StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The essay paper “A Review of “Cities of Salt” and “Running in the Family” describes the great literary works of the modern Arab literature. The author compares the novels of Abd al-Rahman Munif and Michael Ondaatje to explore the main themes of Arab literary works. …
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.2% of users find it useful
A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family"

?Insert A Review of “Cities of Salt” and “Running in the Family” Arguably a pioneer of the modern Arab literature, “Cities of Salt” is an interesting novel by Abd al-Rahman Munif whose publication in the twentieth century has attracted a wide readership from across the world. Munif focuses the story on the exploration of oil close to a tiny, far-flung urban Wadi in the Middle East. The story then traces the movement of the community as they lose their native home and resources to agents of Western civilization, which have created a new regime of technology-based culture and the local economy. Michael Ondaatje’s "Running in the Family" is also an interesting memoir chronicling experiences of life in Sri Lanka. The story traces the life of his ancestors throughout history in an immensely personal, yet culturally interesting manner. Throughout the book, readers are treated to an array of rich poetry and the imaginativeness of a novelist. The text has captivating imagery, unrivalled narration of the story coupled in settings that naturally creates a sense of humor. Ondaatje narrates how he was persuaded to move to Sri Lanka rejoin his kin and have an insider’s eye in tracing his family roots. The memoir was informed by an elusive a dream of a bright bone (Munif 202). These memories, the aura and sounds of his native land persuaded him to return home and capture the massive, interesting history in words. This paper explores how humor is used to raise questions about the characters, situations and themes in both texts. In “Cities of Salt”, Munif employs a unique structure of writing which deviates from the traditional development of a story around a protagonist or a group of characters. He ingeniously fills the gap of the lack of characters by throwing in explosive humor to the plot. The destruction of Wadi in the initial accounts of the story, followed by the urban neighborhood of Harran, the latter of which transforms massively from a quiet, remote place to a busy oil town that is complete with a fenced-off American neighborhood and a slum inhabited by Arabs satirically raises the interesting outcomes of the Western civilization in the 20th century Arab world. The laying of different forms of infrastructure, which links Wadi to the coastal town of Harran, symbolizes tremendous development in the town, even though “Haran had not changed completely” (Munif 313). In light of these developments, Munif humorously presents his major targets in the story. Despite the common belief that the American influence counts as one of these targets, he satirically dodges the presence of the foreigners by depicting them as aloof to the local culture by virtue of their literal confinement to the fenced-off neighborhood (Munif 81). The local Arab elite are depicted as ignorant of the pressing issues that affect their people due to their mesmerism by the American resources. For instance, towards the end of the book, Munif satirically depicts the Harran’s leadership as blind and easily fooled by trivial things like an American telescope and radio. Munif (288) portrays these technology items as playing an important role in the subsequent incursion of the foreigners into the society’s very core, a development that results in the society losing its vital unity of Harran and fundamental Islamic principles and beliefs. How the local core values were lost is simply laughable. The realistic stories surrounding the lives of the Americans and the Arab kleptocracy is embedded on satire. Munif (330) manages to reveal these previously untold stories in a humorous and more captivating manner to the readers than the gloomy portrayals of the local peasants who were forced to migrate to shantytowns by the foreigners. As such, irrespective of the side of life one finds themselves in, Munif restates the common fact that economic and technological revolution nearly often creates a miserable life for some people. It is interesting to imagine that key developments that ought to benefit those victims does not always reach them; instead the influential in society are depicted as exploiting the value of such progress through expansion of their own wealth base and status in the society as more and more victims who work harder are forced to suffer due to their forgotten plights. Munif’s depiction of the mediocrity among the influential segment of the Arab society is laughable; his story exposes how the migrant peasants toil in the petroleum industry to ensure successful lives of the higher-end is a reality, but what they get in return for treatment is regrettably akin to that of disposable assets. Ondaatje’s “Running in the Family” On his part, Ondaatje eloquently presents a unique, lyrical, exhaustive personal account of life in Sri Lanka. The portrayal of the geographic features, cultural values and the historical background of the author are ably satirical in nature. Ondaatje constantly revisits the realism of both fair and the unforgiving terrain, weather and disasters that are common to the local population. Scorching heat, rain, deluge, cool shade, impressive animals, colonial buildings and monuments, cuisine, tea plantations, jungle, vegetation and impressive infrastructure are all recounted with a rare sense of humor (Ondaatje 5). In these real and attractive settings, the reader is treated to equally impressive narratives about the living dead in the narrator’s family. The re-telling of these stories by those who were closest to the narrator’s father and maternal grandmother are amazing, poignant. For instance, the depiction of the grandmother’s personality and her love for flowers which prompts her to grace nearly every occasion with flowers that she picks herself is interesting. More laughable is the fact that the old woman’s love for flowers does not reflect in her activities in the recent past; Ondaatje recalls that “in her last decade (she) couldn’t be bothered to grow them” (128). These realistic stories recollected in the small, but sprawling island country that the narrator knew about in his childhood, coupled with some fictional elements is not only electrifying, but entertaining to the readers as well. This rare blend is faithfully reflected in the author’s accounts of fanciful, humorous family stories, dreams, reconstructions and evaluations of the traces of his kin’s history spanning many centuries. This balanced representation accurately transforms the sadness in the recount of losing some members recent generations into an entertaining experience. Whereas some readers may be baffled by the author’s use of several narrators, the strategy tends to add to the entertaining value of the work by giving it different approaches, which generally appeals to almost all readers. Moreover, humor adds to the strength of the character, and the general form of the relatively short memoir. The Ondaatje’s memoir set in Sri Lanka provides a near-first account of the tantalizing experiences that the author’s family had in the hands of the colonial masters. The multicultural legacy that spans many centuries as carried faithfully by people during their migration, conquest and influence is in itself an entertaining aspect of the story that keeps the readers abreast with the exact events that happened before the current generation came to be. Rich literary styles create an illusion on the readers mind and help take them back to the ancient times. For instance, by suggesting that “heat disgraces foreigners”, Ondaatje satirically refers to the negative impacts of underdevelopment, cultural conflict, and the unforgiving weather on the foreigners, who may include the narrator (79). In a nutshell, Ondaatje’s memoir is unique in its formation and presentation. It does not contain the many features that most of them, especially those that revolve around family issues have. The memoir takes the reader on an explorative experience, and allows them to grasp what interests them a lot for there is wide a variety of information and humorous episodes along the way. Issues relating to multiculturalism in a unique Asian society where few writers have ventured into is interestingly laughable to read. Following the close cultural ties between Australia and Sri Lanka, it is entertaining to see how the latter civilization, which closely resembles the American model, prepared the locals for the arrival of the Western influence in the recent years. Conclusion Munif’s “City of Salt” and Ondaatje’s “Running in the Family” are great literary works whose settings, characters, themes, and the storyline are rich with satire. Whereas the Munif takes the readers through a wealth of experience preceding the arrival of the Americans, their stay and the socio-economic and political impacts that their entry brought to the local population, the latter book basically explores the narrator’s family life. Notably, both pieces are rich in satire; humor effectively balances the social, cultural and economic challenges that the local communities went through in the wake of modernity and the challenges that come with it. Works Cited Munif, Abd al-Rahman. Cities of Salt. Pretoria: Cape, 1988. Ondaatje, Michael. Running in the Family. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2009. Xinos, Ilana. Petro-capitalism, petrofiction, and Islamic discourse: the formation of an imagined community in Cities of Salt. Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), 28.1 (2006): 1. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family Essay”, n.d.)
A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1492848-a-review-of-cities-of-salt-and-running-in-the-family
(A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family Essay)
A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family Essay. https://studentshare.org/literature/1492848-a-review-of-cities-of-salt-and-running-in-the-family.
“A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1492848-a-review-of-cities-of-salt-and-running-in-the-family.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family

