The Irony of “Migratory Birds”
McCann writes, “They were armed with Russian-made AK-47s as well as hand grenades manufactured in the Czech Republic, not far from Theresienstadt, the German-run concentration camp. Folklore has it that, to this day, migratory birds avoid flying over the fields of Theresienstadt.” The birds’ action is ironic because they do not have the human-like capacity to detect the history of ‘the fields of Theresienstadt.’ The birds demonstrate that they have not forgotten the evils conducted in the fields even though they are not humans. Birds’ actions are acts of nature which disapprove of the mistreatment of humanity which ensued in the camps.
The Irony “Doctors and Nurses”
McCann reports, "Bassam spent weeks upon weeks in the infirmary. The doctors and nurses were worse than the prison guards. They reeked of frustration. They punched him, jabbed him, shaved his beard, denied him medicine, put his water out of reach." Medical personnel would be anticipated to be more humane relative to the prison guards due to the nature of their profession which demands humanness and understanding. The treatment which they subject Bassam to confirms that they are projecting their frustration on him even though he is an innocent patient. They mistreat him instead of alleviating his suffering.
The Irony of “Nine or ten Israelis”
McCann states, “Rami often felt that there were nine or ten Israelis inside him, fighting. The conflicted one. The shamed one. The enamoured one. The bereaved one. The one who marvelled at the blimp’s invention. The one who knew the blimp was watching. The one watching back. The one who wanted to be watched. The anarchist. The protestor. The one sick and tired of all the seeing.” Rami’s contradictory feelings infer that he feels that he is comprised of more than one person. He is clearly undergoing an identity crisis which hinders him from being at peace with himself. He is conflicted in terms of who he is; hence, continuously troubled and anxiety.
“Return Smadar”
Rami wishes, “Show me, then. Convince me. Roll back the rock. Return Smadar ( his daughter).All of her. Gift her back to me, all sewn up and pretty and dark-eyed again. That’s all I ask. Is that too much/ No more whining from me, no more weeping, no more complaints. A heavenly stitch, that’s all I ask." Rami’s’ ironic wishes affirm that he is grieving for Smadar who would not resurrect even though it would be his utmost wish. He deeply affected by losing his daughter that he wishes that he would be invisible. His wish to have her back is impracticable but it permits him to release the unconscious pressure of losing her.
“Crawl inside time and rewind it”
McCann expounds, “What (Smadar) he wanted the film-makers to do was to somehow crawl inside time and rewind it, to upend chronology, reverse it and channel it in an entirely different direction-like a Borges story- so that the light was brighter, and the chairs were righted, and the street was ordered, the case was intact, and Smadar was suddenly walking along again, her hair short, her nose pierced, arm in arm with her school girl friends.” The film relates to the documentary on Smadar’s shooting. He yearns for time to be reversed so that Smadar’s death can be averted. Time cannot be reversed no matter what; furthermore, even if it were to be reversed, Smadar’s death cannot be undone. The scars which Rami endures after Smadar’s demise are incurable.
