States Edward Said Summary

Legitimacy, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is said to be something that is “sanctioned by or authorized by law or right.” Although dictionaries typically give the most common meaning of a word, many times people will, in a way, coin or redefine terms in order to best fit their views. This is especially seen in Edward Said’s work, “States.” In his writing, Said explores what is means to be Palestinian. The clear answer may simple be someone of the Arabic culture who has descended from Palestine. Overtime, however, Palestine has become a question of legitimacy in and of itself. Since the mid 20th-century, more specifically 1947, Palestine has slowly been losing momentum in the Arabic world. This is due to the ongoing conflict between …show more content…
Gradually, however, that has changed, giving way to a greater Israel and a sanctioned Palestine, relocated to the tiny portion known as the Gaza Strip. For nearly 68 years, these two sides have been fighting in, leaving the Palestinians hope that one day they can reclaim their territory. This is a summary to a larger than life war that has raged for decades. In “States,” Said does not very closely on the conflict, but instead, gives light to the people affected by the fighting. Through this light, using both text and photography, Said discovers that the people of Palestine have essentially lost their legitimacy, both at home and around that world. Here, the claim can be made that through the mediums used by Said, he has been able to express the importance of this seemingly never-ending …show more content…
By this, it is meant that when one loses their heritage or background, they also lose themselves. Much of what creates self-worth and self-identity comes from ones background. If there is no background, how can there be an upbringing? Said does not go so radical to say that Palestinians cannot identify in any way with anything, because of course there is still the history in which they people had to go through. Much of what he is trying to emphasize is that people live often of history, rather than experience. When people are forced out of their country, as a collective, they lose themselves, and that is exemplified when Said says, “Identity—who we are, where we come from, what we are—is difficult to maintain in exile. Most people take their identity for granted. Not the Palestinian who is required to show proof of identity more or less constantly” (8). Although Said uses the word identity, it states it as a materialistic item that is actually tangible. The identity that Palestinians lack is the one the comes from inside. The identity that means you are apart of something and belong somewhere. Sadly, these people have no such identity. This idea is strongly supported through Said’s use of his very first picture in the essay. In this picture, you see a couple who recently got married. In the foreground, there is also a Mercedes with a letter D sticker. This