An asinine analysis (I don't mean that literally, I just thought the alliteration was cool)

In the spirit of maintaining the vibrant atmosphere created on this online journal, that’s right, once a blog, this webpage has transcended the standard of blogs and has moved into a higher plane of intellectual standing, I feel it right to start this post with a joke.

In a Catholic school cafeteria, a nun places a note in front of a pile of apples, "Only take one. God is watching." Further down the line is a pile of cookies. A little boy makes his own note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples." 

Today’s WOW word is one that is considered truly intellectual, and in my mind unpronounceable, the word is none other than, apothegm. A word that by definition means, a terse, witty, instructive statement, an apt use of this word would be, “Joshua’s blog, rife with apothegms, was regarded by many as the greatest 21^st century collection of maxims.”

Now the topic of today’s post, courtesy of IB Language and literature, is passage analysis that pertains to characterization.

Passage:

When she'd gone he moved into the reception room and flung himself down on one of the sofas. Now he was alone in the full sense of the word, without even his books which he'd left with Sheikh Ali. He stared up at the cracked white ceiling, a dull echo of the threadbare carpet, killing time. The setting sun flashed through the open window, like a jewel being carried by a flight of doves from one point in time to the next.

Your coldness, Sana, was very disquieting. Like seeing these graves. I don't know if we'll meet again, where or when. You'll certainly never love me now. Not in this life, so full of badly-aimed bullets, desires gone astray. What's left behind is a dangling chain of regrets. The first link was the students' hostel on the road to Giza. Ilish didn't matter much, but Nabawiyya-- she'd shaken him, torn him up by the roots. If only a deceit could be as plainly read in the face as fever or an infectious disease! Then beauty would never be false and many a man would be spared the ravages of deception.

Analysis:

One of the rare moments in the novel where we actually see a break from action, this passage, situated in Chapter 10, presents Said and the reader to reflect back on all that has occurred in the last 10 chapters as well as put it in context. A plot driven book, Mahfouz pays little attention to exposition or characterizing but rather creating plot progressing events. A fast paced novel, Mahfouz sparsely uses these moments for great effect as the reader isn’t confused with motives but fully aware of what they need to be, and that is in time and as aware as Said. A moment of quiet after Nur leaves, Said for the first time reflects back on not only what he has done but instead all the way back to before the novel begins. Referencing the first chapter when Said leaves prison intent on getting revenge on Illish and Nabawiyya we see him have two intentions, the former being one and the main one being to regain custody and the love of his daughter Sana. While over the course of the novel many twists and turns occur, this is the first time we see Said reflect back upon these intentions of his, placing his actions in context and coming to the dire conclusion that his daughter Sana wouldn’t be able to love him now, “Not in this life.” A book that doesn’t focus too much on exposition, it is also the first time we see Said reflect on his betrayal and the extent to which it emotionally shook him. The reader is led to feel for Said and is given a better understanding as to why he posses such a visceral hate for Nabawiyya, because it at its core is a opposite refection of the love he once had for her. His inability to comprehend the betrayal caused such great emotional turmoil that we see it physical manifestation through his misguided decisions. He acknowledges his action from that point forwards as being a “dangling chain of regrets.” This passage is key as it used to effect, balancing physical plot progression with emotional, internal characterization. These rare snippets of reflection interspersed throughout the novel allow the reader to truly engage with the character of Said, following through the plot as he would as making sense of his world the way he would.

A conscious narration

Right from the onset let’s get cracking with today’s post.

Today’s WOW word comes to us courtesy of those with great composure. This word is none other than “aplomb.” Aplomb by definition means self-confidence or assurance, especially when in a demanding situation, it also sounds a lot like “a plum,” which is why I picked it for this post. An apt example of this would be, “Josh, in spite of having only ten minutes left before the deadline, submitted his university application with aplomb.”

Now moving onto the topic of this post. The question posed was, “Why does Mahfouz employ stream of consciousness narration in the novel and to what effect?” A literary tool that allows the read to be privy to the internal thoughts and process of the protagonist, stream of consciousness, is a literal display of what the protagonist is thinking in regards to any event or action written about in real time. Utilized heavily in Mahfouz’s novel, this is key to the style in which the novel is written, as it is not simply an attempt to accurately capture a culture or way of life but instead provide a commentary and personal interpretation of and on society. This access into the mind of the protagonist allows for an immersive experience that draws the reader more into the plot, allowing us to better grasp the conflicts presented to us as we see them on a more personal level. For example at the very onset when Said emerges from his 4 year sentence, the use of stream of consciousness allow the reader to truly understand how he feels and his personal descriptions of Nabawyiyya and  Ilish paint a vivid picture of the betrayal he faced and the provides insight for the reason he seeks revenge. This sudden change when he remembers his daughter,

“As the thought of her crossed his mind, the heat and the dust, the hatred and pain all

disappeared, leaving only love to glow across a soul as clear as a rain-washed sky.

