The fall of a curtain...

Yasins' life was changed from this moment,

Sitting next to her was her father, not someone else. When he saw him, his heart pounded harder. His father had removed his cloak and rolled up his sleeves. He was shaking the tambourine and gazing at the performer with a face brimming joy with joy and happiness. The door was open only so long as Zanuba was in the room, one or two minutes, but during that time he witnessed an amazing sight: a secret life, a long story with many ramifications. He awoke like a person emerging a long dream, deep sleep to the convulsions of a violent earthquake. (P. 249)

This part of the paragraph is extremely powerful where Mahfouz conveys the importance of having Yasin see his fathers' other life. Yasin has never seen his father drinking, singing, playing instruments, or even being relaxed in anyway. Yasin's heart pounds hard when he sees that his father is sitting next to a woman and not only that he is the complete stranger to him. Mahfouz not only lets Yasin in on Ahmad secret it seems that he is letting the reader have a look over Yasin's shoulder. Mahfouz uses the methapor of the earthquake to show this revelation to Yasin,  "He awoke like a person from a long dream, deep sleep to the convulsions of a violent earthquake (249)" A dormant earthquake erupts without mercy when the time comes and nothing in the world can ever be hidden forever. Yasin was amazed at the sight he saw of the father he never really knew. So many things ran through Yasin's mind and he probably wanted to know about this made who smiled with such happiness.

Al-Sayyid Ahmad Holds His Own

"It was based most of all on his innate desire to continue to be loved and enjoy a fine reputation." On page 223 in the last two paragraphs of the page, Naguib Mahfouz displays the books moral theme: reputation and order. In this section of the book, the children were getting close friends of the family to convince Ahmad to bring back Amina. While doing so he believes that his neighbor, Umm Maryam, tries to hit on him. Though he fights temptation, he doesn't give in but instead chooses his fine reputation to uphold.

Throughout the book, Ahmad's reputation and order/place within his community and household, comes up frequently with precise illustrations displayed in order to get the theme across like on page 223. "Umm Maryam represented nothing more to him than a delicious kind of food, which threatened his digestion, he could easily turn down in favor of some of the other tasty but wholesome dishes that covered the table." This example of illustration is exact in portraying the them of reputation and order. Ahmad referring to Maryam as a food that would "threaten his digestion," meant that she would threaten his reputation, and he'd rather not go for that "dish."

In the Dark

"He awoke like a person emerging from a long, deep sleep to the convulsions of a violent earthquake. In those two minutes he saw a whole life summed up by one image, like a brief scene in a dream that brings together diverse events that would take years in the real world.He saw his father the way he truly was- his father, not some other man, but not as he was accustomed to seeing him." (Pg. 249)
 Naguib Mahfouz uses illustration effectively by presenting us with the unusual joyous character of Yasins' father. The secrecy behind his father's affair brings about the bigger issue in this book of oppression in a culture. The struggle to express ideas within a family is rejected by the presence of the father. Though its not seen in this way by the culture, we see it by knowing the characters thoughts. Fear and courage play a big part in whether this ever changes. This passage represents this by finally seeing the father for who he was, but the point is that he did it behind an ungrateful act.

Kamal's Hatred

"He greeted Khadija and Kamal and sat down-as Kamal put it later-as though he were one of them. The boy seized the opportunity presented by the bridegroom's conversation with the others to scrutinize his face for a long time. It was a stranger's face that had suddenly appeared in their lives, where it occupied a prominent position that entitled the man to be one of their closest relatives-in fact, Aisha's husband. Whenever Kamal thought of this new relationship, he remembered the loss of Aisha, just as surely as the thought of white brings to mind the color black"(291). Mahfouz talks about description in this passage by the way he brings forth the character in our minds. We get the sense that Kamal doesn't like Khalil because of the way Kamal described him. Kamal doesn't like that Khalil feels like he is one of them and the author emphasizes this point by giving us Kamal's description of him. The author also uses color at the end of this passage to convey how Kamal doesn't enjoy the change of Aisha's marriage has brought to the family. Kamal misses aisha and blames Khalil for her departure. I can really imagine the face Kamal has when he is thinking about Aisha's leaving because of the way the author uses his words correctly. He uses words like "scrutinize" to let us know that Kamal doesn't approve of Khalil. The author could have used "notices" or "pays attention to", but instead he uses "scrutinize". It gives us a mental picture of how Kamal is reacting to the situation.

Khadija's Good Nature

Khadija’s latent good nature came to the surface like a green plant emerging from a seed hidden beneath the mud once sweet water has been provided. She did not suspect the motives of this interest in her the way she had previously. She knew this was genuine and directed at her unquestionable skill.  It constituted a general admission of her importance and significance. Although happiness was not hers to enjoy, it would not be fully realized until she contributed to it. She set about this new project with a heart totally cleansed of her hostile emotions.  (p. 239)

This selection stood out to me because I sometimes do this. I relate to how Khadija is willing to help even though she is mad and upset with this event. I sometimes tell myself I won’t help with some things but I end up doing it because it is something I love: helping people. We see the logic, Khadija uses because she knows that she is the only that can actually help her sister and without her support her sister would be devastated. In this selection we read a lot of things that can’t be seen. We see skills, emotions, and ideas. The author start this with a simile which helps the reader see how much her willingness to help was hidden and how much it had to go through in order to come out. But in the end it appeared.

