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My Name is Rachel Corrie
“Extraordinary power… Funny, passionate, bristling with idealism and luminously intelligent.” – TimeOut London
“You feel you have not just had a night at the you have encountered an extraordinary woman [in this] stunning account of one woman’s passionate response… Theatre can’t change the world. But what it can do, when it’s as good as this, is to send us out enriched by other people’s passionate concern.” – Guardian (London)
“An impassioned eulogy… It’s hard not to be impressed – and also somewhat frightened – by the description of her as a two-year-old looking across Capital Lake in Washington State and announcing, ‘This is the wide world, and I’m coming to it.’” – New York Times
On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, a twenty-three-year-old American, was crushed to death by an Israeli Army bulldozer in Gaza as she was trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home. My Name is Rachel Corrie is a one-woman play composed from Rachel’s own journals, letters and emails – creating a portrait of a messy, articulate, Salvador Dali-loving chain-smoker (with a passion for the music of Pat Benatar), who left her home and school in Olympia, Washington, to work as an activist in the heart of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since its Royal Court premiere (London), the piece has been surrounded by both controversy and impassioned proponents, and has raised an unprecedented call to support political work and the difficult discourse it creates.
ALAN RICKMAN is a British actor and director, who directed the London and New York productions of the play. KATHERINE VINER is an award-winning journalist and editor of the Guardian ’s Weekend Magazine.
“You feel you have not just had a night at the you have encountered an extraordinary woman [in this] stunning account of one woman’s passionate response… Theatre can’t change the world. But what it can do, when it’s as good as this, is to send us out enriched by other people’s passionate concern.” – Guardian (London)
“An impassioned eulogy… It’s hard not to be impressed – and also somewhat frightened – by the description of her as a two-year-old looking across Capital Lake in Washington State and announcing, ‘This is the wide world, and I’m coming to it.’” – New York Times
On March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, a twenty-three-year-old American, was crushed to death by an Israeli Army bulldozer in Gaza as she was trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home. My Name is Rachel Corrie is a one-woman play composed from Rachel’s own journals, letters and emails – creating a portrait of a messy, articulate, Salvador Dali-loving chain-smoker (with a passion for the music of Pat Benatar), who left her home and school in Olympia, Washington, to work as an activist in the heart of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since its Royal Court premiere (London), the piece has been surrounded by both controversy and impassioned proponents, and has raised an unprecedented call to support political work and the difficult discourse it creates.
ALAN RICKMAN is a British actor and director, who directed the London and New York productions of the play. KATHERINE VINER is an award-winning journalist and editor of the Guardian ’s Weekend Magazine.
57 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
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About the author
Rachel Corrie
4 books37 followersEarly life
Corrie was born on April 10, 1979, and raised in Olympia, Washington, United States. She was the youngest of the three children of Craig Corrie, an insurance executive, and Cindy Corrie. Cindy describes their family as "average Americans—politically liberal, economically conservative, middle class".[5][6][7]
After graduating from Capital High School, Corrie went on to attend The Evergreen State College (TESC), also in Olympia, where she took a number of arts courses. She took one year off from her studies to work as a volunteer in the Washington State Conservation Corps; other volunteer work included making weekly visits to patients with mental disorders for three years.[7] In her senior year, she proposed an independent-study program in which she would travel to Gaza, join protesters from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and initiate a "sister city" project between Olympia and Rafah.[8] Before leaving, she also organized a pen-pal program between kids in Olympia and Rafah.[9]
[edit]Activities in the West Bank and Gaza
See also: House demolition in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels
After flying to Israel on January 22, 2003, Corrie underwent a two-day training course at ISM West Bank headquarters, before heading to Rafah to participate in ISM demonstrations.[6][8] During her training, Corrie studied tactics of direct action. Basic rules about avoiding harm were given, which a later article on the Corrie incident summarized as: "Wear fluorescent jackets. Don't run. Don't frighten the army. Try to communicate by megaphone. Make your presence known."[8] On January 27, 2003, Corrie and William Hewitt (also from Olympia), traveled to the Erez checkpoint and entered the Gaza Strip.[8]
Corrie with Israeli bulldozers in background
While in Rafah, Corrie acted as a human shield in an attempt to impede house demolitions carried out by the IDF using armored bulldozers.[4] On Corrie's first night there, she and two other ISM members set up camp inside Block J, often a target for Israeli gunfire. Israeli troops fired bullets over their tent and at the ground a few feet away. Deciding that their presence was provoking the Israeli soldiers, not deterring them, Corrie and her colleagues hurriedly dismantled their tent and left the area.[8]
Qishta, a Palestinian who worked as an interpreter, noted that: "Late January and February was a very crazy time. There were house demolitions taking place all over the border strip and the activists had no time to do anything else."[8] Qishta also stated of the ISM activists: "They were not only brave; they were crazy."[8] The confrontations were not without harm to the activists; a British participant was wounded by shrapnel.[8]
