Stream of Consciousness Narration in The Thief in the Dogs

The Thief and the Dogs consists of a complex narration whereby Naguib Mahfouz alters between third person narrative, soliloquy and interior monologue – both direct and indirect. Mahfouz intentionally creates such a diverse dialogue to enhance the level of interaction between the character Said Mahran and the reader. Mahfouz wrote this novel to bring to light his own personal confrontations with the new Egyptian regime and the conscience suffered by the Egyptian intellectuals during that period of prevalent disaffection. This encouraged Mahfouz to experiment with an impressionistic writing style rather than realist, and represents his psychological implications through a “stream of consciousness”. Said Mahran, the central figure of the story, essentially becomes Mahfouz and personifies his mental agony in which he seeks revenge against the corrupt society of Egypt at the time.

The “stream of consciousness” narration is quite suitable to communicate the uncensored inner thoughts of the protagonist before him/her has formulated them in a rational way. The style of this narration is known as direct interior monologue whereby the narrator disappears and the thoughts of the character are presented as if this person was speaking aloud. The interior monologue further amplifies the character’s connection to the reader, as the audience is exposed to exclusive emotions and views that define and justify the character’s personality. Example: “You must pull together all the cunning you possess, to culminate in a blow as powerful as your endurance behind prison walls. Here is a man – a man who can dive like a fish, fly like a hawk, scale walls like a rat, pierce solid doors like a bullet!” The reader is provided with the protagonist’s despair when it comes to Ilish (also referred to as ‘the dog’) but meanwhile – throughout the rest of the novel – the reader also obtains intimate and authentic impressions of the values and structures of Egyptian society of the period: “Where have all your principles gone now, Rauf? Dead, no doubt, like my, father and my mother and like my wife’s fidelity.”

Another reason to as why Mahfouz chose to write The Thief and the Dogs in a stream of consciousness narration is because the world of literature was shifting from a classical, direct presentation of the character’s lives to a vivid, psychological portrayal. A prominent advantage for author’s who adopted modernist writing styles – especially regarding the stream of consciousness technique – is that the writer is free to "neglect unity of time and place". 

Texts in Translation

"Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture." – Anthony Burgess

Though the English language is developing into a global language, many literary books are still translated today to spread unique ideas, experiences and cultural implications.

During the process of translation, the translator is deemed to transmit the story in its original state and not conceal the author’s intentions in any way. Dana mentioned: “I find it more offensive that the translator miscommunicated the message/tone of the poem rather than the actual wording.” In case of The Thief and the Dogs, translator Trevor Le Gassick had to be extremely cautious in conveying the political and religious aspects of Cairo in 1961 to successfully mimic Naguib’s personal confrontations with the new regime. The authentic voice of the author should also peek through the translated text to communicate the expressed values and attitudes within in the literary work and achieve the intended impact on the reader.

A text can easily be lost when translated due to the unintended, personal biases of the translator and his/her cultural background. Specific gestures and expressions will always be slightly altered depending on the origin of the author. For instance, Arabic expressions are often understood best when the feeling that comes with them is felt and familiar by the user. To transmit feelings and emotions is a difficult task and therewith the meaning of the text can simply be forfeited.

Nevertheless, translated literature can be a huge benefit to the outside world. Translators are often considered as the forgotten instruments, which make it possible for different cultures to talk to one another and become enriched by the traditions of other parts of the world. Texts in translation make it possible to deepen into exotic traditions and undisclosed experiences.

Regarding the text Found in Translation, Claudia Roth Pierpont provided great insight on the cultural journey of translation. Perhaps in some cases it is more culturally appropriate to revise the content of the text in order to suit its audience. A prominent example is Saudi Arabia’s take on Sex and the City: in order to avoid violation of religious and social implications of Saudi Arabia the content of Sex and the City had to be modified “suggesting that upper-class Saudi girls might wish to escape their luxurious designer cages.”

Control Room: Propaganda Iraq War 2003

The documentary Control Room directed by Jehane Noujaim shines a light on the use of media bias and war propaganda during the Iraq war of 2003. US forces liberated the Iraqi population from the reign of Saddam Hussein. From an American vision Iraq was successfully freed, however an Iraqi perceives the opposite. The war caused many civilian causalities and media controversy. Nowadays, warfare does not only depend on advanced ammunition but also the power of media. I would say that the media has become a prominent weapon to contemporary warfare as to using propaganda to their advantage in fighting the opposition. It is almost impossible to incorporate objectivity in cases such as reporting about the Iraq war, including both American and Iraqi journalists. As an Al Jazeera journalist claims: “The word objectivity is almost a mirage.”

