"The Washing" by Reshma Memon Yaqub; The Best American Essays 2011

The essay “The Washing” by Reshma Memon Yaqub is about the traditional Muslim ritual of washing a relative’s body before death. The “relative”who died was her brother’s fiance's grandmother, called Dadee. Even though she and Dadee were not yet related, the narrator was asked to help clean the body with the other female relatives in the family. The cleansing is an honor to participate in, and as the day goes on, you can tell that the narrator begins to appreciate the process more and more. She knows that when she dies, there will be relatives there to ready her for her burial. It was easy to understand because Yaqub used comparison techniques such as similes. “By the end, I look like a cross between an overzealous nail technician and a Transformer” (220). This pop culture reference helped me to imagine exactly the appearance of the narrator. Also, when she was referring to the beliefs of her religion, she said, “...when a soul that’s headed for heaven emerges out of its body, it slips out as easily as a drop of water spilling from a jug” (220). That excerpt also informs the reader a bit about Islamic culture. The author was intending to inform readers about this process that I personally had never heard of before. It was also a story intended to present the realization that this is a great experience. At first she was nervous, but she got used to the idea quickly. It is such a unique opportunity, especially compared to what other cultures in America do. Reshma Memon Yaqub is Muslim, which gives her background on the traditions of that religion. She was also a police reporter, which she mentions in her piece, giving her experience in attention to detail while writing. When writing, the author probably intended for the audience to be Muslim women, or anyone interested in this cultural procedure. Though I am not Muslim, nor was I interested in this process before reading, I really enjoyed reading this piece. Her similes and other descriptive methods really taught me a lot about the washing and portrayed her message.

Transformer Comparison to Washer

http://lenscanvas.com/16-most-amazing-fan-art-digital-paintings-of-transformers/transformer-autobot-bumblebee/