Journal of an Ordinary Grief’ by Mahmoud Darwish

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018 • ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823

THEMES AND WRITING TECHNIQUES OF ‘JOURNAL OF AN ORDINARY GRIEF’ BY MAHMOUD DARWISH

Akram Roshanfekr & Fahime Mousavi

[email protected] University of Guilan Rasht, Iran

Abstract: Today, writing biography in literature is accompanied by some advancement, namely autobiography. Mostly autobiographies imply the purpose of the writer containing several writing types including historiography, counting the days, memory writing, reportage, story writing, or travel writing. They also use techniques such as dialogue and description in order to involve the reader in the course of his life events happened. This study employs a descriptive-analytic method to ‘Journal of an Ordinary Grief’ by Mahmoud Darwish for examining its autobiographical themes and techniques. The most important result of the current study is that seven different writing techniques were applied in ‘Journal of an Ordinary Grief’. Darwish used report writing and interview method in narrating interrogations, and in this way, he presented more information about the contact style of hostile forces and their oral literature for his work's reader access. It considers the development of content in describing his life events by which he has produced a social-political autobiography.

Keywords: autobiography, Mahmoud Darwish.

INTRODUCTION and the manner of their usage from biography The description of literate's life of writing techniques in ‘Journal of an Ordinary oneself is a kind of literary work that literates Grief’ is presented. and men of science and art have considered it In describing the research background, and have produced a text called Fan ‘al-Sire' by Ehsan Abbas published in ‘autobiography' (Shamisa, 1996, p. 259). In the 1956 could be mentioned, the writer briefly Arabic language, ‘al-Sira al-Zatieh' or ‘al- mentioned the development of autobiography. Tarjomeh al-Zatieh' is an equivalent to Also, Maher Hassan in ‘al-Sire – Tarikh va Fan' ‘autobiography.' It is a kind of biography and a published in 1970 dealt with autobiography. branch of written text that includes history or Ibrahim Abdoldaem’s work entitled ‘al- a period of a person's life by his hand Tarjome al-Zatiye fi al-Adab al-Arabi al-Hadis’ (Abdolnour, 1979, p. 143). and Abdolaziz Sharaf’s book entitled ‘Adab al- Autobiography is a kind of biography Sire al-Zatiye' are among the two prominent and mentioning memories and daily notes, works of the '90s (Dad, 2006). letters, and events, mostly speaks about The 21st century is not empty handed in significant and considerable events of writer's the field of autobiography research. past life and generally includes a long period Abdolghader al-Shavi, Western literature's of his life (Rastegar-Fasaii, 2001, p. 284). critic, in his work entitled ‘al-Ketabat va al- Arabic autobiographies with a long Vojod' published in 2000, dealt with this history have developed a lot and have gained technique. Tahani Abdolfatah Shaker also in essential features nowadays. Therefore, the ‘al-Sire al-Zatiye fi al-Adab al-Arabi' published question of the present study was considered in 2002 by approaching Fadvi Toughan, Jabra based on the themes of Mahmoud Darwish, Ibrahim Jabra, and Ehsan Abbas works on LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018• ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823 autobiography. Mohammad al-Bardi in THEMES OF MAHMOUD DARWISH’S ‘Endama Tatakalom al-Zat – al-Sire al-Zatiye fi AUTOBIOGRAPHY al-Adab al-Arabi al-Hadis’ published in 2005 dealt with autobiography. The Sense of Belonging to the Homeland

