Thursday, 29 November: Poetry reader: Andrina Giusti

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

“After the Funeral of Assam Hamady”  by Hamod (Sam)

Presenter: Andrina Giusti (Juice-Tea)

Background:  Poem is written from the viewpoint of a Middle Eastern man returning from the funeral with their father and grandfather. He is third generation and does not want to pray on the side of the road just because it’s the hour pray. He is upset and watches his father and grandfather pray while drivers stare at them. He stands by, watches and is affected.

Applying Objective 2 and 3:

Objective 2: Variations and stages of the immigrant narrative

                   2a:  Basic stages of the Immigrant Narrative:

                          Leave the Old World

In this poem, the narrator is coming from the perspective of an adapted person to the “new” society or “majority” culture. He describes his “1950 Lincoln” which he enjoys driving fast and in the middle, he mentions again that he, “has always liked road trips, traveling at high speed…”

                   2b:  Journey to the New World

When he mentions next, “…but they have surely passed me as I am standing here now trying so hard to join them on that old prayer blanket”, it reveals that he does not connect with this ritual of prayer anymore. He even calls a rug for prayer, “an old prayer rug” which emphasized that he feels the rug is old, just as the ritual is too “old” for him to practice and so it seems this generation before him has outgrown him and it is “hard for him to join them”

             Stage 3:  Shock, resistance, exploitation, and                                             discrimination

During the prayer, the narrator watches his father and grandfather, but he is more concerned about what other people are seeing. He mentions that, “…people stream by, an old woman strains to gawk at them” yet he follows immediately after with the line, “I’m standing guard now” as he “volunteered’ to do while his father and grandfather prayed. With this line, it seems he is aware of the people watching and how odd of a sight this must be, but he also feel like “protecting” them from an aggressive, more dominant, culture because as they are praying, he says, “…car lights SCREAM by - MORE than I’ve ever seen in South Dakota”. This phrasing shows how uncomfortable he is at this moment between both worlds.

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

While the narrator appears to be upset that they had to stop in the middle of South Dakota to pray, he does not seem to be in a forced position of assimilation through embarrassment. He says, “I am embarrassed to be with them”. He seems to be removed from the prayer in language but not out of unfamiliarity. First he is invited to pray, then he says he will watch. Then his father says, “He’s foolish, he doesn’t know how to pray” but its obvious that he understands that the rugs will be out if they stop the car to pray, and he refuses to stop at first. He also mentions their chants are “….in high strained voices” and later “…they chant with more vigor”. He knows chant by sound and he knows the rugs, but the timing embarrasses him and seems to hurt him to be in this position especially after the funeral.

Objective 3: Compare and contrast the immigrant narrative                             with the minority narrative.

Comparisons: From our reading, minority cultures and immigrant cultures can have different or distinctive practices from the majority population that usually does not show outward differences in behavior or practices in public.  For instance African-American churches have designated people to “catch” those who are overcome with emotion in churches. Jewish people may order and shop for only Kosher foods. And many Indian and Musilm cultured women wear scarves or traditional colorful dresses in daily life. In this poem, the reader experiences the feeling of being embarrassed by a strict praying family; even if by the side of the road. He also seems to feel hurt by feeling uncomfortable directly after a funeral because the memories of the man are still in his head.

Contrast: His refusal to stop and pray on the road seems more about feeling vulnerable in public, instead of being about wanting to “stare” and be like the dominant culture.  This is supported when he mentions the cars passing by with words about details of the funeral. The man was “…striped across his chest with green…his head white and his gray mustache still…” Praying at this location on the side of the road traumatized his grief. He says, “…I still hear them singing…” And in the end, when they finish with “Amen”, he still adds, “trying so hard to join them on that old prayer blanket” and feels guilty when he adds, “as if the pain in my eyes could be absolution “ (Absolution: Formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment)

Discussion Questions:

1. While the minority and immigrant experience share the need to accept dominant culture, is this narrator’s refusal to pray at this time because he dislikes his culture and desires to be like the dominant culture OR is he more upset with his culture for the situation his culture has put him in?  Is this called assimilation or adjustment?

2. Does he really want to “guard” his father and grandfather, or just “watch” them like he says at first? What does that say about him?

3. Though he is third-generation and “doesn’t know how to pray” like his father said, why do the funeral images come to his mind, and the “old Navajo blanket” and “strained chanting” affect him so much?