Palestinian militants expressed concern that the "internationals" staying in tents between the Israeli watchtowers and the residential neighborhoods would get caught in crossfire, while other residents were concerned that the young activists might be spies. Corrie worked hard to overcome this suspicion, learning a few words of Arabic, and participating in a mock trial denouncing the "crimes of the Bush Administration."[8] With time, the ISM members were taken into Palestinian family homes, and provided with meals and beds. Even so, in the days before Corrie's death, a letter gained wide circulation in Rafah, casting suspicion again on the ISM members. "Who are they? Why are they here? Who asked them to come here?" it asked.[8] The letter caused the activists to be preoccupied and frustrated, and on the morning of Corrie's death they planned ways to counteract its effects. According to one activist, "We all had a feeling that our role was too passive. We talked about how to engage the Israeli military."[8]
On March 14, 2003, during an interview with the Middle East Broadcasting network, Corrie said:
"I feel like I'm witnessing the systematic destruction of a people's ability to survive ... Sometimes I sit dow
Corrie was born on April 10, 1979, and raised in Olympia, Washington, United States. She was the youngest of the three children of Craig Corrie, an insurance executive, and Cindy Corrie. Cindy describes their family as "average Americans—politically liberal, economically conservative, middle class".[5][6][7]
After graduating from Capital High School, Corrie went on to attend The Evergreen State College (TESC), also in Olympia, where she took a number of arts courses. She took one year off from her studies to work as a volunteer in the Washington State Conservation Corps; other volunteer work included making weekly visits to patients with mental disorders for three years.[7] In her senior year, she proposed an independent-study program in which she would travel to Gaza, join protesters from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), and initiate a "sister city" project between Olympia and Rafah.[8] Before leaving, she also organized a pen-pal program between kids in Olympia and Rafah.[9]
[edit]Activities in the West Bank and Gaza
See also: House demolition in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels
After flying to Israel on January 22, 2003, Corrie underwent a two-day training course at ISM West Bank headquarters, before heading to Rafah to participate in ISM demonstrations.[6][8] During her training, Corrie studied tactics of direct action. Basic rules about avoiding harm were given, which a later article on the Corrie incident summarized as: "Wear fluorescent jackets. Don't run. Don't frighten the army. Try to communicate by megaphone. Make your presence known."[8] On January 27, 2003, Corrie and William Hewitt (also from Olympia), traveled to the Erez checkpoint and entered the Gaza Strip.[8]
Corrie with Israeli bulldozers in background
While in Rafah, Corrie acted as a human shield in an attempt to impede house demolitions carried out by the IDF using armored bulldozers.[4] On Corrie's first night there, she and two other ISM members set up camp inside Block J, often a target for Israeli gunfire. Israeli troops fired bullets over their tent and at the ground a few feet away. Deciding that their presence was provoking the Israeli soldiers, not deterring them, Corrie and her colleagues hurriedly dismantled their tent and left the area.[8]
Qishta, a Palestinian who worked as an interpreter, noted that: "Late January and February was a very crazy time. There were house demolitions taking place all over the border strip and the activists had no time to do anything else."[8] Qishta also stated of the ISM activists: "They were not only brave; they were crazy."[8] The confrontations were not without harm to the activists; a British participant was wounded by shrapnel.[8]
Palestinian militants expressed concern that the "internationals" staying in tents between the Israeli watchtowers and the residential neighborhoods would get caught in crossfire, while other residents were concerned that the young activists might be spies. Corrie worked hard to overcome this suspicion, learning a few words of Arabic, and participating in a mock trial denouncing the "crimes of the Bush Administration."[8] With time, the ISM members were taken into Palestinian family homes, and provided with meals and beds. Even so, in the days before Corrie's death, a letter gained wide circulation in Rafah, casting suspicion again on the ISM members. "Who are they? Why are they here? Who asked them to come here?" it asked.[8] The letter caused the activists to be preoccupied and frustrated, and on the morning of Corrie's death they planned ways to counteract its effects. According to one activist, "We all had a feeling that our role was too passive. We talked about how to engage the Israeli military."[8]
On March 14, 2003, during an interview with the Middle East Broadcasting network, Corrie said:
"I feel like I'm witnessing the systematic destruction of a people's ability to survive ... Sometimes I sit dow
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September 20, 2011
My Name is Rachel Corrie is the culmination of a young American woman’s diary, leading to her move to the Gaza Strip and ultimate death while attempting to stop a bull dozer from illegally destroying a Palestinian family’s house. And, yes, it was edited by Professor Snape.
Her voice is so honest – she seems to allow the private audience into her every most thought. When she does acknowledge shame or naivety, she does so with introspection and clear thought. She philosophized about the world around her, and let her passion for social justice drive not only her life, but that clear understanding of humanity seeps into her writing. Her outlook on the world is beautiful, and her diction reflects her optimism. This thought-provoking work still haunts me to this day.