JOURNAL OF AN ORDINARY GRIEF One of the bitter events of the present Journal of an Ordinary Grief by age is Palestine's Protectorate case after Mahmoud Darwish is published by Dar al- World War I that was earned by England after Oudat of Beirut in 1988. Mahmoud Darwish Ottoman empire's fall (Shoufani, 1998, p. 362). started his book, Journal of an Ordinary Grief, Moreover, that country after 1918 during 20 with a critical introduction about Zionist years prepared the Judaization of Palestine. It regime’s policies against Arab-oriented established Zionist bureaus and Jews' citizens of occupied Palestine. It continued by migration from all over the world to Palestine explaining the reasons for rejecting those left the country under Zionists' occupation policies by Palestinians living in the occupied until Zionist Entity in May 1948 declared its regions. existence (Mosaleh, 2001, p. 10). This date The writer then continued his book by corresponded with the writer’s being seven providing open titles and using second - years old, and he observed his homeland's person pronouns pulled out an abstracted occupation from childhood along with going individual from himself and talked with him in through a terrible time. order to narrate his experienced incidents. In this way, he considered the first However, he sometimes narrated his story widespread phenomenon of his people as with the first-person pronoun as event's hero identity crisis that has happened due to and sometimes with a third-person pronoun transforming Palestinian features to Israeli as omniscient. In this way, he expanded the ones. The fewest Palestinian inhabitants who point-of-view of his story's reader from three survived racial cleansing undesirably accepted sides. In mentioning the place, he spread a Israeli citizenship. However, accepting this vast realm that included occupied Palestine's citizenship done due to force and oppression cities and villages. Moreover, he named of limited sources of livelihood of Palestinians. different regions, including land and sea, but It even more confused the people whose in expressing the events which he had country was occupied and lost their sources of experienced he dealt with some of those providing their lives. Thus, inevitably they regions. Many times, Mahmoud moved beyond were put in the cycle of livelihood effort for homeland's boundaries and took life's decline and received an inefficient autobiographical geography of the Middle identity in political fate. However, the second Eastern countries and expanded the discourse generation of under occupation Palestinians towards Europe. did not face that much decrease in the sense of In expressing his experienced incidents belonging to the homeland. As the writer says: which he had bitterly swallowed, first he "… when Israeli experts say that this new mentioned his hometown village ‘Barveh' and generation, a generation born under led to its occupation and destruction. In this occupation has the most sense of belonging to way, he made occupation the main event of his his people's affiliations and not accepting story. Then, he dealt with surrounding events Zionist Entity, they were surprised" (Darwish, and analyzed his intended social and political 1988, p. 23). issues with great skill. Then in the following, he remembered For determining the time of his story's the passion for the homeland and said: "That events, he began a while before the Zionist is a dream in reality and a reality in a dream. regime's existence declaration in 1948 and led We are not eager for an abandoned desert, but to Israel's wars with Arabs during the '50s and heaven. We are eager for human experiences in '60s. In this way, as he mostly mentioned in a homeland which belongs to us" (Darwish, his narration, he considered time events as 1988, p. 32). Although he did not seek a utopia long as 20 years and perhaps even more than and ideal city, his heaven is the occupied that. homeland that should be retaken, so he says: "The difference between lost paradise in

70 | Themes and Writing Techniques

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018 • ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823 absolute and Palestinian senses is free from Being in a League of Nations legal and psychological belonging and passion One of the efforts of Zionist Entity to the conflicted area. As long as there remains leaders is to define Palestinians' problems a conflict, the paradise is not lost; but it has within internal affairs of Israel. Using the occupied, and it can be retaken" (Darwish, known right of sovereignty of nations over 1988, p. 33). their affairs, they could prevent any intervention of international circles in Right of Nationality condemning their actions against Palestinians One of the ideas that Zionists have and ignore the return of Palestinian refugees fueled and used as their excuse for occupying to their homeland (Mosaleh, p. 84). However, Palestine is the teachings that they published due to the gradual awareness of the world's as the holy book of Jews. Accordingly, they can people and a little by little awakening of world provide the grounds for denying them after humans that policy of Zionists was not that dominating Palestine with mighty force and much successful. Therefore, in expressing his physical removal and destroying the identity observations in the 10th World Youth Festival of people who have lived there. Therefore, the held in Berlin, the writer spoke about writer says: "The birth of invaders in others' attendants’ concerns towards Palestine case: lands never makes any right of nationality for “Palestine is not a sheet in hand, taken to Berlin them. However, the birth of a nation in his land by friends. It is spiritually independent and has is the secret of that nation's immortality and its entered from main doors not mysterious legitimate right. The forced separation from windows inside diplomats' suitcases. It is the our land because of exile have produced no most important victory that the Palestinian necessary change but evolving this situation in nation has fulfilled. If the right does not equip the natural order of things. That is, the itself with the strength, it is a mental evolution of birth equation is not possible unless conversation. It is the difference between the connection between nation and land, and Palestine's condition in the Warsaw meeting the truth is established. Now, the birth of an and his condition in the Berlin meeting. enemy is the result of the connection between Vietnam surrendered the flag in nations' occupiers and sword and Torah, and in this conscience. Could we pick up this heavy load” situation, we are not worried about the (Darwish, p. 203). transformation of truth's concepts" (Darwish, 1988, p. 34). Common Citizen Rights Then, Mahmoud Darwish with Zionists based on the laws of Palestinian mentioning his memories remembers life state protectorate of England after World War problems in occupied land in the following I and with coercive power and military forces way: occupied vast regions in Palestine. Bureaucratic obstacles: He talks about Consequently, small regions like West coast, school times which its registration was not al-Jalīl, Gaza, and Jericho remained Palestinian complete because of occupants' laws. habitat, after establishing Zionist Entity (Darwish, 1988, p. 43) Zionist regime distributed Zionist population Traffic restrictions: The writer then in Palestinian habitat regions following a remembers traffic regulations for Palestinians settlement policy, in any case (Mosaleh, p. living in the occupied lands and traces the 135). suppressed right of a people whose property As a consequence, Palestinians is under the domination of the Zionist regime. inevitably accepted Israeli identification card (Darwish, 1988, p. 55) and identity documents in their own country. Migration: One of the titles of Zionist However, they, according to the words of Entity for Palestinians who feared their lives Mahmoud Darwish who was one of the and stayed out of the country during the inhabitant Palestinians of occupied Palestine, establishment of the Zionist regime, was the did not have universal citizen rights. term ‘Absent present.' Accordingly, occupants' Therefore, the writer remembers the degrees laws have declared that those who were not of ignoring his rights and other Palestinians present in 1948's struggles migrate or prepare living in Israel and the insult and humiliation to die. (Darwish, 1988, p. 41) that have been upon them.

