Entry 3
Unlike the poetry of Kahil Gibran, Suheir Hammad’s was nearly as universal. This time the tone was calm and tranquil it was anger, more specifically her anger. All throughout time, there have been groups of people who have faced and continue to face, hardships and struggles. Her poems are meant to put the reader into her perspective in order to give him/her a taste of what she and others have gone through. It’s meant to invoke some of that anger onto the reader because for many that’s the closest they will get to even trying to comprehend how bad it is. In order to yield said results from the reader Hammad has her own way, via her own style of writing and her role in Salt of this Sea. In terms of her writing, every detail pertains to the message even the title Born Palestine Born Black. As explained in one of the poems, the term Black has had multiple meanings, most notably the opposite of white. This includes Indians in England, Algerians in France, Palestinians in Israel, and Africans in America. Regardless of location all of these have used it in a negative meaning. The poems themselves are not written in a traditional or formal writing style. This means no capital letters, and the spacing does not indicate a transition to the next section. There is also no expense sparred in the language she uses further separating her poems from anything formal. Nothing is overlooked from others not taking the time to learn how to pronounce her name, to the supposed norms and rolls of society has placed restricting the freedom of many and discouraging anyone to try make it better. The Movie in which she is in has that same basic principle of putting you into perspective only this time you get to see it and not just try to picture what you’re reading. You see the harassing from authority figures, the constant searching and questioning over and over. No matter how many times you answer and show your ID and proper documents it never ends. This is presented as if Hammad is talking to you, expressing herself with no limits, as that has been a problem for far too long.
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