Her voice is so honest – she seems to allow the private audience into her every most thought. When she does acknowledge shame or naivety, she does so with introspection and clear thought. She philosophized about the world around her, and let her passion for social justice drive not only her life, but that clear understanding of humanity seeps into her writing. Her outlook on the world is beautiful, and her diction reflects her optimism. This thought-provoking work still haunts me to this day.
March 12, 2016
همه ى ما روزى به دنيا آمده ايم و روزى خواهيم مرد. به احتمال زياد تنها. نكند تنهايى مان مصيبت بار نباشد؟ اصلا شايد تنهايى مان اجازه دهد بدون واهمه حقيقت را بيان كنيم. نكند تنها بودنمان امكان ماجراجويى به ما دهد؟ امكان تجربه كردن جهان به مثابه پديده اى همواره متغير و دو سويه؟
از متن كتاب
از متن كتاب
May 21, 2020
ریچل کوری دختری آمریکایی با روحیه ای بسیار پر شور و جستجوگر بوده که در 23 سالگی برای حمایت از فلسطینیان غزه و مناطقی که در آن ها اسرائیل دست به تخریب خانه های فلسطینیان میزده میرود و درحالیکه برای اعتراض نسبت به تخریب یک خانه، بین بولدوزر اسرائیلی و خانه یک فلسطینی ایستاده بود، توسط بولدوزر کشته میشود
کتاب نمایشنامه ای از زندگی و افکار اوست که بیشتر بر اساس دست نوشته های ریچل نوشته شده
مواجهه ریجل با اینهمه تبعیض و جنایت و ناباوری و عصبانتیش از این اتفاق به خوبی در نوشته هایش و در این کتاب بیان شده
Rachel Corrie is an American girl with a very passionate and inquisitive spirit who, at the age of 23, goes to support the Palestinians in Gaza and the areas where Israel destroys Palestinian homes. while protesting against the demolition of a house, among Israeli bulldozers and the house of a Palestinian was standing, killed by a bulldozer
The book is a play about her life and thoughts, mostly based on Rachel's notes.
Rachel's encounter with so much discrimination, crime, disbelief, and anger over this incidents is well illustrated in her writings and in this book.
کتاب نمایشنامه ای از زندگی و افکار اوست که بیشتر بر اساس دست نوشته های ریچل نوشته شده
مواجهه ریجل با اینهمه تبعیض و جنایت و ناباوری و عصبانتیش از این اتفاق به خوبی در نوشته هایش و در این کتاب بیان شده
Rachel Corrie is an American girl with a very passionate and inquisitive spirit who, at the age of 23, goes to support the Palestinians in Gaza and the areas where Israel destroys Palestinian homes. while protesting against the demolition of a house, among Israeli bulldozers and the house of a Palestinian was standing, killed by a bulldozer
The book is a play about her life and thoughts, mostly based on Rachel's notes.
Rachel's encounter with so much discrimination, crime, disbelief, and anger over this incidents is well illustrated in her writings and in this book.
June 7, 2018
ریچل کوری، دختر بیست و سه ساله ی آمریکایی، در سال 2003، هنگام تلاش برای جلوگیری از تخریب یک خانه ی غیرنظامی در غزه، با بولدوزر زیر گرفته شده و به قتل می رسد. آلن ریکمن با همکاری یک روزنامه نگار و با استفاده از نوشته ها و ایمیل های ریچل، نمایش نامه ای درباره ی زندگی او می نویسد و کارگردانی می کند، تا ریچل صرفا یک دختر بلوند آمریکایی که کشته شد، نباشد.
و واقعا هم نیست. ریچل عمیقا با مسائل دنیای اطرافش درگیر بوده. مثلا در سن ده سالگی تصمیم می گیرد تا سال 2000 فقر را در دنیا ریشه کن کند. در فعالیت های محلی شرکت می کرده و یک بار یک راهپیمایی ضدجنگ را سازماندهی کرده است. و در نهایت با این اعتقاد که سفیدپوست و خارجی بودن از او محافظت خواهد کرد به غزه می رود و به قتل می رسد.
راننده ی بولدوزر و ارتش اسرائیل هرگز در هیچ دادگاهی مقصر شناخته نشدند.
نوشته های ریچل عمیق و تاثیرگذارند و مثل ندارند. به شدت توصیه می شود.
و واقعا هم نیست. ریچل عمیقا با مسائل دنیای اطرافش درگیر بوده. مثلا در سن ده سالگی تصمیم می گیرد تا سال 2000 فقر را در دنیا ریشه کن کند. در فعالیت های محلی شرکت می کرده و یک بار یک راهپیمایی ضدجنگ را سازماندهی کرده است. و در نهایت با این اعتقاد که سفیدپوست و خارجی بودن از او محافظت خواهد کرد به غزه می رود و به قتل می رسد.
راننده ی بولدوزر و ارتش اسرائیل هرگز در هیچ دادگاهی مقصر شناخته نشدند.
نوشته های ریچل عمیق و تاثیرگذارند و مثل ندارند. به شدت توصیه می شود.
