Reading Exercise 2

The Beginning and the End (novel)

The Beginning and the End (بداية ونهاية) is a novel by Naguib Mahfouz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1988. Mahfouz has been credited with modernizing Arabic literature, with his prolific writing style and his themes on existentialism. The novel is marked by very bold characterization, and the story moves at a prolific (creative) pace and tries to look at the world from each character's view point.

The novel is set in Cairo in the late 1930s and deals with the trials and tribulations of a middle class family in the suburbs of Cairo who are struggling to keep out of poverty, after the death of the father, the sole breadwinner.

The family comprises the mother, Samira; the eldest son, Hassan; a grown up daughter, Nefisa; and teenage sons Hussein and Hassanein. Hassan, the eldest son, leaves home and becomes a local goon managing a coffee house. His live-in relationship with a prostitute is ignored by the family so long as he is able to meet the demands of his brothers. The family does not approve of his relationship or his work.

The daughter, Nefisa, starts out as a dressmaker, turning a hobby into a full-time occupation, and - as she sees it - degrading herself. Her faith in men takes a beating after her lover, the local grocer’s son, cheats her into sex and then marries another woman. Nefisa, the adored but plain daughter, can never get over this incident nor is able to control her sexual urges, turning her into a woman who sleeps with strangers. The money she earns from this is an added source of income.

Hussein, the elder of the two teenagers, sacrifices his higher studies and any hope of a bright future to allow the youngest, Hassanein, to complete his education and join the War College, where education fees being exorbitant. The family gives in to this scheme, while knowing that Hassanein might not turn out to be the savior of the family once he gets a job. Hassanein is a self-centered child, who does no harm to anyone, but sure to watch out for himself. When his amorous demands are turned down by his fiancée, he lusts after women, always ready to take offense and cursing his fate. Hassanein believes that he was born into this world to lead a rich life without any troubles and it is the duty of each of his family members to put him ahead of their own interest.

The story contains hope since it begins with the knowledge that the children are grown-up, so there could be a way out of their poverty as soon as they get a job. However, Naguib has managed to weave the paralytic conditions destroying this hope at every milestone in each of the protagonists' lives. The description of the house and the building where they stay gives a claustrophobic feeling, which the reader hopes to escape with each character, again to move into a new and equally claustrophobic setting.

The story theme is universal as it shows how both poverty and human choice can play a role in the way people live. This universal theme of the novel made it a good choice for adaptation in both theatre and cinema worldwide the most famous adaptations are those of the Egyptian, the Italian, and the Russian cinemas. The novel also inspired Paulo Cauleo to write on the themes of human choice and poverty.

Sources:

Charlotte El Shabrawy (Summer 1992). "Naguib Mahfouz, The Art of Fiction No. 129". The Paris Review. Retrieved September 25, 2012.

 Rasheed El-Enany, Naguib Mahfouz: The Pursuit of Meaning, Routledge, 1992.

 El Shabrawy, Charlotte. "Naguib Mahfouz, The Art of Fiction No. 129". The Paris Review. Retrieved 24 October 2013.

 El-Enany, Rasheed. "Naguib Mahfouz: His Life and Times". Cairo:AUC Press, 2007.

Questions :

In your opinion, why is the theme of the novel still relevant?

How can human choice affect one’s life?

Reading Exercise 1

This is a blog dedicated to reading exercises I give to my students in which I will add critical thinking questions to.

I believe that reading lights up our mind, open up our eyes and enhances our opportunities. Reading critically enhances our students' educational, social and professional opportunities.

It was a good habit I developed thanks to my supervisor Dr. Shawky El Sheik to add up a reading activity each week which is not related to the curriculum to supplement the curriculum, help develop students literacy and encourage students on their own on topics not related to the curriculum.

The course Integrating Critical Thinking into the Educational Process will make think about the essential questions and add them up to any article or reading activity I choose to make the learning activity more worthwhile.     

You are all welcomed to use, make up new questions, use the text with the questions I added.

Here is the first reading which I will use in Week one of my course:

           

Arab cinema

Arab cinema or Arabic cinema, refers to the cinema of the Arab world, Arabic cinema is dominated by Egyptian movies because of the large number of productions of movies in Egypt Three quarters of all Arab movies are produced in Egypt. Of the more than 4,000 short- and feature-length films made in Arabic-speaking countries since 1908, more than three-quarters were Egyptian.

There is increased interest in films originating in the Arab world. For example, films from Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestine, Syria and Tunisia are making wider and more frequent rounds than ever before in local film festivals and repertoire theaters.

There are numerous film festivals that have historically been and are held in various parts of the Arab world to present films from Arab countries, as well as international standouts. Since 1976, Cairo has held the annual Cairo International Film Festival, which has been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. There is also another festival held in Alexandria which was not held for some years due to funding resources.

In 1987, the inaugural Mogadishu Pan-African and Arab Film Symposium (Mogpaafis) was held, bringing together an array of prominent filmmakers and movie experts from across the globe, including other parts of Northeast Africa and the Arab world, as well as Asia and Europe. Held annually in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, the film festival was organized by the Somali Film Agency, the nation's film regulatory body.

The International Film Festival of Marrakech (FIFM) is an international film festival held annually in Marrakech, Morocco is devoted to Moroccan cinema. And is chaired by Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco. The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), launched in 2004, is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates that aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world. The DIFF is held under the honorary Chairmanship of Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organised by the Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority. The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) is another key international film festival in the larger Arab region that started d in 2007. ADFF aims to encourage and foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world by showcasing movies from the region alongside standout productions from prominent international filmmakers.

Many countries are introducing new festivals and many cinema festivals in the Arab are stopped because of lack of funding. Critics assure that famous American movie stars go to the cinema festivals held in Emirates rather than those held in Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt because they are well paid.    

Many critics of Arab movies produced with technical excellence criticize the fact that they are funded by European entities and assure that they carry foreign agendas. Many directors and script writers deny this fact but some directors assure this denoting that they receive no funding from their own countries. Critics also criticize the idea that some Arab movies are based on American or Indian movies and ask for originality of ideas.

Based on:

Shafik, Viola (2007). Arab cinema: history and cultural identity (New rev. ed.). Cairo, Egypt: The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 9774160657.

"Learning About Arab Film and Cinema". Arab Film Festival. 29 July 2016.

"FindArticles.com | CBSi". findarticles.com. Retrieved 2018-02-05.

Additions and changes are mine.

Further reading

Josef Gugler (ed.) Film in the Middle East and North Africa: Creative Dissidence, University of Texas Press and American University in Cairo Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-292-72327-6, ISBN 978-9-774-16424-8

Josef Gugler (ed.) Ten Arab Filmmakers: Political Dissent and Social Critique, Indiana University Press, 2015, ISBN 978-0-253-01652-2

Rebecca Hillauer: Encyclopedia of Arab Women Filmmakers, American University in Cairo Press, 2005, ISBN 978-9-774-24943-3

Laura U. Marks: Hanan al-Cinema: Affections for the Moving Image, MIT Press 2015, ISBN 978-0262029308

Viola Shafik: Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity, American University in Cairo Press, revised and updated 2015, ISBN 978-9-774-16690-7

Questions to Discuss:

Are you familiar with Arab cinema productions? Why?

Reading about Arab cinema will you plan to watch an Arabic movie in the near future? why?

How can movies hold a political agenda?

It is worthwhile to have many cinema festivals.

Movies should be based on original ideas. Comment.