ألطاف محمد

اسم الرسالة: فكرة الكفاح لأجل الحرية والتغيير: دراسة مقارنة لقصة مدينتين والرهينة*الباحث: أ / مراد قحطان عبد الله محمد*الدرجة العلمية: ماجستير
الجامعة: جامعة تعز-كلية اللغات والترجمة- قسم اللغة الانجليزية
بلد الدراسة: اليمن*لغة الدراسة: الإنجليزية*تاريخ الإقرار: 2010
نوع الدراسة: رسالة جامعية

ملخص الرسالة
إن الوجود الدنيوي يُميز ابداً بالألم والكفاح. فتاريخ البشرية شاهد على رغبة الإنسان القوية للحرية والتغيير في الحياة. كما أن التاريخ يسجل غريزة الإنسان للاحتجاج ضد الإجبار و الإخضاع, التي ينتج عنها صدام وصراع مستمر بين الخير والشر وبين الحاكم والمحكوم وبين الضعيف والقوى. إنها تُعكس بشكل واضح بواسطة كلاً من التاريخ والأدب. إذا كان التاريخ يسجل أحداث فعلية فان الأدب يعكس هذه الأحداث من خلال القصة الخيالية مظهراً ردود أفعال الإنسان العاطفية والثقافية والسياسية...الخ التي تحوي المأزق الإنساني بالكامل. بحكم إن الرواية إحدى أقوى أنواع الأدب فإنها بلا شك قادرة على تشكيل مثل كل هذه التجارب الإنسانية الواسعة. لقد اختار الباحث روايتين مهمتين, ”قصة مدينتين“ و”الرهينة“ من فترتين زمنيتين مختلفتين, لكن كلاهما بشكل مثير للانتباه يعتمد على الحقيقة التاريخية المعبر عنها بأشكال قصصية عميقة. يتعامل هذا البحث مع التصوير الاجتماعي- سياسي والتاريخي تحت عنوانه الأدبي: ”فكرة الكفاح لآجل الحرية والتغيير: دراسة مقارنة لقصة مدينتين والرهينة“. الرهينة لزيد مطيع دماج الكاتب اليمني المشهور في القرن العشرين تعرض تصوير خيالي لعصر ما قبل الثورة اليمنية تحت وطأة نظام الإمامة, بينما قصة مدينتين لتشارلز ديكنز الكاتب الانجليزي تصور الحقيقة الخيالية للثورة الفرنسية إحدى أعظم الفترات المروعة والبارزة في التاريخ الإنساني. ترجمت الرهينة إلي الانجليزية بواسطة ماي جيوسي وكرستوفر تانجلي ونشرت في عام 1994م.
تُنفذ هذه الدراسة لتحلل بشكل نقدي ومقارن رحلة الشعبين في طريق الكفاح لأجل الحرية والتغيير كما انعكس ذلك في كلا الروايتين. أنها تناقش الأوقات القاسية و الأوضاع الحرجة التي عاشها الشعبين.
تهدف هذه الأطروحة إلي اكتشاف دور القيم الإنسانية مثل الحب والتسامح التي تبدو كقوة سماوية وتعمل كدواء حاسم في الأوقات الصعبة لتخفف البشرية من حمى الحقد و الكراهية الاجتماعي كما انعكس ذلك في كلا الروايتين. لقد انعكس ذلك بشكل جميل في الروايات المختارة.
