Blog Entry 9

The title of Etaf Rum’s Novel, A Woman is No Man, represents female struggle in Arab Society. A woman does not have the power that a man has – the novel repeats the word ‘powerless.’ In the novel, the women are supposed to cook, clean, and watch the kids. Deya wanted to attend college, but Fareeda was not okay with that. Also, the novel touches on a lot on abuse, which we learn from Rum’s lecture that she herself was abused and her parents disowned her. The women in the novel were abused but did not have much of a voice. When Sarah left her family, she was disowned. From what I’ve learned, a man can divorce his wife; however, a woman cannot divorce her husband. In Arab society, Rum made clear that she really likes the hospitality in the Arab community, which is a nice part of Arab society. However, women do often get abused. Just because you don’t hear about it doesn’t mean it does not happen. Women have a voice but might not be heard. From my standpoint it is unacceptable, but I know it is part of the culture. On a similar note, I really liked how Rum opened up so much with our class. She shared a lot of information that you would never know by just looking at her. In addition, Rum explained how she was in an arranged marriage, just like the women in her novel. From what I understand, the woman does not get to choose, just as Adam was selected for Isra. Nevertheless, this novel and Rum’s talk, was eye-opening. I did not realize how common abuse is in Arab society and I did not realize how powerless some women feel. I am privileged as a white male, but am understanding and accepting of cultural differences.