Orhan Pamuk’s Istanbul: Memories and the City is an iridescent evocation of Istanbul’s fate, history, and cultural diversity recollected in the form of memories, allowing the readers to connect with Pamuk’s life experiences. The above is made possible through the use of both, past as well as present, which co-exist as a centerpiece in this memoir.
To begin with, memories add a flavour of perceived thought about what the past holds dear to us and are therefore synonymous to history, helping to retell the author’s story, who wishes to convert each and every reader into an artist and commentator of the history of Istanbul. History is something written by ordinary people based on the biases of available data and at times, it is this ideology which casts a magic, stimulating us to revisit the past through our memories. Pamuk showcases history using an individualistic approach, interpreting Istanbul by means of his own thoughts which are original, and correct the existing incongruences put forward by other writers during that period of time. In all, the narrator takes the readers as a ‘tourist guide’ through the by lanes and shadowy corridors of Istanbul, motivating them to conceive their thoughts about the place.
Memories can be defined as all of the precious moments which were lived by the author. He portrays a new instance every time, inviting the readers’ to indulge themselves in a ceaseless wave of emotions and experiences which have skillfully been exposed till the very end of this text. For example, Orhan’s memory about religious beliefs wherein he imagines God as a female stereotype wearing a white scarf, describing Her as a rare sight around human beings. Looking at the following lines, “Even so, whenever I am in a crowd, ...
... middle of paper ...
...eal football matches using marbles, giving each piece a name with respect to the best player of the match. Also, they would constantly comment on the game, imitating how it’s done on live television. This not only showed their attachment to the game in particular, but also to each other. Orhan always imagined the atmosphere to be pulsating, and it was this excitement which transforms into reality, thereby taking the form of memories.
Works Cited
• Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk, Published: 2005
• Matossian, Nouritza. "He's Still the Top Dog in Turkey." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 17 Apr. 2005. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. .
• "Mirroring Istanbul." Global Perspectives on Orhan Pamuk. Ed. Mehnaz M. Afridi and David M. Buyze. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Memories are symbols that are used to demonstrate the progression from the past into the development of one’s current personal identity. We often use our personal memories to investigate our thoughts. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro are 21st century works that reflect on the use of memoires to enhance personal thoughts to impact perspectives. Perspectives are created and altered by addressing and reflecting on thoughts and feelings towards previous events. In Native Guard, Trethewey uses her memories to develop a perspective on her past and history. In Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro uses Kathy’s memories to develop her actions and decisions. Tretheway and Ishiguro both demonstrate that a memory is a symbol
The memories of an individual will give shape to their own identity and how they are able to perceive the world around them; memories allow an individual to look back at where they were and where they are now and to see the contrast of their current life. In the text “Ru”, Kim Thúy, the narrator, finds herself looking back at her memories of her life and dreaming for more. When she arrives at Mirabel airport in Quebec, she is awestruck by the peace and beauty of it compared to her past in in the refugee camps of Malaysia and war torn Vietnam. Throughout her visit, she is able to dream of her future outside of her bleak memories of her past, and imagine a future without the constant strife of living in a post war life. Kim is able to use her memories to shape who she wants to be and allows her to truly admire where she is and where she wants to go, setting a path for her to follow throughout life. In the text, “Ru”, Kim Thúy uses her own past and memories to demonstrate the idea that an individual's memories will shape who they are and show them a life they want to live, whether it is a memory they want to revisit or a memory in which they wish to leave behind. Kim’s present is influenced greatly by her past and allows her to appreciate the little things all that much
The purpose of this paper is to look for the relations between Turkey and America from the cold war to current issues I will study on the situations that are developed between America and Turkey starts from the end of the cold war such as “Truman doctrine”, “missile crisis” and “gulf war”.
In the following essay, I will be comparing the Hagia Sophia in the City of Istanbul, and the Suleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul. Both of these pieces of art are very significant to the in modern-day Turkey. The art pieces will be covered in more detail further on in this comparative essay, and finally, I will be judging the pieces at the end of this essay
Though while some of the leaders were incompetent and maybe even slightly “defective”, there were many great leaders of the Ottoman Empire, such as Suleyman who was known as “The Magnificent” and brought the empi...
This has not been and easy task, the history and geographical location of Turkey. It lies at a "crossroads" where the two large continents of Europe and Asia meet. This unique location gives Turkey a very diverse populations, Balkan, Mediterranean, Middle Eastersn, Caucasian and Asian identities. This has highly influenced its Foreign Polocy. Its primary objective is in short to develope friendly relations with all countries, most partic...
