Arundhati Roy, a well-known Indian author, spoke on the issue of America’s relation with foreign countries and immigrants in her famous speech, “Come September”, about a year after the devastating 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although she briefly mentions that event, she first starts out by warning the audience of the dark subjects that lie ahead of them, followed by her thesis, which states, “I believe that the accumulation of vast unfettered power by a State or a country, a corporation or an institution - or even an individual...regardless of ideology, results in excesses such as the ones I will recount here” (1).
Roy immediately afterwards jumps into a topic all Americans are familiar with: …show more content…
If the speech is titled “Come September”, one would think this historic milestone would be mentioned sooner, but she has a good reason to. After ranting about America’s flaws for a while, it sounds like she is about to offer some sympathy to the audience by saying, “Nearly three thousand civilians lost their lives in that lethal terrorist strike. The grief is still deep. The rage still sharp. The tears have not dried” (2). However, Roy decides that they don’t deserve a break, and continues with, “This historical dredging is not offered as an accusation or a provocation. But just to share the grief of history. To thin the mists a little. To say to the citizens of America, in the gentlest, …show more content…
I assumed this speech was solely about the 9/11 attacks, considering September was in the title, and the speech was given close to its anniversary. However, I was surprised to discover that Roy not only told America to stop pitying itself, but to be more compassionate to countries who have suffered worse. She also made it seem that America was the cause for a lot of the hardships the country has been given. It took me a while to process, and I had to read it a few more times to clarify my thoughts, and here’s what I found: Arundhati Roy brings up many valuable ideas that Americans today can relate to, but a few of her concepts seem to be outdated as