Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi Essay - 516 Words

Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding. My project emphasizes this spiritual tension by presenting a wineglass inscribed with Qur’anic verses. By examining the purpose and structure of this wineglass, the truth of Mahfouz’s†¦show more content†¦In accordance with these symbols of essence, the Qur’anic script around the wineglass also proves applicable to Zaabalawi. It reads, phonetically: â€Å"Iqra/ warabbuka al-akramu, Allathee AAallama bialqalami.† Or in English: â€Å"Recite in the name of the Lord, who has taught by the pen.† This is a passage from the 96th Surah, Al-A’laq in the Qur’an. Such references to writings and penmanship highlight the importance of calligraphic beauty in such a society. Muslims believe that it is important to read the Qur’an in Arabic. Their religion teaches that God intentionally presented the holy book to Arabs because their language holds a secret beauty and truth not found in others. Thus, if one is to complete the task of reading the Qur’an, it must be done in Arabic or with a corresponding Arabic text. For this reason, I wrote in Arabic script around the glass because its translation would be incomplete otherwise. Furthermore, the first command of Allah is â€Å"Recite!† This is reflected in the Muslim appreciation for both the oral recitation and visual replication of the Qur’an. Calligraphy, as a creative expression of the Qur’an, has become a predominant art form in many Muslim countries. The calligrapher in Zaabalawi, in fact, has had much contact with true spirituality in his mastery of the Arabic script. Therefore, my act of inscribing Islamic verses would, in their culture, be considered a type of prayer and homage

A Comparative Analysis of Moses Free Essays

The biblical Moses and the Moses described by Zora Neale Hurston in her book Moses, Man of the Mountain, are both based upon the Exodus story, found in the second book of the Bible. Although the stories are similar in many respects, both concerned with the bondage of a people and their cries for a deliverer, who is found in Moses, the biblical Moses is firmly rooted solely in the Hebraic tradition, following the lead of the patriarchs, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Hurston’s Moses, however, although still a Hebrew, has a more universal appeal. We will write a custom essay sample on A Comparative Analysis of Moses or any similar topic only for you Order Now He speaks in black colloquialisms, creating an extended analogy that can be linked not to the ancient Hebrews, but also to the oppressed blacks in America, and to the modern Jews who were savagely persecuted by Hitler and Nazism. The Exodus story concerns a male son born to Hebrew slaves. The midwives disobey Pharaoh’s command to kill all male newborns. Moses is hidden only to be discovered by none other than Pharaoh’s own daughter, who then raises him as her own son, who later discovers his   true identity and leads the slaves to freedom.   Moses’ life is divided into forty year segments: forty years in Egypt; forty years on the back side of a mountain; and forty years wandering in the wilderness. In Hurston’s version, more is made about race. The story discusses the idea of a â€Å"people† and their origins to a greater extent. Hurston slants the argument toward the idea of racial origins and perhaps origin more generally as the start of many of the evils of the world. She not only wants to create doubts about Moses’ pure origins, but also about the very concept that was prevalent during 1939 when her book was written: that of racial purity. As an anthropology researcher she understood racial divisions as idealized abstractions, even though they had concrete functions in the real world. Hurston explored race as a cultural creation rather than a biological fact. Her novel assumes an even greater meaning as Germany, led by Hitler’s theory of eugenics-founded on the idea of racial improvement through selective breeding- started the world war in 1939. In the United States the eugenics movement was related to racist campaigns against European undesirables and blacks. Eugenics was thought to be necessary to produce a great race. Hitler’s goal was a Master race who guarded the purity of their own blood. By keeping race â€Å"pure,† exterminating Jews and Slavs were deemed   essential to that undertaking.(Hurston, introduction xii-xiv). The spectre of Nazism looms over the beginning of Hurston’s novel   as it starts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   with the act of marking Hebrew male newborns for extinction. Parents, desperate for places to hide their children, become frantic that the police might get tipped off and come execute their child. In fact, Moses’ father is so fearful that he aims to kill the baby himself so that the police won’t have that chance. Yet despite their terror, Moses’ mother is determined that he lives and hides him. In all this hoopla of extermination, the irony is   that there is plenty of   Hebrew blood in Pharaoh’s family already. â€Å"That is why he wants to kill us off. He is scared someone will come along and tell who his real folks are. The grandmother of Pharaoh was a Hebrew.† ( Hurston, 14). Besides his murder of male infants, Pharaoh is cruel in other ways. He denies citizenship to the Hebrews, relegating them to slavery. Yet in still another act of irony, Pharaoh ends up with a Hebrew grandson in Moses. As he grows older, Moses fights for inclusion of the Hebrews in the Egyptian army. But the Egyptians oppose him, remarking: â€Å"They are not citizens of Egypt, but enemy prisoners, and as such it would bbe rash to put arms into their hands again. Who knows when they might rise up and turn the tables?† How to cite A Comparative Analysis of Moses, Papers

