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.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

The gladiator

Well, there are plenty of movies one can relate to war. Starting from James Bond to Bourne, from Rocky to Die Hard, basically most action movies represent the good – usually small in number but very brave- and the evil – usually big in number and overrated. This is the analogy we can make to war. Every war has a good country and a bad one. One of these movies that always come to my mind is “The Gladiator”. Truly the movie is supposed to show the gladiators in ancient Rome, and the sufferance of a Roman General enslaved by the new emperor. But if you think in a broad way, the Gladiator – played by Russell Crowe – represents a country in war with the evil. And the message is clear: it will always be difficult, but if there is a good reason you are fighting for, even the most impossible things become possible. This is a message one can relate to the war in Iraq. The Gladiator represents the Iraqi people who have suffered so much under the reign of Saddam Hussein, and now have joined the forces with the Americans went there to help them to build their own democratic country. Of course, it won’t be easy, but if they try hard and if they really love their country, it can be done…

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