Narration in Guantánamo Diary Abby Banks College

Mohamedou Ould Slahi's connection to American culture is clear in Guantánamo Diary, where American audiences can read a firsthand account of the atrocities committed in Guantánamo Bay. Slahi successfully juxtaposes colloquialisms and shared cultural references with the horrific torture he goes through, elucidating both a higher degree of engagement with the memoir and a more visceral empathy in the reader. Through shared humanity and existence under American law, readers are asked to reflect on their place within the context of the war on terror and what their role is in upholding democratic values. Slahi wields knowledge of America in order to inform readers as one of them, rather than someone othered by the West's orientalist lens.

Slahi uses colloquialisms as a lingua franca to connect with readers. Not knowing any English when he was imprisoned by the Americans, he learns the crude language of his guards. However, this unsophisticated English allows Slahi to more effectively connect with his readers. His goal of appealing to the average American voter is facilitated by his ability to speak the common man's dialect. In these links with the reader Slahi infuses his memoir with an air of informality and chattiness, allowing...