Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers at Anti Essays

“I’m female, Iraqi, and 24. I survived the war. That’s all you need to know. It’s all that matters these days anyway” - Riverbend . The war is over, but the occupation is not. It can be said that Riverbend represents the “voice” of the ordinary Iraqi resident describing life during American occupation. Many people in the United States see the people of Iraq as ungrateful beasts unworthy of the generous help offered to them. Many Canadians think the same thing; I was one of them. I was the person angry because we were trying to help. I was the person who just didn’t comprehend why so many people were against this occupation and I was the person who just didn’t know. I am now the person who understands why Riverbend writes this blog and I now understand why so many people are angry in Iraq. It is hard to comprehend what is actually happening in Iraq when watching CNN or Fox News, and it is even harder to understand when one lives in the safe secure environment of Canada. This is not going to be a political essay, because as an individual I do not know enough about the politics of the invasion in Iraq to make an educated judgment. This essay is about me, as a 20 year old woman, who cannot fathom the emotion and physical day to day changes that have made Riverbend’s life so different from what it should be.
When Canadian’s think of what a twenty-something year old girls life is supposed to be they will usually come up with the same things; school, work, partying, etc. Iraqi women at twenty-something are lucky if they can go to the market unescorted in today’s world, they are lucky if they can attend school, or if they are able to work. They are lucky to simply be alive. Riverbend’s life has changed since the occupation in many ways, so many if fact that it took a book to discuss them. Here I will be examining only a few of the changes that Riverbend has to endure and the effects that they have upon her day to day life. She faces water deprivation,...