Arab and Israeli War of 1948

Humans are no strangers to war. They have fought for freedom. They’ve fought for land. They have fought for resources. Israel became a country in 1948 with the help of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They thought process behind creating the Nation of Israel was the fact that it was the original Jewish homeland. The Jewish people were desperate for a country to call their own because of the Third Reich. Germany, under the reign of Hitler, had destroyed many homes and relocated Jewish families. Arabs became upset because they had lived there for many generations. Samuel Hazo, in “For Fawzi in Jerusalem,” writes about a narrator having a conversation between the narrator who is obviously an educated and someone who is part of the middle or high class and an Arab shoe shiner named Fawzi. The narrator is most likely Jewish. Samuel Hazo was greatly influenced by the Arab and Israeli War of 1948 and believes that the resentment because of losing their land is justified.

The figurative language is an aspect of the poem that reflects the impact of such war on Samuel. The narrator of the poem is impacted not only by the war but also by the conversation between him or herself and Fawzi the shoe shiner. In the very first stanza, the narrator is “heading [towards] Columbus’ mistake / where life will never be the same” (Hazo 1). The causes for immigration vary but the narrator’s most likely reason for moving is due to the high instability of the Middle East region. Hazo’s quote is also a metonym for the Americas because Columbus “discovered” the Americas on accident while he was trying to find a shortcut to India

Varela 2 in 1452. The narrator is immigrating to the Americas and most likely the United States of

America. The fact that thi...

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...unclear thought process because of the simple fact that the human body will feel threaten by such event, whether it be a verbal argument or a physical fight, and will rely on instinct rather than clear and conscience thought. A flashback, on the other hand, creates a sense of wisdom because it has been thought over. When an event is thought thoroughly, the recall would be thought will result in more in depth causing emotions to be more in check. This flashback is important in creating the mood in the poem.

Hazo was a supporter of the resentment felt by the Arabs as a result of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. This support is shined through the poem, “For Fawzi in Jerusalem”. It was seen in the figurative language, the rhyme scheme, and the use of a flashback in the poem. People will be reflections of their past events and therefore create a future based on those events.