America the Beautiful: What We're Fighting For by Dinesh D'Souza could easily be my favorite piece of writing we have read this semester. D'Souza flawlessly combines a serious topic with satire, making this an enjoyable read. D'Souza made so many interesting points, things I've never thought of. The first thing that jumped out at me was on pg. 769 where he wrote about how Americans can't win something if they have no idea why they're fighting. And later on he mentions that Americans cannot succeed if they don't believe they are fighting for good. The only thing I would add to that is to say that not only do we have to know what we're fighting for, we have to be united in what we're fighting for.
Another thing he wrote about that I found fascinating is why the fundamental Islamic world hates western culture. He wrote that American culture "allows for the shaping of your own life" and in contrast Islam relies heavily upon Allah to predict the path their life takes. Fundamentalists believe that western culture is perverting the ways of Islam. They hope that by removing American troops they'll be able to eliminate western influence and hold true to the Koran.
I really enjoyed this piece. I enjoyed it so much I made my parents read it. They loved it too:)
2 comments:
I think that it was interesting that you made your parents read this. Not only did you love it they did too! Don't you feel the same way that you don't want to fight for something unless you know what your fighting for. Its like picking your battles wisely. One thing that i also found interesting was that fundamentalists completely rely on Allah to predict and tell them how to live. I think its more strict than any religion that I have learned or heard about.
Sabrina, I totally agree with you about the reading assignment we had. Both of my parents are gone, but I want them to read it too. This reading assignment made me want to go back to Washington DC. Gosh, lets take a trip! :)
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