Welcome...and initial guidelines...

This blog will be used in the spring of 2008 by 80+ students at Drexel University to investigate the effects of Iraq on culture and the reverse. Our goal will be to better understand why the US is in Iraq, and to question whether literature can help us on this journey.

Weekly plans and other materials will always be posted in Vista, not this blog. So go to Bb Vista to get the discussion prompts and other instructions.

I intend this blog to manage our discussions and track our collective investigation.

You should have received an email from me inviting you to become a contributor to this blog. The email was sent Monday afternoon to your official Drexel email address.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

300=US vs Iran

300, in my opinion, the best movie in the whole world, has surprising connections involving issues with Iran.  When I first went to go see the movie, I was amazed with its storyline involving the heroic, not to mention half naked and muscular, Spartans who fought for their land until the very end.  They fought against the evil Persians, who are portrayed as the bad guys in the popular film, compared to the noble Greeks.  So where is the connection with Iran?  Well, the Persians happen to represent Iran, a fact that I am surprised to learn.  The movie was actually promoted by the US government, stirring the pot and angering Iran for representing them as the bad guys.  The movie also happened to come out at a time of global turmoil between the US and Iran over the Persian's nuclear program and the Iraq war.  This shows how movies can secretly convey different meanings and messages to the audience. 

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