Theme Of Social Structure In The Journey Of Ibn Fattouma

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The culture of a community invariably determines the social structures and the formation of a society. Developed over time, culture is the collection of beliefs and values that a group of people maintain together. Culture is never constant, and thought to be continually renewed over years as new ideas and concepts become mainstream. It ranges from how people live, day to day topics for conversations, religion, and even entertainment. It is analogous to guidelines, or the rulebook of the said group of people. Society, on the other hand, emanates from the social structure of the community. It is the very institutions to which create a regulated and acceptable form of interaction between peoples. Indeed, culture and society are so perversely intertwined in a …show more content…

It is the undertaking of a journey by one man alone, Qindil Muhammad al-Innabi, to find a society with absolute perfection. Qindil travels through the fictitious lands of “the homeland”, Al Mashriq, Halba, Haira, and Aman— each land with its own unique concept of social structure behind the way the people live, religion, and government systems. Qindil observes and notes the stark differences between each country toward his own perceptions of the perfect society. It is also apparent that beliefs such as simplicity, justice, or freedom match how the society develops in contrast to one another. Naguib Mahfouz writes the novel to comment on the varying outcomes of society based on the inhabitant 's values and traditions. Other prominent African literatures also give way to substantial insights of their very own social organizations via culture as well, particularly seen in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong 'O. It is without doubt that culture serves as the fundamental driver behind the development of a

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