February 29, 2016
I love this play because I deeply relate to it. A year and a half ago, I embarked on a journey to Palestine for the same reason as Corrie: to be with the people whom my tax money exploits and oppresses. And my experience and feelings were eerily similar to her writings. Her passion, conviction, grief, privilege guilt--they all spoke to me like a gong. I knew of Corrie when I went and I met her parents in Jerusalem who came by to offer us encouragement and support. But this is my first time reading her writing and I'm stunned and grateful for her voice. What a tragedy to no longer have this compassionate voice in our world, what a gift it is to have ever had it.
May 18, 2019
نکته بد ماجرا این بود که من دنبال نمایشنامه بودم بخونم و به محض اینکه اینو خریدم از فیدیبو با خودم گفتم نکنه مونولوگ باشه و بود.با این حال:
نحوه پیش رفتن داستان جالب بود؛استفاده از متن های شخصی ریچل کوری برای پیش بردن داستان.که البته خوب بودن این متنا رو مدیون خودِ ریچل کوری هستیم.
از جایی که ریچل میره فلسطین و فرق کردن شخصیتش رو بیشتر از قبلش دوست داشتم.اخرش هم که خیلی خوب بود دیگه.
نحوه پیش رفتن داستان جالب بود؛استفاده از متن های شخصی ریچل کوری برای پیش بردن داستان.که البته خوب بودن این متنا رو مدیون خودِ ریچل کوری هستیم.
از جایی که ریچل میره فلسطین و فرق کردن شخصیتش رو بیشتر از قبلش دوست داشتم.اخرش هم که خیلی خوب بود دیگه.
March 30, 2017
یک وقتهایی هست که یک کتاب را شخصی میدانی و نمیتوانی فارغ از رابطهی شخصیات با آن بهش نگاه کنی. و لزوماُ این شخصی بودن این نیست که بخشی از زندگیات را توی آن ببینی، شاید اشتراک راههای نرفته، رویاها، افسوسها، تردیدها و مهمتر از همه مرگ. «نام من ریچل کوری است» به این دلیل متفاوت است و احتمالاً همه با آن رابطهای سوای یک اثر ادبی برقرار میکنند، که داستان واقعی است و نوشتهها، تکتکشان نوشتههای واقعی دختر جوانی هستند که نبوغ عجیبی دارد، مرگش را سالها قبل پیشگویی کرده و در 23 سالگی کشته میشود. من که دلم میخواست ویراستارها بهخاطر دراماتیزه کردن، دستنوشتهها و ایمیلها را حذف و کوتاه نکرده بودند، هرچند وقتی از جنبهی تئاتری به آن نگاه میکنم، احتمالاً اجرای خیلی سختی خواهد داشت.
راجع به ترجمه، فکر میکنم با وجود چندتا اشتباه، ترجمهی بدی نبود، کاش برای چاپ بعدی ویرایش شود. و در مورد باقیاش ... خب این کتاب نه یک اثر ادبی، که یک اثر انسانی است. چطور میشود خاطرات شخصی، افکار و کلمات کسی را بررسی کرد؟
خواندن این کتاب را پیشنهاد میکنم، مرا که بهم ریخت و انتخابها و تردیدهای زیادی را جلوی چشمم آورد. احتمالاً اکثر آدمها را به شکلهای مختلف بهم میریزد.
راجع به ترجمه، فکر میکنم با وجود چندتا اشتباه، ترجمهی بدی نبود، کاش برای چاپ بعدی ویرایش شود. و در مورد باقیاش ... خب این کتاب نه یک اثر ادبی، که یک اثر انسانی است. چطور میشود خاطرات شخصی، افکار و کلمات کسی را بررسی کرد؟
خواندن این کتاب را پیشنهاد میکنم، مرا که بهم ریخت و انتخابها و تردیدهای زیادی را جلوی چشمم آورد. احتمالاً اکثر آدمها را به شکلهای مختلف بهم میریزد.
September 28, 2012
I saw this play at the Seattle Repertory Theater in 2007. Not wanting to forget Rachel, I decided to revisit the play by reading it.
This play is based on the writings of Rachel Corrie, a young activist from Washington State who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza Strip in 2003 as she tried to protect a Palestinian home from demolition.
The play is just forty pages--forty thoughtful, inspiring & heart-wrenching pages. They tell the story of a remarkable young woman who was deeply moved by the world around her as she desperately tried to make a difference. And again, I think: What a loss. If only there were more like Rachel in this world.
This play is based on the writings of Rachel Corrie, a young activist from Washington State who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza Strip in 2003 as she tried to protect a Palestinian home from demolition.
The play is just forty pages--forty thoughtful, inspiring & heart-wrenching pages. They tell the story of a remarkable young woman who was deeply moved by the world around her as she desperately tried to make a difference. And again, I think: What a loss. If only there were more like Rachel in this world.