Khadija's Good Nature

Khadija’s latent good nature came to the surface like a green plant emerging from a seed hidden beneath the mud once sweet water has been provided. She did not suspect the motives of this interest in her the way she had previously. She knew this was genuine and directed at her unquestionable skill.  It constituted a general admission of her importance and significance. Although happiness was not hers to enjoy, it would not be fully realized until she contributed to it. She set about this new project with a heart totally cleansed of her hostile emotions.  (p. 239)

This selection stood out to me because I sometimes do this. I relate to how Khadija is willing to help even though she is mad and upset with this event. I sometimes tell myself I won’t help with some things but I end up doing it because it is something I love: helping people. We see the logic, Khadija uses because she knows that she is the only that can actually help her sister and without her support her sister would be devastated. In this selection we read a lot of things that can’t be seen. We see skills, emotions, and ideas. The author start this with a simile which helps the reader see how much her willingness to help was hidden and how much it had to go through in order to come out. But in the end it appeared.

A Father's True Thoughts

"He felt a boundless confidence and pride in this answer but later had acknowledged that his treatment actually had changed, although he had tried to keep anyone from detecting his hidden intention to change" (Mahfouz 285). We feel a sense of regret and compassion coming from Ahmad in this chapter. Mahfouz puts this paragraph here, after the arguement between him and his son, Yasim, because he wants us to slightly see the parternal side in Ahmad.

The way Mahfouz has dialog from only Ahmad in this chapter allows you to get into Ahmad's head and truly understand how he feels. Ahmad mentions that he reacted upon anger; trying to justify his actions. Ahmad's attitude and deffensive tone allows the reader to comprehend that Ahmad does love his children and that he didn't want to hurt Yasim. Mahfouz illustrates Ahmad's affection by having him look back at his past. He is recreating the emotions and moments that Ahmad went through. It shows that Ahmad has a passionate side and feelings.

Fahmy's Love

"The moment a thought occurred to him, a memory stirred, someone mentioned her name, or anything similar happened, his heart would throb with pain and exude one grief after another. It was like a decayed tooth with an inflamed gum. For a time the toothache may die down until the tooth presses against a morsel of food or touches a solid object. Then the pain erupts. Thus Fahmy's love would beat against his ribs from inside as though craving a breath of air, shouting at the top of his lungs that it was still a prisoner. No amount of consolation or forgetfulness had set it free" (Mahfouz 258).

This passage of the book is about the pain and love Fahmy feels when he sees Maryam walk in through the door at Aisha' s weeding. What really stands out to me is how Mahfouz is able to describe the pain that Fahmy feels in a way that makes us feel it too. He does this in one way by using analogies.

He uses the analogy of his pain to a toothache. If we have ever had a toothache we know that it can be a painful process that, if we don't do anything about it, it will not go away on its own. The pain Fahmy feels is just like this because, even if at times the pain seems to disappear, the least reminder of her brings all the heart-throbbing memories back. Another analogy used is of how his love is like a prisoner. His love is begging to come out and let itself be seen but his father and the culture he lives in does not allow him. If he were to express his love, it would be frowned upon and Fahmy is too afraid to take that chance. Just like his love is yearning to come out, most prisoners can only think about one thing; their freedom.

This has the effect of actually making us imagine and, to certain extent, feel what Fahmy feels. I personally like how Mahfouz presents the characters in a way that makes it so easy for us to relate. It reminds me of A Hope in the Unseen. Ron Suskind also did a great job in making the characters jump of the page. I think this is a great style of writing because it makes us imagine what is happening and it makes the reading much more interesting. The rhetoric stance used in this passage is pathos because reading it makes us feel empathy for Fahmy love and pain. It makes us feel that Fahmy is a real person with emotions just like ours.

Khadija's Hatred

Her anger for everyone in general was nothing compared with the feelings of jealousy and resentment against Aisha that she had packed into her breast. She hated her happiness. Most of all she hated Aisha's attempt to hide her happiness. She hated her beauty, which to Khadija's eyes appeared to be an instrument of torture and oppression. In much the same way, a man stalking prey finds the glistening full moon oppressive. She hated life too. It held nothing for her but despair. The progression of days only added to her sorrows as the presents of the bridegroom were brought to the house along with little tokens of his affection. While the house was filled with an atmosphere of unadulterated delight and happineses, she found herself in a forlorn isolation that was as fertile a breeding ground for sorrows as a stagnant pond is for insects. p 238

This passage uses pathos to effectively describe Khadija's hatred for the beauty of Aisha. Throughout the book you get a glance at how much Khadija disliked Aisha for her beauty but now it you get to fully understand how strong this hatred is. The author uses word choice to best describe how much Khadija hates Aisha. Words such as resentment, torture, oppression, and hated clearly show a picture of what goes through Khadija's mind. These words infect Khadija's mind with complete anger.
Descriptive detail is another element the author uses to get this hatred across to the readers. Khadija describes Aisha's beauty as "an instument of torture and oppression" (238) just as the same way "a man stalking a prey finds the glistening full moon oppressive." (238) With this one sentence you get can picture the intense brightness of the moon shining above a man as he tries to sneak through thick grass to kill his prey. But because the moon is oppressive, the prey is able to get away after seeing the man.

Not Another Speech

"As beautiful as the moon, by the Messenger of God! You're really your father's daughter. Anyone seeing those eyes would immediately remember this...I see you're all wondering how this woman knows al-Sayyid Ahmad...I knew him before his wife herself did. He was a neighbor and childhood playmate. Our fathers were friends. Do you think a performer doesn't have a father? My father was head of Qur'anic primary school and a blessed man. What do you think about that, you beauty?" (265)



This passage indicates how the performer Jalila is affected to be in the same building as her previous lover: al-Sayyid Agmad. The reader can almost see the performer Jalila just having a hard time trying to compose herself among the other women in the reception but she's drunk! I see the make-up on her smearing because she had been crying before, the bush of hair that's yet to be tamed, the empty bottle thrown at the side of the stage and the sole realization: he's here but what can I do?

A wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion where the bride bids farewell to her family to join her husband and the life that comes with being with him. Jalila,however is not happy and needs to release all the emotions she's feeling by picking on Amina whie she's drunk. Naguib Mahfouz does a great job by using pathos, emotions of the lovely performer to convey lost hopes of love, marriage. By reading the above excerpt
you get a sense she's envious of Amina because she's not as beautiful, virtous as Amina who is by standard a good wife and woman. So now we can kind of see the comparison that's going on. Amina is beautiful as the Moon, what about Jalila? Amina is patient, what about Jalila? Amina is a wife,Jalila is a performer. Amina is dependent on Ahamd, Jalila is independent. Despite these things the two women do share something: their fathers. Both women had fathers were teachers dedicated to the Koran.


Maybe though, Jalila is recalling memories when she was happy and it just happen Ahmad was in them and she's distraught that he left her for Zaynuba(another performer) Overall, Mahfouz uses pathos to convey one woman's sadness, anger that life didn't go as planned for her.

"This moment was one of the happiest of the mother's day. All the same, her anxiety that her men might be harmed by the evil eye knew no limits. She continued reciting reciting the Qur'anic verse " And from the mischief of the envious person in his envy" (113:5) until they were out of sight."

This passage to me is a perfect example of ethos. The way that Amina prays for her men as they leave the house shows how she is established, showing her caring, nurturing, and loving ways.

Reunited and It Feels So Good?

She lowered her eyes to hide her overwhelming joy. She could not conceal the emotions rocking her soul. Her face seemed an extremely accurate mirror, registering everything that was inside her, no matter how small. She wanted so much to receive the happy news with a composure befitting her maternal role, but she was transported by joy. The features of her face laughingly expressed her childish delight. At the same time she felt ashamed, although she did not know why. She remained motionless for so long that Kamal's patience was exhausted. He pulled her by the hand, putting his entire weight into it until she yielded and rose. She stood for a little while in a strange confusion. Before she realized what she was doing the turned and asked, "Should I go, Mother?" p. 232

This passage is the climax to Amina's exile and it is affective because of the rhetoric stance the author takes: pathos. The passage effectively portrays both the excitement she got from a reunion with her beloved children and the shame she feels for herself. With descriptive word choice and illustrative detail the author is able to effectively lure the reader into the book as though the reader was actually Amina.

Through descriptive word choice, the reader is able to empathize with Amina because there has been a moment where we felt so happy that our inner child came out. Amina is decribed as being so happy that she couldn't conceal her inner child while trying to "receive the happy news with a composure befitting her maternal role." (232) Words such as "childish delight", "overwhelming joy", and laughingly protray the excitement she received from the news her children brought. After she is overjoyed from that moment of pardoning she quickly is blanketed with feelings of embarrassment and shamefulness. These feelings were so powerful that she "remained motionless" to the point where Kamal began to get impatient. Words such as "strange confusion", and ashamed illustrate how ashamed she was for being exiled. She then questions herself of being worthy to be by Ahmad's side by questioning her mother if she should go back.

Amina's inner child and shamefulness is described effectively with descriptive sentences. After reading the descriptive first half of the paragraph, the reader is able to imagine the feeling Amina was overcome by. The reader is able to picture Amina trying to hide a smile that occupies most of her face but then gives in to her inner child by jumping up and down. Then, suddenly this picture is flipped inside out with a feeling of shame by the illustrative second half of the paragraph. The reader then imagines Amina wide-eyed and stiff after realizing the shame she brought on herself for being exiled.

To Catch Yasin, You Must Think Like Yasin. Feel Like Yasin

People, my post is of a sexual nature. Viewer discretion is advised. It's not my fault his sproink-a-doink-doink parts are very descriptive.
"He sighed with relief and victory, confident now that he would pluck this fruit he had patiently pursued. Lust surged inside him, the way a ravenously hungry man's mouth waters when his nose smells meat being broiled for him." (Pg. 244)
This is incredibly descriptive. He really wants us to understand this almost overpowering lust Yasin is feeling.Going through the laundry list, we see tactile used a lot, along with olfactory. We see the emotions he feels, along with the reactions these emotions elicit. His stance appeals to pathos. He really gets the emotions nailed down for you to feel. Great descriptions in this passage.
Again, sorry for the sexual nature of this post. I just put my finger down on a passage. Blame the Fates.

Dangerous Desire

"With his mouth hanging open, he advanced gently and cautiously. He was oblivious to everything except the mountain of flesh spread at his feet. To his greedy eyes this body appeared to be preparing itself to receive him. He hesitated before her legs. Then, almost unconscious of what he was doing, little by little he leaned down over her, driven by urgent internal and external stimuli. Before he knew it, he was sprawled out on top of her. He had perhaps not intended to go this far all at once. Perhaps he had not intended to indulge in some of the foreplay that ought to precede the final violent motions, but terror, and a resounding scream escaped, before his hand could stifle it. The pervasive silence was shattered and his brain was dealt a blow that brought him back to his senses. He put his hand over her mouth as he whispered anxiously and fearfully in her ear, "It's me. Yasin. It's Yasin, Umm Hanafi. Don't be afraid""(277-278).

Mahfouz reveals the outrageous behavior of one of Ahmad's children. He uses up to about a page and a half to describe the various actions of one child that lead up to the one action of desire. Yasin was craving the body of another woman but settled for what was already being offered to him at home. Yasin knew the consequences of everything he was doing but wasn't listening to anything besides that strong desire that told him to do what he would in order to quench the thirst of his lustful desire. Mahfouz uses ethos through description as done through this entire chapter or any other chapter to present the uncontrollable yet disciplined desires of the men in this culture. Yasin really presents the reader with a scene that will give a sense of how much a woman's body isn't something revealed every where and every day as it is now, and how there are many regulations to live by. Talk about temptation. It only made sense -logos- that when there is a body laid there for you, when your body and mind are craving lust, you will jump to devour what is basically handed to you. Mahfouz really sets the scene to present the thoughts and actions of Yasin as he analyzes everything although he is very drunk. Although Yasin is drunk, he finds it in himself to not take chances of getting caught and not quenching his desire and stay at home to quench it with the body that was " preparing itself to receive him"(277).

