By Fire: Writings On The Arab Spring

By Fire: Writings on the Arab Spring by Tahar Ben Jelloun is a book about the injustices that took place in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region before and during the Arab Spring revolt. Ben Jelloun entirety of his work is written in French, although his first language is Arabic. Today he lives in Paris and continues to write. He has been short-listed for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Translated by Rita Nezami from French to English and published in 2016 by Northwestern University Press, the book is composed of three parts: the translator’s introduction, a nonfiction piece, “The Spark,” and a novella, “By Fire”. By Fire, the first fictional account published on the Arab Spring, reimagines the true-life self-immolation of Mohamed

Throughout the story, Mohamed faces situations that reflect back to the corrupt environment he is surrounded while still upholding an honest living. The only fruit supplier Mohamed knew was Bouchaïb who is a crass and dishonest man. Bouchaïb tries to bribe Mohamed to give his sister, who is only seventeen, to him as a wife. However the thought of handing his sister away to such a dishonest man disgusted Mohamed. His thought was, “At dinner that night, he looked at his younger sister and imagined her in Bouchaïb’s arms. He felt ashamed. A young and innocent girl in the hands of such a brute. Never.”(#). Ben Joulloun uses pathos to invoke sympathy from the audience toward Mohamed and his sister. Regardless of the type of person Bouchaïb is, Mohamed needs to work with him in order to provide for his family. Mohammed tolerates the lies and leaves without saying a word. If he chooses to speak out at such a request, there will be a chance he will destroy his only means to provide for his family and so his silently tolerates this deceitful man. Finally, Mohammed ends up selling up his own possessions to come up with money so he could afford fruit to