November 7, 2019
با اینکه موضوع نمایشنامه واقعا ارزشمنده، اما در کل یک دستور صحنه، و مونولوگه. شاید هم باید تئاتر اصلی رو که به روی صحنه رفته ببینم.
از متنی که کاترین واینر در روزنامهی گاردین برای مرگِ ریچل کوری نوشته:
همینطور نمیدانستم ریچل کوری چجور آدمی بوده: یک دختر شلخته، لاغر، عشق سالوادور دالی، به شدت سیگاری و عاشق فهرست درست کردن، و شیفتهی موسیقی پت بناتار. همهی اینها را بعدتر کشف کردم.
ریچل ۱۶ مارس ۲۰۰۳ در سن ۲۳ سالگی به دست بولدوزر کاترپیلار دی_۹ ، وسیلهای که مخصوص تخریب خانهها ساخته شده است، به قتل رسید.
از متنی که کاترین واینر در روزنامهی گاردین برای مرگِ ریچل کوری نوشته:
همینطور نمیدانستم ریچل کوری چجور آدمی بوده: یک دختر شلخته، لاغر، عشق سالوادور دالی، به شدت سیگاری و عاشق فهرست درست کردن، و شیفتهی موسیقی پت بناتار. همهی اینها را بعدتر کشف کردم.
ریچل ۱۶ مارس ۲۰۰۳ در سن ۲۳ سالگی به دست بولدوزر کاترپیلار دی_۹ ، وسیلهای که مخصوص تخریب خانهها ساخته شده است، به قتل رسید.
May 25, 2020
کتابی فاقد ارزش ادبی!
به شدت بد. نخوانید.
به شدت بد. نخوانید.
March 5, 2016
نمیدونم چرا اسم کتاب نمایشنامه است، هرچند کتاب به روایت اول شخص و به عبارت بهتر مونولوگ است. ولی به نظرم درترجمه میشد این عنوان نمایشنامه را از روی جلد حذف کرد. تا مخاطب عام بدون ترس از اینکه با اثری روشنفکری روبه رو است به سراغش میرفت.
July 4, 2023
Ανοίγεται μια πολύ ωραία συζήτηση περί προνομίων και μάλιστα μέσα από το βίωμα μιας προνομιούχας που αποφασίζει να τα απαρνηθεί. Πολύ σημαντικό θέμα, πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα η βιωματική ματιά, καμία απενοχοποιηση των προνομίων. Αυτό που με προβληματίζει είναι ότι πάλι διαβάζουμε μια ιστορία από προνομιούχα μάτια. Τα άτομα με προνόμιο είναι εύκολο να γίνουν ήρωες και ηρωίδες. Όλοι/ες, όμως, δεν ξέρουμε, δεν είδαμε για όλα εκείνα τα άτομα που στερούνται κοινωνικών προνομίων. Κι αυτό είναι ένα ακόμα βιβλίο που ξέρει, είδε, αλλά δεν μας λέει...δεν είναι τόσο ηρωικές οι πράξεις, φαίνεται, των Παλαιστινίων όσο της Αμερικανίδας που πήγε ως εθελόντρια. Σε κάθε περίπτωση είναι ένα βιβλίο που αξίζει να διαβαστεί και να κριθεί για τα πρίσματά του.
July 31, 2019
My Name is Rachel Corrie had a much greater impact on me than I had expected. The story is written as a play, which is read aloud as Rachel's journal entries that she wrote while at home in Washington, and then while traveling around the world. This felt like the most appropriate way to tell the story, as it seemed Rachel's individuality and independence made her the only qualified person to tell her tale. Because the story was written by Rachel herself, I felt a much greater impact from the words and first hand accounts of terror. A select few entries are written as poems, which helped me to further understand Rachel's itching thoughts about the crisis she was witnessing while visiting Gaza, which is where the majority of the story took place. As the story progressed and Rachel's urge to help the falling country increased, I became more moved as a reader. Because I have been fortunate enough to grow up in California, I have never witnessed the kind of terror that Rachel was seeing first hand; Bombings, killings, destruction of homes with people still inside of them. The passion that she wrote her journal entires with helped me to understand what she was seeing, and why something needs to change. The sudden ending of the book left me with an urge to get moving and do more research, as this was one of the first introductions I have had to such issues in the middle east. Her death brought forth international attention to the wars in the middle east, which is all that she ever wanted. Though she died so young, her legacy will never be forgotten, as it is right here for anybody to read for themselves. Her message will live on.
January 22, 2020
It is a biased look at a hatemongering young woman whose radical views led to her own death.
May 28, 2024
''Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of the situation here. You just can't imagine it unless you see it. And even then your experience is not at all the reality.''
''It hurts me, again, like it has hurt me in the past, to witness how awful we can allow the world to be.'
Rachel Corrie was killed on March 16th, 2003.
🍉🍉🍉
''It hurts me, again, like it has hurt me in the past, to witness how awful we can allow the world to be.'
Rachel Corrie was killed on March 16th, 2003.
