(AGG) Imagine being trapped in a cage full of horrors, not being able to escape. Death and fear flash before you, and all you can do is close your eyes. (BS-1) PTSD is a real condition, with real side effects that harm people’s lives, and “Under the Persimmon Tree” shows these effects. (BS-2) Some literary elements in “Under the Persimmon Tree” are created by the effects of PTSD symptoms, creating conflict and characterization. (BS-3) With “Under the Persimmon Tree”, we get an exclusive personal glance of people with PTSD in war, including what they must go through to survive a day, unlike the media. (TS) The author of "Under the Persimmon Tree" uses the real disease that is PTSD to create emotional and physical conflicts between characters,
…show more content…
When you turn on the TV, we always see destroyed landscape from a bombing, or refugees fleeing their home, trying to start a new life with the scraps of it that they have left. We get told the obvious, that, there was an airstrike that destroyed a town! We get details on when it happened, by who, and what was destroyed. We feel a twinge of pain, some guilt for these people, but then move on with our day. We don’t feel bad for too long, because we don’t hear these people’s stories. We get the factual, obvious information of the damage, but not on a personal level. With the novel “Under the Persimmon Tree”, we see what the people face, the things they lose, and the challenges they must conquer from the aftermath. We hear from a victim of terrorism and a refugee herself, Najmah, and a teacher for these refugees, Nusrat. From Najmah, we see the effects PTSD has on refugees, and average citizens. We see what horrifying events they must relive, and the hope that they lose. And from Nusrat, we see how an education could change a child’s life, to try to get a future, and run away from their past. (STEWE-1) One really interesting quote I saw in “Under the Persimmon Tree” is "The boy is not far behind me, shouting 'Thief!' 'Stop!' again, and a few shopkeepers look up to see what the commotion is about... but they seem not to care about whether I've stolen something or whether I'm caught, which seems strange. After looking up for a moment out of curiosity, they bend back over their work" (Staples, 164). This shows how in this part of the world, people do not panic over "small things" like thievery, because they have bigger things to worry about. The constant pressure of bombings, terrorist attacks, and death are more of a worry. And these could happen anytime, any day. They must force themselves to think about other things,
When you turn on the TV, we always see destroyed landscape from a bombing, or refugees fleeing their home, trying to start a new life with the scraps of it that they have left. We get told the obvious, that, there was an airstrike that destroyed a town! We get details on when it happened, by who, and what was destroyed. We feel a twinge of pain, some guilt for these people, but then move on with our day. We don’t feel bad for too long, because we don’t hear these people’s stories. We get the factual, obvious information of the damage, but not on a personal level. With the novel “Under the Persimmon Tree”, we see what the people face, the things they lose, and the challenges they must conquer from the aftermath. We hear from a victim of terrorism and a refugee herself, Najmah, and a teacher for these refugees, Nusrat. From Najmah, we see the effects PTSD has on refugees, and average citizens. We see what horrifying events they must relive, and the hope that they lose. And from Nusrat, we see how an education could change a child’s life, to try to get a future, and run away from their past. (STEWE-1) One really interesting quote I saw in “Under the Persimmon Tree” is "The boy is not far behind me, shouting 'Thief!' 'Stop!' again, and a few shopkeepers look up to see what the commotion is about... but they seem not to care about whether I've stolen something or whether I'm caught, which seems strange. After looking up for a moment out of curiosity, they bend back over their work" (Staples, 164). This shows how in this part of the world, people do not panic over "small things" like thievery, because they have bigger things to worry about. The constant pressure of bombings, terrorist attacks, and death are more of a worry. And these could happen anytime, any day. They must force themselves to think about other things,