Fate and Free Will: The Thief and the Dogs

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How does Mahfouz illustrate how fate is a major determiner of one’s happiness in life? Mahfouz, the author of The Thief and the Dogs, thoroughly present in his novel the idea that fate is a major determiner of one's happiness in life by presenting fate of the protagonist to be 'unlucky'.  One of major determination of 'fate' is the circumstances of the upbringing. The protagonist, Said, is portrayed to experience extremely unlucky situations where his parents both died while he was young. The 'fate' of his parents dying at an early age seemed to determine his later actions where he irrationally believes and follow those who give advice due to lack of attention he should have gained as a child.  Adding on, Mahfouz also allows the readers to accept the fate of Mahfouz due to the actions of those who were around him. This can be seen in two ways: the paths that the surrounding offer or the actions of Illish and Nabawiyaa that provoked emotion of reveng

The Thief and the Dogs passage analysis: characterization

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Passage:  Once more he breathed the air of freedom. But there was stifling dust in the air, almost unbearable heat, and no one was waiting for him; nothing but his blue suit and gym shoes. As the prison gate and its unconfessable miseries receded, the world- streets belabored by the sun, careening cars, crowds of people moving or still - returned. No one smiled or seemed happy. But who of these people could have suffered more than he had, with four years lost, taken from him by betrayal? And the hour was coming when his rage would confront them, who had betrayed him would despair unto death, when treachery would pay for what it had done. Nabawiyya. Illish. Your to names merge in my mind. For year you will have been thinking about this day, never imagining, all the while, that the gates would ever actually open. You'll be watching now, but I won't fall into the trap. At the right moment, instead, I'll strike like Fate. And Sana? What about Sana? As the thought of her c

Stream of Consciousness

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How and to what effect does Mahfouz employ stream of consciousness narration in the novel? Stream of consciousness is a technique inside The Thief and the Dogs utilized by Naguib Mahfouz in order to show the inner thoughts of the protagonist Said Mahran. Even as the plot unfolds, the author applies stream of consciousness as a tool to signal foreshadowing. The plot starts with the protagonist walking away from the prison. Mahfouz does not indicate to the readers why or how he got into the prison directly. What Mahfouz does was to give background information to the audience through letting them read the inner 'streams of consciousness narration'.  In other words, the stream of consciousness acts as a tool for letting Mahfouz foreshadow that can 'go on with the flow'. In other words, stream of consciousness allows the readers to understand the emotions and get engaged with the protagonist. Moreover, the way Mahfouz utilizes stream of consciousness is significant c

Study of Literature in translation

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Every language holds distinguished heritage where it reflects unique culture and ideas. Without translation, one will not gain the chance to learn the knowledge hidden inside the barriers of foreign language. However, through studying literature that is translated, one will be able to educate oneself with the knowledge hidden. In other words, studying a literature of translation can assist one to learn new knowledge and culture. Moreover, these knowledge can broaden the perspective and open up new values that cannot be seen in one's original hometown. Thinking of the emphasis of IB, International Baccalaureate program, we can know why we as students need to learn literature in translation. IB highlights the importance of being a well-rounded individual along with studying and gaining information. Through studying translated literature, we can also know and learn the different values inside other cultures only through reading them in English, or else we will need to learn the langu

Parody/Pastiche

original text: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/16/isis-bombs-hostage-syria-islamic-state-paris-attacks Rationale I have read the text of 'I was held hostage by ISIS. They fear our unity more than airstrikes'. This text is an opinion column which shows the author's opinion about how ISIS can be innocent. I have chosen to write a short parody using the literal devices utilized in this short column. I applied hyperbole when describing the 'innocence' of ISIS in order to emphasize the irony presented. I do agree to the main message of the chosen column, which is 'instead of bombing the ISIS territory, the world have to unit', however the bias within the text was somewhat arguable. ISIS is, yes, a group of innocent people who does not know anything about killing. In my experience of getting held hostage by the ISIS, they did not know how to do anything (well, except for beheading people) ! Even now, I chat with them using social medi

Sylvia Plath Lady Lazarus Practice IOC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7j4eKx5EtWjX2ZPWDQwZzhlTlE/view?usp=drivesdk

Practice IOC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7j4eKx5EtWjZE9IeUs2a2Z5eDg/view?usp=sharing Reflection: I went through numerous trials, however, all of them were too short for the time limit. I would need to practice talking and analyzing in dept. I also find it difficult to make the conclusion. After certain period of time (around 6-7 minutes), I run out of things to say and ends my IOC in a very awkward way.