Short Stories of Arabic Group 2

The Lawsuit seemed a bit odd to me. This story of a man whose father was married with children marries again and then dies. The second wife makes off with the money and then years later wants maintenance because she no longer can afford the lifestyle she had grown accustomed to. This seems entirely her fault and I have no sympathy for her at all. I would have liked to see what the verdict would have been in the case that would have made the story of much more interest to me. The thing I do not understand in the slightest is how people can live like this. Being a family and then introducing another wife into the household did this other wife cook and clean and take care of the household chores or was she simply a trophy for the old man. That is where arrogance and ignorance collide head-on, in the heart of an old man. He thinks that because he has money and wealth that this young woman would love him, but in turn she only ever loved his money. The family knew this, but the old man was oblivious and up until the very end of the story it is believed by the family that she was simply putting on a rouse.
Naguib Mahfouz tells an interesting story in A Long-Term Plan. The main character Isam al-Baqli is a very rugged, good-for-nothing man who mooches off of everyone he knows, especially his mother. When his mother dies he is left with nothing and no one so he begins a downward spiral into poverty and eventually is on the brink of starvation when a company offers him a grand sum of money for his house. He accepts the offer at the age of seventy and believes that everything is turning around for him. He gets new clothes, a new place to stay and gets completely cleaned up; however this is his last night alive. He dies directly after this happens and I do not think it was out of place. He had, his entire life, been no good to anyone, not even himself so in the end it made no difference that he finally had money and wealth because he did not get to enjoy it, and I do not think he should have had that opportunity.

Picture Books

The two short stories that I read for class were strange to me, being that they were children’s picture books. As I was reading I was thinking about what I used to read as a young child, Sesame Street, Barney and other young aged books about being a good child and doing everything I was asked to do. They were always very vibrant with their colors and simplistic with their words. These children’s stories are vibrant with their words in contrast to the picture books I used to read. The Day of Ahmed’s Secret is a story about a boy who has learned to write his name in Arabic, but before he can show his family he must first fulfill his duties as a butagaz boy and deliver the cooking oils to his customers around the city of Cairo. Now, granted this story has a very child-like meaning behind it, with Ahmed being proud of showing his family he has learned to write his name, but the context of the story just bewilders me. He is a child doing a man’s job, this was never the setting for any of my picture books as a child and the sheer difference of that speaks volumes for how different the two cultures are.

In Sami and the Time of the Troubles a young boy is again the protagonist and this time he and his family are living in the basement of his uncle’s house for fear of being bombed. Again the setting and context of this story blow my mind. The fact that this children’s picture book is centered on a city being bombed makes me wonder what that can do to a child. If they grow up around violence and are being read violent picture books then what is their mindset going to be? In the story Sami and his friend Amir are playing with pieces of wood that resemble guns and Amir says to Sami “When we are older, we will have real guns.” Sami insists that the fighting will be over by then but Amir is doubtful. I used to play with toy guns when I was a child but the thought never crossed my mind to have real guns when I was older, the times that these children were raised in terrify me. I would never want that for my children and the mother of this story expresses that throughout the picture book.

These picture books were interesting because I gained a perspective into the lives of the children of the Middle East. Though I could never agree with the content of these stories they were still very interesting to read.

My Readings: Safiyya and London

Firstly I have been submersing myself into the entire experience that is this class and I am enjoying myself immensely. The book that we are reading for class, “Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery” by Bahaa’ Taher has captured me completely, with its vivid details and explosive characters that make me both want to laugh and cry. I am only into the third chapter and already so much has happened, we were introduced to characters and settings and culture differences and, for me, a heart-wrenching scene of death and the destruction of one man’s psyche. The first chapter, The Miqaddis Bishai, introduces us to the narrator and main character, a boy of varying age throughout the tale. We also meet his immediate family and realize that everyone in the small village is quite close in relation. A bit about the culture and current celebration is learned as well as the setting being described. In the second chapter, Aunt Safiyya, you are thrown into the situation that brought us to the present day. The complete story of Safiyya’s youth and marriage and subsequent withdrawal from her beauty and youth is completely laid out for the reader. I do not want to go into more detail because it really needs to be read to be fully experienced.
Secondly, I have been reading another book for class entitled “Only in London” by Hanan Al-Shaykh. This is the intertwining story of four very different individuals who all met on a plane ride to London and who subsequently have been running into each other throughout the beginning of the story. The main setting for the story thus far has been Edgware Road, which has a distinct Arab taste and is referred to by Londoners as “Little Cairo” and “Little Beirut”. Lamis, Amira, Samir and Nicholas are the main character and in each part of the chapter they all become the main focus and the reader witnesses their interactions with the other principle characters from their point of view. This book is intrinsically a very beautiful and moving story so far and I am definitely excited to continue reading.