Should America Have Stronger Gun Control Laws

"Should America Have Stronger Gun Control Laws" paper argues that the freedoms that American's hold so dear would not have been possible if it weren't for their right to own guns.... To ensure that their freedoms are never taken away guns are a necessity when it comes to defending the country.... hellip; The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people, that…it is their right and duty to be at all times armed,” (W....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review

Smart Home For The Aged

Since 1990, Smart Homes have undergone serious revolution and have changed to an incredible level.... The dissertation discusses how smart homes… The content also relates to the management of technology or rather the technical functions observed within the international context. Throughout The present smart home designs have shifted their focus from automating the physical activities of the elderly to the disciplining of their minds....
40 Pages (10000 words) Literature review

The Decline of the American Dream

The traditional neighborhood is structured with a varied population consisting of mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly communities may form the shape of a village or may be grouped together to form towns or cities, leading to a continued form of development.... The paper "Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream composed by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck" states that the fascinating part of the book is, of course, its ideology to provide an apparent solution to the proposed problem....
11 Pages (2750 words) Book Report/Review

The Mobile Social Application

This review is about the mobile social application will be called “Anon,” this is derived from the word anonymous.... The application allows users to share difficulties and challenges they are facing or dealing with in life anonymously without displaying those names or contact details....
18 Pages (4500 words) Literature review

Regulations and Standards for Hazardous Gases, Toxic Gases Behaviour, and Wind Effects

… The paper “Regulations and Standards for Hazardous Gases, Toxic Gases Behaviour, and Wind Effects”  is a thoughtful variant of literature review on environmental.... The paper “Regulations and Standards for Hazardous Gases, Toxic Gases Behaviour, and Wind Effects”  is a thoughtful variant of literature review on environmental....
9 Pages (2250 words) Literature review

People Involved in Student Learning

The author of the paper "People Involved in Student Learning" highlights that education is considered a treasure to both the family and the community as a whole.... With the current trends in education, it has become imperative to directly involve students more with the decision-making process in schools as well as give them more autonomy in running their educational affairs (Kruse, 2000)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review

Urban Water Demand

Not only is water vital for mammalian life, but it is also an integral part of running the economy of any country and the state as a whole.... Australia is surrounded by water and also has several rivers running through the region with ample rainfall throughout the year making the supply of water to be constant.... This literature review "Urban Water Demand" discusses the Kuwaiti and Australian governments that have both increased the sensitization of the water management and conservation practices in a view to enabling the complete collection of rainwater and recycling of water to bolster supply....
14 Pages (3500 words) Literature review

Working-Class Families, School for Racism, Culture, Class, and Pedagogy

In this paper, a review of four major articles: Connell, R.... Specifically, the article concerns the issues of the conflicting relations between the working-class family and education systems which are brought about by enhanced the need for a review aimed at a more inclusive upper-secondary through Vocational training (235).... … The paper “Working-Class Families, School for Racism, Culture, Class, and Pedagogy” is an excellent variant of a literature review on sociology....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us