Section 2 of Memoir (p. 83-153)

Breath-taking, heart-breaking, devastating, thrilling, exciting, emotional, and romantic. This section of "Love in a Torn Land..." captured my full attention and I can not wait to continue on reading until I reach the end! So many significant events occurred in this section: Joanna's ffather's tragic death, her first love and broken heart, her first trip abrod to France, her brother's traumatizing experience from fighting in the war, her first interrogation by Iraqi officers, her first love letters, and last but not least, her second chance at love. The language that Jean Sasson uses to express Joanna al-Askari's events are vivid, alive, and easy to comprehend. This passage describes the situation of Joanna and her family after receiving a phone call regarding to her father. "Ten days before [his death], he had collapsed at the railroad offices and had been rushed to the hospital. When word came, Mother, Sa'ad, Muna, and I sped across the city in a taxi cab to the Al-Numan Hospital, located in Adhamiya, Mother staring straight ahead, praying, Sa'ad dark and still, and Muna pale and trembling. I was in an unmobing stupor, yearning to cry but unable to shed a single tear" (86). Besides the language, Sasson's word choice are also effective. For one part, I like how Sasson describes Sa'ad and Muna. Sa'ad and Muna are twins and it has been said in this memoir that Sa'ad, the the twin, older brother, and Muna, the twin sister, have completely different characteristics. I did not notice this before in this passage, but Sasson did a good job at showing how diferent they were, "Sa'ad dark and still, and Muna pale and trembling." Another part in this passage that I also like is the last sentence, "I was in an unmoving stupor, yearing to cry but unable to shed a single tear." I really like this sentence because I know exactly how she Felt at the time. Approximately two years ago, my grandma passed away. On the days of her funeral, I was "yearining to cry but unable to shed a single tear." However, before, when it was annouced that my grandma was no longer physically with us, I had cried a liter of tears. Puzzled, I did not know why I couldn't even shed a single tear drop at her funeral. For some reason why, because I unable to cry, I feel like a horrible granddaughter and guilty. Again, amazingly, Joanna and I had another in common.
Another passage that I really like and is so emotional, that ironically, I even cried. The passage is about Joanna's love. However, beforepresenting the passage one must know Joanna's background. Joanna has been in love with Sarbast since the moment she laid eyes on him. Joanna secretly began to love and admire him since the age of fifteen, until he shattered her heart into millions of pieces when Joanna was twenty-two. Sarbast had asked another lady to marry him. However, the lady rejected his proposal and after several of years, Sarbast realized that it was Joanna whom he truly loved, and began sending her letters and poems expressing his love for her. "Mother and Muna had been watching me closely for several weeks. In fact, everyone in my family was suffering along with me. Sarbast's letters and poems were getting to me. My entire body felt raw, crushed. I had become impossible, irritable... Since the day Sarbast disregarded me, an unackowledged unhappiness had been walking with me, but I had put that unhappiness in a locked compartment, and now his letters were letting it out. Remembering the agony of love's rejection, I feared its return" (152). This passage is superb! Its emotional, touching, realistic, and well written. The similes and metaphors that Sasson uses to compare Joanna's injured heart to other matters are brilliant. I even surprised myself when a tear rolled down my cheek. This section ends with Joanna questioning herslef whether she should accept or decline Sarbast's love. "Love in a Torn Land..." is like an adventure, I am glad that I chose this memoir to read.