I wonder how much the little one even knows about her father? Nothing, I suppose. No more than this road does, these passers-by or this molten air.”

The transition from indirect to direct internal monologue allows the reader to already gage the relationships the protagonist has as well as effectively setting up the story by characterizing Said so that the reader can be invested within his character at the very onset. We already from the first page have an understanding and feel the animosity he has towards Nabawyiyya and Ilish as well as the tragedy and pain he has faced as a result of being separated from his daughter Sana. This was all accomplished without any significant plot progression as if told in a purely linear narrative, all the reader would have seen is Said leaving prison.

This little break in plot progression allows for plot definition, providing depth and characterization in a way events and actions can’t. This ability, almost like figurative voyeurism (NOT LITERAL, that would be weird) to the intimate thoughts of the protagonist allows the reader to really engage with all the twists and turns that ensue.

Another great example of this would come from chapter 15, in which Mahfouz uses soliloquy to convey this idea of Said losing his mind and being overcome with his actions, slowly descending into lunacy. In this specific part he is seen speaking to a non-existent panel of judges who are nothing more than a figment of his imagination. The conversation he has with them and the style in which Mahfouz writes, “whoever kills me will be killing the millions. I am the hope, and the dream, the redemption of cowards,” help indirectly characterize this transition. The readers having been privy to this stream of consciousness from the very beginning till now are able to view its events through a first person lens. Therefore they don’t have to be told that Said is slowing coming undone but instead can see it for themselves through the stream of consciousness. This allows for effective writing as these turning points do not feel arbitrary but instead, no matter how surprising, justifiable based on the attention to detail and intentional writing prior to.

Used effectively, this can also detract from the authenticity of the text as it loses the value it once had of accurately representing a culture but instead loses itself in fiction. This in spite of making for a more engaging read could uncouple it from reality, potentially losing the point for which it was actually written. Other than that I feel the use of stream consciousness is extremely well done as it allows for keen reading that doesn’t really on extraneous exposition and supporting details but instead a flow and understanding that occurs in real time.

Terrific Translations!

Happy New Year everyone!

You know what that means, New Year new WOW word. Courtesy of this new beginning, “tabula rasa,” is a noun that describes an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals, a clean slate. An apt use of this would be, “Following their graduation, the students began the next chapter of their lives. Working from a tabula rasa that would act as the foundation of the rest of their lives.”

Starting our final unit of this year, well for standard level students at least, the next few posts will pertain to the heralded novel. “The Thief in the dogs,” by renowned Arab author Naguib Mahfouz. Before delving into the novel, an interesting piece of trivia in relation to this novel is that it was originally written in Arabic and then translated into English. This brings up the question of the art of translation. A tricky field, an analogy compared the work of a translator to that of a boat master navigating from one shore to another, passing over a great expanse of sea. To a great extent this is true, as so much meaning can be unearthed within this simple analogy. Equivocal in its meaning, I very much see the job of a translator as having the daunting responsibility of taking a insightful, stylistically sophisticated text in one language and effectively recreating into another language being careful the preserve the complexity and nuances intrinsic to the text in its original form. This relates back to the previously stated analogy, as so many times, in the process of crossing the divide of languages and the matching metaphorical sea, the meaning and intricacies of the text can be lost. This ultimately results in a product that is only a shell of what it was. This in turn creates an inaccurate representation to forging readers.

The art of translation, when done well, is beautiful. It offers insight into the cultures and lives of others in an authentic manner not found in novels written for a foreign audience. Having been written in the concerned language, the target audience is obviously those who speak the language which in most cases are those belonging to the concerned country, As a result the images painted are authentic, not sugar coated and bluntly real. These texts explore the deeper elements of the concerned society, focusing on specific elements rather than painting an overall picture.

`This lines up with the learning outcomes of Part 3 of the course as we see texts written for a specific audience now available to a foreign readership. These texts often highlight social and cultural issues discussing them in a creative, interesting manner. It also allows us to see culture specific attitude and values and how they play a role in shaping a text.