Beauty

" It's beauty that's made me so bored I'm sick. It's like a new word that dazzles you the first time. Then you keep repeating it and using it until it's no different for you than words like 'dog,' 'worm,' 'lesson,' and other commonplace expressions. It loses its novelty and appeal. You may even forget its meaning, so that it becomes strange, meaningless word you can't use." (pg. 337)
Newly wed husband clearly has doubts and doesn't believe in love. This passage reminds me of pathos, since it holds lots of description and a nice metaphor, it contributes to the reader's emotions in an odd manner. Mahfouz uses beauty as if it were something boring and uninteresting in the minds of men. This passage shows how something so intoxicating can also bring about boredom and displeasure. It's hard to believe that Yasin would say something like this, since he " inherited" his father's lustful and " midnight amusement" qualities. But it's in my mind, as well as in most, that beauty is just among the first qualities a guy sees in a woman and is enticed by its pleasant and magnificent power to extract the emotions and thoughts of men. Beauty plays a vital role in this novel as we see with Aisha, Khadija, Al-Sayyid Ahamd and Yasin, but also it poisons them. Its wonderful that Mahfouz was capable of playing with his words and causing beauty to play with the emotions of men. In doing so, Mahfouz captivates the reader into thinking that beauty is marvelous and causes a great deal of controversy upon the novel's characters and the readers. Yet, does "beauty" ever get boring and unappealing? According to Yasin and Mahfouz's metaphor he simply states it as if it were a new word. I love that combination. Learning a new word provides a pleasing effect, yet once repeated it also brings about irritation. Think of it as if it were a repeated song over the radio station, getting played multiple times within every tuned-in station. But it's difficult to understand that a married man can find his wife unattractive. It creates a feeling of pity and doubt about how a woman can endure a man that finds her uninteresting. That can be a good reason why Yasin married her. He was so dazed about her "beauty" that that word stuck to his mind and that's the only characteristic that he truly found in her upon marriage. A woman would like to get recognized by other things, but since he was at a stage of lustful and disgusting manners, he only got caught up with what was put in front of his eyes and he fell in love with the appearance of his wife, not for who she was. As a reader, one is blinded by rage and curiosity as to why Yasin is the way he is. Of course he only states it trying no to sound cruel, but it seems that living with a wife and not be able to go out and do mischief when he was single is what leads Yasin to take that course and announce his message to Fahmy.
The passage chooses a metaphorical stance and provides some description, followed by emotions. The metaphor had an impacting effect when announcing that " beauty" was unappealing and that it was a word. But not just any word. A word that only characterizes Zaynab and to which shows that words have a great effect on people. Words convey messages, but here beauty has more emphasis to the things that distract men and to how men see women. They are seen as tools, but beautiful tools, to be fair. Even words like this can provide a certain way of talking, especially in this novel. Using the word beauty provides a good effect on men's wife, but when used to say it to another woman, is very illegal. Basically, this passage shows what Yasin feels and how Fahmy rejects the idea of having a woman be talked of as if she were just a breath of air.

Ahmad's Struggles

Pg. 229- Ahmad struggles with a number of hardships, that we see as unnecessary: His dual-identity, ejection of his wife, womanizerness, and most importantly his detachment from his family. When his children are infants and still in their early stages of childhood, he shows his love for them freely, and he is limitless with pampering them. As soon as they grow up, however, they are cursed with a life of strictness and fear of their father. What is clear is that Ahmad wishes he could show his children some affection. His sternness and control over everyone doesn't seem natural. Digging even deeper within his character, there is an Ahmad that wants to show his love. "He had a sensitive heart, more sensitive than most people would have suspected. In fact, it was too sensitive" (229).

I Caught You Red-Handed

"Trembling with rage, al-Sayyid Ahmad began to examine Yasin's face grimly and silently, dragging out the silence. Without taking his pitiless eys off Yasin, he pointed with his han to the door, ordering him inside. Although at that moment disappearing would have been dearer to yasin than even life itself, he was paralyzed by fear and confusion. The father was outraged, and his scowl showed he was about to explode.... He rebuked him loudly,'Go upstairs you criminal...'"- Page 279

In this passage, Mahfouz uses pathos rethoric to illustrate both Ahmad's strong reply to Yasin's madness for trying to rape the house servant and Yasin's reaction to a horribe nightmare.

Mahfouz's most used method in this section is body movement. From "trembling" to "paralyzed", Mahfouz does a wonderful job in using body movement in his writing to set up the tone and mood of the scene. He shows Ahmad's anger simply by the way he stares at Yasin's. Yasin, on the other hand, shows fear through silence. That is something I found very peculiar in this scence- There is a lot of silence going on. In fact, there are only two shorts sentences of dialog. Mahfouz does this because he wants to emphasize the importance of silence in this scene. Not only does it contribute to the gloomy mood, but it shows the huge respect and fear that Yasin has for his father's mere presence.

Looking at the entire chapter, Yasin committed a deadly mistake. Obviously. But that's not the whole point of the passage. Mahfouz wants to convey to the readers how body language solely does the trick in a Muslim patriarchy. What does it signify? Fear. Respect. Authority. Power.

Afterwards, Ahmad can't hold back his tounge and uses very, very strong langauge. Calling your son a "criminal" isn't something a father does often. Mafhouz wants to show how Ahmad takes into account that Yasin defiles the family name. He probably wouldn't care less if Yasin wasn't his son, but since he is has a big problem in his hands. As soon as the word gets out, Ahmad is going to be looked upon. This is a big influence in his tantrum.

I also found it a bit ironic. Ahmad does this all the time, except it isn't rape. A clear sign of hypocrisy.

