Women’s Roles NEVER will be the same

       Riverbend tells about the day when she, her brother E. and her cousin go to Karrada. There they are looking for some items her uncle can use on his trip to Jordan. The problem in Karrada is not that they cannot find anything, but it is that women have to go through a series of steps to actually be able to go out. We also learn about M. who is a family friends friend and about the tragedy her and her mother had to endure.        
       Riverbend says she has been excited for this trip for about four days not and exaggerates saying that it takes about that amount of time to just go through the process of just getting permission to go. “First, I have to make a declaration of intent; I have to tell the parents that I intend to go out and purchase something. Then, I have to specify the area where I intend to make the purchase, after which comes locating a free male relative with some extra time on his hands to join me in the adventure. The final step is setting the date and time and getting the final household authorization.”(Riverbend 229)
       Women now have limited rights and cannot even decide when they want to go shopping unless a male relative is around and able to go. Riverbend goes as far to say that the laws will be like this for a while. I believe that this could only make things worse. The last thing people want over there is more restriction and less freedom. They were already worrying about bombs, abductions, and military presence so why add more to the chaos. If women and families were really worried about these things they would be sending men with the women anyways.
       When we learn of M. and how her and her family were taken it is a tense moment for everyone in the room. A simple phone call was made over an argument that happened years ago and it destroyed a family and created new problems. Even though M.’s family is one of the thousands with this type of problem we still feel bad obviously and concerned about other families as well.

3 thesis statements

1. Riverbend gives her story of her life and how difficult it is, Bremer says Iraq is safe and sound. Who is the liar?

2. America does not have Iraq under control according to Riverbend. Her life tells why and how she came to her conclusion.

3. Bremer and Riverbend are 2 totally opposite people and anyone would agree with that, but is Bremer telling the truth about the situation in Iraq and are lives in danger there?