So many of us have this preconceived notion of the countries in the Middle East. What we think is heavily influenced by the media who portrays people from the Middle East as highly religious extremists. Greg Mortenson is able to offer us a different view. Through Three Cups of Tea Greg offers himself as a window for us outsiders to be able to look into the lives of these people. We are able to learn who they are and what they stand for. He was able to be as much of an insider into their culture as any “outside” person could be. He accepted their views and ways of life and therefore was “let in” to their culture. He became an outsider who acquired insider knowledge. Because of his nature, Greg was able to easily adapt and be welcomed into many different groups. As a result, he is able to explore and gain insider status into many of the groups within Pakistan and Afghanistan. He starts in the mountain town of Korphe but is let into many drastically different cultures such as the large city Rawalpindi, to the secretive Wazir, and finally into Badahshan. With each meeting he gains new knowledge and shares it with his readers. Because of the respect he earns he is able to break barriers down between men who had become enemies and gets them to work towards one common goal, education. He not only educates these children but he educates us. He offers glimpses into these people’s lives and offers up a different way of thinking for us. He enables the readers to let go of their preconceived notions and look at this as an opportunity for growth for all parties involved.
Greg shares his story as told through his eyes. He not only lets us in to these people’s lives but into his life as well. He gives the reader enough details of his own personal life to garner our attention and trust. Because of this we are willing to listen to his story. He shares the many triumphs, failures and hardships he endures not only in his personal life but in trying to build schools in Pakistan. Since he shares his vulnerabilities the reader is able to realize he is not out to promote himself. He really wants us to listen to the message he is trying to convey. Though it may seem sometimes that he gets stuck in this rut of self-righteousness the people of Pakistan are able to quickly draw him out. Because of the way the book is set up as a time-lined story, the reader is able to share in his failures and wait excitedly for his accomplishments. He is able to draw his reader in to the story and offer them the precious gift of being able to see what an education really provides.
2 comments:
I really liked how you covered all aspects of this book. The culture of both the author's life and what he experienced in these countries is addressed in a concise manner. Both paragraphs flow together well, and the points you make are recognizable and not unclear. I agree with the fact that Greg Mortenson offers us a different view about countries in the Middle East. His insider view is an important aspect of this book.
I really enjoyed what you wrote and how you covered almost everything in grave detail. You put a few things into a better perspective for me. I agree with exactly what you said especially when you were talking about how he tells the story though his eyes “Greg” because we get to see what his life was like and what there’s was like. All the points you made about building schools, the type of culture that he was living in, him being an outsider who basically became one of them, and how he wanted everyone to meet one common goal of education. You supported everything very well. Showing how he had to break down their barriers and how he had to be extremely patient with them even when he was frustrated that they wanted to become friends first before they could want to learn. How he not only taught them but they taught him when he was “stuck in his self-righteousness they quickly drew him out.” You showed how he had failures and accomplishments and even explained how the book was set up in a timeline.
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