Sunday, May 25, 2008
Reflection on The Rock of Tanios
#1 : Most of the events depicted in the novel The Rock of Tanios by Amin Maalouf take place in a small village in the mountains of Lebanon called Kfaryabda. The author uses alot of Arabic terms and phrases. He also mentions several Lebanese customs which I am familiar with since I am Lebanese., for example the "kishk" meal they refer to on p.66, the uniform that the sheikh's wear p.10 " black baggy trousers(seroual), white striped shirt, terracotta colored cap...". The obligation for the citizens of Kfaryabda to kiss the Sheikhs hand at least once per month wasnt suprising to me becuause this is an old arabic custom that is still applied till now in certain arab countries. The act of kissing the hand shows respect and in many arab countries nowadays the children are obliged to kiss their fathers hand. Even the appelations that were used such as "Sheikh, Khoureeye.." sounded familiar. I really enjoyed reading the novel, the writing of this novel is admirable.
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4 comments:
I also liked tht the storys setting is in a Lebanese village! I liked reading about the old lebanse customs that have been passed on from generation to generation ( kishk meal, the uniform of the sheikh (sherwel, pronociation in arabic). I also noticed that kissing the sheikh's/ religious men/powerfull leaders/higher ranked respected people is a tradition in lebanon,that shows respect and admiration. Really good observations Dana:)
I also found myself very familiar with all the Arabic custums, names, and traditions that took place in the book since the setting is in Lebanon. Because of this, I was also able to connect more and identify with the characters. All the examples you gave are very common here, therefore I am able to really picture the village and the characters. Good examples :D
Your concrete examples prove to be valid for the understanding of customs common to the village. I was able to relate to these various obvious aspects. There is, though, an issue that you didn't mention, foreign intervention. I found that very important in the portrayal of the Lebanese culture. The nature of Lebanese politicians, in this case the Sheikh, is the continuous involvement of foreign powers in local issues. Great job in stating specific examples!
Thank you for pointing that out Nour!:D
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