On this note, I will be evaluating the following prompt with regards to topics discussed in the documentary Control Room and the Iraq war of 2003: “The term propaganda always refers to a negative message.” I disagree with this statement, as I was enlightened by the media insights of several journalists, correspondents and generals in Control Room. We often find ourselves shining a light unintentionally on one particular side of the story due to our different ethnic backgrounds and ideological beliefs. It is in the nature of a human being to unconsciously defend that, which is valuable to our individual or collective value systems. Such behavior goes by the name 'polarization'. In addition to this realization, Samir Khader Senior Producer of Al Jazeera mentioned the following: “You can not wage a war without rumors, without media, without propaganda.” Media is exposed to the majority of the world and its people. Warfare has become extremely reliant on the media and the way war is exposed depending on the origin of the news station. Presenting military offenses and their causes to the public will undoubtedly evoke a personal response from the audience and with that the operating forces have become much more vulnerable to the allegation of war propaganda and media bias.

The term ‘always’ is the trigger in this statement and applies suitably to the instance in Control Room when the US troops were entering Baghdad in their final attempt to liberate the Iraqi from Hussein’s dictatorship. On this day they used Jessica Lynch’s rescue as a façade to conceal their invasion. It was a successful and strategic use of propaganda and media coverage according to a CNN Correspondent: “Seems like they manage the news in a pretty unmanageable situation. They buried the lead and they are pretty good at it.”

Additionally, Khader spoke wise words at the end of the documentary that had a lasting impact on me and shaped my vision towards the validity of the concerning statement of this blog. He said: “History is written by the victors. People like victory. Once you are victorious you don’t have to justify.” This contributed to the defeat of Iraq and the way of the US troops showcasing their conquest. America played an intelligent media performance when they ‘liberated’ Iraq from Saddam Hussein. They brought in men who were supposed to be Iraqis celebrating the liberation – according to Samir Khader they were not Iraqi – and broke down the statue of Saddam Hussein, as people would remember this image for a long time and forget the horrors that preceded their victory. This form of war propaganda indubitably demoralizes the virtual filter through which the news is presented to the public, yet in various cases it can stimulate a positive effect. It is more a matter of questioning the extent to which one can be objective about a case that involves your nation and your people. Which in turn sparks debate on the morality of using propaganda in warfare.   

Media Bias and Ideology

In the context of our current unit 'Media Bias', this blog post includes rewriting a news article that contains bias perspectives and ideologies and implementing a different ideological standpoint. I have chosen a political article from the American news source 'The New York Times' regarding Hillary Clinton's accusation of using a private email server. Yet the author and editor of this article seems to have had a personal affectionate bias towards Hillary as an adequate candidate for presidency. The article influences the reader to acknowledge the reason for her unfortunate defeat. Considering The New York Times is a democratic newspaper there exists a bias amongst the editors in chief as they are more likely to abide by democratic ideologies in contrast to republican ideals (Donald Trump). The article used highly emotive language and almost had a persuasive pull to the diction used. The task is to rewrite this article implementing a different ideological viewpoint. To lean more towards an opposing perspective, I will impose a Republican attitude towards the content of the article.

"Hillary Clinton Claims to have Lost the Elections due to F.B.I. Director

On Saturday, F.B.I. director James B. Comey was accused of Hillary Clinton's loss in the elections by the Mrs. herself. James B. had supposedly announced and revived the inquiry into her use of a private email server, re-sparking the discussion on Mrs. Clinton's disloyalty and incapability to run a truthful presidency.

She impudently imposed guilt upon Mr. Comey to regain a trustworthy reputation to her middle-classed supporters, as she was still competing against Donald J. Trump early Wednesday. Mrs. Clinton fiercely spoke to her donors on a conference call that Mr. Comey's decision to send a letter to the Congress about the inquiry 11 days before Election Day had thrust the controversy back into the news and representing the naked truth behind Mrs. Clinton's deeds and intentions.This had supposedly prevented her from ending the campaign with an optimistic closing argument.

"There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful," Mrs. Clinton selectively pointed out. As she continued to persuade in despite, "our analysis is that Comey's letter raising doubts that were groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped out momentum."

The letter from Mr. Comey which arrived two days before Election Day had a more catastrophic impact on her reputation, benefitting her opponent Donald J. Trump in his race to become President of the United States of America."