Roshanfek & Mousavi | 71

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018• ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823

As by mentioning to the inevitability of regime has given him after sending away his living in a rental house he remembers the owners, and says: "… You were freed from an racial difference with a homeowner and about asylum and wandering to send the other side to wandering he says: "You wanna rent an the center of the same circle. The equation apartment? You read the Column of newspaper becomes a conflict in such a way. When you find advertisements and run to the phone: Lady… I yourself, you ignore my existence; and when I have read your apartment advertisement, can I grab to my existence, the relationship between see it? You hear her laugh and happiness, and you and me turns into struggle and violence. you are filled with hope: It is a wonderful Not because I protest to your freedom and the apartment sir, it is in Carmel. Come and reserve possibility of your participation in being, but my it now. You forget to pay the phone call cost, protest is towards the objective from the and you go to her immediately. That lady likes method that you are experiencing" (Darwish, p. you; you come to an agreement with her about 61). payment terms and key delivery date, and when you sit to sign the contract, she is electrified: Killing People and Destroying Villages Are you Arab? I am sorry sir! ... Call tomorrow, At least from 1948, the Zionist military and the story repeats over the weeks” (Darwish, started four great wars respectively in the p. 97). year of establishing Zionist Entity, 1956, 1967, and 1973 (Mosaleh, p. 19). And not only The Citizenship of Palestinians conflict and war destroyed many Arab The basis of Zionists’ state in occupied militaries but also murdered many Palestinian Palestine is on threat and intimidation and civilians. It also included those who killed all persecution of Arabs in occupied regions. members of a family in applying the command Therefore, many citizens are accused of doing of military rule. In this regard, Darwish something and condemned. Mahmoud pointed out Deir Yassin massacre which Darwish by mentioning his request for a happened in 1948, and people of a village passport to travel abroad has realized the were targeted, or their homes were depravation of those Palestinians from Israeli demolished over their residents (Jarar, 1994, citizenship that wasn't in Palestine during p. 302; Kanaeneh, 1988, p. 5). wartime. Therefore, he says: "Do you want to Then, he considers massacre among travel to Greece? You ask for a passport; you entertainments of Zionists and says: "Deir realize you are not a citizen because your dad Yassin event is not an Arab claim. That you or one of your relatives during Palestine war, want a weaponless nation to die is not a right when you were only a kid has escaped and you mapping for the homeland concept. It is not a realize that any Arab who has left his country war or struggle; this is a massacre and those on that period and then has secretly returned is who now say Palestinians sold their lands denied citizenship …. However, near the ship, consider staying in the homeland as treason. they arrest you and send you to court… In court, They consider war as entertainment and you realize that the Haifa port is a part of Israel migration as travel" (Darwish, p. 54). country and is not a part of Haifa city. They remind you that your presence outside Haifa in People’s Resistance against Occupation every region of Israel country is forbidden and With a look at Mahmoud Darwish's against the law and this port is – legally – autobiography, we realize his analysis power outside Haifa city. Moreover, you are and knowledge of different aspects of condemned" (Darwis., p. 94). Palestine's occupation case. We realize that the writer in expressing resistance terms is free from superficiality, has principles and Confiscation of Palestinian Citizens’ beliefs, and considers resistance as the Existence successful strategy against Zionist occupants. The writer remembers faceless citizens Therefore, he remembers a punishment he of Zionist Entity who seek to confiscate endured in his youth after reading an epic and Palestinians' existence. He mentions the anti-oppression and colonialism in the interest of an Israeli painter for maintaining a anniversary celebration of establishing a Palestinian home decoration that Zionist Zionist Entity. Then, he points out his father's

