Analysis

PASSAGE: Chapter 8

Cut off your tongue before it betrays you and confesses your crime! You wish to tell him everything. He probably doesn't need to be told. He may even have seen you fire the gun. And he may be able to see much more than that.

A voice outside the window hawked The Sphinx. Said got up at once, walked to the window, called the newspaper boy, handed him a small coin and returned with the paper to where he'd been sitting, forgetting all about the Sheikh, his eyes riveted to a huge black headline: "Dastardly Murder in the Citadel Quarter!" He devoured the lines beneath in a flash, not understanding anything. Was this another murder? His own picture was there and so were pictures of Nabawiyya and Ilish Sidra, but who was that bloodstained man? His own life story was staring at him, too, sensational doings blown in every direction like dust in a whirlwind--the story of a man who came out of prison to find his wife married to one of his underlings. But who was the bloodstained man? How had his bullet entered this stranger's chest? This victim was someone else, and Said was seeing him for the first time in his life. You'd better start reading again.

The same day he'd visited them with the detective and Ilish's friends, Ilish Sidra and Nabawiyya had moved out of their flat and another family had moved in, so the voice he'd heard had not been Ilish Sidra's nor had the screams been Nabawiyya's. The body was that of one Shaban Husayn, the new tenant who'd worked in a haberdashery in Sharia Muhammad Ali. Said Mahran had come to murder his wife and old friend, but had killed the new tenant instead. A neighbor testified that he'd seen Said Mahran leaving the house after the murder and that he'd shouted for the police, but that his voice had been lost in the din that had filled the entire street.

A failure. It was insane. And pointless. The rope would be after him now, while Ilish sat safe and secure. The truth was as clear as the bottom of an open tomb.

Analysis: 

This is a key passage that attributes to Said’s eventual downfall as the tragic hero of the novel. He is rightfully accused of bloodshed, with his life details in the newspaper. It is a moment of loss for Said, since he “was seeing [the victim] for the first time in his life.”, yet even before finding out he killed an innocent, he wanted to tell the Sheikh of his crime. This is evident in his thoughts at the beginning of the passage. The protagonist wants to take full responsibility for what he considered a triumph, and it is quickly taken away as he finds out he murdered someone he had never seen.

The second paragraph is littered with repetitive rhetorical questions, enforcing the idea of disbelief. “But who was the bloodstained man?” repeats over and over in Said’s head as he realizes he shot the wrong man, and he reads the paper again to properly retain the news just passed to him. As he read on, he finds out who was in place of Illish and why, as well as the fact he was identified by a neighbor; His shouting for the police was drowned by the sound of the scream he had thought was Nabawiyya. When he thought he killed Illish and he thought he had heard Nabawiyya scream, he was enjoying the moment and basking in his revenge. Now, the tables had turned and he is struck by disbelief.

The final paragraph is kept short, the first three sentences only 2-3 words to invoke the feeling of rapid thought and panic with heavy emotions attached to them, such as failure, insane and pointless. Said believed for sure that he is going to die at the hands of the government, execution being the cause, as Illish was safe, possibly foreshadowing his demise in chapter eighteen. In a way, this is also an example of his mental deterioration, as the news took a heavy toll on him he had begun repeating questions and reality had struck as “the truth was as clear as the bottom of an open tomb.” This provides the imagery of a dug up grave, possibly indicating his death at the graveyard, with a readied casket for Said. 

Stream of Conciousness narration in The Thief and the Dogs

The stream of consciousness presented in the Thief and the Dogs is a consistent narration style. In western literature, this is nothing new. However, it was a pioneering element in Arabic literature. Naguib Mahfouz incorporates this style into his character Said Mahran, revealing his inner motivations and thoughts that allow readers to understand his need for revenge. This style relates to psychological realism, when the narration of the story probes the complexity of human behavior. This was written during the time of the Egyptian revolution, many of civilians were displeased with their iconic figure turning on them, so much that they had felt betrayed. Said Mahran's thoughts of betrayal was meant to reflect the betrayal the Egyptian people felt when Gamal Abdul Nasser had begun going back on his word.

Said is troubled by his past and his past relationships. We learn how he thinks and parts of his past through dialogue and action, but most importantly by thought. Readers are able to read the story entirely from Said’s perspective because of this, getting into the head of a betrayed thief. We learn that Said is plagued by negativity, living in his own self-righteousness and goaded himself into a path of revenge because of this. We are able to read the trend of psychological fiction, by more than just observing his self-claimed acts of righteousness but witnessing how he came to his conclusions and why. Chapter ten revealed a lot of his past, as he had reminisced about it in hiding. He thought of how he had met Nabawiyya, clueing the readers into how his relationship with her and their daughter had effected him.

