Turkish mannequins in Pamuk’sThe Black Book
Violence in the Middle East
1. Explain the story of Sufiya Zinobia Shakil, Omar’s wife, and her violent episodes. Why does she commit these crimes, and how does her madness reflect upon the shame (sharam) of Pakistan? (224-232)
2. Rani Humayun Harappa, wife of the infamous dictator Iskender (Isky) Harappa, knits 18 shawls of infamy; what do they depict, and how do they reflect upon the shame (sharam) of Pakistan? (200-206)
Identity in the Middle East
3. Explain the mystery of the letters in faces in The Black Book. Why is it necessary to be able to read them, and how can this ancient lore have any meaning in the modern world?
4. Discuss the Turkish mannequins in Pamuk’sThe Black Book; what are they like, and why were they made? What is their significance in the context of Celal and Galip’s search for the Turkish identity?
Women in the Middle East
5. How do Nawal El Saadawi (in Woman at Point Zero) and Salman Rushdie (in Shame) reflect upon the traditional disadvantages and roles of women in the ME? How does MalalaYousafsai, in her UN speech, address the issue?
6. What is the dilemma of the “woman at point zero” and how does she resolve it? What does it mean to be “at point zero” (think Centigrade) and how is her situation comparable to that of SufiyaZinobia?Are they heroic, or tragic?
The House of the Middle East
7. Compare the fantastic mansion of the Shakil family (Chhunni, Munni, and Bunny) with the City of Hearts Apartments of The Black Book; how do these mythic buildings characterize their respective cultures?
8. Compare the house of the exiled woman Thuriyya in Saeed the Pessoptimist and the house where Zeina left her son in Under the Bombs as symbols of Palestine, once a country but now an occupied territory. What should be done in Israel/Palestine to put this “house” in order? What does Amos Oz say?
Religion in the Middle East
9. In The Color of Paradise film, what is the boy Mohammed’s relation to birds? How is this miracle similar to that of Mt. Kaf (or Qaf) as mentioned in Shame and in The Black Book? What is the significance of this idea, in all three cultures?
10. How is the fate of Mohammed’s FatherRamezani in the Color of Paradise similar to that of Galip in The Black Book? In each case, what prevents a man from having the futureand the woman he wants?Does either man gain anything?
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