لذا فان هذا البحث محاولة متواضعة لتقديم نظرة أدبية شاملة للومضات السياسية والتاريخية على خلفية قصة معاناة وكفاح الإنسان الدائمة ضد كل أنواع الشرور الاجتماعية بما في ذلك القوات الاستبدادية لآجل كرامة وحرية الإنسانية التي تكون أخيراً فاتحة لعصر التغيير في الحياة. بالرغم أن صفحات التاريخ مليئة بقصص شجاعة الإنسان, صعوده وهبوطه, لكن الأدب له طرقه الساحرة لخلق عالم رائع من الحقائق الخيالية بأسلوب رائع. لقد ناقش البحث أيضا كيف أن الحبكات القصصية والأفكار المتألقة, والحوارات المدهشة والأخاذة والأسلوب الشعري النَيّر و الرائع لهذه الروايات يرتقي فوق رتابة الرواية التاريخية الجافة وينجح في تلخيص التجارب الحلوة والمرة إلي أشكال أدبية متعمقة. انه في هذا المنحي تنفذ دراسة المقارنة هذه بين ”الرهينة“ و”قصة مدينتين“ لإظهار الحقيقة العالمية بتوضيح بتلات الحياة من خلال الأدب.


ABSTRACT
The chief objective of this chapter is to correlate the main observations of the earlier chapters and come up with general conclusion and suggestions. This thesis is a comparative study of the two popular novels “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) and “A Tale of Two Cities” and a modest attempt to examine the following facts:
(i)These two novels, though they are dealing with two different cultures and are written in different periods of time are similar and powerful literary means to focus on the theme of suffering and struggle of mankind;
(ii) They prove as to how literature is a mighty medium to voice people’s aspirations for freedom and change;
(iii) That as to how human values, like love and forgiveness emerge as divine power and function as panacea in hard times to alleviate the fever of social malice.
(iv)Besides these, the researcher tries to justify how far Yemeni Arabic literature is able to play important role in enriching the Arabic and world literature and humbly suggests the means to explore prospects through which the Arabic and Yemeni literature can open a new vista of research through history and literature simultaneously.
In the last four chapters the researcher has made humble attempt to introduce the novels and the novelists, analyse central themes and other stylistic features side by side in “A Tale of Two Cities” and “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage). The researcher could explore that historical backgrounds and contemporary political settings have added wider dimension to the realistic and life-like fictional narratives of the novels. In this concluding chapter, the researcher tries to sum up all these important observations and propose some humble suggestions.
It is a universally acknowledged fact that the state of anarchy and coercion cannot last long and sooner or later it has to collapse, yielding to democratic forces of evolution, through people’s revolution for the goal of emancipation. Thus, the study of these novels innovates a robust optimism through profound fictional idealism, so brilliantly depicted by these great novelists. Literature with its stimulating portrayal of life plays revolutionary role and can transcend human values and mould the destiny of the human race. Undoubtedly, these epoch-making novels have occupied readers’ heart and mind, their imagination, encompassing vast spectacles of the historical truth which effectively influence both present and the future generations. These novels concentrate to a particular period of time in the lives of the nations (18th century France and England in “A Tale of Two Cities”, and first half of the 20th century pre-independence era in Yemen in “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage)). In superb fictional delineations and imaginary plots, settings, characterization and conflicts they come to wear natural apparels of truth, as if they are the facsimile of real life, of the suffering humanity under the glooms of deprivation, subjugation and extortion which forced them to struggle against social evils. Thus, quest for peace and harmony has been symbolical panacea. It is the triumph of art, of the technique of rollicking narration, presenting life-like pictures with vibrant and sublime purpose to liberate humanity from all kinds of bondage.
In course of analysis of the themes some interesting stylistic and thematic factors could be unravelled. The study enables the researcher to identify some glowing similarity and dissimilarity between these novels. Though they deal with two different cultures and are written in different periods of time, they are powerful literary means to focus on similar theme of man’s inborn instinct to struggle against suffering and subjugation. That, literature is a mighty medium to voice people’s aspirations for freedom and change, which any other writings, even history fail to do. This comparative study manifests that human values like love and forgiveness emerge as divine power to humble devilish hatred. They can function as panacea to alleviate human race from the fever of social malice.
