Palestine vs Orientalism Essay

Joe Sacco’s Palestine is a journalist’s journey throughout the Palestinian lifestyle, Israel and other facets of the state. Not only does Sacco voluntarily put himself into a dangerous occupied territory but he also assembles himself as a character in his engaging novel. Sacco is collecting the stories of the Palestinians and the destruction that Israelis have brought to their lives and families. Edward Said’s Orientalism provides a parallel to Sacco’s novel, as he conveys a plethora of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes toward the East. Said examines the different aspects of orientalism and gives light to the fact that because orientalism has lasted in our world this long, it has no . Although Said’s Orientalism is similar to Sacco’s Palestine, Said’s description of the Western world and its view of the East require one to rely on Sacco’s examples of true life stories to determine one’s own definition of orientalism. Sacco’s Palestine gives readers an inside look into the diminishing Palestinian life during the first intifada in which Sacco was present. The first intifada was a very powerful and liberating time in Palestine, as the citizens were revolting against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories Israel had control over. After witnessing the horrific tragedy that many Palestinians experience each day from Israel, Sacco interviews a family that has lost their stable income and family heritage. An older man explains â€Å"The olive tree is our main source of living†¦we use the oil for our food and we buy clothes with the oil we sell†¦a good roman tree can produce 20-30 liters in a year†¦ here we have nothing else but the trees†¦ The Israelis know that an olive tree is the same as our sons†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sacco 61-62). Not only did the Israeli soldiers cut down all of the families olive trees leaving them with nothing, the soldiers also forced the older man Sacco interviewed to cut some of his own olive trees down by himself. This incident is extremely powerful and moving, knowing that for a lifetime this man had a stable income and knew that his family would always be taken care of with these trees and now he is being over powered by the soldiers to take that all away. This provides a clear example of the helplessness that Palestinians experience under Israeli occupation of their home land. Both readings prove to be valid in their explanations of orientalism and anti-orientalism although, Edward Said’s idea of orientalism is indefinite which is obtained in Sacco’s Palestine and the day-to-day lives of the Palestinians that Sacco presents. The western influence has burrowed into the lives of the orient and created turmoil between Israelis and Palestinians. The Western support of Israel has only heightened the resentment toward Palestinians. As an Israeli business woman states her Orientalist view toward Palestine â€Å"Maybe, if I were a Palestinian I’d be a terrorist, too, to get back my land† (Sacco 254). It is evident that these Western ideas of the said â€Å"Terrorists† have spread so rapidly into Israel, when in reality Israel and the aggressive techniques their soldiers are taught to use against the Palestinians are in fact terrorist attacks in themselves. Despite the similarities; Said’s Orientalism stands out beyond the true context of Sacco’s Palestine. â€Å"†¦ in short, Orientalism is a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient† (Said 3). Because of the agreement between the Western states and Israel, the Israeli army and governmental views are very similar to the ones the Western world has, thus, creating authority over the Israeli Orient. On the other hand Sacco’s Palestine shows readers the evil and more or less terrorist like views of Israel. Taha, a Palestinian expresses his anger towards Israel when his friend, Shreef, admits that he wants a visa in able to work in Israel. Shreef states that he â€Å"has no problem with the Israelis†¦they are like Europeans† (Sacco 2). Taha reacts abruptly, slamming his over-sized clenched fist down onto the game table that had before held chess pieces. With saliva connecting between his teeth, with wide mouth, Taha lets out a startling. Palestine is an underdeveloped and vulnerable state; Israel is able to build a stronger built army with powerful tactics in order to take advantage of the weak and pacific (peaceful) manner of the Palestinians. Throughout Sacco’s journey he soon realizes that what he has encountered is now more of a pilgrimage. He even goes as far as to name a sub-chapter Pilgrimage, showing the reader that they’ve been on this pilgrimage with him. The families that let this American journalist, Joe Sacco, into their lives are very brave in showing him their true pain and struggle. Many of the interviewees struggle with the question is Sacco going to do anything to help them after they let him into their lives. The facts and stories that are full forcibly thrown at Sacco and the readers make it hard to not spread the word about the occupy happening in Palestine and the torture that the innocent Palestinians must go through every day. Even if Sacco’s novel doesn’t make a significant change in Palestine how they are treated it may although, make a significant change in a person of any race, and allow that person to examine their own life and be thankful for what they have. Ultimately, Said’s careful and precise wording provides a better standpoint for the argument of â€Å"the other† within Orientalism. With â€Å"the other† conclusively being someone of another race, nationality, religion and/or gender. Orientalism will continue to exist be taught and learned, until the western and the east come to an underline consensus about each other. A reason for the westerns view about the east and vice versa is a lack of knowledge about one other. Sacco made a lasting impression with his work in Palestine in order to more accurately educate those who know nothing more than bias, orientalism views.