Humanties Syria Essay

Alaina Wray
Essay
Humanities

Why did I choose Syria? I chose it because I wanted to write about something that is
happening right now and something that not many people know about. After seeing a part
of White Helmets, a documentary about a group that goes into Syria and rescues people
out of the rubble of bombed buildings, I knew, that out of everything happening, this is
what I wanted to focus on. That is why I chose Syria. I wanted to bring to light its pain
and the insanity that is happening right now.

The Syrian Civil War started with a young man and a can of spray paint; but what made
the war explode so big happened in 1963 and early 2011. In 1963 the Ba’ath Party (An
Arab Socialist Group) took over Syria and ‘elected’ Hafez al-Assad. They also put in place
the Emergency Law, a law that heavily restricts the freedom of speech, the press, and the
freedom to gather. It also gave the government a complete dictatorship like power. In
early 2011 there was a revolution in Egypt, which had been under a similar political
climate including having the Emergency Law in place. Later in 2011 some people in Syria
gathered in a time called The Arab Spring to protest the torturing of a student who put up
some anti-government graffiti as well as the emergency law which sanctioned the
torturing. Bashar Al Assad reacted to this by removing the Emergency Law the same day
he fired upon the protesters. He gave the people one other reason to start a revolution
similar to what happened in Egypt, which he had been trying so hard to avoid. Little did
any of them know, unlike the 18 day Egyption revolution this war would last over eight
years.

Fire spread after Assad's impetuous response. More protesters took to the streets. Rebel
groups started to form, and a civil war began. Not long after this other countries started
to join in, placing men or money in support of their selected group. This bloody war is now
just a back and forth between Bashar Al Assad's forces and different rebel groups.
Unfortunately, this battle has placed the Syrian people, including the people of Aleppo in
the crossfire. The people of Aleppo have died and been displayed at the hands of these
clashes. The war in Syria may have been sparked by one person but the fire has spread to
everyone.

Aleppo was Syria's largest, most populated and fruitful city. It was a prize possession to
any military group who had control of it. So as soon as rebel groups took over parts of the
city in 2012, a long and bloody battle began. While the inexperienced rebels (including
Kurdish fighters) put their main focus on controlling the heart of the city, Bashar Al
Assad's Forces encircled the rebels territory cutting off their supply lines. During which
Alaina Wray
Essay
Humanities
the civilians were forced to find food, water, and shelter wherever they could. The rebels
then negotiated that they would leave without a fight if Aleppo's people were allowed to
leave as well. While that might sound simple, those four years of war saw the most horrific
atrocities that have been done since the Holocausts. What once had been the crown of
Syria is now just a pile of ashes.

#Pray for Aleppo.#Aleppo is Burning. #Save Aleppo. #Aleppo Matters. These hashtags
have up to 137k posts but that number is only 24% of the people who have died in the
Syrian Civil War. These hashtags are saying ‘Aleppo should not be forgotten’ and ‘Aleppo
Matters.’ For instance, pray for Aleppo because its people have been displaced, killed, and
raped. Aleppo is burning with chemical weapons, air strikes, bombs, street fighting, and a
type of explosive that blows up, waits long enough for help to come in, then explodes
again. Save Aleppo because as Mohamed Najem a 16-year-old boy says from inside Syria
“We know that you got bored from our blood pictures, But We will continue appealing to
you. Bashar Al-Assad, Putin, and Khamenei killed our childhood. Save us before it is too
late. What is the world, which can send machines to the martian and can't do anything to
stop killing people.” Aleppo matters because it has not only seen the worst in people, but
Aleppo has also seen the best; through food drives, The White Helmets, Doctors Without
Borders and much more. Aleppo matters because rebels in Aleppo have had enough of an
impact to cause Assad’s forces to negotiate with them, and has set the norm for how
Assad is going to deal with people as well as how those people are going to react. We
have now seen the hashtags with 137k post now how can we 137k? Because Aleppo
Matters.

You can tell me all about war. The when, the why, and the how, but what really gets me is
when you tell me the stories and show me the pictures. That's when I start to care and feel
some sort of emotion towards it. That is why for my creative piece I chose to write a short
story about a young self-made photographer in the midst of the battle of Aleppo. I loved
the idea of a photographer because they get down and dirty; they risk their lives to make
sure these peoples stories are seen. I loved the idea of a young girl because then I may be
able to relate and a give a more accurate portrayal . My story is centered around Centola
Toma who is 15 at the start of the four year battle in Aleppo. In this story I hope to
capture, as close as I can, the life of a young Syrian girl photographer in the middle of the
most horrific atrocities ever seen. I am not going to tell you of war but rather paint it
before your eyes.

Alaina Wray
Essay
Humanities

Humanties Syria Essay

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