The poem, “Remember”, by Joy Harjo illuminates the significance of different aspects in one’s life towards creating one’s own identity. Harjo, explains how everything in the world is connected in some way. She conveys how every person is different and has their own identities. However, she also portrays the similarities among people and how common characteristics of the world impact humans and their identities. Harjo describes the interconnectedness of different aspects of nature and one’s life in order to convey their significance in creating one’s identity.
The Suleymaniye mosque was truly a masterpiece during the time it was built in the mid 1500s. Today, it still never fails to captivate its audience through the complexity of its design and the intellectual analysis of its significance. The mosque was actually said to be as magnificent as the Seven Wonders of the World according to two European travelers, Freynes Moryson and John Sanderson, soon after its completion (Nelipogulu 221). The mosque is definitely symbolic in the city of Istanbul, sitting a top the highest hill, in that it represents central power and strength of the Turkish Empire (see Image 1) (Yayinlari 30). As we take a closer look at the Suleymaniye we see many aspects of religion through its sensual and visual experience. We also find a great deal of complexity, from the contradictory aspects Sinan applied to the mosque, throughout a more in depth intellectual analysis.
It has been stated that the application of memory functions in fictional works which act as a reflective device of human experience. (Lavenne, et al. 2005: 1). I intend to discuss the role of memory and recollection in Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian science-fiction novel Never Let Me Go (2005).
The interdependence of memory and identity is not unproblematic. Self-assessment and assessment of the characters in the novel will lead one to realise that manipulation of the past is integral...
Cicek, Kemal. “The Cambridge History of Turkey. Volume 3: The Later Ottoman Empire, 1603-1839.” Journal of the Economic &Social History of the Orient 52, no.1 (2009): 153-158. EBSCO.
Eva Hoffman’s memoir, Lost in Translation, is a timeline of events from her life in Cracow, Poland – Paradise – to her immigration to Vancouver, Canada – Exile – and into her college and literary life – The New World. Eva breaks up her journey into these three sections and gives her personal observations of her assimilation into a new world. The story is based on memory – Eva Hoffman gives us her first-hand perspective through flashbacks with introspective analysis of her life “lost in translation”. It is her memory that permeates through her writing and furthermore through her experiences. As the reader we are presented many examples of Eva’s memory as they appear through her interactions. All of these interactions evoke memory, ultimately through the quest of finding reality equal to that of her life in Poland. The comparison of Eva’s exile can never live up to her Paradise and therefore her memories of her past can never be replaced but instead only can be supplemented.
The Ottoman Empire had humble roots. Beginning as an Ottoman state, it progressively rose to power to become an empire. As a state, the Ottoman state started as a small state in current-day western Turkey. Based on Muslim beliefs and rule, the Ottoman State began to dissolve surrounding Muslim states, which were absorbed into the future empire. This move thereby ended all the other Turkish dynasties. The Ottoman Empire was marked as one of the largest, longest lasting empires. The Ottoman Empire lasted from the late 13th century to 1923. Throughout it’s time, the Ottoman Empire was remarked as highly successful and progressive. But like all empires, the Ottoman Empire had to make its end. The Ottoman Empire, like all dynasties, went through its rise, peak, and falling periods. This essay assesses each period in the Ottoman Empire's history.
The history of turkey is a very long and detailed one. Turkey was originally settled by groups of farmers probably thousands of years ago. Today, historians call these people the Hittites. During their time, the Hittites were ruled by kings, and had their high officials buried in shaft tombs. Shortly after the Hittites moved in, Indo-Europeans moved into the area, and formed the kingdom of the Hittites, with the capital being Hattusa. The kingdom survived for hundreds of years. However environmental changes, migrations of new people, and a weak government ended the kingdom. After the downfall of the Hittite kingdom, Assyrians and Persians conquered the land and settled the kingdom of Lydia. But, this kingdom didn’t last long, as Alexander the Great conquered the Persians in the battle of Issus in 333 BC. to claim the land. In 63 BC., Roman general Pompey conquered the land and it became part of the massive Roman Empire. In 330 AD., Constantine, the emperor of the Roman Empire moved the Empire's capitol from Rome, to the city of Byzantium in modern day Turkey. Byzantium had its name changed to Constantinople when Constantine converted to Christianity. The Roman Empire split in 395 AD., and the Byzantine Empire continued to rule the land. During the early 1000's, the Seljuk Turks became one of the first Islamic peoples to rule in modern Turkey. The Seljuk Turks began to replace the area's Greek language and Christian religion with the Turkish language and the Islamic religion. The Seljuk ...
The metaphor of memory pertains to many people in the novel. It is especially relevant to Karl and Annonciata’s family during the Rwandan genocide. As the Rwandan genocide progresses, Karl is away from Rwanda and his family. Therefore, Karl and his family experience trauma in differing ways through