Being Israel’s third largest city, Haifa is one of the most diverse and unique cities in Israel. Haifa as a city is a mosaic that has been defined by a variety of qualities that have been portrayed through literature, in particular poetry, ranging from a time period beginning in the early 20th century to the late 20th century.
Haifa’s proximity to the sea and its active port, one of the largest in the Mediterranean, contribute to its prominence, drawing merchants, shoppers, and tourists from all across the world. The Port of Haifa has been a major factor in regards to the demographic diversity of the city. This diversity has lead to a form of cultural diffusion within Haifa in regards to both religions and customs, and thus for this reason, Haifa has been long considered the perfect model of coexistence between Jews, Muslims, Christians, and believers of the Baha’i faith. The Baha’i faith in particular is a perfect example of cultural diffusion within Haifa, as the religion combines the different customs and beliefs of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The Baha’i faith is a monotheistic religion that is based upon both union and harmony. Haifa, being the center of the Baha’i religion, is home to one of the most important shrines of this unique faith, the Baha’i Gardens. Mid 20th century poet Roger White gives a vivid description of the shrine and its surroundings in his poetic journal “Notes Postmarked: The Mountain of God”. Roger White’s first poem within his journal, “Visit to the Shrine of the Bab”, describes the beauty and exquisite details of the shrine, “attar of rose becomes his oxygen…petal-strewn threshold…the inner chamber screened by golden mesh.” (Haifa: A Poetic Journey, White, pg. 52) The description of the fragra...
... middle of paper ...
... death”, emphasizes the sense of despair that the Jews felt in having already made a new enemy after having just recently escaped from an old one. Those Jews that were caught by the British soldiers and deported to Cyprus are described to be in an even greater state of despair, “To Jews on this earth…But at Cyprus, the red earth…there is no hope; in all of this world…we think; but hope, in dread”. (Haifa: A Poetic Journey, Jarrell, pg. 17) The historical struggle that the Jews had to overcome in order to migrate to the city of Haifa is one the most important reasons as to why Haifa itself is considered by many to be one of the most important cornerstones in the creation of the state of Israel itself.
The variety of poems compiled by Shunit Cohen in her book “Haifa: A Poetic Journey”, help illustrate the mosaic of Haifa that has gradually been created over time.
As soon as “Araby” begins, the religious allusions do also. Joyce immediately puts readers in a religious frame of mind as the narrator speaks of the Christian Brother’s School and the priest who formerly lived in his house. Shortly after a religious mindset is formed, the narrator speaks of “the wild garden behind the house [containing]
The spiritual development of a community is a component absent in western formulations of modernity. For Deeb’s interlocutors the process of spiritual modernity is manifested in public piety and “authenticated Islam.” Deeb argues that women are essential participants in the construction of piety and “authenticated Islam” within the enchanted modern. Forms of public piety and social participation, including veiling, community service, and hosting Ashura majlis are necessary components in shaping this enchanted modern. Deeb further examines women’s roles in shifting away from a perceived religious backwardness towards a modern society throughout the second part of her book. Her discussion of the Ashura festival commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Husayn illustrates the shift from a traditional (taqlidi) form of religious worship to “authenticated Islam.” Deeb discusses how latam- self-flagellation- is considered backwards and according to pious Shi’i women the authenticated practice involves learning the lessons from Ashura and applying them to everyday life. The differences in traditional verses authenticated Islamic practices of Ashura reflect the increased participation and roles of women in the commemoration, and in the process of developing public piety and “authenticated
Joyce, James. “Araby”. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Eds. R.V. Cassill and Richard Bausch. Shorter Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. 427 - 431.
When Hebib was younger she moved to the United States in 1996 from Croatia, where she grew up. 1996 was a year after the conflict in the Balkan ended. Her mother was politically active at the time and moved to Germany. “We were apart for 3 years. In order to be together and for me to have an opportunity to pursue higher education in the so called "the land of opportunity", my mother, stepfather and I embarked on our USA journey.” With this in mind, Mias work relates to how nomadic the people of Islam were, always switching location of their Great mosques, and their capitals. Mias work, has a very portable quality that is similar to many of the rugs, articles of clothing, and vessels in traditional Islamic works.
Israel was a very hard place to live when it first was established. We often found sickness, which caused many families to start over again. Because of this, there were many authors who expressed their feelings during this time. This can be seen this in the story Dr. Schmidt. In this story, it is clear that there are a lot of old and new Jews, topics relating to Zionism, and a gap between Ashkenazi Jews and Yemenite Jews. These topics have helped readers relate to these stories, and motivate them to live a better life. This is why the state of Israel has been so successful in its short life. The drive to succeed has shaped the State of Israel for the better.
The Ghetto’s Fighter House Institution is located outside of Akko, Israel. This institution includes Jewish artworks, photographs, and writin...
In the poem, Cohen speaks of her house on St. Lawrence River and the house with wooden floors that squeaked, whose windows overlooked the poetic beauty of the waterf...
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
Norris, Margot. "Blind streets and seeing houses: Araby's dim glass revisited.," Studies in Short Fiction, vol. 32, (1995) : Summer, pp. 309(10).
James Joyce's use of religious imagery and religious symbols in "Araby" is compelling. That the story is concerned somehow with religion is obvious, but the particulars are vague, and its message becomes all the more interesting when Joyce begins to mingle romantic attraction with divine love. "Araby" is a story about both wordly love and religious devotion, and its weird mix of symbols and images details the relationship--sometimes peaceful, sometimes tumultuos--between the two. In this essay, I will examine a few key moments in the story and argue that Joyce's narrator is ultimately unable to resolve the differences between them.
On one hand "Araby" is a story of initiation, of a boy's quest for the ideal. Although the quest ends in failure, it results in an inner awareness and the boy's first step into manhood. On another hand the story consists of a grown man's remembered experience, for the story is told in retrospect by a man who reflects back to a particular moment of intense meaning and insight. James Joyce's fascinating double focus: the boy's first experience, and the man's reflection to the unforgotten moments of his childhood provides for the dramatic rendering of a simple story of first love told by a narrator who, with his wider adult vision, can employ the sophisticated use of irony and symbolic imagery necessary to open a window to his soul telling us more about him now than about the child that lives in his memory. As such, the boy's experience is not restricted to youth's encounter with first love. Rather, it is a portrayal of an ongoing problem that he faces all through life: the incongruity of the ideal, of the dream as he wishes it to be, with the austerity of reality.
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
“Culture belongs to the imagination; to judge it rationally is to misunderstand its function” (Wilson 79). In “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, she acknowledges culture and explains why cultures can differ so greatly. She emphasizes why its highly inconclusive to try to find a meaning behind ones culture. As a young American Muslim women she is faced with cross cultural ironies as she tries to find her identity and where she fits in. Her conversion to Islam brings into light her internalized prejudice and the different perspectives of Westerners towards the Middle East and vice versa. In her memoir, she depicts both positive and negative aspects of both cultures and, her struggle to find a common ground between the two.
“Araby”, a story told by a mystery narrator that ensnares the reader in an interesting and complex line of desires and disappointments. The story starts as the sister of the speaker's friend becomes the object of the narrators affection. He attempts to dazzle her with a gift from the Araby bazaar which is brought in to depict the idea of breaking free of the convening Dublin neighborhood. Thus through the uneasy setting and diverse range of characters, James Joyce let's the reader know that the theme of the narrative is centered around the conflict of an individual and the refusal of the reality of the world around him.