Following suggestive title in “A Tale of Two Cities”, Charles Dickens chose Paris and London as the epicenters of all important socio-political events in the novel, and similarly, Zayd Mutee Dammaj centres all important events in “AL-Raheena” to two cities–– Taiz and Sana’a. However, he opts to refer Sana’a as epicenter of political activities while the palace of the Governor of Taiz is a resort of luxurious life, festering corruption, immorality and sensual pleasure-hunt. While Dr Alexander Manette, Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette and Sydney Carton in “A Tale of Two Cities” are the victims of misrule, hatred and revenge and they struggle hard for the sake of good values, the two Duwaydars in “AL-Raheena” are symbolically projected as brave soldiers of the struggle for Yemen’s independence. They along with Sharifa Hafsa are depicted as captives. The sigh and sob of these helpless, noble souls express strong desires for justice, freedom and change which signify not only their personal lives but the life of their respective people, they ideologically represent.
These great novelists advocate liberty and dignity of individuals which are inevitable, life-giving forces, without which existence of a civilized society is impossible. The selected novels present graphic pictures of man’s struggle against undemocratic evil forces. Thus, they fulfil the historical and socio-political obligations with the help of thrilling fictional plots, wrapped in the robe of people’s revolt against despotic misrules. These novels distinguish with their magnificent prophetic message that no despot can keep people under suppression for a long time. Man cannot live by bread alone; “freedom” (both physical and intellectual) is the most important food to keep the human soul spiritually alive. That, even the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak, human community can organise to rout them out sooner or later. Referring to such terrible social conditions in France during the revolution, Charles Dickens gives prophetic warnings against all such barbaric attempt to eliminate protestors with retributive measures, which is no solution; and as much they repress people’s voice for justice, so much violent revolt will rise.
So, what we need is love and sympathy not hatred, nor repression and retribution to eradicate general frustration and corruption. Similar pious efforts can be noticed in “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) by Zayd Mutee Dammaj when he mirrors pathetic life-conditions of the Yemeni people under the Imamate rule. Dr Abd al-Aziz al-Maqalih (1994:18) aptly appreciates this didactic theme of the novel:
“…“The Hostage”, which is in some degree a historical novel, has succeeded, for all its fictional character, in inducing the reader to grasp the most important aspects of the life of a decade–Yemen in the forties… a decade rich in specific local events that reflect attempts to lay foundations within a context of turbulent change. ”
“A Tale of Two Cities” and “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) are unique literary pieces interweaving scintillating features of romance theme with social realism. Very artistically, these novelists have reconciled the theme of ‘hate’ with ‘love’. While the main plots revolve round social anarchy and revolution-theme, the sub-plots accomplish love story, perhaps, with high idealistic purpose of overcoming the evils of hatred and revenge with spontaneous human urge of sympathy and love for peaceful existence. Dickens creates different levels of human relationships like filial love (Lucie Manette and Dr Manette), a servant’s love for his kind master (Earnest Dafarge and Dr Manette and Miss Pross’s loyalty for the Manettes) ideal friendship (Darnay, Sydney Carton, Lucie Manette, Jervis Lorry) and romantic love (Darnay, Carton and Lucie Manette). Similarly, on a superb idealistic level Zayd Mutee Dammaj explores the possibility of spontaneous emotional love between the two suppressed souls (Sharifa Hafsa and the Hostage), crossing the boundary of the high and the low class barrier and successfully depicts Hafsa’s strong attraction towards the slave-hero, the hostage. This is one of the most enduring values that these great novels establish through profound fictional plots, full of aesthetic and moral values.