72 | Themes and Writing Techniques

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018 • ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823 resistant attitude against losing the least meal Sometimes, he provides more detail in ticket of the family (Darwish, p. 45). expressing the event's date and presents In the following, he remembers his some statistics. As he says about Jews' hometown villagers' resistance and leads to presence history in Palestine: "Israelis also revenge of Zionists in destroying those found a legal fatwa that says Arabs sold their villages that resisted against occupants. He lands. It is a shame that certain covers from points out to dialogue with one of Zionist Arabs integrated with this Israeli coverage. military and says: "… He asked me if I have ever Without the individuals of these, news heard about a village called Barveh. I said: No, coverage tries to understand that until 1948 where is it? He said: You will not find it on Jews had around 6 percent of all Palestine's Earth. Because we blew it and purified its soil lands at their disposal” (Darwish, p. 42). from stone, then turned all the lands up-and- The writer many times during down and hid it under the trees. Did I say: For expressing past events remembers the details covering the crime? He correctively reasoned: of Zionists’ decisions in incidents. As in For hiding the crime of that cursed city. I said: describing Palestinians’ massacre in Kafr What was its crime? He said: It resisted against Qasim, he says: “The evening of three forces’ us… It fought with us. Caused us great damage attack to Egypt in the year 1956, Major and made us capture it again. The first time, General Shadmi called Major Malinky to his night time, when we were eating dinner and tea headquarters and communicated the duties of was hot; suddenly farmers came and took it the unit under his command” (Darwish, p. from us. How could we accept such an insult?" 111). (Darwish, p. 37). Writer’s pen passes the years and In expressing resistance value, he went events in order to remember an event two the whole hog and remembered Gaza as decades after Israel’s occupation and another symbol of Palestinians' resistance. oppression over Palestinian citizens. He praises his people there and says: "The Therefore, he says: “After 20 years and after only value of under occupation human is the falling of so many Arabian cities I was talking rate of his resistance against occupation. It is Hebrew with my friend while my views were the only challenge there, and Gaza has used to not pleasant for a man who was sitting in the knowing this severe transcendental value" restaurant. With some excuses that he thought (Darwish, p. 165). were silencing began to defend Israeli oppression” (Darwish, p. 37). THE TECHNIQUES OF WRITING BIOGRAPHY IN MAHMOUD DARWISH’S Journalism AUTOBIOGRAPHY Journalism is a story that the writer mostly draws it with inserting date, and in it, Historiography he talks about events that are almost forgotten History is the story or series of actions due to the high number of incidents. The main and significant events that are arranged in feature of journalists is mentioning the time order of time. Historical texts make us familiar and place of their happening. In describing with events of the social, political, religious, those events he has mentioned in his story, scientific, and literary life of individual and sometimes Darwish using journalism society and people. History also dominates a technique mentioned certain times of a day significant relationship between a series of and stated an incident. He says about generations (Razmjou, 1995, p. 231). communicating the order concerning traffic In narrating his story, Mahmoud ban in 1967 which resulted to Palestinians' Darwish remembers different years many massacre in Kafr Qasim: "The same day, at times and pinpoints events on that dates. In four-thirty, that is only half an hour before his approach towards historiography implementation of traffic ban. The border technique, he cuts the course of occupation guard was communicating traffic ban order years and mentions other events that have from the beginning of five o'clock in the evening revealed the aggressive nature of the Zionist to six in the morning to village headman of Kafr regime. (Darwish, p. 189) Qasim… Between five to six hours in the evening, 47 Arab citizens from Kafr Qasim