The first chapter takes no time at all to introduce the concept of stream of consciousness. We read Said's thoughts and he's immediately boasting himself and his previous relations to Illish Sidra and his ex-wife Nabawiyya. He begins as a confident, vain-ridden man fresh out of prison and within the course of a week his mind is deteriorating with vengeance for his time spent locked away. By chapter ten, Said completely denounces Rauf Ilwan, Illish Sidra and Nabawiyya as living beings. As he peers out into the graveyard he now considers them dead to him, yet he still holds on to his dear daughter Sana. We are able to read in his thoughts that he is desperate for redemption in his daughters eyes, which is consistent throughout the chapters. Much of Said's personality is revealed through stream of consciousness, we are able to tell when he is genuine or whether he is lying or apathetic. For example, in chapter two when Said seeks shelter he stays at a mosque with a sheikh; He speaks to him with great respect of authority, yet his thoughts reveal that he is only acting this way because he has no place else to go to.

We're able to distinguish between the actual writing and Said's thoughts with the use of italics. In other cases, it is used to emphasize words or statements, however in the novel it is consistently used to translate Said's thoughts into plain words. Not only does this allow for a clear distinction, but for Arabic readers at the time it was a first for Arab fiction. Thoughts are either taken a whole paragraph on it's own or the latter part of a paragraph, seen consistently in all chapters. This helps the flow of the novel, so instead of Said's thoughts being scattered through paragraphs, time is then taken to ensure the reader registers the action before they can get to reading Said Mahran's thoughts about it.

Texts In Translation

Translated texts are often stigmatized by literature purists who state that the original form of text is often the highest and most honorable rendition of that text. This does not necessarily have to be true, although there is evidence in wrongly translated texts leading to misinformation, misconceptions and inappropriate phrases. Texts in translations in this regard are almost insulting and blaspheming to the author, the culture and their literature. Translators may seek out texts for the purpose of wrongly interpreting them or unintentionally misinterpreting / mistranslating because they are not a professional.

However, translated texts are also useful for numerous reasons. Translated texts have more chance of being read than in their original setting and can even bridge cultures, allowing one to gain insight and possibly motivation to research or visit the place of origin. While it's possible for mistranslations, it is also possible to inspire an individual to learn about a culture that is not their own. Translated texts not only have a wider audience when translated, but they may also help people from a certain diaspora to reconnect with their heritage.

The main problem with translated texts, however, is that western publishing houses are often too reluctant to publish works that are not originally in english. This makes multiple authors, whose native tongue is not english, to begin practicing and writing in english to access a wider audience. There is clear bias in the world of western literature towards the english language, but this does not only occur in western society. Mistranslated texts can often lead to frustration from the original author or readers from culture the text has come from.

Translated texts when done properly not only give insight to traditional culture, but cultural highlights, problems and historical aspects written from a specific, witnessing point of view that may be relatable to in the culture of origin. For people outside the culture, it is a revelation and another perspective.

Parody Article

Rationale:

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/22/university-michigan-advances-plans-host-white-nati/

The bias in the original article is from more of a central or left-leaning point of view as it highlights the note of “free speech” but also trying not look like they to support Richard Spencer. What I have written is a parody from a more right-leaning perspective to enhance how ridiculous the university sounds as they have to make a decision whether or not they should let a Nazi speak at their venue. Personally, it shouldn’t have been as hard as a decision they make it out to be. I implied the topics of free speech, ignorance and the reluctance of liberals in my parody.

Difficulties Arise As Pressing Decision To Host Genocide-Advocate At Ivy-league University

Known rich gentleman, Kyle K. Kelvin, was recently put under fire after requesting to host a lecture at an Ivy-league university. He comes from a good background of hardworking Americans and had graduated summa cum laude in his year and has a degree in philosophy. Surely, an intellectual man such as this would know a thing or two. His proud heritage is under attack, after all, it would be beneficial to have more intellectual people such as him speak. Never mind the people who come from communities currently suffering under the iron fist of imperialism and systematic prejudice! They’re everywhere these days!

“As liberals,” The headmaster spoke, “We must keep the right to free speech for everybody- Including people who desire to wipe out entire races of others.”

The headmaster agrees, despite having contradicting views with Mr. Kelvin, the right to free speech is a human right that shouldn’t be avoided. As someone who has never properly paid attention in class while we were learning civil rights, it goes without saying that freedom of speech clearly goes without saying! Anything goes.

