Introduction
There is so much violence in the world that is not seen to an average person going to work and back home every day. However, there still are the aces on this planet that don’t get rest from wars, drug problems, and violence towards own neighbors. Fortunately, the contemporary art gives us an amazing opportunity to see the problems of various religions from aside, and at the same time to experience those as if we took part directly.
Plot Summary
Yaron Shani & Scandar Copti calls the film under consideration Ajami. A wonderful movie perfectly represents the relations between Jews and Arabs, Christians and Moslems. The main theme is the violent environment of Palestinian – Israeli conflict, and the attempts of people to survive in this terrible atmosphere where every person is an enemy. No wonder the movie arouses such controversial feelings since various people of different cultures and religion watch it. It is exciting to watch the perspective of the movie changing throughout the film. Once the protagonists change with the development of the plot, the issue is reported differently according to the view the current main character sees it. It is to be noticed that the directors did not try to convey any specific point of view to the viewer. On the contrary, an immense work had been done in order to show the viewer different ways of looking at the problem. Namely, to represent the same exact conflict and everyday life circumstances from the point of different people. The movie is full of it: religion matters, culture, and drugs violation. Moreover, that wouldn’t be a great film without love affair that brings its dramatic plot to the utmost. There is a couple of young people of different religion which means that they could neither show their feelings in public nor hope for further marriage. In a word, these are the characters described living in those horrible Middle East outskirts: the two brothers who are afraid of revenge after their uncle’s deed, a young Palestinian refugee working for treating his sick mother, an Israeli woman and her boyfriend longing for more peaceful life, and a Jewish cop who desires to find his lost brother.
Shohat’s Article Analysis
Shohat addressed the movies of 1980s as those that represented recognition of Palestinians within the Palestinian Wave. It says clearly that Arabs had history and self-representation. This is exactly what reflects the article’s name because when claiming the existence of Palestinians, Shohat means “the return of the repressed”. Nevertheless, for the sake of justice, it has to be mentioned that Shohat mentions the subordination of Palestinians to the liberal Ashkenazi Israeli. Moreover, the movies, according to Shohat, were aimed at assuaging the consciences of the Israeli citizens: “The lament, therefore, is not primarily for the national oppression of the Palestinian people, but rather for Sabras’ own torment, as passively innocent Isaacs to be sacrificed in fear and trembling, on the altar of Abrahamic (nationalist) faith” (Shohat, 2010:265). However, the movie Ajami represents a clear vision of the problem from different perspectives – Jews and Arabs, Christians and Muslims, also men and women, farmers and city dwellers, etc. Although it does so, it still prolongs the idea of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict.
Omar (Shahir Kabaha) in Ajami
Omar is the elder brother of Nasri – the narrator of the movie. Unfortunately they both get in the middle of the passing-by shooting that mistakenly takes life of their neighbor. Omar – being an elder brother – is trying to protect himself and his family from the revenge of one of the prominent gangsters of the city who seeks Nasri’s death because Omar’s uncle had wounded the extortionist. Therefore, Omar went to Abu Elias (Youssef Sahwani) who happens to be the respective man within the city and who holds a restaurant business; Omar asks for a cover-up and is ready to get involved in money debt. He needs money for paying back the extortionist so that he leaves their family alone. Omar is driven to do terrible things in order to protect his family and return the debt to the father of his beloved one – a girl of different religion which makes them separate disregarding the utmost desire to get together.
Concluding Remarks
To crown it all, it must be said that every character’s story is compelling and reflects the political and cultural situation. However, since I chose to analyze Omar’s actions, I admit that the director showed the communal mistrust, religious gap, and endemic crime through this personage perfectly well for us to understand the Palestinian – Israeli conflict clearly. From the perspective of this hero we can see how the neighbors treated each other – as enemies living side by side being afraid for their lives and lives of their children daily. As per the Israeli society we can learn how a person is trying his best to provide for the family disregarding the circumstances created by the political situation.
Huntington and Said about the “Clash of Civilizations.”
