Ciena Dhawan Ms.Gorton English 8- D 28 May 2024 Layla’s Rebellious Journey In 2024, Muslim Americans are forced into internment camps. Layla, a Muslim girl, finds herself trapped in Camp Mobius, where rules are rigorously enforced by the Director and his guards. Alongside other detainees, Layla navigates a world of constant surveillance and brutality, finding ways to defy their oppressors and hold onto their identities. In Internment, Samira Ahmed uses the internment camp to explore how discrimination can shape individual resilience, suggesting that a person’s environment always influences them to rebel against injustice. By seeing others suffer within the camp, Layla channels her anger into acts of rebellion, determined to destroy the expectations …show more content…
Jake’s situation depends on what the Director wants him to do. By separating himself from the oppressive environment of the camp, Jake can enable his compassion through acts of kindness. These acts resist the camp in a way that challenges the Directors wants without hurting internees along the way. The motif of silence represents characters' refusal to conform to oppressive authority figures and their desire to reclaim power within the camp. Layla's parents have kept quiet despite the extreme conditions in the camp. For them, "It takes a great strength to find silence [and] sometimes it takes an incredible strength to survive" (Ahmed 143). Layla's parents demonstrate that moments of silence signify self-preservation and the effort to maintain personal identity. These quiet moments allow Layla’s parents to resist the dehumanizing aspects of the camp and stay true to their beliefs and morals. Despite Layla being an active participant in physical rebellion, she "discovers that love lives in the deepest silence" (Ahmed 309). Originally, Layla dislikes the idea of keeping quiet and chooses to speak freely in the internment camp