A Distant Episode Analysis PDF

A Distant Episode Analysis Reasons behind the visit Pay tribute to West comes to Study language the East Hassan Ramani East can’t...

A Distant Episode Analysis Reasons behind the visit Pay tribute to West comes to Study language the East Hassan Ramani East can’t go to the West Valorizes Explores Friendship Morocco Man of honor, Power relations are at play between noble demeanour, Curious the rational and the irrational, the good manners, , enough loyal and civilized and the unciviised trustworthy  Bus-driver: Double Rejection Unwelcoming Unfriendly Scornful/disdainful Cafe-keeper: Unwelcoming Nature People hateful Rejected him and Hostile Hints and signs of denied him access Snaky/foxy refusal to treacherous culture/community Tribe of Rguibat: Hostile Forshadowing for Bloody Bus driver, cafe- hazardous things Barbarian keeper, tribe of that the professor Primitive Rguibat will encounter Cafe-keeper: Enigmatic persona Nods his head Flashes fake whenever he smile while hears flutes’ smoking (burned sound with excitement) Squatting next to Aloof/Short the professor answers Enigmatic with closed eyes Persona of the cafe- keeper Flute’s Symbolism Exotic Ominous World reminder Bad omen Flute played at night Reminder of what would in the heart of the Sahara happen to him Oriental Space There is a strong Marvelous, mysterious connection between the reverberating the tales of flute and the fate of the One Thousnad and One professor Nights Rguibat: notorious, hostile, cruel, savage Enslave Sever his tongue Package him to a plaything Sell him as a chattel Commoditization Igor Kopytoff To be sold and Commoditization Chattel bought Elements of the Story Setting Characters Conflict Plot Diagram Themes POV Setting Place Time Ain Tadouirt village September Grand Saharan Hotel Sunset Hassan Ramani Café Evening Desert Night ‘In Saleh Colonialism Fogara Characters Professor Hassan Ramani Chauffeur Cafe-keeper Flute player Rguibat Ouled Nail Onlookers (women and kids) Touareg (Cheikh of Touareg) French soldiers Characters Major characters Minor characters Professor Chauffeur Cafe-keeper Hassan Ramani Rguibat Flute player Ouled Nail Onlookers Cheikh of Touareg French Soldiers Characters Protagonist Antagonist Professor Cafe-keeper Rguibat Ouled Nail Conflict Character vs. Character Professor vs. Cafe-keeper Professor vs. Rguibat Professor vs. Ouled Nail Character vs. Himself (his soul) Professor vs. Miscalculated plans Naive (Over-trust) Plot Diagram 3 4 2 1 5  1. Exposition Ain Tadouirt/Hotel/Café/desert September/sunset/evening/night Professor/Chauffeur/Ramani/Cafe-keeper/Rguibat 2. Rising Action Professor wanted boxes made of camel udder Cafe-keeper took the Professor to the desert at night to buy them Cafe-keeper left the professor alone Professor felt that he was deceived 3. Climax Dogs of Rguibat attacked him Rguibat took him to their camp (tents) One of the Rguibat severed his tongue He became a slave of Rguibat 4. Falling Action Rguibat sold him to the Ouled Nail as a plaything  5. Resolution Escaped from Ouled Nail Escaped from a small prison to a big one Themes Friendship Discovery Greed Treachery Savagery Slavery Good vs. Evil Point of view Third pronoun: he; they, it Omniscient narrator The Professor thought: "He may cut my throat. But his cafe — he would surely be found out." The qaouaji squatted close beside him. His face was not pleasant to see. "What is it?" thought the Professor, terrified again, as he held out his lighted cigarette toward him. - How did he get back his consciousness? P159 He regained his consciousness when he heard the venerable gentleman talking in classical Arabic. Classical Arabic reminded him of his position as a professor. It reminded him of the objective of his voyage to Morocco (studying languages). He spent four years in learning Arabic to realise scientific objectives but not to amuse merciless people. - Did he gain freedom at the end of the story? The professor gained symbolic freedom. He escaped from a small prison to a bigger one. The Sahara is an unwelcoming space for a European during colonialism, let alone a European who can’t speak and ipso facto can’t explain his story. He retrieved freedom, but he won’t retrieve his identity. Moral of the story  A distant Episode Moroccan interior land is not a safe place to visit. No matter how nice one can be to colonised people, he should never over-trust them. By making the professor unnamed, the writer wants to expound that everyone can be that professor. (Every Westerner) His nationality is unidentified; he is Western. By making him unnamed, the writer is hinting at his fate. He will be an object, unknown in the sahara. He will be an identity-less person, a slave or a plaything.  Marrakech Moroccans are no different from other brown people. They are still lagging behind. They can’t develop themselves, they must be developed. The text elevates the Europeans in relation to Moroccan inhabitants. It allows them to take a superior position, evaluating and commenting on natives’ actions from a Eurocentric perspective. He harshly criticises French colonial policies in Morocco which failed in civilising the colony.