Analysis/reaction - Research Paper Example

As Nassar’s (17) article explains ‘while heads of nations discuss the geopolitical implications of nuclear proliferation, it may be apropos to look into its implications on humanity. Mohamed Makhzangi’s recollection of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 20 years ago, “Memories of a Meltdown” accomplishes just that’. Clearly then, both authors show political commitment in their roles as author commentators, and indeed both short stories comment man’s abuse of power, tyrannical rule and the silence of the masses.

This essay will explore how Haydar in ‘The ant and the qat’ and Makhzangi in ‘The Pilot’ use metaphors from nature to confront these issues and what conclusions they draw. In ‘The ant and the qat’, Haydar describes a man who, by eating the hallucinogenic plant qat, acts out in his imagination his rise to power. By entering into the psychology of the sleeping man, Haydar manages to trace the mental breakdown of the ruler, and the inevitable increase in violence as the way to maintain power.

The hallucination is, therefore, a powerful metaphor, reflecting a pessimistic outlook of the mentality of those who come to power. At the start of the man’s reign he is relatively benign, since ‘here was the world at his feet, with him issuing commands as he pleased’. There is already a sense of selfishness in that he makes order according to his whims, but no actual violence. However from here there is a steady decline. In order to maintain his power he kills his enemies, and Haydar is very specific in mentioning that he chooses to kill a woman who has refused his advances.

This powerful metaphor not only illustrates the kinds of issues of male domination over women which exist in some parts of the Arab world, but more specifically refers to man’s need to be all powerful. The fact that he throws her to his slaves to enjoy shows the base opinion he