Jackelline’s Comments (group member since Sep 06, 2011)

Jackelline’s comments from the MHS AP Language group.

This book totally surprised me I had no idea that it would end up ending like this, it was so different. The reason why I think that my thoughts for this book were different was because whenever we hear the word terrorism we think of bombs and guns and people dying. And I agree with Beatriz on this part that Updike was trying to portray a different part, the other side that not a lot of people understand. I think that he wants to show that some terrorists know how to take a step back and think before acting because the truly realize that what they are about to o is pure malfeasance.
Ahmad was going thru a difficult time and I think that the reason why he was able to stop himself was because of Jack Levy. Mr. Levy kept talking to Ahmad but encouraging him but in this way he was realizing what he was about to do. On pg 302- 303 I realized that Mr. Levy played an important role in Ahmad’s life and that he was helping him be relieved of this hate that he felt towards anyone that didn’t agree with him and that had a different way of living.
It was all about emotional terrorism and I think that Ahmad was able to control it, because I think that dee down he was a good person and was just going through some difficult times to which he didn’t know what to do or act so he started to criticize and judge others and I think that this made him feel better until he realized what he truly was about to do.

I hadn't thought about it before but it's true what Beatriz says that it does also show the side that no one really looks at because it's true that we don't see that the Muslims are suffering, in a way then the book shows both sides and that both of them suffers the same no matter what is going on.
There is also one more thing that made me think beyond, which was on pg 119 where Mr. Levy meets with Ahmad's mom and when I read this part it seems to me like they will have something and that may lead on to Ahmad's hatred towards the people and maybe even havig a bigger impact on him. If this is true then I think that Ahmad will be greatly upset because of his father even though he left Ahmad still admires him. In a way i think that his father might also have something to do with him becoming a terrorist but I'm not sure yet

First off I would like to answer Beatriz’s question I think that the book does criticize the Muslim faith and I think that many people that would read this would feel offended by it because there is no positive feedback only negative.

As I continued to read the book I found that Ahmad is very stereotypical towards Americans and he criticizes everything that they do, and I think it’s because they are so different from him. I think that what Ahmad wants is for everyone to be like him and to believe in what he believes and if they don’t then they should all be burned. He starts to show hatred towards the Americans especially when he says that all are “selfish and materialistic” (72) and that he wouldn’t want to be like them. Also Ahmad compares Americans to slaves, as slaves to “fads”, “television”, “sports” and “drugs” (73). It’s because he feels that they care more about society them themselves and that everything around them is just filthy which I don’t agree with. I think that Updike will continue to show how judgmental Ahmad is and how easily influenced he is by his faith. The thing about Ahmad is that he is not open-minded and that he doesn’t take in what others may tell him or give an advice because he is stuck to his belief and thinks that only that matters.

“I of course do hate all the Americans. But the American way is the way of infidels. It is headed for a terrible doom” (39) Through this quote it’s safe to say that Ahmad will continue to go against everything that has to do with the Americans even when he finishes school he already said that he will change his name to his dad’s because he feels a connection with them.

I agree with Beatriz with what she mentioned earlier that Updike is just setting the character of someone that will turn out to be a terrorist. Basically Ahmad makes everything based on his faith and his
religion, he lives based off of his religion and that’s how he divides if something is correct or not. He is just extremely faithful and won’t change his ways because he already set his mind.

As I began reading the book I thought that it was a bit confusing because the story goes back and forth, and at times it’s a little confusing to understand exactly what is going on. Ahmad an 18 year old teenager seems like he would be like any other but he shows to be very different since he is a strong believer in his religion and thinks that everyone else is wrong. In this perspective I don’t think that Ahmad was right to tell Joryleen that her religion was wrong and that what she was doing wasn’t correct just because it didn’t connect with what he believed in.

Not only that but everyone has the right to their own religion and others should not judge just because they don’t agree. I think that Ahmad should have been nicer to her because she just gave him an invitation and he didn’t need to be all rude about it. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion Ahmad didn’t have the right to tell her that her religion was not the right one. Even though I disagree with some things that are mentioned in the book so far I find it interesting how he views certain things because he thinks that everyone in his school is bad and that he shouldn’t be in the same place as them. Ahmad keeps saying that the world is difficult because there are “devils busy” (11). I think that this book is starting to rise up what is moral and stir up the hatred towards terrorism.

Terrorist by John Updike, this is the book we are reading for this new round

I agree with what everyone said about the book and as Stacey mentioned Saleem is now praying to a god of peace as to where before he didn't believe so because coming to America changed his view on the religion that he once believe in. And I think that it is interesting that he changed religions because even though he doesn't want to directly say that Muslim is bad and that's not his point as it was mentioned by Bia but Saleem was able to learn new ways in which he comes to realize that now e is in a better place and that he knows that know he is helping people for their safety and his and he is not even worried I'd others go against him because it's his point of view. 
And I think that the message that he is portraying is that whenever we can we should help our peers because we never know what they might be going through like when Saleem suffered from the accident and the doctors helped him even though they didn't know who he was.

The last part of this book was really interesting for me. I agree with both Cristina and Beatriz on how the end of this book had a huge impact. One thing that I found really interesting was when he went through an accident and that Dr. David took him into his house without even knowing who he was and that’s where I think that Kamal started to think his life over and the things that he had learned when he was younger. Saleem began to understand Christianity and how it worked and he also relates that “through the hands of the innocent a force washed over me that I had not been trained to resist: love” (269). He was beginning to understand Christianity and even though this family barely knew him they were taking him in with such care that he felt uncomfortable because he had never felt that before and he totally went against it. What I found interesting about this was that he was finally realizing that you can’t judge anything unless you know enough about it.

