Arabic World Society & Cinema Final - Term Paper Example

Topic 3 Introduction The Story of Zahra is created by Hanan-al-Shaykh’s. This rich story has been outlawed in a number of Arab countries. The powerful account captivates with scenes of war-torn Beirut and its blunt sexuality. Zahra is depicted as a loner abused by her mother, who takes her to a number of surreptitious encounters with a lover, and by her father, a disciplinarian who is extremely strict and responds irritably to her behavior of picking at the pimples on her face. Zahra moves away from her parents to live with her uncle who has moved to Africa to avoid being detained for political engagements. Moreover, Zahra is compelled to agree to a disastrous marriage union with Majed, a friend of his uncles. This is after his uncle’s love turns sexual. In due course, Zahra goes back to Beirut where the war is getting worse, and starts a sexual relation with a sniper (Al- Shaykh 8). On the other hand, West Beirut is a Lebanese drama movie created in 1998 by Ziad Doueiri. It highlights how in April 1975 there was an eruption of civil war in Beirut. Beirut is divided into Christian and Muslim zones, and west and East Beirut. Tarek is a high school student who creates super 8 films with Omar, his friend. In the initial stages, the war is perceived as a game. This is because it takes place when the schools are not in session and the violent acts are intriguing. Tarek’s father refuses his wife’s request to leave the area. Moreover, Tarek spends time with a Christian opharn who lives in his building called May. Tarek goes to a recognized brothel in the war-ravaged area called Olive Quarter by accident. While there, Tarek has an encounter with Oum Walid, the brothel’s famous madam. Tarek takes his friends, May and Omar to the brothel. There is also an escalation of apprehension. As he grows up, the hostilities move relentlessly from quest to disaster (Doueiri 1). This paper will look at how the civil war is depicted as a force of destruction both on the individual level and collective level in The Story of Zahra and West Beirut. In The Story of Zahra the civil war is perceived as a force of destruction to a number of characters and the entire society. Hanan-al-Shaykh depicts the mannish notion of the civil war by highlighting its negative side and how the war impacts the social structure in a devastating manner. It is evident that the civil war has changed Ahmad from the period of his boyhood when his father desired to make him go to America to a period when he turns into a crude militiaman who attains significant pride in invading the homes of individuals to destroy, desecrate, and loot. Initially, Ahmad’s father had planned to save adequate funds to send him to the United States of America to pursue electrical engineering (Al- Shaykh 76). Ahmad is seen going back home with additional items aside from his joints of hashish and rifle. Ahmad attempts to hide the additional items behind his back as he passes through the living room to other areas of the house. Due to the civil war, Ahmad comprehends killing as signifying manliness. He comes to epitomize the domineering and irritable point of view in the society that, having assisted cause the fighting, now maintain the war. The civil war has given Ahmad and other males authority over the other individuals and has also given them the avenue to obtain money through looting and robbing. In addition, Ahmad is even concerned about the conclusion of the civil war. This is because it would signify an ending to the distorted character that the civil war has imparted on both Ahmad and the rest of the males. On the collective level, Hanan-al-Shaykh illustrates how the civil war has brought to the surface the degeneration of Lebanese society. The idea is highlighted in the loss of moral standards, use of drugs, and the interruption of customary institutions. With regard to loss of moral standards, Zahra is surprised by the boldness of Ahmad to masturbate while she is preset. It may be argued that the civil war may have transformed moral standards to such a degree that every behavior has come to be accepted as standard. With regard to the use of drugs, Ahmad is proud to talk about the legality of using drugs in the civil war (Al- Shaykh 83). This means that the civil war may be used as an excuse to abuse drugs, therefore, having a negative impact on the individuals who are abusing drugs and the society in general. In addition, the civil war is presumed to be a force of interruption to the customary institutions. Zahra has the capacity to disapprove of the rot of moral standards. The war gives Zahra and other women the power to separate themselves from the patriarchal system. This enables Zahra to establish values of equality, tolerance, and peace. In addition, the civil war make Zahra conscious of the fact that the war is regarded as a male pursuit and individuals from the female population are the eventual victims of the war’s terror. Finally, her unfortunate death in the end can be perceived as evidence that the war has not led to the termination of patriarchal activities that abuse females (Al- Shaykh 216). West Beirut also depicts the civil war as a force of destruction to the individual and the entire society. The beginning of the civil war is denoted by the foremost massacre. Even though the massacre is evidently committed by the leaders, Christian leaders point an accusing finger to the Palestine individuals and their leaders for aggravating an altercation in a situation of enhanced hostility. Three of the characters, Tarek, Omar, and May have a number of adventurous activities in the unruly streets being manned by militias from the Muslim community. The dividing line between members of the Christian community and that of members of members of the Muslim community enhances fear among Tarek, May, and Omar. This depicts the tension that is in existence in Beirut due to the civil war. The civil war is also depicted as a force of destruction both on the personal and collective levels. It is evident that Omar, Tarek’s best friend does not like, May. This is largely because Omar is from the Muslim community and May is from the Christian community. Omar goes on to sarcastically refer to May as Virgin Mary. In addition, Omar is angered by May because she has a cross on her neck. This makes Omar not to shake May’s hand when she offers it (Doueiri 1). Also, on a personal level, the damage of the war is depicted when Azouri, Tarek’s school mate, sees Tarek with May and refers to him as a traitor. On a collective level it can be witnessed that neither the Muslim or Christian individuals are allowed to move from one area to another and those who cross each other’s border are killed. In addition, the civil war leads to deterioration of moral standards for people living in Beirut. During the civil war, the region of Zeitouneh situated on the Green Line develops into a focal point of sex related activities. This region acts as a nonaligned point for both members of the Muslim community and members of the Christian community who are the chief parties in the civil war. These conflicting parties frequently visit the brothels. Nevertheless, the civil war also acts as destruction to the brothel business. The brothel trade is negatively impacted by the sectarian hostility. In addition, the civilian war has a negative impact on the population of Lebanon. There are a large number of people who lose their lives in different attacks. For instance, there is an announcement in the radio regarding the death of thirty one individuals in a bus massacre. This also marks a continuation to the devastating war (Doueiri 1). Additionally, the war acts as a form of destruction to the daily existence of individuals in Beirut. There is an enhanced presence of gunmen due to the tension between members of the Muslim and Christian communities. In the civil war, people are subjected to additional checks. This is inconvenient to the individuals’ usual way of life. For example, Tarek’s father’s car is stopped by armed guards and then they demand the identification documents of the father. They advice them not to continue with their journey and they should return from where they are form because members of the Christian community are not permitting members of the Muslim community to cross to the second side of the city. Conclusion Both The Story of Zahra and West Beirut are works that attempt to highlight the civil war as representing a force of destruction both on the individual and collective levels. Both these works illustrate ways in which the civil war has led to the loss of moral standards, for example, Ahmad masturbating in the presence of Zahra in The Story of Zahra and the region of Zeitouneh situated on the Green Line developing into a focal point of sex related activities in West Beirut. Finally, both works highlight damage and death. Works Cited Al- Shaykh, H. The Story of Zahra. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. Print. West Beirut. Dir. Doueiri, Z., 1998. Film. Read More