Jordan Journal of Modern Languages & Literatures

Deixis in American and British Political Discourse: A Corpus-based Study

Herolinda Bylykbashi — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The aim of this study is to analyze deictic expressions in American and British political discourse, to draw conclusions about their similarities and differences concerning the frequency of each type of deixis, their means of expression as well as the dominant form used to express each of them in both national varieties of English. Thus, the study aims to identify types of deixis in American and English political debates, to identify linguistic forms of expressing each type of deixis, and to reflect the most frequently used type of deixis in spoken political discourse in both countries. The findings and conclusions are derived from research conducted during two political debates, resulting in a corpus of 32,436 words from American and British contexts. Utilizing qualitative research methods, the study unequivocally reveals distinct differences in deictic expressions within American and British spoken discourse. The analysis highlights significant disparities in the modes of expression pertaining to these types of deixis. The American political debate predominantly employs first-person singular “I” for person deixis, whereas the British counterpart favors first-person plural “we”. Additionally, variations exist in expressions used for temporal and spatial deixis across both varieties. American English demonstrates a greater prevalence of social deictic expressions compared to British English. Noteworthy honorifics in the American debate include “President”, whereas “Prime Minister” holds similar prominence in the British debate.

The Semantic and Aesthetic Aspects of Omission in Some of the Conditional Structures in the Holy Qur'an

Khalid Bani Domi, Rafat Al Rousan — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Omission is one of the linguistic and stylistic features in the Arabic language in general and the language of the Holy Qur'an in particular. This study explores the semantic values and aesthetic features of omission in some conditional structures in the Qur'anic expression. Specifically, it investigates forms of omission that occur in parts of the conditional sentence, namely, omission of the conditional particle and protasis (condition clause), omission of the conditional verb, and omission of the apodosis (result
clause), based on 40 examples selected from the Holy Qur'an. This study has concluded that omitting the conditional structure in the Holy Qur'an reveals profound meanings and aesthetic features that create a rhetorical effect, especially when the omission constitutes some ambiguity. It has also shown that omission in the conditional structure in the Qur'an contributes to the expansion of the context through the interplay between the surface structure and deep structure. Furthermore, this study has revealed that the conditional structure whose elements are omitted is more eloquent and aesthetic than those whose elements were all preserved. In addition, this study has also shown that the result clauses of the conditional particle " لو " lau "if" were omitted in all the seven verses that were revealed to the disbelievers and describe torment scenes. Finally, this study presented some recommendations for future studies.

Highlights

1. The study demonstrates that omission in Qur'anic conditional structures is not a deficiency, but a deliberate linguistic strategy that enhances meaning and rhetorical beauty beyond what explicit expression can achieve.

2. The study highlights how deleting elements such as the conditional particle, protasis, verb, or apodosis expands interpretive possibilities and creates a dynamic interaction between surface structure and deeper meaning

3. The research challenges the view that omitted elements reflect an inability to fully describe events, arguing instead that omission serves intentional semantic and aesthetic functions.

4. The findings suggest that conditional constructions with omitted elements can be more rhetorically effective and aesthetically compelling than fully expressed structures.

5. The study reveals that the conditional particle law (“if”) is omitted in all seven verses addressing disbelievers and depicting scenes of punishment, indicating a purposeful stylistic and thematic function.

Artificial Intelligence as a Writing Coach: Impacts on BS English Students

Zein Bani Younes, Duaa K Talafha, Kiran Gul — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study examines the impact of AI writing tools like Grammarly and Wordtune on the output, quality, and originality of writing produced by BS English students. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative data collected through structured surveys with qualitative insights obtained from in-depth interviews grounded in Constructivist Learning Theory and TPACK. The survey responses were analyzed using statistical techniques, including descriptive statistics to identify trends and inferential analysis to assess correlations and significance. On the other hand, interview data underwent thematic analysis, which involved coding the transcripts to identify recurring themes, patterns, and unique perspectives related to AI writing tools' effectiveness. This dual-layered analysis provided a comprehensive understanding of the tools’ influence on students’ writing. The findings reveal that students largely perceive an improvement in their writing quality, particularly in grammar, style, and clarity. However, significant concerns were expressed about the risk of over-reliance on such tools and potential decrease in originality. The study underscores the importance of integrating AI writing tools thoughtfully into academic settings. It recommends balancing AI-assisted learning with traditional writing instruction to ensure holistic development. These findings are especially relevant for educators, policymakers, and developers seeking to optimize the role of AI in academic writing.