One of the remarkable differences that the researcher could find between the two great novels is the “varied mood” especially, at the end of the novels. They conclude on high philosophical note blending “optimism” and dawning of new era in the life of the two countries, yet the finishing touch is different. While Zayd depicts bright rays of hope guiding the protagonist to the path of freedom beyond the dark valleys, Dickens winds up the novel on the sublime theme of ‘sacrifice’, depicting melodramatic mood through the tumbrels, rumbling hollow and harsh on the streets of Paris, leading to the La-Guillotine. The prophetic tone gets gravely mixed with “pity” and “fear” especially, on Carton’s exemplary choice of voluntary death for the sake of goodness. In short, with his stunning sacrifice, Carton has resurrected Darnay from certain death, Lucie from widowhood, and Dr Manette from return to madness that plagued him as prisoner. Thus, the researcher feels that reading of such timeless classics can stimulate mankind to struggle for freedom and democratic values. The wheels of “Time Machine” will continue to splash on, ever refreshing nightmarish and bloody scenes of the reign of terror, deeply engraved in indolent human memory.
Through powerful word-pictures these novels present arresting spectacles of social life. Powerful and expressive language, saturated with symbolical meanings adds fresh beauty to the lively descriptions. In “A Tale of Two Cities” vibrant human feelings are recorded through powerful symbols and images which ultimately portray realistic sensibility of the concerned time. “Misty” and “foggy” roads, tired horses of the coaches, haunted by the perennial fear of roguery etc. hint at rampant lawlessness and corruption in Paris and London, hasty, careless and pre-occupied judgments by the jury in London and prejudiced, deadly functioning of the citizens, tribunals in Paris, red colour wine and bold letter “Blood” on the wall, etc, are wonderful symbolical delineations which draw real pictures of the troubled time, at the same time, they exalt the novel to the height of a classical work.
Several such adroit presentations of pathetic social plights are recorded through circumstantial evidences in “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) also. The levity and lewdness of the epicurean palace inhabitants, including the low–placed soldiers and guards in scintillating humorous language is remarkable. The vulgar bestiality reflected in man-animal physical relation in “Tabashi” and “Zafaran” episode explodes into both humour and sarcastic satire. The lust for sensual pleasure of the pampered yet oppressed palace women do create profuse elements of grotesque and even bathos with vulgar, emitting and nauseating feelings in readers’ mind. A comparative study reveals mild difference in the treatment of both theme and expression between these literary giants particularly, in languages. That, while Dickens cries aloud in anger and contempt at the moral malice and social maladies, Zayd looks on and smiles.
A General overview of “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) may reveal its romance features (between courtly lady and a palace slave), but basically, it is a socio-political novel written in historical background of the pre-independence era in Yemen. It might not be out and out a historical novel as Thomas Carlyle’s “The French Revolution”, but it does fulfil some of the vital requirements that constitute traits of a historical novel; similarly, the historical plot plucked out from real history of Yemen with real names such as, that of the Imam Yahya and Ahmed Yahya, the governor, and places, and the references to the young Yemeni republican movement, or their family members' lives being endangered by the vengeful Imamate regime and their constant anxiety to see their people liberated, etc, all these thematic features do put this novel very close to the historical romance. Let us observe the hostages’ heart-felt revolutionary spirit and anxiety over their setbacks, strongly reflected in their following conversation. The hostage is full of anxiety as he is separated from his kins:
“I know beyond doubt that my father had been among those beheaded in the town of Hajja” (1994:143)
Thus, Zayd Mutee Dammaj entwines patriotic fervour with struggle and incarnates the Duwaydars as national heroes. He glorifies patriotic zeal of the Yemeni people and their resolute determination to rout out the undemocratic regime in the novel; symbolically represented by the Duwaydars.
Yemeni people’s languishing state of servility depicted in the novel is well observed by Salma Khadra Jayyuse (1994) in her preface to “The Hostage”. She refers to the symbolical episode describing Yemeni people’s psychological torture and oppression they underwent under the Imamate regime. The Duwaydar feels sad for the incomplete revolution and pines to see the victory torches shining on the roof–tops of the palace of the governor and neighbouring houses[1]. The dying Duwaydar is, however sad at this partial success of the republicans. His dreams to see his nation liberated is still unfulfilled. She rightly observes:
“Lying in complete obscurity in a humble corner of the Governor’s palace, the dying duwaydar spends his last moments of life agonizing over the unresolved outcome of a revolution that will eventually avenge his plight without ever having heard of him.”