A line that I really liked is related to the one that Beatriz mentioned but with a difference in it. At the end of his speech at the AFA event he said “Wake up America! You must arise! You must wake up to the issue of radical terrorism!”(276). This was interesting because Kamal wants to get America’s attention to terrorism how we need to be aware but also not judge others just because they are from a different place.

I think that Saleem wrote this book not because he wanted us to see how the people of Lebanon were but for us to understand how one can hate another for no reason and I think that in a way he makes us appreciate our lives more and for us to also see if we can do something to stop the spread of terrorism like Beatriz mentioned. This book changed the way I view terrorism and I think that that’s his purpose when he wrote this because he was putting his life in danger but to him helping others was more important.

I agree with Stacey on the point that in order for Saleem to have been different the setting around him would have needed to change. As I continue to read the book I began to think that its not just one person who chooses to become violent and a terrorist and that’s why I think morals counts on this because we can’t really judge another culture or their way of living because that’s how they are brought up so I don’t think that stopping terrorism is easy because we can’t just go into their country and in a way change their norms. For them to learn I think that they have do it on their own like the way that Saleem did because he realized that what he was doing was affecting others and I think that, that is when he decided to not be a terrorist anymore.

I think that Saleem was courageous of talking about radical Islam and actually telling the FBI and other agents what happened behind the attacks and the tactics that they had. Saleem was putting himself in danger and “Pakistani men [went to his] hometown to hunt [him] down”(123) even though he was not a terrorist any longer now he was in danger because the others were in rage because Saleem was telling everyone what was going on and how they planned attacks. In a way I feel that Saleem was going out of his way putting himself in danger to help Americans. I think that this was his way of saying sorry and for asking forgiveness for what he had once done.

Saleem already had a lot of experience regarding that he started working as a free agent at the age of eight, pg.127 so it meant that he was already living a double life and that’s what happened to kids in Lebanon they learned how to kill people. “At night he was training to kill them”. How could they be so young and already train how to kill others? It’s like instead of playing video games this kids where going out and planning an attack or training how to kill a certain person.

First of to answer Stacey’s question I too would agree that they would be hated and why would they try to talk to the ones that they tried to kill. But I think that they did that because in a way they were seeking for forgiveness. I think that in a way it would allow for them to be able to continue living their life free from their conscience and from accusations. Talking to the ones that they once tried to kill I think that in a way would make them be able to try to erase their past and almost forget what they once did, but I’m not too sure if that’s how they really felt.

On page 64 he says “my own heart screamed inside me. One part was glad for vengeance but the savage assault horrified me”. I find it interesting when I read this because already at a young age he was happy that someone was getting beaten and it was because the boy Iskendar was a bully and he has bullied Kamal before so in a way he was glad that the bully was getting beaten too. The first thing that came to mind when I read this was why would he be glad and happy but in a way I understand because inside he was angry. Also he felt bad because he said that it horrified him so he was also scared because of that.
The Muslim brother hood had started around 1928 and motto: “Allah is [their] objective. The prophet [their] leader. The Qur’an is [their] law and jihad is [their] way” (pg70) so the brotherhood is what gave them the strength. I think that without the brotherhood the boys would not be strong enough and maybe not even turn into terrorists. “ it is a cultural taboo for an American to sit in an airport and wonder whether the young middle eastern men they see are terrorists” this is true and I think it’s because we have become aware and scared after 9/11, we want to be sure of our safety.

I agree with the point that you made that Islam grow up learning how to be violent and I think that even though its wrong, I think they are brought up like this because it is a part of their culture to learn how to defend themselves.
Going back to pg 4 where it talks about destroying the nation “inside out” I think that this brings out a strong point about Kamal because he knew the plan and attack strategies, but then he gave up. It’s interesting and I really want to find out his reasons for backing out and how that affected his life because like it was mentioned in the book he constantly had to move and omit his name from documents.
I don’t understand it, if they weren’t proud of killing people then why did they do it in the first place, and why had they only realized this now?

I found interesting topics and aspects of the Muslim people and radical Islam. What I don’t understand is how he changed so fast and how that happened because for me when someone is convicted of something and the get out of jail or redeemed from whatever they have done, I wouldn’t trust them because I would still be thinking of what they have done in the past. I think someone could be forgiven but it would never be forgotten. Kamal wants to show the readers that one could change from the absolute worst to a completely different person, even though that is a little hard to believe I know its possible and am looking forward to read more about his life and how that happened. How did he become an Ex- terrorist? Was it because something extreme happened to him?
I liked the metaphor that is presented on pg 7, “ the human body does not know when a cancer is growing within”, having cancer be compared to Islamic Israel brings a bigger meaning because we all know that once cancer has spread its nearly impossible to get rid of it. And it only makes it stronger that radical Islamic is like a cancer to America because it will always be in there, tucking on the lives of Americans with threats and killings. With this I keep thinking, how can one nation have so much hatred towards another? This hatred “brings the host to the point of death”(pg7)
I agree with both of you I think that his mother has a little bit of craziness in her how someone can tell a story of violence in such a normal way. And she teaches her children to be bad and violent because if they do that then they will get to paradise. What kind of paradise is that, which you have to kill someone in order to get in? To me that just makes no sense.

what is the what was an interesting book to read because i had to keep focused all the time since the author kept going back and forth. The story of Valentino Deng impressed me because he had gone through so much as a young boy but he was still trying to live his life in a somewhat normal way. The things that happened to him when he was younger didn't affect him negatively it only helped him grow stronger.