The Importance of Music in George Orwells Essay Example For Students

The Importance of Music in George Orwells Essay George Orwell uses music to set the tone in 1984. In some instances, it inspires Winston Smith, the protagonist, or represents a need for something he cannot get from the Party. In others, it reminds him of tragedy, and in certain instances, it contains valuable insight from the past. It also represents Winston happiness between himself and Julia and predicts Winston fate. Music in 1984 plays an important role in the overall attitude of the novel. In the first instance, Winston hears a song and is instantly touched by a moment of tragedy. In the Chestnut Tree Cafe ©, he witnesses Jones, Ransom, and Rutherford, here men who were heroic in the early days of the Party. However, the Party caught up to them, but they could not catch up to the Party. Nonetheless, they were caught by the Thought Police. This incident is where he saw the men while the song Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree, I sold you and you sold me, was playing over the telecasters (Orwell 77). By using this song, Orwell created a dreadful tone. It represents the trade that they made to keep their lives, even though they were never the same. They were once prosperous Inner Party members, and they lived greatly, until the society around them changed. They were no longer orthodox as the definition had been distorted. They had lost everything, even their mind. Winston even says, They were corpses waiting to be sent back to the grave (Orwell 76). This may be foreshadowing to what inevitably will happen to Winston, although, his life was not excellent to begin with. He still loses everything in the end. Winston meets Julia, a woman who he wants to have sex with to rebel against the Party. Originally those were his intentions, but their relationship evolved into a mature, developed emotional relationship. She leads him to the Golden Country, a dutiful place full of nature where they seem untouchable. It is here that they witness the striking song of the thrush bird (Orwell, 123). The birds song is full of character, and it never repeats itself. It is everything the Party is not. Winston is drawn to this because it gives variation to the bland society that surrounds him every day. It gives him what he desires that the Party cannot give him. Though he does not completely know what is outside of the Party, this sampling proves to him that life can be beautiful. This is all he needs to confirm his want to rebel against the Party. While the thrush song gives Winston a taste for the future, the rhyme Oranges and Lemons say the Bells of SST. Clement gives Winston a sense of the untouchable past. Though everything with any insight to the past has been undeniably altered, this rhyme is the ultimate pathway to what life was preceding the current history. Mr.. Charioting, the shopkeeper, first mentions this rhyme after recalling that an old building was once a church before the revolution (Orwell 98). The fact that Mr.. Charioting only remembers the first line and the last line could represent Winston fate. He enters Winston life at the beginning of his downfall, and ultimately he knows how Winston story will end because he is a member of the Thought Police. The Importance of Music in George Orwell 1984. By Marilynn Throughout the novel, certain characters of importance add to the rhyme. Julia gives him the middle portion, which provides an intense bond between the two lovers. OBrien gives him the last of the missing lines of the rhyme. This is inevitable because it represents the last portion of Winston life before they chop off his head, which refers to his arrest and rewiring. This portion is spent contacting OBrien and learning about the Brotherhood. .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf , .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .postImageUrl , .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf , .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:hover , .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:visited , .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:active { border:0!important; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:active , .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub9ae080d7a4d47075d8c11c696b8ffbf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Music and the Brain EssayIt provides a door to the past, as well as, illustrates Winston fate. Finally, Winston is touched by the song that the Propel lady sings while he is in Mr.. Carcinogens spare room (Orwell 138). She sings about an peoples fancy and a stolen heart. This could represent Winston relationship with Julia. In all moments when this song is heard, Winston seems content with his life at that point in time. He feels hope in his relationship with Julia, as well as freedom. The second verse of the Eng mentions that time will heal all wounds and you can always forget (Orwell 218). This may be predicting the betrayal of Winston to Julia. It may not be that wounds are healed. It is Just that wounds are destroyed in the Ministry of Love. The song It was only a Hopeless Fancy sums up Julia and Winston relationship. Throughout George Rowels 1984, music served a variety of literary purposes. Orwell used it to provide pathways into the past and future and also used it to set the overall tone of the novel. The music is very insightful when trying to tell the feelings of the characters.