After an interview with Mr. Kelvin, he shared his thoughts on the matter, “The people who disagree with me clearly aren’t smart enough to think for themselves,” he says, bringing an eye-opening statement to the political scene. “What’s so wrong about genocide when you’re clearly superior?”

“Why do you think people deserve to die?” Asked the interviewer to Mr. Kelvin.

“Well… Isn’t it obvious?” He paused and then motioned to himself, laughing at the interviewer.

While some liberals disagree with him, they do however agree he should have the right to speak. What’s going to happen when an advocate for white nationalism speaks to a group of highly influenced young minds? Nothing, probably. What they’re trying to do is censor his right to free speech, but in the end Mr. Kelvin had won the rigourous battle against those who disagree.

There have been some controversies with Mr. Kelvin in the past and present, for example he had recently held a peaceful protest against the opening of a Planned Parenthood and had been punched by brutal rioters. But now, this is a win for the right everyone has fought to protect- Free speech. As mentioned before, anything goes! Even malicious hate speech towards historically oppressed peoples- But god forbid you make a remark about the injustice in the government and system.

This is Water + Alice Munro's literature

Alice Munro's works are filled with characters undergoing an important change in their life. We, as readers, are meant to sympathize, or empathize, with the protagonists as their stories are told to us because of what they've gone through, what they're learning or what they are dealing with. David Foster Wallace theorizes that to be an educated person, you must make conscious decisions and be empathetic to truly understand the world around you. A reasonable amount of emotional intelligence is required when analyzing or reading Munro's literature as each story presents a unique setting and cast with varying struggles and opportunities.

Munro's protagonist are typically female characters in various time eras, which is important to understand. The reader may think that the character should be able to do what she wanted, but Munro applies historical attributes to further enhance the experience of her story. With a deep enough understanding, the reader  would understand how and why these characters act. Empathy places a big role, especially in historical fiction where modern thinking isn't as evident.

Each character has their own set of personality traits and ways of thinking, much like in Wallace's grocery store example. The story may focus on the protagonist, but they are ultimately not the center of the universe as other characters are apart of the plot. Different characters have different opinions, like in Runaway. We are shown that Clark and Carla are two vastly different people, and also the fact that Sylvia tries to help Carla based on what she thought would be best for her. She has a limited understanding of who Clark is as a person and is unable to properly help Carla out of her marriage and into a better life.

Wallace emphasizes on the importance of open mindedness making efforts to make conscious decisions and being aware of your surroundings. His theory of education can be applied to both the readers and characters of Alice Munro's stories. Her characters are shown to often gain an understanding of the world around them, especially when they are not aware. However, as readers, we make an effort to understand her worlds and we ourselves gain a better understanding of her writing, based on realistic expectations. Munro is an influential writer and there is great potential to learn from her works, both new and old.

How does Ngugi's extract help me understand TFA?

Ngugi’s extract is an example of how language can be important to a community, specifically his own. This also reflects on the novel Things Fall Apart due to Chinua Achebe’s seamless inclusion of igbo words and proverbs. A big part of the culture is communication, having read Ngugi’s extract it makes it clearer just how important it was. It was a way to share stories or play games, it was an entire community effort that had united everyone. The language used in TFA wasn't just for inclusivity, it was to further enhance the communal efforts of everyone in the villages. For igbo readers, it's a solid nod of recognition. To foreign readers, it is a statement of education and mindfulness.

Igbo readers would already know the traditions and the language, how the writing is woven with proverbs and idioms. But for foreign readers, it's something new and interesting. As a foreigner and language & literature student, I get to read and analyze the precise language used. After reading Ngugi's extract, I now understand the deeper importance of language to the Igbo community. Even though Things Fall Apart already outright told the readers that the Igbo enjoy proverbs, it wasn't described in the way that it is a melodic, unifying language that has many capabilities beyond communication. It is more than that, it is entertainment and a way of expression. It forms bonds and creates memories, which is one of the most important thing about Ngugi's text. Language, for the Igbo culture, means much more than just simple words.

Practice essay statement.

PROMPT: The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart.

THESIS:

Authenticity comes from having a personal history with a specific context. This could range from experiences, cultural or ethnic identity. Chinua Achebe provides this authentic perspective of the colonisation of his culture in Things Fall Apart because of his background as an Igbo man.

TS1:

There will always be more of an emotional connection between the author and the personal context they are writing about.

TS2:

Authenticity of the context can be seen through specific cultural customs or familiar feelings within it.

TS3:

Things Fall Apart is an indirect representation of the dual beliefs held in traditional Igbo beliefs.