Introduction
Its evident that for the past couple decades the issue of cultural disagreement became very burning and debatable. So many people, so many opinions. This paper, however, will be devoted to the most argued about discussion of Huntington and Said about the Samuel Huntington’s article “The Clash of Civilizations?” (1993). Below you will find the conversation of two people on this topic:
Huntington: I suppose you have already read the article “The Clash of Civilizations” what do you think of it really?
Said: To be honest the actual topic of discussion is a bit controversial within the political situation that takes place in the world. You know, the political realities are truly different from those that mass media is trying to convey to people. Therefore, I have to admit that the main topic of the article about cultures’ clash is irrelevant.
Huntington: Excuse me, what do you mean by irrelevant. The fact of people killing each other over the culture issues is evident. Many Muslims and Christians are dying daily for the sake of cultural beliefs.
Said: What makes you think that those are fighting for their own beliefs but not for the ones made up by the government or someone else who really gets benefit out of it? No wonder people are getting so furious when they are merely “blocked” from the real information. People are being lied to – this how the political and economic issues are being wrapped into the cultural views.
Huntington: Unfortunately I do not agree with you, I am sorry; firstly because “cultural characteristics and differences are less mutable and hence less easily compromised and resolved than political and economic ones” (Hunsington, 1993: 27). Secondly, what I am trying to convey is that people living at the specific land have their own cultures apart from the political order whenever exercised within their history. You can watch people of many mighty countries all over the world change theor ideological beliefs to the opposite ones throughout history, but you can’t see them becoming another race with different cultural values and heritage. This is what matters most for every person raised in this or that society.
Said: I have to admit the rightness of this thesis: Russians will never become Armenians or someone else. However, what I am saying is – different nations having their own precious religion and cultural heritage do not depend on them to the extent you are reporting it. Yes, every culture appreciates its heritage greatly but not to the extent to start a war over it. Moreover, the authorities of this world know that and use these spectacular culture-key to manipulate people.
Huntington:“The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural” (Huntington, 1993: 22).
Said: I must say to this that the conflict itself is synthetically invented. The dominating source, as you define it, cannot merely guide people at this point due to non-existing levers because the true motifs are economics. Besides, it is pathetic how the events of September 11th are seen to be the ones to prove the thesis of the “Clash of Civilizations.” By now it is widely known that the Iraqi organizations would not be possibly able to manage the entire terrorist attack. “Where does one draw the line between “Western” technology and, as Berlusconi declared, “Islam’s” inability to be a part of modernity?” (Said, 2001). Unfortunately, I totally disagree with you, whether it is the economical issues that rule the world or nothing. I am going to stand on the pint that the world I being tremendously worn out by the money matters that are held in the hand of huge bank systems in specific parts of the world. Of course, it is hard to believe that so many people are forced to fight each other for the sake of world’s specific business’ prosperity, but this is my thesis.
Huntington: Well, no matter what the real situation is, the cultural values will echo with the renewed strength sooner or later.
Conclusion
The two articles The Clash of Civilizations By Samuel P. Huntington and The Clash of Ignorance by Edward W. Said are perfect representations of the topic of a constant tense between the West and the Middle East. No wonder the theme is a burning topic today since so many people are involve in it dying and suffering. In order to conclude the two ideas expressed by the authors in the dialogue above I have to admit that the cultural issues do less within the conflict theme than everybody thinks. Money and power has always been a point for the wars’ break-outs. Nothing changes through centuries, nowadays people suffer from lack of information, too. Moreover, we are being the victims of mass media invasion in our lives, subsequently letting media control and persuade us in whatever it is convenient for the authorities, indeed.
Works Cited
Huntington, Samuel P., Hoge, James F. The Clash of Civilizations? The Debate. Foreign Affairs , 2010. Print.
Said, Edward W. The Clash of Ignorance. The Nation. 2001.
Shohat, Ella. Israeli Cinema: East/West and the Politics of Representation. New York: I. B. Tauris: 2010. Print.