Ugly Beauty

"Her anger for everyone in general was nothing compared with the feelings of jealousy and resentment against Aisha that she had packed into her breast. She hated her happiness. Most of all she hated Aisha's attempt to hide her happiness. She hated her beauty, which to Khadija's eyes appeared to be an instrument of torture and oppression. In much the same way, a man stalking prey finds the glistening full moon oppressive. She hated life too." (Page 238)

In this passage, Mahfouz really describes Khadija's anger towards her sister. His word choice really shows how Khadija is feeling. For example, he uses a lot of strong words to show her strong feelings. Mahfouz uses the words anger, jealousy, resentment, and hate to show how this is really affecting her life.
This passage shows the overall feeling of the book because it shows how the culture really shapes the purpose of the girl's life. It shows their culture and how important it is for a girl to get married as soon she can. Overall Mahfouz uses a lot of pathos in this passage in order for the reader to feel how she is really feeling.

Not Me

Yasin breathed in deeply and then exhaled. He was playing with his fingers in obvious anxiety. He stammered, "Our father has a fiery temper and does not accept corrections for his opinions. I, for my part, am no longer a boy. I have become a man and an employee, as you pointed out. What I fear most is that he'll get angry and I'll lose control of myself and become angry too." (pg. 213)

The children have been trying to determine who would confront their father about bringing their mother back and as the oldest Yasin is kind of automatically the one that should take on the responsibility. He uses logos to try and find a reasonable explanation as to why he shouldn't be the one to so it. He knows that he can't just give any crappy reason so he thoughtfully tries to avoid the situation. He didn't think this true at first but when he said it he realized that is was more than just an excuse he realized it was actually true. He was afraid of how he would react. He knows that his father has a bad temper and doesn't want to put himself in a situation that would cause him to react in an inappropriate or disrespectful manner.

Questioning

"'But your husband?...An intelligent man going on fifty... can he find no other way to express his anger by throwing out the companion of a lifetime and separating her from her children?... O Lord glory to You. Most people get wiser as they get older, while we grow older and become foolhardy. is it a sin for a virtuous woman to visit our master Al-Husayn? Don't his friends, who are just as jealous and manly as he is, allow their wives to leave the house for various errands?...Your father himself, who was a religious scholar and knew the Book of God by heart, permitted me to go to neighbors' homes and watch the procession of pilgrims setting out for Mecca'" (202).

This passage creates an effect of Logos. By questioning Ahmad's motives through Amina's mother, Mahfouz causes the reader to begin reasoning, and to see that logic might not explain his actions, though it was Ahmad's logic that drove him to exile his wife. This passage is included to show the error in Ahmad's own logic, or maybe the culture of which he is a part of as a whole.

The detail presented in this passage also contributes to expressing the degree of error to which Ahmad has sunk in his religious beliefs. The fact that Amina's father was a "well learned scholar and knew the Book of God by heart" means more than if the author would have simply stated that he was a religious man. This then shows Ahmad's oppression of Amina as something that isn't practiced culturally but by a single family. Adressing a large misconception that people may have about Islamic culture.

Aisha's encounter

I love the book as a whole. The story is extremely interesting. The paragraph, among others, that quickly got my attention is chapter 5. Aisha's first encounter with the young police officer. Mahfouz uses detailed description. I could feel the excitement Aisha feels. In the second paragraph of the beginning of the chapter, Mahfouz writes "She sighed and closed the window, fastening it nervously as though hiding evidence of a bloody crime". The discription of her feeling afterwards gave me jitters in my stomagh. I know how it feels to have your heart divided into two emotions. You don't know if to feel scared or excited because you did something you could get in trouble for. I think over all this paragraph is a attention-seeker. Throughout the beginning of the book, Mahfouz first introduces the family and then starts talking about each individual's story. I like the plot he is using to build up to the climax.

Rays of Sunshine

The first paragraph of chapter ten seems to be perfectly situated, it's a calm scene after  quite chaotic one. At the end of chapter eleven there is an argument of how kamal is living his life and how it seems to not have much direction. Now he is with Fahmy on which the setting makes him seem as if he's hiding. The words, " the sun was about to dissapear" makes it seem like he came out at that time so that no one could see him. Though this passage is meant for Fahmy and how he feels the need to hide, it can also be applied to Kamal.

Man=Music??

A paragraph that caught my attention was a paragraph on page 10 - 11. It talks about Ahmad's passion. This paragraph talks about music and the husband. This is the second time music is brought up in the book. This paragraph tells us how musical Ahmad is. He loves music. In a way I think this section was put there to kinda maybe set up for something in the the future reading about Ahmad being very involved with music. This is the first time in the book where we don't see  Ahmad as the bad person. One line that caught my attention was "he loved song with both his body and soul". This is the first time where we see hope in Ahmad being a real person as in someone having feelings. He may be nice or reasonable or different. We have hope for this. It tells us he has a soul and has love in him for something.

Sweet Escape

There's something about dreams of owning a candy store that makes you look twice at Kamal.

He's certainly the youngest, and a boy for that matter. He attends an all boy school where his father's influence reaches him even out of the household. Mahfouz writes how the boy is like, " a prisoner waiting to be struck at any time...(47)" and he can't stop but just wait to be punished or bullied by the other boys because he's around it at home all the time. As Mahfouz describes how Kamal dreams of owning a candy shop, the reader is reminded he's just a innocent kid who can't have fun because his dad's power will not let him. When you think of a candy shop, we think every inch of the facility is made of sweet, sweet candy that makes every kid feel happy. Happiness, that's what Kamal needs to find at home but doesn't because his dad thinks he's trouble but what I think Mahfouz is hinting at is that the father just doesn't understand how different this boy is from his elder brothers who probably avoided telling their dad of childish dreams.