🍉🍉🍉
June 17, 2021
هزار ستاره... برای ریچل ...
هزار بوسه برای کوثر عزیزم ...
هزار بوسه برای کوثر عزیزم ...
April 5, 2022
3.5 stars
November 7, 2017
I wish I could see this onstage. I direct theatre for a living, so I can usually visualize a play in my head, but this one defeated me. A one man show is tricky thing to pull off, both for the actor and the audience. There is literally nothing else to watch than the main character, and Rachel Corrie's voice --- the play is verbatim transcriptions of her words, derived from journals, letters, emails, lists, etc., shaped by Alan Rickman for a production --- doesn't become truly compelling until the last five or six pages. Let me be more specific: it doesn't become dramatically compelling. She was an interesting human being, but no more so than many other young people who are filled with ideals. The tragedy of her death illuminates the early sections of her life, but they seem disjointed until the narrative drives toward her last words, which demonstrate a dawning maturity about what she is doing in Gaza.
The play is not anti-Semitic at all. To be Jewish is not to be an Israeli, and vice versa. Israel is a powerful, modern state with a first-class military. Rachel Corrie went to Israel to protest how United States aid is used to support that military and the actions of the Israeli government. She had as much right to do that as Americans who support Israel have to express it. At no point in the script does the character express anti-Semitic sentiments; quite the contrary. God bless her memory.
The play is not anti-Semitic at all. To be Jewish is not to be an Israeli, and vice versa. Israel is a powerful, modern state with a first-class military. Rachel Corrie went to Israel to protest how United States aid is used to support that military and the actions of the Israeli government. She had as much right to do that as Americans who support Israel have to express it. At no point in the script does the character express anti-Semitic sentiments; quite the contrary. God bless her memory.
December 6, 2016
A one-person play to make you angry and tearful. Rachel Corrie was an American college activist during the second intifada in Palestine and was killed trying to prevent the demolition of civilian houses by the Israeli Defense Forces. It's a story as much about the collective punishment borne by the Palestinians as it is about an idealistic young woman trying to make a difference. Beautifully written and saddening.
February 4, 2019
The most powerful piece of theatre I have ever read.
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November 18, 2024Bez oceny, bo ludzkiej tragedii się nie ocenia.
November 2, 2021
“Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of the situation here. You just can’t imagine it unless you see it. And even then your experience is not at all the reality: what with the difficulties the Israeli army would face if they shot an unarmed US citizen, the fact that I have money to buy water when the army destroys wells, and of course, the fact that I have the option to leave. I am allowed to see the ocean.” ~Rachel Corrie
I had no idea this was a play when I began reading "My Name is Rachel Corrie". A play made from Rachel's journals, emails, and other writings and formed into a play by Alan Rickman (Severus Snape). Though in truth this work reads more like a diary with the occasional mentions of where the actress playing Rachel is moving toward or doing on stage.
On March 16, 2003 Rachel Corrie was murdered by an Israel Defense Force officer than ran over her with a bulldozer when she was protesting against the destruction of the homes of the indigenous Palestinians.
Through her letters, emails, and diary entries enclosed within this play you can see Rachel's transformation of questioning what she was raised to believe about the "Palestinian and Israeli 'conflict'" and moving to the Gaza strip to see the truth for herself and stand in solidarity with Palestinians. This was on the shorter side, and at the very end of the book there's the transcripted news alert about Rachel's murder which brought me to tears. Reading this play and only getting to see a few of Rachel's diary entries I'm interested in reading the full published book of her diary entries.
Rachel was a beautiful human being and her story represents active decolonization of the mind, full acknowledgement of privilege, thoughtful processing of one's ignorance and naivety, and unlearning Zionist ideologies that are so deeply steeped within the Western worldview. Though I highly doubt it, the end of this play made me wonder if there were any repercussions for the Israeli that murdered Rachel, or any form of public outcry from Western countries like America and England that actively fund the Israeli apartheid and settler colonial state.
**UPDATE*** surprise, surprise in 2012 Israel dismissed Rachel's family's case for justice for Rachel's murder saying they hold no responsibility.
I had no idea this was a play when I began reading "My Name is Rachel Corrie". A play made from Rachel's journals, emails, and other writings and formed into a play by Alan Rickman (Severus Snape). Though in truth this work reads more like a diary with the occasional mentions of where the actress playing Rachel is moving toward or doing on stage.
On March 16, 2003 Rachel Corrie was murdered by an Israel Defense Force officer than ran over her with a bulldozer when she was protesting against the destruction of the homes of the indigenous Palestinians.
Through her letters, emails, and diary entries enclosed within this play you can see Rachel's transformation of questioning what she was raised to believe about the "Palestinian and Israeli 'conflict'" and moving to the Gaza strip to see the truth for herself and stand in solidarity with Palestinians. This was on the shorter side, and at the very end of the book there's the transcripted news alert about Rachel's murder which brought me to tears. Reading this play and only getting to see a few of Rachel's diary entries I'm interested in reading the full published book of her diary entries.