Roshanfek & Mousavi | 73

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018• ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823 village were killed by border guards. Seven boys regime in order to distort reality (Darwish, p. and girls and nine women were among the 11). dead" (Darwish, p. 111). In applying report technique sometimes using interview technique (interrogation), he Memory Writing revealed the details of his intended incident. A memory includes the successes or As he says: "Lawyer interrogated the Israeli failures of an individual in interaction with soldier about those who took part in the other individuals and the surrounding massacre in show trial: Is it true that you work environment stored in medium-term or long- in this country and this work during your whole term memory. For different occasions, people life has given you this feeling that Arabs are our tend to retell their memories or write them enemies? down (Dad, 2006, p. 272). Soldier: Yes. Mahmoud Darwish has benefitted from Lawyer: Is it true that you have the same memory writing in telling his story. When feeling in your heart towards Arabs inside describing the oppressive actions of Zionist Israel and Arabs outside it? regime and traffic license of Palestinians, he Soldier: Yes. To me, there exists no difference" says: "You remember the story of old man and (Darwish, p. 108). donkey and his license. The old man was Mahmoud Darwish sometimes plowing the field. He hung his cloak on a tree. benefitted from interview method in report His license was in his cloak's pocket as well. writing and used it for communicating his Suddenly, he realized his donkey has walked intention. As he says: “I asked an Arab in away from his land and entered another land. Israel: who are you? He followed his donkey, but the police stopped One of them answered: I am Palestinian, a and arrested him because he entered state's citizen of Israel. land without permission. He tells them: I have a Another one replied: I am a citizen of Israel and license with me …. There on the pocket of that racially an Arab; an Arab in Israel like an Arab cloak hanging from the tree .… They arrested in Egypt or Syria. and tried him" (Darwish, p. 93). The third one answered: I am an Israeli Arab In the following of his memory, he and before establishing this state I was a remembers the death document for livelihood Palestinian Arab” (Darwish, p. 17). efforts signed by those Palestinians residing in the occupied regions. He says: "… and you Travel Writing remember death permissions that according Travelogue is a kind of report in which to them. Farmers sign a document that they the writer explains his observations of cities' accept the responsibility of their death if mine conditions or lands he traveled to. It provided is exploded in the specific area for army the reader with some information about maneuver. This document exempts the state geographical situation, population, weather, from any responsibility. However, farmers historical buildings, mosques, libraries, tried to make a buck and didn't think about bazaars, people's national and religious death. Practically some of them died and also customs, great men and women, and the some of them lived. Finally, the state forgot locals’ language of regions he seen (Razmjou, about living and the dead and confiscated all p. 199). the lands.” (Darwish, p. 93). The writer sometimes does not use all the elements of writing travelogue and applies Reportage some of these elements for communicating his The report is work explanation or a case intention. As Mahmoud Darwish, when telling that is accompanied by comprehensive and about events that happened in the 10th World telling details and mentioning conclusions, Youth Festival, ignores the details of his and its main feature is story explanation (al- presence and side events that have happened Tounji, 1993, p. 273). In telling his story, to him. Moreover, he does not tell stuff such as Mahmoud Darwish also benefitted a lot from arriving at Berlin airport, conversation with report writing technique, and in implementing different people, the road scenes to residence reportage writing method, he mentioned hotel in Germany's capital, etc. As they happen reports that are presented by agents of Zionist