Negation in Ammani Arabic: A Sociolinguistic Study

Ruba Daoud, Imran Alrashdan, Abdel Rahman M. Altakhaineh — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study explores how three sociolinguistic factors—age, gender, and region—affect the use of negative particles in Jordanian Arabic (JA) across different areas of Amman: Hay Al Yasmeen, Hay Nazzal, and Shafa Badran. Using Labov’s variationist sociolinguistic approach, the researchers analyzed negation variation in a collection of vernacular JA recorded in Amman Governorate in 2020. The analysis involved 1,684 tokens collected from 83 participants who answered 40 questions and were asked to negate 30 sentences. These tokens were analyzed using the SPSS/Chi-square test. The results show that region, age, and gender all play a role in the choice of negative particles in JA. Younger speakers tend to favor ma, while females in certain areas exclusively use ma for prohibitions. Some less common negative particles also reflect similar social influences, occasionally diverging from expected developmental patterns. While some negation patterns consistently show social influences, others do not seem to be significantly affected by age or gender. This analysis emphasizes how social factors interact to shape language variation and change, suggesting that changes are ongoing and that previously observed trends in JA negation could potentially reverse.

Highlights

Variationist analysis of negation patterns in Jordanian Arabic speech.
Age, gender, and region significantly shape negative particle choice.
Younger speakers favor ma, indicating ongoing linguistic change.
Gender and regional differences affect prohibitive negation use.
Negation patterns show dynamic change and possible trend reversal.

Restructuring Phonological Grammars: A Comparative Study of OT Based and Traditional Therapy in Jordanian Arabic–Speaking Children

Maha S. Yaseen — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study evaluates the efficacy of an Optimality Theory (OT)-based intervention versus a traditional phonetic-motor approach in treating Functional Phonological Disorders (FPDs) among Jordanian Arabic-speaking children. Thirty children (ages 3; 0-6; 11) diagnosed with FPDs were randomly assigned to two therapy groups. Over 12 weeks, the OT group received constraint-reanalysis activities designed to re-rank markedness and faithfulness constraints, while the traditional group engaged in articulation drills. Outcomes were measured in Percent Consonant Accuracy (PCA) and error-pattern reduction at post-treatment and three-month follow-up. Results indicate significantly greater gains in the OT group (PCA | from 35% to 82%) than in the traditional group (PCA | from 38% to 65%), with superior maintenance at follow-up (78% vs. 55%). These findings support OT's theoretical and clinical utility in phonological intervention.

Highlights

1. The study compares Optimality Theory–based intervention with traditional phonetic-motor therapy in Jordanian Arabic-speaking children with functional phonological disorders.

2. OT-based therapy resulted in greater improvement in consonant accuracy and broader phonological generalization.

3. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of constraint-based approaches in restructuring phonological grammars in early childhood.

4. The study contributes language-specific clinical evidence for Arabic, a relatively underrepresented language in phonological intervention research.

5. Results support sustainable and inclusive speech-language intervention practices aligned with early childhood health and education goals.

Critical Discourse Analysis of the Arab and Israeli Media Representation of Jenin’s 2023 Incursions

luqman Rababah, Hanan A Amaireh — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study primarily examines the media's coverage of the enigmatic incidents of Jenin intrusions that occurred in 2023. This methodology integrates Critical Linguistics (CL) with Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), with a particular emphasis on the researcher's use of Fairclough's three-dimensional framework. The Jerusalem Post and the Jordan Times, Israeli and Arab news outlets, have comprehensively covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The corpus contains twenty English-language news articles, ten from each agency. The media is covering Israel's 2023 Jenin military operations. According to research, media and TV employ terms relating to war, casualties, and military activities. They also employ rhetoric, emotion, and quotations to discuss disagreements. The Jordan Times routinely covers Palestinian suffering and anti-occupation activists' rise. While humanizing Palestinians, the stories highlight their injustices. The Jerusalem Post calls Palestinians terrorists without violence using hyperbole, imagery, and personification.