Rachel was a beautiful human being and her story represents active decolonization of the mind, full acknowledgement of privilege, thoughtful processing of one's ignorance and naivety, and unlearning Zionist ideologies that are so deeply steeped within the Western worldview. Though I highly doubt it, the end of this play made me wonder if there were any repercussions for the Israeli that murdered Rachel, or any form of public outcry from Western countries like America and England that actively fund the Israeli apartheid and settler colonial state.
**UPDATE*** surprise, surprise in 2012 Israel dismissed Rachel's family's case for justice for Rachel's murder saying they hold no responsibility.
August 16, 2019
The novel I have chosen to read was “My Name is Rachel Corrie”. Written by American Activist Rachel Corrie. Originally, I was not fond of the formatting of the novel. This novel is in actuality, a play. The narrator Rachel Corrie performing various acts and actions that were hard to visualize as a reader. If I were to see this novel adapt to a performance, I believe readers would have a critical understanding of the authors' emotion during the events. As I began to truly fathom myself into this novel, I realized what critical messages were being told in this novel. In the beginning, light humor, along with a background of her early life and her strained relationship with her mother and father intrigued me. Corrie and her parents do not hold the same views of the U.S. government. Corrie believes that we Americans have been fooled by the U.S government for so long, due to the fact that we are unintentionally funding for a war that we did not realize was occurring. During the middle passage of the novel, is where I, as a reader began to reflect on the ignorance we as a country choose to have, ignoring the activities that are occurring outside of America. In 2003 Corrie had decided to travel to Rafah to protest and aid the poor, and defenseless citizens in the Israel-Palestine war. As Corrie describes her experience living in homes that were bombed, attending a protest to be shot at by soldiers, the destruction of many Palestine's greenhouses and the elimination of water wells has truly shocked me. This was not merely a novel or a play. This was real-life. Corrie’s final letter she sent to her mother, has truly made this novel a masterpiece. In her final message, Corrie begins to explain to her mother, the privilege and fortunate we have as Americans. And sadly with all of this fortune and privileged we obtain, we choose to do nothing with it and take it for granted. Corrie quotes, “I know that from the United States it all sounds like hyperbole. A lot of the time the kindness of the people here, coupled with the willful destruction of their lives makes it seem unreal to me. I can't believe that something like this can happen in this world without a bigger outcry. It hurts me again like it’s hurt me in the past, to witness how awful we can allow the world to be. Rachel Corrie died months later, on March 16, 2003, protecting a Palestinians families home from being destroyed by a bulldozer. In conclusion, this novel was outstanding. It challenges government policies and common beliefs among American citizens. Although it was heartbreaking at times, that was necessary, because, in reality, that is the true world we live in. However, I believe this novel would have been better as a biography rather than a play to dive into more of Rachel Corrie's life and time in Rafah.
September 24, 2022
تا به حال شده که به خاطر هر گونه برتری، امکانات و آسایشی که به خاطر خانواده ای که در آن متولد شده اید نصیبتان شده، احساس عذاب وجدان کنید؟ به عذاب وجدانتان پاسخی میدهید یا صرفا تحملش میکنید؟
ریچل کوری این عذاب وجدان را تحمل نکرد و هر آنچه را که داشت برای آسوده کردن وجدانش از دست داد. به نظرم در درون همه ی ما ریچل کوری وجود دارد که برای بقا میجنگد و هرگاه ظلم و نابرابری قدرت میبینیم قلبمان را فشار میدهد. امروز 2 مهر 1401عه و من نمیدونم بعدها این روزهای بعد از مهسا امینی رو چطور به یاد میاریم. فقط ای کاش به ریچل کوری درونم بیشتر فرصت بروز بدهم که بعدا شرمنده ی خودم نشم.
ریچل کوری این عذاب وجدان را تحمل نکرد و هر آنچه را که داشت برای آسوده کردن وجدانش از دست داد. به نظرم در درون همه ی ما ریچل کوری وجود دارد که برای بقا میجنگد و هرگاه ظلم و نابرابری قدرت میبینیم قلبمان را فشار میدهد. امروز 2 مهر 1401عه و من نمیدونم بعدها این روزهای بعد از مهسا امینی رو چطور به یاد میاریم. فقط ای کاش به ریچل کوری درونم بیشتر فرصت بروز بدهم که بعدا شرمنده ی خودم نشم.
August 14, 2019
My Name is Rachel Corrie is essentially accumulated journal entries put together to document Rachel Corrie’s experiences as they occurred throughout her life. In result of the story being written by Rachel Corrie herself, I was able to truly indulge in her elaborate life. The words seemed to have a more compelling impact considering they came from the primary source. Throughout the short story, I stumbled upon a few poem entries which allowed the audience to further analyze not only her reasons for wanting to help the people in Gaza but also what the impact of these experiences were. Throughout the story Rachel's relationships began developing with the townspeople's and so did her desire to help them. It was clear that as she got to know these people that their pain became hers. I felt as if I could resonate with this because I took a mission to Mexico where I helped build houses for families who lived in a mixture of stacked cardboard and wooden planks. I too felt the desperate desire to help these families. In conclusion, discovering the horrible death she faced angered me because I felt as if the United States sat back and watched when they should have been aiding in this tragic event.