The Inescapable Past

Chapter 13 has an interesting aspect to it. In it, Mahfouz leaves the immediate family slightly and goes on to describe Yasin and his relationship with his biological mother. This chapter also marks the end of the familiar descriptions. After this, it goes into the story that takes up the rest of the book. Mahfouz used the first 13 chapters for the characters to be developed fully so that the reader has some background to the story.

In chapter 13, there is a quote. It goes, "He had often told himself that if a person had a strong enough will he might be able to carve out more than one future, but no matter how strong his will he could never have more than one inescapable and unavoidable past" (78). This is a quote that does not necessarily need to be attributed to to Yasin as a character, but it seems that the location is more important for its meaning to get through. It is strategically placed near the beginning of the new part of the book where a future is to be made for the reader, but for the characters it is and inescapable past that was set onto paper.

Stix

Aisha is slender, well extremely skinny, compared to her sister Khadija. Khadija is extremely jealous of that fact and is not ashamed to let that be known. She constantly teases Aisha about her size and in chapter 5 in the second paragraph on page 29 she just goes on a rampage with insults concerning Aisha's weight. She wants Aisha to feel bad about her size and the fact that the author starts off with, "Aisha's slenderness did not correspond to the diligence with which she ate" relates to how Khadija feels about Aisha's weight. This sentence was used to introduce the paragraph to display just how much she dislikes the fact that Aisha does not look like her. She tries to make Aisha feel bad for being as small as she is by bringing up the fact that the "potion" used to fattened up the rest of the women has failed to help Aisha gain weight, she attributes it to the fact that Aisha has little faith. Khadija definitely wants Aisha to feel bad and does everything she can to make that possible and the author does a tremendous job in setting the tone.

Ahmad the Confident

Chapter fifteen begins with Ahmad closing his store and heading out into the rest of the world. In the previous chapter, Ahmad was in his store, now, Mahfouz transitions to another seen with this first paragraph. The beginning of this chapter also helps to illustrate Ahmad's confidence. Chapter fifteen is the chapter in which Ahmad pays Zubayda a visit, and this second paragraph gives insight into how Ahmad might be used to doing these kinds of things with many women. Ahmad has a confidence that can only come with experience. To supply evidence of this I can quote "...demonstrating he was accustomed to situations like this and certain the results would be to his liking" (92).
The placement of this brief passage here is important because it sheds more light on Ahmad's true character and it serves as a mean for Mahfouz to continue his story.  

Amina's Escape

In chapter 6 on page 34, the first two paragraphs focuses on Amina and her personal likings within the book. I believe Naguib Mahfouz especially puts these paragraphs in the order right after describing what breakfast the house rules are like, to emphasize that the roof of their building is Amina's escape. " This roof...was her beautiful, beloved world, and her favorite place for relaxation out of the whole universe, about which she knew nothing." (Mahfouz, 34) Through giving the reader a more emphasized detail of a character, it provides a relationship between the reader and the character and I believe he does this so when Amina gets into her accident the reader feels more sympathy for her. It even gives her a distinction from the others how it said that no other roof top looked like Amina's roof. I also believe that Mahfouz gave us this explanation of Amina in order to put a sort of pure look to Amina and show her escape from the world of responsibility.

Sentence Placement

My paragraph is the fourth paragraph on pg. 65. It talks about how Kamal enjoys having his mother's attention. The paragraph starts off with, "He was pleased by her interest" (65). At first glance, this seems like a pretty simple sentence. The second sentence is, "A feeling of bliss and power he experienced only during this final lesson of the day coursed through him" (65). Both of these sentences are the exact opposite. The first draws your attention because it's short and to the point. In the latter, the author uses phrases like "a feeling of bliss and power" and "lesson of the day coursed through him". These phrases grab my attention because they drag out what they're trying to convey with more of an eloquent word choice. If you see round beads all the time, of course you're going to notice the narrow ones and especially if they're right next to each other. The author does an amazing job of putting sentences in an order the reader will notice, like he does here.

Beauty vs. Criticism

Beauty is an uncomfortable factor that clings onto women occasionally. Whether it be to go to a party or , even, at home, women try to stay beautiful through cosmetics, medications, lotions, etc. Yet it’s a continuous battle between Aisha and Khadija. Aisha, being the inheritor of all these qualities that make her beautiful, is a rather loud, pretty, happy, and conscience person. While Khadija doesn’t hesitate to bring her down or use her sharp tongue to retaliate against anyone who tries to be o n top of her. Yet, due to her sharp characteristics, she is pretty, but doesn’t have luck in being better looking or having the first opportunity to have her hand asked in marriage. Yet, I believe even though Aisha may have the luxury if being complimented of her beauty, she still has respect and admirations towards her sister. Joyful in every aspect, its hard to depress her, but also she doesn’t complain when here sister criticizes her. Perhaps its due to the fact that Khadija envies her sister, but know that by putting her down won’t make a difference. On pg. 29, Aisha is cautious to what she eats, but Khadija rapid tongue enjoy toying with her beauty by stating that “ Aisha’s slenderness” has part to do with the “ weakness of her faith.” The author puts this passage to describe how Khadija doesn’t support her sister being the beauty of the family, when she’s the first born. Throughout the book, there are complaints and conflicts involving the two girls, who each have very wise-ass things to say, but know they know their limits. It puts a emphasis to how Khadija sees Aisha when one is worried about her looks, and the other trying to bring her morale down through criticism. Yet, they both symbolize their parents, Aisha being more like her mother and Khadija more like the father. Aisha obeys her sister and it submissively more calm in any situation, while Khadija shows the rough characteristics of her father’s critical manners. Yet this passage just makes the battle even longer and with positive results as usual. Each has their own abilities and weaknesses, but it doesn’t hide the fact that family is family and there will always be nonsense involved in any conflict.