- Coco Bink

Link to article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/13/us/politics/hillary-clinton-james-comey.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=thumb&module=a-lede-package-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
Title: "Hillary Clinton Blames F.B.I. Director for Election Loss"

IOC Outline Coriolanus

Introduction: 

(A) Contextualize - This passage derives from Act 5, Scene III 'The Tent of Coriolanus'. The play explores the physical and internal impacts of the political shift which takes place in Rome during the 17th century. Coriolanus is observed throughout this shift whereby his failure to adapt to this new political system are the reason for his downfall as a tragic hero. The genre is drama. The action leading up to this passage covers the vainly attempt to withhold Coriolanus from attacking Rome. As Menenius failed he begged Volumnia to step in. The lasts scenes of this act show that Volumnia's influential character has stopped Coriolanus and indicates the power Volumnia possesses, defying from the usual female characters in Shakespeare's plays.

(B) Overview and structure - Volumnia pleads to Coriolanus that he must not attack Rome out of respect for his family and his reputation to the public. He must withstand his eagerness to fight in order to show his worth to his city. The strong dramatic dialogue of Volumnia and extensive emotions that come into play in this passage reinforces Volumnia's power over Coriolanus.

(C) Establishing the purpose and significance of the passage - Coriolanus is the prominent figure observed throughout this play, as we as an audience experience the antagonistic nature of his character. Shakespeare does incorporate dramatic irony to excite the plot and foreshadow the actions Coriolanus undertakes. The passage builds up to Coriolanus' decision to withdraw from the offensive him and Aufidius had planned.

(D) Indicate how you will structure the body of your commentary - This IOC will be delivered in a thematic manner.

Body Thematic: (Each Literary Feature) 

Thesis: Through the use of various literary devices including repetition and hypophora Shakespeare is able to emphasize the powerful characterization of Volumnia. Additionally, the purpose of imagery reinforces the war image which Volumnia wants Coriolanus to disregard.

Repetition

• "O mother, mother!" 
• "believe it, O, believe it" 
• "sir"

Hypophora

• "A mother less? Or granted less, Aufidius?"

Imagery

• "I am hush'd until out city be a-fire, And then I'll speak a little" 
• "let us shame him with our knees, To his surname Coriolanus 'longs more pride Than pity to our prayers" 

Conclusion:

To conclude, Shakespeare exposes the strong character of Volumnia opposed to violent and bloodthirsty nature of Coriolanus using explicit literary devices and imagery. Shakespeare hereby defies from his other plays whereby females are inferior, yet Volunmia is the influential factor in the play. The political shift which Coriolanus as a tribal character undergoes leads to a tragic result and signifies the several aspects you need to acquire to lead a democracy.

Munro Practice IOC

This is a practice IOC on a passage from the short story Passion.

https://soundcloud.com/user715790245/munro-practice-ioc

Little Boy

Andre Hazes is a Dutch folk singer and instantly turned into a star when he released his first single Een eenzame kerst (‘A lonely Christmas). His music falls under the genre Levenslied (song about life), which depicts the lives of the ordinary. As a folk singer originating from a popular place in Amsterdam, many people are able to relate with his feelings and the meaning behind his songwriting. Amsterdam is known for its cosines (due to its size) and everyone is familiar with the people around them. A close bond exists between a lot of Holland’s inhabitants and Hazes is the extra force enhancing this affiliation. Considering Hazes discusses the ordinary, subtle and sensitive aspects of life, almost everybody can empathize with the themes he brings to light. Little Boy is an ode to his son Melvin about the rules and realities of life, the confrontations of growing up and the virtues of living. It pulls the attention of a wide scope of people, as we have all gone through the process of getting a taste of life, like Grace in Alice Munro’s Passion. There are ups and downs, people who will let you fall but you will have to stand up again and continue to live life to the fullest. These are general morals about life, which anyone can associate themselves with. This is the reason why Hazes can effectively evoke emotions, he knows how to bring people together and make them united by discussing the obstacles we all face from time to time. These are the English lyrics of the Kleine jongen (‘Little Boy’):  

[My] little boy,

You're on this world so you'll have to fight like me

I can know it

Life isn't always easy,

There are obstacles at every moment.

[My] little boy,

There are many good people,

But bad ones exist too, it's a pity it's true

But you have to think;

That soon you'll realise

That honesty wins from lies

Refrain

This life goes so fast

There is so little time, so live, you're free

But be wise and make the people happy

Then you'll be truly happy

Because life's so short

Many things will change once you get older

You still play with LEGO, but that'll soon change!

It's a pity, but you won't stay small

[My] little boy,

At school you'll notice it's all about grades and power

It's life

So learn what you have to

And then you'll be the one who has the last laugh

[My] little boy,

And once you're grown

Then maybe your father isn't anymore

Then tell your children this story from your old man

Refrain

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkX7ga_uR-U