Thus, in ideological sense also the suffering and death of the handsome Duwaydar can be conceived as a historical event of patriotic significance. It eventually prepares platform for the greater revolution in Yemen with sublime purpose of complete “freedom”, the task which is idealistically completed by the next Duwaydar (The Hostage). The theme of struggle for “freedom and change” further got strong reflection through Hafsa’s heroic gesture to release herself from the monotonous palace life. The readers would like to admire hostage’s indefatigable zeal for liberty and moral integrity. Both emotionally and spiritually, the hostage visions his freedom with the freedom of his nation. Thus, his dramatic “escape” from the fetid palace boundary and then from the gloomy cemetery ground into the fresh air is artistically occasioned and paralleled with the death of Imam Yahya and his son later on Ahmed Yahya, the last vestige of the Imamate succumbed to mounting pressure of the Revolution and his death sounded the death-knell of autocracy. Yemen emerged a democratic republic in 1962.
Such meaningful and highly effective episodes created by Zayd in so appealing fictional form, find coherence in Dickens’ creation of Sydney Carton’s rare and unique character and his exemplary “martyrdom”. Carton’s act of expiation by feeding the hungry guillotine with his sacrificial blood was simply meant to stop the maddening spree of revenge and killings in France and thus, to vision emergence of a peaceful, democratic France from the oceanic depth of gloom. It is very close to the chivalrous escape of the hostage in the concluding scene of “The Hostage”. Thus, the researcher explores that a historical hiatus becomes the stimulus of fiction, which these novelists successfully used to magnify great idealism of “freedom” and “change”. It has been successfully translated through the symbolical idioms and stirring themes of the two novels. To quote Salma Khadra Jayyusi (1994):
“The novel’s open-ended final scene anticipates the coming of a radical, unforeseeable change which the author, rightly, does not define. The spectacle of the youth running away from the cemetery where he has just laid to rest the body of his friend, away from the place which has robbed him of the his innocence, away from the young woman for whom he cares but whose aristocratic culture he loathes, toward an open future that can only promise freedom, demonstrates the impossibility of ending the novel with a precise conclusion. Yet, it closes, too, on a highly symbolic, highly dramatic note.”
These two great literary pieces do confirm reflective and didactic roles of literature by robbing the naked documentary realities of history into delightful literary genres and cast nostalgic effects through social realism, romance, thrills, pathos, excitement, suspense, etc. which history cannot recreate with its dull, dreary, and stale records. Literature creates strong motivations full of aesthetic and spiritual stimulus and thus, rejuvenates man’s cultural, emotional and intellectual spirit and transforms man into an enlightened soul. The Duwaydar’s infatuation for helpless Sharifa Hafsa by the end of the novel is spontaneous and his contempt against her gradually mitigates only when he realises that she is as pathetic and helpless a creature as he himself, confined to languish in doleful gloom. Similarly, Hafsa also renounces her high aristocratic pride and inhibitions and feels vibrant and true love in the heaving heart of Duwaydar and she vows to desert palace with all its material glamours. Such glorious manifestation of human love, seeking refuge and release for peace and freedom cannot be portrayed by history and can be possible in the realm of literature alone.
“AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) has distinguished by arresting attention of the readers mostly on account of its courageous depictions of the “palace intrigue theme” and daring delineation of corruption in society. However, such exposition might have hurt the sentiments of some handful of dignified people with royal Imamate lineage. Perhaps, novelist’s belonging to the politically active revolutionary family has supplied him with first hand experiences of the horrible past of Yemen’s social history which might have spontaneously entered into his fictional design. But shrewd moulding of Sharifa Hafsa’s sensual character and prideless and divine union of lovers, souls make this novel a wonderful romance tale, besides being a rare political and historical fiction. The researcher does find “A Tale of Two Cities” also a bold spectacle of “the troubled time”, recording furies and revenge, savage passions for blood along with instances of humble human love, transcending goodness over evil in the novel.
