Throughout western education, the Ancient Greeks are portrayed as the cradle of advanced civilization. They are lauded as the foundation of democracy, art, philosophy, and science. The defeat of Ancient Persia in the Greco-Persian Wars in the mid-4th century BCE launched the division of east and west as well as the privileging of Greek and Roman history. Emily surprises Isaac in Scene 2 when she tells him that Islamic artists were the source of artistic techniques that are credited to later western artists. She asserts, “The Muslims gave us Aristotle. Without them, we probably wouldn’t even have visual perspective” (30). Emily and Isaac use this knowledge to claim that Islam is universal and therefore give themselves permission to use and exploit Islamic themes.

Amir, however, wants to privilege the west because he wants to be accepted in the United States. The play follows an Aristotelian definition of tragic drama and plot structure, also known as a climactic or Freytag model. According to Aristotle, a tragedy concerns powerful and significant people—people who are better than the average citizens. At the beginning of the play, Amir is powerful and in control.