Higlights

1-Framework Integration: The paper manages to combine Critical Linguistics (CL) with the three-dimensional model of Fairclough to examine the construction of the 2023 of Jenin incursions on discursive terms.

2-Comparative Media Analysis: It offers a unique comparative discussion of the way an Arab newspaper (The Jordan Times) and an Israeli newspaper (The Jerusalem Post) cover the same events of geopolitical interest through varying ideological prisms.

3-Victimization vs. Criminalization: The analysis shows that The Jordan Times uses a victim of aggression concerning Palestinians and that they prevail in the situation, whereas The Jerusalem Post presents Jenin as a terror capital, with the Palestinians being viewed as terrorists to justify military action.

4-Linguistic & Rhetorical Strategies: The paper can distinguish particular lexical use like adoption of military language (raids, assaults) in the Arab press and emotive metaphors and hyperboles in the Israeli press as they seek to shape the perceptions of the readers.

5-Contributing to the Body of Knowledge: The study helps the field by showing how the Arabic-language English news agencies can overcome the Western media bias by humanizing those typically marginalized in the global dialog.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Persuasive Strategies Employed by Queen Rania of Jordan in her Interview with MSNBC

Muneera Jaradat — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study examines the persuasive linguistic strategies employed by Queen Rania of Jordan (QR) in her interview with the American News Network MSNBC on May 3, 2024. These strategies are analysed based on the Aristotelian theoretical model of persuasion, which comprises ethos, pathos, and logos appeals. The study employs the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. The findings show that QR utilised all persuasive strategies. In the ethos appeal, she leveraged her global positive character and employed the persuasive techniques of effectively using personal pronouns, “we,” “I,” and “you. " In a pathos appeal, QR raised rhetorical questions, told stories, and reflected on personal experiences. Regarding logos appeal, QR employed four persuasive techniques: statistics, authoritative and reliable sources, contrastive pairs, and reasoned arguments. The findings of this study aim to contribute significantly to linguistic studies in general and to the study of persuasion as a linguistic device in particular.

Highlights

1. Strategic Use of Emotional Appeal (Pathos)

The paper highlights how Queen Rania effectively uses emotional storytelling, particularly when discussing children, families, and humanitarian suffering. By focusing on shared human values, she shifts the audience from abstract geopolitics to moral responsibility.

2. Establishing Credibility and Moral Authority (Ethos)

The study demonstrates how Queen Rania constructs credibility through her role as a humanitarian advocate and her long-standing engagement in global education and refugee issues, thereby strengthening her persuasive authority and reinforcing trust among international audiences.

3. Strategic Use of Rhetorical Questions

The analysis shows how rhetorical questions invite critical reflection and encourage audience self-examination.

4. Appeal to Universal Values and Shared Humanity

A key contribution of the study is to demonstrate how Queen Rania transcends political divides by grounding her arguments in international law, human rights, and universal moral standards.

5. Media-Savvy Communication Strategy

The paper concludes that persuasive effectiveness is amplified by clear messaging, concise framing, strategic repetition of key themes, and awareness of Western media discourse norms, reflecting a sophisticated understanding of global media dynamics.

An An Assessment of English-Arabic Translation Using ChatGPT

Ahmad Al-Harahsheh, Suha Tayseer Abualkarasanneh, Rafat Al Rousan — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study aims to assess the quality of translating political texts from English to Arabic using the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT. It adopts the updated version of the Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM) framework to evaluate the quality of translations produced by ChatGPT. The data includes 30 political articles selected from BBC World and CNN World in English and their translations into Arabic. The study identified several linguistic errors encountered by translators using ChatGPT, such as fluency and accuracy. Translations lacking these important aspects often lead to misunderstandings and confuse the users. Despite these issues, the ChatGPT tool demonstrated good translation performance in political news, with an overall translation quality rating of 93%.