January 10, 2024
"I wonder if you can forgive the world for all the years spent existing - just existing - in resistance to the constant attempt to erase you from your home. That is something I wonder about these children. I wonder what would happen if they really knew."
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March 26, 2024Saw a production of this play years ago and read it for this first time now, with a view to producing it or at least a reading of it--if only I could get a venue in Toronto to agree to that...
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September 19, 2025Well that was absolutely devastating, what an incredible person she was, & when you realise this happened in 2003 & she longed for things to be better, & what we’re witnessing now, my heart is broken
March 3, 2021
am crying thanks
September 29, 2009
My Name Is Rachel Corrie is a verbatim playtext drawn from the writings of a woman who was, at the age of 23, murdered by an Israeli bulldozer driver as she stood between his vehicle and a house belonging to a Palestinian that was about to be unlawfully destroyed. Edited by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner, this is a play which, whilst innately concerned with history, pays no lip service to ‘truthful’ modes of representation. Instead, through Corrie’s highly subjective and personalised writings, the adaptation of the editors, and the temporal and spatial dislocation of the performance, the audience is offered a multi-faceted reaction-to and commentary-on historical events which – in the end – whilst it may seem disobedient to historical praxis, is fundamental to the writing of history as it has always existed.
Given the above, and also given the extraordinary prescience with which Corrie has written both herself and the world as she understood it, a clearly ‘historicized’ reading of the playtext is here rendered difficult in the extreme, and an 'objective' reading is practically and ideologically impossible.
Far from hampering a reaction-to or reading-of the play, however, this should rather be seen as a liberating force. In experiencing this play as a reader or viewer, instead of seeking to reproduce a (so called) historically grounded interpretation of actual events as they may (or may not) have occurred, we are forced to draw upon a history transparently filtered through bias, an honest, dishonest reaction, rather than something which purports to resemble ‘the truth.’
And what comes through is incredible – both in its writing and sentiment. Corrie the character is someone who is never entirely sure of herself, questions everything, settles and resettles her mindsets through the construction of lists (which, we must assume in an editorial decision become more fragmented and dislocated as the play progresses) and has an ability to address herself through the mundane idiosyncracies of the individual, with a mixture of occidental naivety and terrifying clarity. Corrie, as a character, charts the development of her own self-knowledge with unerring precision, as this is, eventually, the form through which we come to understand the events that she lived (and died) through.
The sentiment, finally – which, given its topical controversy was always bound to kick up a fuss on both sides of the political spectrum as people sought to politicize a personal interpretation, is heart-breaking. Under no illusions about the danger of both her physical and potential situation (she remarks on a couple of occasions that she can see no clear future beyond what she is experiencing in Palestine) she declares herself unable to rest in a world where salmon are swimming up a drain pipe in the main street of her home town. Her perseverance, and almost matter of fact acceptance of her purpose – again, it must be re-iterated that this is Corrie-as-character rather than Corrie-as-person – is humbling, and incredible to behold.
Given the above, and also given the extraordinary prescience with which Corrie has written both herself and the world as she understood it, a clearly ‘historicized’ reading of the playtext is here rendered difficult in the extreme, and an 'objective' reading is practically and ideologically impossible.
Far from hampering a reaction-to or reading-of the play, however, this should rather be seen as a liberating force. In experiencing this play as a reader or viewer, instead of seeking to reproduce a (so called) historically grounded interpretation of actual events as they may (or may not) have occurred, we are forced to draw upon a history transparently filtered through bias, an honest, dishonest reaction, rather than something which purports to resemble ‘the truth.’
And what comes through is incredible – both in its writing and sentiment. Corrie the character is someone who is never entirely sure of herself, questions everything, settles and resettles her mindsets through the construction of lists (which, we must assume in an editorial decision become more fragmented and dislocated as the play progresses) and has an ability to address herself through the mundane idiosyncracies of the individual, with a mixture of occidental naivety and terrifying clarity. Corrie, as a character, charts the development of her own self-knowledge with unerring precision, as this is, eventually, the form through which we come to understand the events that she lived (and died) through.
The sentiment, finally – which, given its topical controversy was always bound to kick up a fuss on both sides of the political spectrum as people sought to politicize a personal interpretation, is heart-breaking. Under no illusions about the danger of both her physical and potential situation (she remarks on a couple of occasions that she can see no clear future beyond what she is experiencing in Palestine) she declares herself unable to rest in a world where salmon are swimming up a drain pipe in the main street of her home town. Her perseverance, and almost matter of fact acceptance of her purpose – again, it must be re-iterated that this is Corrie-as-character rather than Corrie-as-person – is humbling, and incredible to behold.
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