Summary Of Within The Pride Of Baghdad

Within The Pride of Baghdad, written by Brian K. Vaughan, four lions escape a zoo after an explosion occurs. The four lions roamed the streets of Baghdad for a few days before being shot and killed by American soldiers. Over the course of these few days, the lions faced many challenges and had many encounters with other characters. Many people who read this book do not see the deeper meaning of these characters. They just see pictures and words without thinking of the actual meaning that Brian K. Vaughan is trying to portray. Brian K. Vaughan uses allegory effectively throughout the book. In the novel, the lions are used as an allegory for civilian perspectives and their views on Saddam’s reign to explore the true meaning of freedom. From the

Ali was in grave danger, but Safa appeared and saved him. In doing so, Safa kills some of the monkeys. Safa realizes that she cannot stay because she is in danger. Safa says, ”That stunt will have made me too many enemies to risk staying here. Unless I want my throat split while I sleep, I suppose I have no choice but to join your little death march” (Vaughan). With this evidence, it can be inferred that the monkeys could represent terrorists trying to take over after there was a breach in Saddam’s reign. Knowing Safa represents an Iraqi civilian, she would have to leave because of her actions, but also because the terrorists won’t treat Saddam’s followers nicely. This is an example of how Safa could be used to explore freedom because although she doesn’t want to leave the zoo, she has to in order to be free of any harm. Overall, Safa represents Iraqi civilians who do not want to leave Saddam’s reign because they know what kind of danger is on the outside. As a final point, the lions are used as an allegory for civilian perspectives and their views on Saddam’s reign to explore the true meaning of freedom. Noor is against Saddam’s reign and is willing to do anything to achieve