Highlights

ChatGPT provide spontaneous translation of different texts with nearly high accuracy.
However, human intervention is crucial to rectify this translation, as human translators are more capable to recognize the cultural or social context.
The expertise of human translators is essential for ensuring the building of effective and culturally suitable translation systems at the time AI grows quickly. AI technologies or tools can be developed and improved to address different language and cultural demands.
Furthermore, investing in collaboration and knowledge exchange between AI researchers and human translators would encourage advancements and push translation technology forward. This will lead to more effective precise and accessible translation technologies that will help both people and communities.

Explicitation and Implicitation Strategies Used in the Translation of Aleph

Amal Al-Shunnaq — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study aims at contributing to the literature written on explicitation and implicitation in Translation Studies. It discusses the use of explicitation and implicitation in the translation of the novel, Aleph, by Paulo Coelho, and also it tackles the main reasons behind using them. The importance of this study relies on the scarcity of works carried out on how the differences between English and Arabic might sometimes force the translator to explicitate and implicitate. To attain this, the translation of the first chapter of the novel Aleph by Al-Saify (2014) was read in order to identify examples of explicitation and implicitation shifts. The study showed that the sort of difference between the two languages determines which strategy to use, and it revealed that such strategies might be sometimes utilized to naturalize the text and to produce natural translation. Such conclusions might help translators in deciding when and why to explicitate and implicitate.

Highlights

Linguistic and cultural differences between English and Arabic are the main reasons behind using explicitation and implicitation when translating between them.
Explicitation and implicitation are sometimes used to produce idiomatic translation.
In translation practice, there is a general tendency to explictate.
Explicitation and implicitation are used in the translation of the novel Aleph to improve the quality of the translation.
Knowing when and how to employ explicitation and implicitation in the translation of Aleph can be seen as an good indicator of the translator’s proficiency.

Yarmouk University Students’ Perceptions when Utilizing AI-Driven Machine Translations applications for translating academic texts between English and Arabic

nansy mosleh, Moath Malkawi, Ismat Haddad — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study investigates the utilization of AI-powered machine translation by students at Yarmouk University for translating texts between English and Arabic. It employs the uses and gratifications theory (UGT) to demonstrate the role of these applications in student’s academic pursuits. We designed a structured questionnaire to collect insights into students’ needs and satisfaction with these tools. The study aims to determine the degree to which these technologies support academic pursuits, encompassing participants from various faculties and majors at Yarmouk University. Based on preliminary findings from this study, Google Translate was the most preferred AI-driven machine translation among students, primarily because of its user-friendly interface and widespread utilization. While these applications satisfy most academic requirements, challenges persist regarding translation accuracy and clarity. Despite positive feedback from students regarding the ease of use, significant hurdles persist in translation quality. This necessitates further enhancement and research in this field.

Highlights

The study investigates Yarmouk University students’ perceptions of AI-driven machine translation applications when translating academic texts between English and Arabic.
It applies Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) to explain students’ motivations, satisfaction levels, and acceptance patterns.
Findings show that Google Translate is the most widely used application (81.8%), primarily due to ease of use and accessibility.
While students report high levels of satisfaction and ease of use, translation accuracy remains the main reported challenge.
The study demonstrates that AI-powered translation tools are widely accepted across gender, faculty, and academic levels, indicating broad institutional integration.

A Translational Comparative Analysis of Horse Imagery in Selected Abbasid and Andalusian Poetry

Musa Alzghoul, María Delgado Pérez, Emad Abuhammam, Tahani Alazzam — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

highlights

The paper conducts a detailed comparative analysis of the horse imagery in Andalusian poetry.
It identifies significant similarities between the horse and nature representations.
It offers English translations of key Andalusian poems.
It systematically explores thematic similarities in Andalusian poetry.
It contributes a new perspective to the field of Andalusian literary studies.