74 | Themes and Writing Techniques

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018 • ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823 in every trip for people, it is noteworthy due resident to write his thesis about the Crusades” to travelogue needs. (Darwish, p. 67). He just dealt with telling his emotions, However, the writer developed the and his analysis of international welcome method of applying story in telling his life towards Palestinian's youth presence and his story and told Palestinians’ massacre in Kafr presence on that city addresses Berlin and Qasim by real story method. It is a type of says: "… Berlin! How rough is time? His contemporary story writing, and he says: obedience, when the hands are active and "Saleh Khalil Isa is one the people who conscious, is a lot. The odes that narrate the miraculously survived from this massacre, 10 miracle of waking from the ruins have made years after a slaughter that satisfied Israelis' you tired. However, it deserves to understand thirst to Arabian blood, narrates his testimony us, because we have taken our names from on that massacre for Tofigh Zyad, the poet: the these ruins… In the 10th World Youth Festival… same day I was working on the field with two of the ignorance of Israeli occupants towards this my cousins. Our work ended a while after 4 sense, while they were looking with sorrow to o'clock. In order to return to the village, we Berlin gathering, did not surprise us. Their rode our bicycles. On the way home, we faced hypocritical foreign minister thought the other workers, who told us that it is a traffic interpretation of this new phenomenon would ban and shooting in the village and no one be natural and related it to "the new hostility knows for what reason. They have heard as towards Jewish people." It does not seem that such. Mandatorily, we'd decided to go on our Israelis stop haunting European conscience way“ (Darwish, pp.112-115). concerning the memories that happened for Jewish people .… This is the meaning of gradual Application of Dialogue and Monologue change for the eyes of great parts of world Techniques youth towards Palestine case that was the first Dialogue is a two-sided action that the subject in Berlin gathering" (Darwish, pp. 200- writer employs for complete picturing of the 201). incident and expands discourse's domain. With this method, he could speak about nature Story Writing and thoughts and moral and behavioral The story is narrating an event in a way characteristics and even physical features of that somehow follows time sequence people or take the location of the incident (Mirsadegi, 1997, p. 212). Therefore, although from one place to another and move the writing life story in the eyes of some experts is reader and add to his transfer power. like story writing due to the participation of However, sometimes the writer abstractly some elements but because of random took a character from the narrator to aware mentioning of imagination-less events, the reader towards a subject with his according to the importance the writer gives monologue (Roushanfekr, 2014, p. 62). them, is different from story writing. Also, Darwish narrated a dialogue with a autobiography writer can benefit from story's Zionist and ended it with a monologue. He narration in order to present his intended says: “-Dreamers…O dream Arabs. interpretation. -For what? In telling his life story, Mahmoud -Because you do not recognize the time. Darwish sometimes mentioned some stories. -What do you mean? He led to his interaction with his grandfather -Nineteen years have passed, and you during childhood and remembered listening still want impossible dreams. to the stories he used to read for him -We have learned honesty of (Darwish, p. 43). However, sometimes for imagination from you. communicating the intention, he wrote a story -What do you mean? entirely: "The story's plot happens in one of the -Two thousand years have passed, and gardens of ‘Keren Kayement’ that some of Jews you want illusions” (Darwish, pp. 134- outside Israel make investments for it. This 135). garden is built upon the ruins of an Arabian village. The story’s hero is an Israeli student that has no name. He is looking for a quite

Roshanfek & Mousavi | 75

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018• ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823

Application of Description Technique The writer mostly used second person Description includes expressing details pronoun in narrating his story, but the that enable the reader to make a mental application of the first person and third picture and to distinguish an individual from person can be seen in his narration as well. He another, a thing from something else, a scene started describing the events from inside from another scene, and so on (Mahfouz, occupied Palestine and expanded the domain 2009, p. 14). of discourse beyond country's borders. In In telling his story, Mahmoud Darwish determining a date of events, Darwish used benefitted from description technique many two types of timing. He first mentioned the times and used it along with other techniques specific date of year and month of the event to present the details of the picture with its and again took a macro view to the events of a help that he has in mind to the reader. As in period. In the course of mentioning the events, picturing his first visit of "Barveh" after he made a historical break to avoid the Lebanon trip, he says: "Barveh is located on the constant expression of his suffering story. way to Deir al-Asad to Acre on top of a hill. No Accordingly, his word passes 20 years of other board with another name led me. Only a unsaid to resume the narration. He stated the robust carob tree that I passed years ago when main event of his autobiography in looking for my mom led me and also pounding approaching to trace the dominant cruel and of my heart that was full of tear and passion" illegitimate force and overcome. Darwish's (Darwish, p. 39). autobiography as the story of his life includes In telling about mother's tolerance with techniques that the writer benefitted from everyday life's difficulties, he led to some them as follows: details in a description and says: "The water of The writer mostly narrated the events village spring was low, and we did not have that he experienced or found suitable to money to rent a well — refugees as cursed in mention for communicating the sense with a their country and the foreign country. No one specific date of the incident. When telling gave us free water except winter's sky. My about a bitter incident of Palestinians' mother spent half of a day waiting for filling of massacre in Kafr Qasim by using journalism a jug of spring water that gave drops of technique, he dealt with describing that event stinginess. She was beautiful but cruel. She in different hours of Palestinian's day of traffic spread fear in the house. When she was alone, ban. He benefited from memory writing and she cried without reason and continuously and extracted the ups and downs of incidents from shook my little sister with a pathetic lullaby pulses of memories and dealt with them. Of that was full of misery and lost things' theme as course, memory in Mahmoud Darwish's it was the first fife. She never went to the autobiography is more valuable than village's weddings, but she was the first to go mentioning far and close incidents that burial of the dead in the village and close bothered the writer's mind. Palestinians' villages. She was unable of jubilating; memories and maintaining and remembering conversely she was quite capable of crying. At them during his autobiography appeared as the same time, she was skilled in mocking" the big mission that maintained national (Darwish, p. 45). identity of Palestinians and became an element that can threaten Zionist Entity. The writer benefited from report CONCLUSION writing in telling his story’s events and with Since literate's autobiographies include interview method led to a dialogue with other an event that the writer has experienced, individuals and used monologue. He used similarities could be seen between report writing and interview method in autobiography and story writing elements. narrating interrogations, and in this way, he Because autobiographies also have a point of presented more information about the contact view, time, place, and characters that come style of hostile forces and their oral literature into use when describing the life event of the for his work's reader access. writer. In this regard, for mentioning narrative Mahmoud benefitted from story writing elements of Mahmoud Darwish's technique in communicating the sense but did autobiography, the following could be said: not try storytelling. However, once he is the

