Isabella Oliva

Ms. Evans
AP Lang Pd. 8
May 18, 2016
A Bullet
Throughout history the world in its entirety has endured many heart wrenching losses
brought by war and violence. The Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip specifically has endured
extreme hardships straining over the past 100 years. The chaos which has been unveiling over
the past century is immensely due to the large-scale Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as a battle for
land and territory has expanded to become much more. Following most outbreaks of violence
comes a political - and usually controversial - reaction, whether it be in the media or in a form of
protest or any other method. Most views are accused of attempting to sugarcoat the truth,
justifying violent acts by labeling them as tragic accidents or misunderstandings. The
commonality of acceptance for such extreme tragedy enrages others who maintain a strong
perspective and persistently condemn violence under each and every circumstance. Among these
infuriated, come writers, artists, and musicians who attempt to instill a sense of respect and
acknowledgement for the truth in societys mind through honest and appealing efforts. One poet,
Naomi Shihab Nye, thoroughly and directly expresses her disapproval of society, and more
specifically the government and high order officials in their classification of the murder of an
innocent life. Growing up in a Palestinian family with a refugee father, and later living in
Palestine, Nye has an extreme connection to this issue and establishes an accredited point of
view (Poetry Foundation). In the poem For Mohammed Zeid of Gaza, Age 15, Naomi Shihab

Nye condemns the extreme injustice in Gaza by exposing the physical intentions and the
emotional consequences of violence.
Nye emphasizes the misconception society has regarding the idea of a stray bullet
(Naomi Shihab Nye). In order to invalidate this argument, the author underscores the fact that
there is an eminent intention and purpose behind each fire of a gun - and that is the intention to
kill. Nye contrasts the severity of a bullet with the harmlessness of progressively insignificant
figures including a worried cat puppy pecan plunking or fluff of pollen(Naomi Shihab
Nye). These objects and animals represent things that are justly classified as stray, such as a stray
dog roaming the streets of a city. This comparisons emphasizes societys misplacement of a bullet

under the category of stray that holds such harmless figures. Furthermore, the act of a pecan
only being capable of plunking rather than harming or affecting a rooftop continues to depict
the innocence of these figures, being extremely misconstrued as associated with a bullet yielding
the capacity of death (Naomi Shihab Nye). Labeling a bullet as a stray is extremely
contradicting, similar to the labeling of fire as friendly(Naomi Shihab Nye). This is an
oxymoron which serves to clarify the incapability for any bullet to be harmless. Fire is a
destructive element which in its existence is not capable of innocence or friendliness. By directly
addressing the sirs to which have allowed the death of 15 year old Mohammed to be viewed
publicly as a mistake, Nye brings attention to the wrongdoings of the government officials in
Gaza (Naomi Shihab Nye). The physical capabilities of a bullet outweigh any possibility for a
mistake to occur. The person firing the gun that killed Mohammed was firing that gun to kill.
Shihab Nye also implements an emotional appeal to her audience by comparing the
purpose and journey of a bullet to that of a human life. This argument is strengthened through
her construction of a contradiction between life and an object which so clearly embodies and

results in death. Despite the fact that most people live among stray thoughts with fickle
hearts, their uncertainty and misguided paths create the complete experience of life (Naomi
Shihab Nye). By characterizing humanity with a lack of certainty and awareness for the future,
the author distinguishes the idea of life from that of death. Unlike the confusion and
misconceptions paired with life, bullets are evidently transparent in their motive. There is no
room for a bullet to pause, reflect, and pick a different path in the way that humans may choose
to do. Rather, when fired, bullets follow a direct path, being unstoppable in the face of its victim.
Any shape or form in which a bullet is shot is a form of ending any sort of life. This clear
purpose supports the reasoning that no bullet can ever be the friend of life and for this reason,
violence of all kind especially in Gaza must be terminated (Naomi Shihab Nye). We as people
have many choices whether it be what to eat, what to wear, where to live, or any sort of decision,
this is part of ones journey through life. Nye highlights the idea that characterizing ones
thoughts as stray or unclear is in fact completely acceptable, but when this same classification
is applied to an object which in its entirety has one sole purpose, there is conflict (Naomi Shihab
Nye). Furthermore, by directing this letter to the lost life of Mohammed the author is in a sense
directing it towards the common people of Gaza. The name Mohammed is very common in the
Palestinian, Israeli, and Gaza, likely due to the fact that it is another form of the name
Muhammad which was the name of the founder of Islam, a major religion in the Middle East
(Dictionary.com). Although 15 year old Mohammed Zeid was killed specifically, Nye warns the
people of Gaza and society as a whole that they have the potential of being targeted by this
violence as well.
The author of this poem argues for the lives of all those lost by stray [bullets] (Naomi
Shihab Nye). By developing both a physical and emotional distinction between societys

misconception and the truth, Shihab-Nye invalidates the supposed innocence yielded by a bullet.
Nye emphasizes that all bullets are fired to fulfill an ultimate goal of violence and with this
violence should come consequence. In order to justly condemn acts of violence, these acts must
be firstly recognized for the well-being of all of mankind. Nye mourns the young soul of
Mohammed Zeid, and worries for the rest of society under the control of iniquitous sirs
(Naomi Shihab Nye).

Works Cited
"mohammed". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 18 May. 2016.
<Dictionary.comhttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/mohammed>.

"Naomi Shihab Nye." Poetry Foundatiom. N.p., 2010. Web. 17 May 2016.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/
naomi-shihab-nye>.
"Palestinian Political Violence." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Apr. 2016.
Web. 17 May 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_political_violence>.

Prodger, Matt. "Israeli Army Conviction Praised." BBC News. N.p., 1 Mar. 2004.
Web. 17 May 2016. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/ 3522879.stm>.