“Identity Card” is a poem about Palestinians’ feeling and restriction on expulsion. Darwish repeats “put it on record” and “angry” every stanza. This shows Darwishs’ feeling against foreign occupation. “Record” means “write down”. Darwish wanted Palestinians to write this history event down and remember that they have been excluded. People feel angry when their property and rights were taken away. Palestinians had lived in that land from generation to generation. They took many efforts on their land, so some Palestinians would not want to give up their land.
This poem relates to Mahmoud Darwish’s experience. In the Arab- Israeli war of 1948, Israeli government occupied Birweh, so Palestinians were forced to move and leave their hometown. This recalls me about the American history that U.S. government forced the Native Americans to move to reservations. Many sad stories happened when Native Americans were forced to move. People who experienced exile need to give up some of the property like land they have before and move to another place. This was a hard time for Palestinians because their lives were destroyed, and they needed to start their new lives in a new place.
Put it on record at the top of page one: I don’t hate people, I trespass on no one’s property. And yet, if I were to become hungry I shall eat the flesh of my usurper”. The ending of the poem, it claims that when other country usurped land, right, property from Arab, the Arab people will fight for their right since the people cannot survive at that moment. Nobody can choose the country which they are born in. Peace comes from love and respect. When people do not have the equal rights or even have nothing at all, they have to fight for it. The poem is not only shows the author’s feeling against foreign occupation. It is the same situation for everyone in the world. When people suffered miserable life because of unequal right such as, the right between men and women, the right between different races, people will fight against the unequal right. We need peaceful life and equal right.
As I read, I couldn’t help but notice the disatisaction that the narrator has with his life. It’s as though he’s attempting to get everyone to feel bad for him. In the end the narrator openly admits that his anger needs to be avoided at all costs. This piece overall gives the readers an idea of what it was like to live as an Arab at that time; disgraceful to say the least. The narrator expresses a sense of being unnoticed, shunned by the people, and unsatisfaction with how he and his people are treated.