Farzana Khan
ENG 102
Professor Jay Polish
May 31, 2018
Narrative Essay 3
Things started to change for me during middle school. That was when I realized the difference in the society. Where some people got along with the society and does things like everyone and others get stick with their principals and act different from them. As a Muslim girl, I stick with my religious principals and experienced certain expectation on what we should eat and stuff like that. It was kind of hard for me to follow these rules at a beginning, where I started to wear a scarf in the middle school for the first time. Everyone was staring at me and gave me a look on the hallway that made me embarrassed. They also, asked me, if I was forced to wear it or I’m just wearing because I like it. All these question and looks made me come to a point not to wear it again. The way people judge us based on our actions or appearance, it makes us to change and do things like other in the society. But, later onwards I got to know the difference in the society and we can’t do anything about it and made me turned into a one that get stick with their principals and act differently.
I had been wondering if I was the only one who experienced this stuff in school or even other had been asked this question. The answer to this question was answered through my first comic book. I never read comic books before, but once I had borrowed it from my sister just to see the pictures. When I first read Ms. Marvel, I understood how pictures also tell us a story and I not only found an answer to my question but also got related to Kamala Khan. The message was conveyed in a form of an answer to my question and made me realize that I wasn’t the only one who had experienced it but also characters like Nakia. This made me to think, it would have been the reason why Kamala wants to be like others just like Zoe. Nobody likes to be judged by their cultural habits and would make them embarrass if they have gone beyond. To show one’s self power to act differently in the society comes despite of experiencing misbehavior’s and disobeying parents in regards to cultural aspects. In consequence, the society will change ones behavior by others action.
I can see how kamala and I are related to each other, basically with the same religion, went through almost the same difficulties and have almost related behavioral parents. Wearing a scarf wasn’t the only situation that made me make up my mind to act differently but, also other situation like, eating foods. Kamala and I deals with our religious expectation, where we are not supposed to eat BLT. Our desire to eat specific food is altered by our emotions of feeling toward the religious principle on what must be eaten and what one wants to eat.
This connects with me, where I went through the same situation and couldn’t eat some of the foods like Kamala does. When I was in the lunch room with my Muslim friends at the middle school, my stomach was trembling and there wasn’t anything at the lunch room that I could eat except an apple. I couldn’t control my hunger so I ended up eating the burger which I know that I’m not supposed to eat it. That was when I realized that I crossed my religion’s expectation but at the same time my other Muslim friends were eating it. That time I was struggling through if I really should follow these rules or just eat whatever I want as others in the society does. It wasn’t until I got caught by my parents and learned from them and from my friends. I got caught by my parents because of my friend. A friend who truly cares for us will find a way to help us through it. Not only by making sure we are not hurt but, also by examine us. A friend who has that type of behavior will make us frustrated, but, they are the one who wants us to be who we are. When Bruno told on Kamala, her reaction to it was impossible. Her eyebrows were shrunk down and the anger in her face shows her frustration towards her friend’s behavior. But, he likes her the way she was.
None of the parents would allow their children to mislead their religious principles. As Kamala’s parents are strict regarding to religious principles like, going to the party and wearing a certain type of clothes. My parents are also very strict when it comes for eating food. I was surrounded by my parents for eating a burger and they judged me and asked questions which my answer won’t be able to convince them or show them how I felt. When my parents started to judge me I learned how much they cared for me and none of the parents would judge their children unless they want them to go into a right direction. Parents would never accept their children to disobey them or their cultural aspects and let them go through whatever direction they wanted to go even if they know it’s not a right way.
That day, I realized it was all because of food and made me to think why food should have names. This situation in my life was supported by the illustration in the comic book, all sandwich had a name tag except for one which had a question mark. This scene really surprised me because I felt like the author had read my mind. If there isn’t any name for foods everyone can eat anything they want and they won’t know if it’s a BLT or something. I wonder why Kamala didn’t eat the sandwich that had the question mark and act like she doesn’t know what she ate. I think the author had kept it for purpose so; readers can fill it with whatever name they want.
Reflection
Throughout this project, I learned about comic book which is a new genre for me. I never read comic books before, and in this project I learned how to read a comic because it has each panels and it must be read in certain direction. I can use this for my life experience by; try out other comic books because after I read this comic book it made me read more of this genre. I chose this type of assignment format because this assignment was kind a different from all the assignments’. We never get any chances for comparing our own story with other’s story so, I just made use of this. This format really helped me to analysis the comic because when we compare our own story with other’s story we can understand their situation and helps to analysis it. I could have analysis even further by focusing on the comic book more than my own story. I used rhetorical choices such as, metaphor to compare my story with the comic book and this advanced my analysis by getting connected to their situation. For this assignment, the peer review really didn’t push my analysis forward because, since I’ m a visual learn I need to see others draft in order for me to learn more about the assignment. Everyone were doing different format so, I couldn’t analysis forward. I would like to bring in a personification rhetorical choices so I can play with by comparing two different non things.