76 | Themes and Writing Techniques

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018 • ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823 narrator of a story that someone else has and scenes. Without applying all elements of written and again he narrates a story that writing travelogue, as a political analyst, he includes elements of a real story and is placed explains the subjects that are considered in the group of those stories. He used important by that conference and are directly description technique for expressing the related to the case of his country's occupation. details of his intended subjects so that by a In sum, this valuable work indicated the relative drawing of an atmosphere that he was application of techniques such as in. He would prepare the reader for the historiography, journalism, memory writing, analysis he is going to present. report writing, story writing, dialogue and In telling his story, he benefitted from monologue, and description. The writer travelogue technique and remembered his trip benefitted from them and considered the to Berlin for attending the 10th World Youth expansion of discourse in explaining his life Festival. However, in his travelogue, he gave events from which he has left a social-political up mentioning trip's interesting observations autobiography.

REFERENCES

Abdolnour, Jabour, 1979, al-Mo’jam al-Adabi, Beirut, Dar al-Elm Lel-molae’en, 1st edition. al-Tounji, Mohammad, 1993, al-Mo’jam al-Mofasal fi al-Adab, Beirut, Dar al-Kotob al-Elmiyeh. Avad, Nasir, 2009, E’de Entaj al-Hadese-Derase Tatbighiye fi al-Ketabeh Le-seyer al-Zatiyeh, Damascus, Dar al-Ninoi (Comparative Study of Autobiography Writing). Dad, Sima, 2006, Dictionary of Literary Terms, Tehran, Morvarid, 3rd edition. Darwish, Mahmoud, 1988, Youmiat al-Hozn al-Adi, Beirut, Dar al-Oudat, 5th Edition. (Journal of an Ordinary Grief). Jarar, Hosni Adham, 1995, Nekbat Felestin, Aman, Dar al-Forghan (Misfortune of Palestine). Kana’neh, Sharif, 1988, al-Gara al-Felestiniyeh al-Madmareh, Morocco, al-Manzameh al-Eslamiyeh Lel-tarbiat va al-Olom va al-Seghafe (Palestine’s Ruined Villages). Mahfouz, Abdollatif, 2009, Vazifa al-Vasf fi al-Revayat, Beirut, al-Dar al-Arabiyh Lel-olom Nasheron (The Function of Description Technique in the Novel). Mirsadeghi, Jamal, 1997, Elements of the Story, Tehran, Elmi. Mosaleh, Noraldin, 2001, Israel al-Kobra va al-Felestinion, Beirut, Mo’sese al-Daraste al- Felestiniyeh (Grand Israel and Palestinians). Rastegar-Fasaii, Mansour, 2001, Types of Persian Prose, Tehran, SAMT, 1st edition. Razmjou, Hossein, 1995, Literary Types and Their Works in Persian Language, Mashhad, Astan Qods Razavi Publications, 3rd edition. Roushanfekr, Akram, 2014, Woman in the Fiction Literature of Lebanon, Rasht, Katibeh Gil. Shamisa, Sirus, 1996, Literary Types, Ferdowsi, 4th edition. Shoufani, Elias, 1998, al-Mojaz fi Tarikh Felestin al-Siasi, Beirut, Mo’sese al-Daraste al-Felestiniyeh (Brief Political History of Palestine).

Roshanfek & Mousavi | 77

LiNGUA Vol. 13, No. 2, December 2018• ISSN 1693-4725 • e-ISSN 2442-3823

78 | Themes and Writing Techniques