My Accidental Jihad
1. What is the relationship between the title of the essay and its content? Interpret the title and explain what it means to you. Do you consider the title captivating?
The relationship between the title and the context is the author’s story of describing the struggles to be understanding towards her husband concerning his Muslim faith. Bremer’s husband tells her that according to the Prophet Mohammad the greatest Jihad, or struggle, of our lives is one that takes place in our hearts and is a struggle to become a better person. Bremer finds herself in a struggle to be less focused on her needs and more tolerant towards her husband’s religious beliefs during the month of Ramadan, hence the title My Accidental Jihad. I think the negative connotation surrounding the word Jihad, combined with accidental, makes the title extremely captivating. It makes the reader ask “How can one accidently want to blow themselves up?”
2. What is the importance of paragraph 3? Would the essay be just as clear to the average reader if the paragraph had been left out? Explain your answer.
Paragraph 3 is important because it explains some history about Ramadan and also what takes place during the month. I don’t think the essay would have been as clear had the paragraph been left out. I think it gives the reader a sense of the depth of the fast. It shows it’s not just a fast from food.
3. What contrast is drawn between paragraph 7 and 8? Which writing technique contributes to the vividness of the paragraphs? How convincing are the author’s statements? Do you think her feelings are justified in both paragraphs? Explain your answer.
I think the contrast between the two paragraphs is that Paragraph 7 is lively and Bremer is vivid in describing their new love and also in coming to the realization that Ismail had all the qualities of the man she wanted to marry. In paragraph 8 she changes the tone to describe how during Ramadan their relationship becomes bland and how Ismail’s
The relationship between the title and the context is the author’s story of describing the struggles to be understanding towards her husband concerning his Muslim faith. Bremer’s husband tells her that according to the Prophet Mohammad the greatest Jihad, or struggle, of our lives is one that takes place in our hearts and is a struggle to become a better person. Bremer finds herself in a struggle to be less focused on her needs and more tolerant towards her husband’s religious beliefs during the month of Ramadan, hence the title My Accidental Jihad. I think the negative connotation surrounding the word Jihad, combined with accidental, makes the title extremely captivating. It makes the reader ask “How can one accidently want to blow themselves up?”
2. What is the importance of paragraph 3? Would the essay be just as clear to the average reader if the paragraph had been left out? Explain your answer.
Paragraph 3 is important because it explains some history about Ramadan and also what takes place during the month. I don’t think the essay would have been as clear had the paragraph been left out. I think it gives the reader a sense of the depth of the fast. It shows it’s not just a fast from food.
3. What contrast is drawn between paragraph 7 and 8? Which writing technique contributes to the vividness of the paragraphs? How convincing are the author’s statements? Do you think her feelings are justified in both paragraphs? Explain your answer.
I think the contrast between the two paragraphs is that Paragraph 7 is lively and Bremer is vivid in describing their new love and also in coming to the realization that Ismail had all the qualities of the man she wanted to marry. In paragraph 8 she changes the tone to describe how during Ramadan their relationship becomes bland and how Ismail’s