Thursday, 29 June 2006

Poetry reader: Ken Fisher

Poem: Hamod (Sam), “After the Funeral of Assam Hamady,” UA 288

Dr. Hamod is an expert on world affairs, especially the Arab and Muslim worlds.

            Former editor of Third World News (in Wash, DC)

            Former Director of The National Islamic Center of Washington, DC,

            An advisor to the US State Department and author of ISLAM IN THE WORLD TODAY.

Dr. Hamod was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1980;

            Taught creative writing at The Writers Workshop of the U. of Iowa,

            Princeton, Michigan, Wisconsin and Howard

Dr. Hamod has, most recently been occupying himself with editorial articles concerning the Gulf War and America’s struggle with the Arab and Muslim Worlds.

            A frequent contributor to:

                        CounterPunch,

                        Konch,

                        Informationclearinghouse.com

                        and is editor of www.todaysalternativenews.com .

-=After the Funeral of Assam Hamady, by Hamod (Sam)=-

Objective 2: To chart the dynamics, variations, and stages of the immigrant narrative.

            Basic Stages of the Immigrant Narrative:

                        - Stage 4: Assimilation to dominant American culture and loss of ethnic identity.

- the exchange between Hajj and the narrator about his not joining them on the prayer blanket.  (pp. 289 – 290 lines 42 – 50)

                                    - “I’m embarrassed to be with them” (p. 290 line 74)

                        - Stage 5: Rediscovery or reassertion of ethnic identity.

                                    - (pp. 291 – 292 lines 96 – End)

Objective 5: To observe and analyze the effects of immigration and assimilation on cultural units or identities.

                        - Religion

                                    -  I’m embarrassed to be with them. (p. 290 line 74)

                                    - “He’s foolish, he doesn’t know how to pray”(p.290 lines 49 – 50)

Questions:

            1.) On line 80, page 291 the narrator states “I’m standing guard now.”  Why does the narrator see himself as a guardian?  What is he guarding? From what is he guarding? What does he see about the situation that his father, grandfather, and Sine Hussin do not see?

            2.) If you were to assign a generational mark on the narrator based on his character in the poem (not the presence of his grandfather and father), what generational pattern would you subscribe him to? (objective 2)

                        1^st Gen: “heroic” but also clueless

                        2^nd Gen: Divided between traditional identities of homeland or ethnic group and modern identity of assimilated Americans; bi-cultural and bi-lingual.

                        3^rd Gen: Assimilated.

Sources:

http://www.counterpunch.org/hamod05012003.html

http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/thirdpage/hamodbio.html

http://www.bigeye.com/samhamod.htm

http://www.todaysalternativenews.com