edward Said’s “States” features an insightful, in depth analysis of “Orientalism” as it applies to Palestinians and Israelis. He begins with a description of Palestine and the Palestinian condition using photographs to demonstrate a more humanized perspective of these transient people. Said reflects on his childhood in Palestine and draws from personal experience to paint a picture of a people without a home, or to be more accurate, people without an identity. A rhetorical analysis reveals the levels to which Said’s persuasion actually manages to persuade the audience. Said’s use of pathos is strong and well developed due to his use of anecdotal evidence and his insistence on humanizing the issue, while his ethos is considerably boosted by his personal experiences in Palestine, with Israelis, and his comprehensive study of

To begin with, one major theme that continuously played a part throughout the entire book is desire. To many of the characters, it was the one urge that they could never overcome. One

Sacco utilizes the motifs of abductions and invasions in order to develop the theme that in order to effectively oppress another group, oppressive groups may commit these crimes and do so capriciously. We learn about a woman who was abducted by the Shin Bet where she was shoved in what they called “the coffin”, a small 2x2.5x6 feet closet, was then transported and left in isolation in her cell with nothing; this motif shows how widespread the the abductions are. In the text it says, “Two years ago she did 18 days in Jerusalem’s notorious Russian compound courtesy of the Shin Bet…for something she didn’t do...and they threatened rape she says” (97-99). The arbitrary abductions cause terror which is a main trait in oppression. Because Sacco uses a motif of abductions and how common it is for a Palestinian to have a story about an abduction, we can interpret it as a way the Israelis use terror to oppress the Palestinians.

I was raised in a middle class environment with an unorthodox family. I have three siblings, all of us adopted. My brother is named Ethan and we are two years apart from each other. He is also a mix of so many different races that I cannot keep track of how many there are. After him, there are my sisters, Jackie and Josie. They are African-American twins who are five years younger than me. They are very sporty and athletic, while I try to avoid sports as much as I can. I have both a mother and a father, Robin and Paul Schlegel, who were both born and raised in Indiana. I was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and moved to a town called New Palestine, Indiana when I was only a few months old. New Palestine is an average-sized town where everyone knows

There are many themes presented throughout the story some include: revenge causes a person to lose their innocence, Before someone seeks revenge on someone else, they should look in a mirror, if a person thinks they are a supreme being, they often find in time

One particularly interesting perspective is his opinion on how the conflict has somewhat freed the identity of Palestinians from a shared land, and that for some Palestinians that can escape the occupation, there is a the creation of a transnational, transgressive life. (Suleiman, 2003, 73) Thus exists multiple outcomes from one identity. He further supports this by commenting that Palestine does not have borders, does not actually exist in the sense of geography, but it still has a sense of space. The Palestinian people are this space, and the people are how we define what is, and what is not Palestine. People are separated geographically, but defined by identity and community, and this creates a unique sense of freedom outside of a defined nation-state. (Suleiman, 2000, 96) This lets the definition of this identity be more fluid. He says that in his work he purposefully moves away from a centralized view of Palestinian identity and uses cinema to present the differences in viewpoint, perception, and narration that exist within this conflict. Not only between Israelis and Palestinian's but between all Palestinian's. (Suleiman, 2000, 97) He purposefully moves away from a singular form of Palestinian identity and states “My films are Palestinian because I am Palestinian.” (Suleiman, 2000, 99) This movement from a

The graphic novel Palestine, published by Maltan journalist Joe Sacco in the early ‘90s, is a journalistic piece that represents his recollections of two months spent talking to and living with Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. The casual narrative style, which some might say is too shallow for such heavy subject matter, in fact allows Sacco to avoid many of the pit falls that have made Western reporting on non-Western conflicts unhelpful at the very least and more often incredibly damaging.

The Israel-Palestine Conflict The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a part of the greater Arab-Israeli long-running conflict in the Middle East. The main point of this conflict is the existence of the state of Israel and its relations with Arab states and with the Palestinian population in the area. The idea and concept of Israel was born in the mid 19th century. Jews of Europe and America wanted a place for their homeland, where they could go and be with others of the same race and religion. Palestine was chosen because of its religious routs from The Bible as the “promised land” from God, and the motherland of Jews fled, known as the Diaspora.