Research Topic

     Home Fire has been a very interesting read thus far, and the book has sparked many of areas of interest for me. Because this novel has such a different perspective from previous books I have read, I have a lot of questions, especially about Muslim culture, national security, and family dynamics. However, one area that I really want to learn more about is ISIS recruitment strategies.

    Prior to reading the book, it's safe to say that I had a very negative view on terrorists, and I assume this is true for most people. While I admit I certainly lacked education of the subject, ISIS seemed like pure evil, killing innocent people for reasons I couldn't grasp. The news was always talking about what horrible thing they had done that day, or that week, so that was really the only information I had before reading the book.

    As I started reading Parvaiz's section, I found myself sympathizing with him more and more. Sure he was being recruited to ISIS, but I found myself making excuses for his actions. Reflecting on the book as whole, I can't blame him. He and his family was persecuted by the British government throughout his life, and what son doesn't want to live up to his father's legacy? I feel like this connects to this idea of loyalty, and where we place ours. The British government expects complete loyalty from Parvaiz, but why should he be loyal to Britain? The only message he's heard from the British government is that you and your culture aren't welcome. They tortured and killed his father and interrogated his sisters. While ISIS wasn't paradise, at least he wouldn't face prejudice for who he was.

    For me, the fact that I thought ISIS's argument for joining them was compelling piqued my interest on the topic. I'd like to know if there are other strategies that are used, how they identify potential recruits, and if tactics differ in different areas of the world. I am looking forward to researching this topic, and I am curious to see what I learn. 

Thoughts on Home Fire Annotation

 George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake. Over the past months, these names have dominated headlines as our country is finally calling attention to the systematic racism so deeply embedded in American culture, and especially in law enforcement. With this in mind, I started reading Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire, and I was immediately struck by this opening scene in the Heathrow Airport. 

    On the first page, the author  writes, "“She’d made sure not to pack anything that would invite comment or questions—no Quran, no family pictures, no books on her area of academic interest” (Shamsie 1). As I read this sentence, I just thought about how different my own experiences have been. At the airport, I have been nervous that I accidentally brought something that may have caused a problem, but the thought never crossed my mind that I would be interrogated for hours. I once got pulled over by a police officer (well I didn't, but that's beside the point), and while I pulled out my license and registration, my concern was how my parents would ground me into the Stone Age if I got a ticket. Never once did I think that my life was in any danger or that anything worse than a fine would happen. 

    I think what really hit me was the sentence, "“The official was doing that thing that she’d encountered before in security personnel” (Shamsie 3). I wrote, "Wow. It's really sad that this has happened before." As tragic as one of these horrible encounters is, it seems almost unthinkable to me that this would happen with such regularity that Isma has seen the same strategies in use over and over again. Connecting this to a theme, I think this situation is an example of the loyalty dilemma seen so far. Isma, as a Muslim, has to go this extra mile to show her own loyalty to her country. She must forfeit some of her loyalty to her faith or family (not bringing the Quran, family pictures, etc.) in order to appear more loyal to Britain. This can be seen later when she tells the police about Parvaiz, leading to his arrest. As the book continues, I think this theme of loyalty will be especially important and something to look out for. 

Fiction: The Gateway to a More Exciting World

     Let's face it, life isn't always exciting. Pre-COVID, I spent hours at school, doing schoolwork I often saw as drab, if not meaningless. Following this daily adventure, I would come home for a riveting afternoon of homework, soccer practice, and maybe some video games. While I enjoyed the small pleasures embedded in each of these, no one would classify my daily life as dynamic or exciting. 

    This is probably one reason I have always enjoyed fiction. As a kid, I would spend hours reading about legendary quests or mystical worlds. During that time, I wasn't in my average looking house in a Bay Area suburb, I was tagging along for the ride with the characters in the text I was reading. One of my favorite parts about reading is the immersive power it has. A good writer can give you a vivid picture of what is happening, what the characters are feeling, and where the story takes place. So even though I've never swung a sword, I feel like I have witnessed hundreds of epic duels through the books I have read. I have never felt the chill of the Himalayas, but I can describe the fierce cold even from my couch in Santa Clara. 

    Like anything, my preferences have changed over time. These days, I spend most of my leisure reading on historical fiction. In fact, my favorite book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, fits into this genre. Like the stories of battle and magic, I am able to put myself in the shoes of the characters, but my purpose is more academic. Reading has given me a broader perspective and allowed me an insight into different times and places in history. While I am not the same reader I once was, I still enjoy those instances where I get sucked into the world I'm reading about, and the next thing I know, hours have passed. In the end, fiction is a great way to leave the pressures and routine of this world behind and enter a place full of wonder and excitement.

Annotation: A Necessary Evil

     I was sitting at my desk, holding up my copy of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I flipped through the pages of the assigned reading as my Brit Lit teacher looked skeptically at the book. "I'm looking for 2-3 annotations per page. Half-credit for today," my teacher said said as he walked away. I tried to keep my face level but I felt the blood rush to my face as I sat there. I had spent an hour on that reading, and I felt like I had actually made some good notes with regards to the upcoming essay. 

    This was largely my experience in high school. The teachers cared far more about how much was written on the page than the actually content of this writing. So over the course of high school, I hated annotation. On the occasion I was reading a book I enjoyed, every scribble pulled me out of the text and back into the reality that this was an assignment, not the pastime I adored. More frequently, the reading assignment that was already a drag felt like pulling teeth, and a quick assignment became a painstaking process of finding the most minuscule details on each page.

    For all the pain it caused me, I recognize the importance of annotation. It saved me time when I was starting my essays, as I already had thoughts and evidence about themes I saw in the text. As I read, I was looking for different themes, even though I didn't enjoy the reading process as much. Maybe it's just human nature to dread the short-term struggle over the long-term benefit. Either way, all of my experiences have lead me to the conclusion that annotation is a necessary evil