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What are the themes in woman at point zero by nawal el saadawi
Discuss the implications of Nawal el saadawi's novel titled "women at point zero
What are the themes in woman at point zero by nawal el saadawi
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Written Assignment
Cheyenne Jade Ishana Cosman
Ms.Arbuckle
English III
21 May 2014
Written Assignment
„Woman at Point Zero“
In Nawal El Saadawi’s work “Woman at Point Zero”, the author uses symbolism of the perfections and imperfections of people’s and Firdaus’ own physical appearance to convey emotions and the impact of the protagonist’s experiences on her daily daily life. Henceforth, the use of eyes as a figment of symbolism is crucial for the understanding of the work by Nawal El Saadawi. Furthermore, by contrasting clean and dirty, El Saadawi incorporated the ideals of beauty, which draws importance to the development of the protagonist’s self-esteem in the work, “Woman at Point Zero”.
Firstly, El Saadawi introduces symbolism in the second chapter of her work when she describes the eyes of the protagonist’s mother saying, “I can remember two eyes. I can remember her eyes in particular. I cannot describe their colour, or their shape. They were eyes that I watched. They were eyes that watched me.” (p.15)
This quotation depicts Firdaus’ feelings and thoughts on eyes, in particular her mother’s, for the first time in the work. However, in this quote, El Saadawi does not incorporate the observable traits and rather concentrates on Firdaus’ mother’s eyes to draw importance to her controlling but yet caring nature rather than on the beauty or colour of her eyes. The use of language conveys Firdaus’ love for her mother since she was the only person who truly stood up for Firdaus. An additional example of the use of the integral symbol of eyes can be seen in the following quotation, “My face turned towards her, and my eyes looked into her eyes two rings of pure white, surrounding two circles of intense black ...
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... rather free and clean. With this in mind, the use of contrasting clean and dirty purposely represents Firdaus’ state of freedom.
In conclusion, Nawal El Saadawi uses symbolism in relationship to the physical appearance of the protagonist, Firdaus and who she encounters throughout the work to convey emotions. Moreover, by concentrating on the eyes as a symbol of love and trust but also fear is coupled with strong elements of language to convey to the readers how Firdaus felt and what went through her mind. Significantly, the author contrasts clean and dirty to show the intentions of the various characters of “Woman at Point Zero”, which makes the work more understandable and relatable. Lastly, the growth and development of Firdaus’ self-esteem is also depicted in the contrasting of clean and dirty but also with the power Firdaus gained when she was independent.
The 2006 fictional novel, “Tangerine” written by Edward Bloor is about the mystery of Paul’s eyes and the secrets to unlocks the truth behind Paul’s vision. Edward Bloor uses Paul’s eyesight to show the understanding of the character's family and friends. It shows his viewpoint on things and how Paul sees his problems. Through the motif of vision Paul, the main character, grows his understanding on his friends, family, and himself.
The emotive language used throughout her memories, show direct contrast to her present situation, as well as her reasons for leaving home. The use of personification, in text such as ‘ the sea roared like an angry beast’, provide emphasis of emotive language, used in describing the estrangement felt. The language is so eloquent, conjuring such engagingly vivid images, of Ziba’s emotions, particularly as she feels the ups and downs of the unforgiving ocean. Through figurative and evaluative language, Ziba is able to depict her past and present feelings and memories. The strong connection between sensory experiences and memory is sophisticated and crisp, making the text straightforward and resonant. The author uses simile’s such as, ‘thoughts of home washed over Ziba like the surge of sea washing over the deck’, linking past and present, creating feelings of loneliness, whilst reflecting on her once peaceful home. The effective use of noun groups - laughter of children, cool mountain air, rich spices of the evening meal - alongside side a number of sensory verbs - thought, felt and smelled - assist and connect the reader to Ziba’s thoughts. Furthermore, the use of repetition in the first and last page of the text, places emphasis on the unstable state of their emotions, the uncertainty of what’s to
In the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, by Zora Neale Hurston there were many contrasting places that were used to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of this work.
This excerpt from Zora Neale Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were watching God, is an example of her amazing writing. She makes us feel as if we are actually in her book, through her use of the Southern Black vernacular and admirable description. Her characters are realistic and she places special, well thought out sentences to keep us interested. Zora Neale Hurston’s art enables her to write this engaging story about a Southern black woman’s life.
...ment in which the story takes place. His ellaborate description of the llano shows you the beauty of Spanish America and helps you to understand the restless culture of the vaqueros who wander across it. Also, Anaya gives you a detailed description of El Puerto. The village in which the Lunas reside. The imagery in this description also helps you to understand the culture of the farmers, the calm and quiet people who plant their crops by the light of the moon and live in peace. Imagery plays and important role in this novel because without it, certain aspects such as the point of views of both the Lunas and the Marez faimy, would never be understood .
Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, revolves around the small town world of Janie, a vibrant yet oppressed woman. The reader is taken through Janie’s experiences, which elicit tremendous emotional growth in the heroine. Their Eyes Were Watching God is teeming with symbols; however, one of the most prevalent symbols is Janie’s hair. Her hair conveys far deeper themes that the novel is imbued with. Described as long and flowing, Janie’s hair symbolizes her vivacity and free will; however, it also conveys the theme of being ostracized from a community you belong in. Janie’s hair, although lauded, gives her an appearance that is of stark contrast to the rest of her community.
... advertisement” (Fitzgerald pg. 160). Wilson understands the symbolic meaning of the eyes and how they truly do watch over all the corrupt, shameful things the main characters do.
The main female characters of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Seraph on the Suwanee, move from oppression to liberation throughout the course of the novel. Their journey to find their own “niche” in life occurs via their relationships with men. For Janie, her relationships with dominant male figures stifle her identity as well as her ability to achieve self-actualization. For Arvay Meserve, her personal background and relationship with her authoritarian husband cause miscommunication and thus prevent her from personal growth and awareness. In both cases, a hurricane is the mechanism through which both women find their identities and place in life.
The story shows prejudice of people. Like “Lusus Naturae”, the family treats her like a monster which starts from the stereotyping of appearance. Actually the behavior and mind of the family are cruel like a monster nature although their figures are not a monster. People should be concerned more on inner sight as compared to visible sight. Also, the appearance should not be a reason to discriminate human
"SparkNotes: Their Eyes Were Watching God: Themes, Motifs & Symbols." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC, 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. .
The Eyes are the terrifying and aggressive secretive enforcers of the law. The Eyes symbolize God and how he is always watching, they are always watching as well. “I wonder who told them. It could have been a neighbour, watching our car pull out from the driveway in the morning, acting on a hunch, tipping them off for a gold star on someone’s list. It could even have been the man who got us the passports; why not get paid twice? Like them, even, to plant the passport forgers themselves, a net for the unwary. The Eyes of God run over all the earth.”(65). This symbolism is an important feature of the book because it creates fear for the citizens of Gilead. To the citizens it symbolizes a higher authority that is capable of doing great harm and is always watching. “We aren’t allowed inside the buildings anymore; but who would want to go in? Those buildings belong to the Eyes.” (166). The fear that the Eyes add to the story line reminds the reader how aggressive and evil the government of Gilead is, that the characters of the novel have such strong fear towards these people. From this the characters weaknesses are apparent. For example the main character Offred is a strong woman who does not express fear, though when you hear her talk about the Eyes you see a part of her weakness and fear peak through. In addition a feature that the Eyes bring to the novel is suspense. Whenever the characters see the van with the
The use of symbolism is essential to writing a story as it explains complex ideas and themes in an enjoyable yet succinct way. In the critically acclaimed novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, a biracial woman named Janie lives her life in search of true love and happiness but finds herself failing multiple times. In the end, she finds herself single yet in the state of happiness and enlightenment that she had longed for her entire life. Through the use of a pear tree, Hurston symbolizes the idealistic view of intimate relationships that most women desire. She uses the horizon as a symbol of the happiness that Janie, and many other women, want in their lives. By using these two symbols, Hurston conveys the message that women can be independent and lead a happy life without being in a relationship with a man.
The eyes represent G-d staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland. Just like the billboard is left faded and ignored after “many paintless days”, religion is neglected. Myrtle, one of the characters who resides in the valley, abandons typical religious beliefs by committing adultery and trying to obtain wealth and prosperity through Tom, demonstrating her rejection of spiritual values for the goal of achieving material wealth. The eyes and the advertisement also suggest the decay of the Americ...
One of the first things to come alive to me was the picture of the young girl or old woman, depending on the viewer’s perspective. I had seen this picture several times before but because the book first presented a picture more skewed toward the younger girl than the older woman, when I looked at the “dual” picture, the young girl was all I could see. I had to look at the picture more skewed to the old woman before I could retrain my eyes to see the old woman.
If we consider the introduction of this piece of writing, it opens up with the person named ‘I” meeting with an unmarried mother. The author talks of an unknown girl who appeared suddenly in front of an orphanage in 1945. She grew alone and did not talk with everyone. This small part already brings a clear picture about gender oppression. Through this story, the author is able to make us understand the situations surrounding the mysterious girl. Most of her problems were caused appear to be related to her