The theme of suffering, sacrifice and liberation is covertly inlaid to deliver great symbolic messages in “The Hostage”, reflected in the harrowing experiences of the two Duwaydars. They become microcosm of Yemeni people’s agony. Dickens highlights suffering on greater magnitude. By kissing the blade of the Guillotine, Sydney Carton might have died physically, but his soul continues to live, his tale of sacrifice continues to enlighten us and thus, regenerates spiritual values. These words mumbled by Carton just before his martyrdom strongly manifest the theme of regeneration in the novel:
“I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die.” (1988:388)
Sydney Carton opts to lay his life not only to protect those loved ones he adores, but for the whole suffering generation, as he says:
“I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy…” (1988:465)
Carton’s persona elevates to the supreme height of good values and he becomes an epitome of sacrifice by kissing the blades of the guillotine, and also to redeem the despotic Evermondes who sinned against innocent humanities. That is why, Carton experiences delight in doleful death only to redeem his race:
“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” (1988:466)
Thus, on the basis of the findings of this comparative study the researcher feels that these historical novels are source of great knowledge for the readers. Particularly, “AL-Raheena” (The Hostage) has amazing influences on our psyche, for it carries us to our history of struggle.
Finally, while concluding this comparative study, the researcher could find that undertaking research in literature is an enlightening enterprise. The researcher also believes that “AL-Raheena” is one of the significant modern Arabic fictions. The Yemeni novelist Zayd Mutee Dammaj has been outstanding in depicting vital human issues like political morality and human dignity in life. In dealing with the historical theme of revolution and liberation of the Yemeni people from the shackles of the despotic regime, it comes very close to “A Tale of Two Cities”. Thus, it reflects the literary depth of the Yemeni literature and its vast dimension to delineate global theme of human suffering along with man’s instinct to struggle for freedom and change. It is rich enough to draw attention of intellectuals all over the world.
The Yemeni literature can motivate both Arab and non-Arab readers and researchers with its varied literary aspects and invaluable wealth of literary creations. It can play great role in enriching not only the Arabic literature but world literature as a whole, and open a new vista of historical, anthropological and literary research. Hence, the researcher feels that the provisions for comparative study of the Arabic and non-Arabic literature at the higher study level, particularly in the Human Resources departments may be useful from the point of academic pursuit. It can widen the Yemeni student’s literary sensibility and at the same time acquaint the non-Arab readers abroad with its rich literary, cultural and social relationship, ventilate new ideas and above all, can mitigate elemental hatred and ignorance which is one of the divine purposes of literature. This comparative study enlightens the researcher and inspires him to place some humble suggestions which may help displaying the Yemeni literature more effectively and powerfully to the world as a whole. They are:
- To encourage and support the comparative studies (not only of the foreign literatures but also of the Arab ones) which may enable the Yemeni literature to emerge powerfully to the world and it can also be benefited from others in updating the literary methods, thoughts and literary techniques, chiefly to cope with the modern development in the field of literature.
- To encourage and support the projects of translation; that is to translate the Yemeni literature into other languages of the world, because it is only through translation that the non-Arabic readers can know and understand the Yemeni culture, traditions, habits, and civilization, and we can benefit from the study and criticism of others.
- To organise and hold literary seminars in Yemen and invite great literary figures from different countries of the world to benefit from their experiences in the field of literature.
- To facilitate Yemeni youth’s participation in different literary seminars and symposiums, held in different parts of the world and to present the Yemeni literature to the world.
- To encourage and support the cultural and literary establishments and forums to undertake their tasks practically and effectively.
1 - This episode is described by the novelist on page 143 in “AL-Raheena” (the Hostage).

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