Structural Palace

In Naguib Mahfouz’s book, Palace Walk, the author talks about the different cultural and spiritual aspect of the family of Al-Sayyid Ahmad. It talks about every family members’ situation based on who they are and what they do. Not only does the author talk about how he has become a positive figure in society and how the organization of the household basically is run by his decisions. He is the head of the house and controls what goes on around the house, while the women help clean the house and the boys dedicate themselves to their studies. Yet, not only does this have an effect on how the household is run, but rather, their father also has some defects. A positive model in society and a rather has the loyalty of that of his family, he is a flirt. Through their religious background, the family depends on God, but also they are under Al-Sayyid Ahmad judgment. It’s a different way of how life functions compared to that of Christianity. It made me think how life is can be possible under that sort of household structure. Having to submit to a husband’s authority, use God’s name in every sentence, and have to be able to do well so that society won’t have a bad image against you. How is it that people can actually live without being seen? To ask for a daughter’s hand without knowing the girl? Its has a curious and totally different view of how the world functions, but in either case, the author describes every day as a normal and peaceful day. Perhaps its due to their beliefs that make them exceptional to how life in their household is conveyed. Of course in some occasions it seems absurd to how the father reacts or his decisions based on how the wife, loyal and faithful, just says what is need to be said to keep him informed, but rather scolds her. I can’t see how women can stand that! He doesn’t compare the lives of the Islamic view to the Christian one, but rather gives an overview, with specified detail, how life is different and how customs change. Yet, in every character each has its own weakness. Aisha conceals the fact that she has emotions for an officer, while Khadija has a bad attitude, at times, and uses her tongue to bring Aisha down. Kamal, is a playful kid, who fears and admires his dad and is mischievous at times. Fahmy is in love with his neighbor, but knows that he can’t look or ask her hand in marriage. Also Yasin, deals with the fact that his mother is to marry and brings forth his anger against her. Each member is Inclined to doing some sort of mistakes, due to their feelings, but also fear that their father has the last word in everything and will, often, rebuke any desire they might have. An interesting culture, it contains many details of their daily routines and shows the audience how life can sometimes be misjudged by that loyal religious belief of obeying God’s word, rather than following the true emotions and thoughts within.

"Marriage..."

My paragraph is located in chapter 10 which is about Fahmy taking Kamal up to the roof every day to make him practice his vocabulary. It turns out that this is not the only reason why he takes him up to the roof, Fahmy actually goes up there because he likes to see the girl next door whom he is in love with. Fahmy starts stating the words so that Kamal can tell him the definition but he gets so distracted by the girl that he starts saying the words heart, love, and marriage.

My paragraph, on page 61, comes right after Fahmy has just stated the word marriage. The placement of this paragraph is very important because in it we see that the girl finally shows a reaction to what Fahmy is saying. It is important to notice that this reaction is made to the word marriage, and not heart or love. This fact shows that the are both in love with each other and that they might be willing to get married and do things the proper way because their romance is wrong to the eyes of their strict society. That the girl is letting herself be seen by Fahmy is itself an offence to their culture but even in a strict culture like theirs, there is still room for love.

Another factor that shows the love Fahmy feels for this girl is seen in Mahfouz's style of writing. He is so descriptive when it comes to showing the character's emotions. In this paragraph he writes, "he had at least been able to transmit to her a charge of the electricity blazing in his heart" (61). Here he is describing Fahmy's love for this girl and I don't think he could have chosen a better choice of words to make us feel what Fahmy feels.

Childhood...

Why is Kamal so different from all the men in this society? Does the fact that he is ten years old make a difference. Kamal is looking for attention constantly from his brothers, especially his mother. He is the only one who seems to have a deeper respect for women. Women in this society are either used as maids such as in the case of Amina and her husband Amad or as sexual objects from which men gain pleasure. If they are house wifes as Amina,  they can't leave the house for any reason unless accompanied by their husbands, they learn about the outside world only from what by mouth of their husband, and are basically ignorant of everything except for the teachings of the Koran and what they need at home. Kamal seems to be very different from all his male brothers, he enjoys the company of his mother and two older sisters. Mahfouz describes Kamal's reason for wanting to teach his mother about what he learned at school, " The truth was that he loved the women's company with all his heart and did not want to be separated from them even when working. Seeing them gave him a pleasure nothing else could equal. He loved his mother more than anything in the world (Mahfouz 65)." Kamal spent his time trying to teach his mother  many things he found interesting and in doing that I feel that he is being inclusive with his mother. Kamal seems to think that maybe his mother shouldn't be any different from him or even men. Men are the one's who get educated in this society and Kamal makes a difference. I attribute this difference to his age and experience because he can't have so much respect and admiration for a man like his father who treats him as if he doesn't deserve respect. Mahfouz placed this paragraph to show us probably how men in this society grow out of their admiration and respect for women. Is Kamal going to change later in the story? 

P. 65, top paragraph 

The life of a muslim women.

The passage I chose to talk about I think really explain how in the Islamic culture women and their "position" in the household. ( No offense to women.)

I chose the passage on pg. 12 and the last paragraph on the page. This paragraph really describes with the rest of chapter 2 how in the Islamic culture women wait on the man to come back home and then service to there needs. Due to this many women tend to not know much about the outside world because they can't go outside or be seen by anyone besides their husband. In Palace Walk Amina loves her husband dearly, and that she waits for her husband all night and that her husband is very special to her. I think Mahfouz is puts this passage in the book just to emphasize how much the women in Islamic culture have a place to be a house wife and loyal to there husband.

Under Her Wing

The family's life and behavior always revolves around the father’s presence. But when he is gone they feel a huge relief and feel like they can act like themselves. “They would cluster under their mother’s wing with love and all-embracing affection” (52). I really like how Mahfouz compares the mother’s comfort to a wing. It really reminded me of pelicans. Pelicans are birds that will bite chunks of flesh off of their chest in order to feed their babies and if there isn’t any food. In the Catholic Church pelicans are also compared to Jesus Christ because He gave His body and life to his children. The mother of the family gives so much to her children to protect, feed, and make them feel comfort just like a pelican would. Under her wing they feel safe and protected from anything, even if it’s their father.

Page 52: Paragraph 2

I've been down this road before.

Many families have dinner together, take road trips, attend family parties together and have a great time. Now in the modern time families can get along very well without any worries of being given an ugly look for simply speaking to one another. On the first page of chapter nine the family gathers for their coffee time. When this family time is presented something else is also mentioned that in a sense takes away from the whole family bonding feeling. When we hear the word family many of us think the entire family: mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. In the chapter the first three words are, "Except for the father,..."(52). The family is gathered but not the father. These three words somehow made the feeling of the paragraph a bit more relaxed. Judging from the way the family is when the father around this is like a mini-vacation before it is time to return to work. The tension of the house seemed to be shut out for them just for that simple moment. I have been down this road before and know exactly how this feels. When my dad is around I have come to notice I watch my every move. My father is very strict and it only takes one word from him to make my entire day go downhill. It is a terrible feeling when I come home everyday and the first things you hear are complaints. I would much rather be asked about my day. Without my mother around the house is full of tension all the time. My father basically picks us up, takes us home and locks himself in his room. In a way that may seem like freedom, but the truth is its scary. My sisters and I have to make sure we are at perfect noise level and not disturb my father. If he calls for us we have to make sure we hurry to his room before he yells a second time, because then you are in trouble. As a daughter I love my father but I have to admit the tension is always there. When my sisters and I are with my mom we still watch our actions but the atmosphere is much more relaxed. The family time here is a way of viewing a broken family within the same home on a daily basis, which I have also experienced. Just reading this one paragraph can really sum up the atmosphere the families live in at the time and it is clear that it is not an easy one. The beginning of this chapter is important and its placement just shows that this can be mentioned anywhere in the story. This could have been brought up in another chapter for another day, but the fact that it is in the story somewhere near the beginning but also not at the very end gives the reader a break from all the names and tasks being done and gives the reader a taste of the loving nature of a mother. Amina's love and kindness is emphasized in this chapter to represent that her role in the family is just as important as Ahmad's , "They would cluster under the mother's wing with love and all-embracing affection" (52).

Looking Into Yasin

Chapter twelve in Palace Walk begins with Yasin leaving home, heading out into the real world. It is here that Naguib Mahfouz first goes into Yasin’s mind. Interestingly, the first paragraph opens with the sentences “When Yasin left the house he naturally knew where he was going, since he went there every evening. He appeared, however, to have no idea where he was heading. He was always like this when walking in the street" (70). It is in this manner that journeys often begin, with a character taking his first steps towards a goal but seeming to be hesitant. These few sentences also help to show how Yasin's life has become an unchaging rutine. Yet in this rutine, Yasin is constatnty searching for something new, more specifically a woman.

Mahfouz uses the first two pages of chapter twelve to give an insight into Yasin's mind. It is here, where Yasin is first introduced that the author chooses to give importance to him. It wouldn't make sense to include so much writing if Yasin wasn't going to be a developed character. It is here that we learn of Yasin's sex drive and how he fears his father. This further enforces the difference of the father in his house and at work, and it also allows for an easy transition into Ahmad's night adventures by creating a parallel between father and son. The fact that Yasin is the eldest son also fits well in this situation because it is usually the elder that resembles the father.

A Refreshing Drink of Chlidhood

On a little page called forty-seven, in a little book called Palace Walk, there's a little chapter about a little boy who's eating a little pastry. It seems totally random (although in my opinion, the whole book is pretty good at meandering) but there is a purpose to it. Kamal, the aforementioned little boy, is the youngest person we meet in the book. He's not yet 10. He is also the only one who seems to have a childhood to speak of. He likes to joke, move and play. His father likes to kick his butt for doing these things. He wants to own a candy shop just to eat candy. He likes school! What a novel idea! He likes the fact that his achievements in school bring him praise from his family, but it overshadows his mind when his dad doesn't give him one one hundredth of the praise his brother gives him. However, this doesn't even change his mind about his father, and he loves him the same. The childhood of Kamal is great thing to immerse yourself in while reading Palace Walk. It might be your only chance!

The Coffee Hour

I'm sure that most people associate "Coffee Hour" in the beginning of the day. It's usually taken to start off the day with energy. What I found to be very intriguing is how Mahfouz depicts the family's coffee tradition in the beginning paragraph of Chapter 9 to take place right before sunset.

Looking at the storyline, it appears that the coffee hour scene takes place at the end of the first day of the novel. From the first sentence, there is already a clear point that Mahfouz wants to convey. The passage starts off with, "Except for the father...."(Mahfouz 52) It might sound obvious, but Mahfouz didn't include that there for no reason. He wants to emphasize how important the father's absence will be throughout this chapter. Up until this point in the book, this is the first time that the reader gets to see the family congregating.

The setting describes Amina sitting in the center of the room with the children facing opposite her. This portrays a powerful mother who takes the position of head of the house. Surprisingly, Amina shows loyalty to the tradition imposed by Ahmad, only allowing Yasin and Fahmy to drink coffee with her and making Ahmads influence visible even though he isn't in the household. Aside from that, there is still a sense of bonding in the family since the passage does show that the rest of the children thought the conversation itself was enough to be "contented"(52).

Mahfouz sticks this paragraph in the novel to demostrate a sense of the lifestyle right before sunset. As we all know, Ahmad day really starts when he gets to party with his friends. Mahfouz uses the text to show that for Ahmads family, the day really starts when their father is absent.