Warnings in Informal Conversational Settings in Jordanian Arabic: A Sociopragmatic Study

Mahmouud Aljamal, Mr. Altairi — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This study investigates the speech act of warning in Jordanian Arabic, focusing on the politeness strategies used to soften warnings within informal conversational settings. The motivation for this study arises from a need to understand how politeness strategies adapt in collectivist cultures, where traditional theories, such as Brown and Levinson's (1987) framework, may not fully capture cultural nuances. Utilizing 56 hours of audio recordings from informal social gatherings, this research emphasizes the explicit yet indirect nature of warnings in Jordanian Arabic. While supporting the Brown and Levinson framework, the study identifies limitations in its applicability to collectivist societies like Jordan. Findings reveal a preference for positive politeness strategies and culturally specific mitigation devices, suggesting the need for modifications to the classical theory to better reflect local cultural practices. This research broadens the field of pragmatics and speech act theory by providing an in-depth analysis of warning practices in Jordanian Arabic, thereby enhancing our understanding of how cultural context shapes communication.

Highlights

1. It provides the first systematic study of warnings in naturally occurring Jordanian Arabic conversation.

2. It shows that warnings in Jordanian Arabic are mostly indirect, not direct. The study finds that conventional indirect warnings are the dominant pattern, while direct warnings are relatively rare.

3. It demonstrates that warnings are frequently mitigated through politeness strategies. The paper shows that Jordanian speakers commonly soften warnings using positive politeness, negative politeness, off-record strategies, and sometimes avoidance, which supports the idea that warning can be a face-sensitive act.

4. It argues that Brown and Levinson’s framework is useful but not fully sufficient for Jordanian Arabic. The findings generally support the framework, but also show its limits in a collectivist Arab context, especially because Jordanian speakers often prioritize positive face, solidarity, and group harmony more than the theory predicts.

5. It identifies culturally specific mitigation devices, especially religious and social expressions.A major contribution is showing that warnings in Jordanian Arabic are often softened through Quranic verses, prophetic references, oath-taking, prayers, and expressions such as حرام, as well as culturally grounded directness linked to عشم, which are not adequately captured in the classical model.

The Jungle of Metafictional Narrative: Fiction, History, and Theory in David Lodge’s Author, Author (2004)

Wael M. Mustafa, Sameh A Galil — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

This paper investigates metafiction, intertextuality, and the multiple points of view that are identified as fundamental characteristics of contemporary fiction. These narrative strategies are interweaved in Lodge’s biographical novel, Author, Author, to show fiction, history, and theory in a state of narrative play. These strategies have enabled Lodge to present a narrator with multifaceted nature. In some moments, the authorial voice is visible to guide the reader through the narrative. In other moments, the authorial voice blends with that of the protagonist, obliterating the narrative's boundaries to show the protagonist's stream of consciousness. The novel presents a historiographical metafictional analysis of Henry James’ movement away from fiction writing to playwriting. Through metafiction, self-reflexivity, and intertextuality, Lodge interweaves history, literary theory, and fiction together in the narrative to draw the reader's attention to the narrativity itself.

Highlights

1. Metafictional Synthesis: The research demonstrates how David Lodge interweaves fiction, history, and literary theory to create a "metafictional jungle" that scrutinizes the nature of narrativity.

2. Multifaceted Narration: The study identifies a sophisticated narrative structure where the authorial voice, the narrator’s gaze, and the protagonist’s consciousness alternate to blur ontological boundaries.

3. Historiographic Integration: The paper analyzes the novel as a historiographic metafiction that utilizes documentary research to fill historical gaps while simultaneously exposing its own artificiality.

4. Intertextual Methodology: Through the lens of "intertextual encyclopedias," the work explores how Lodge employs transpositions of various signifying systems to dialogue with the modernist legacy of Henry James.

5. Narrative "Short-Circuiting": The analysis highlights the use of the "short-circuit" technique to collapse the distance between the real world and the text, inviting the reader's active participation in the creative process.

Enjeux du Véhicule Connecté dans le Roman Contemporain

Mohamed Mahmoud Ghazu — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

L’ère actuelle étant celle de la supériorité scientifique et technique, la littérature a répondu à cette variable et a commencé à en discuter à travers diverses formes littéraires. Le roman de John Marrs « Les Passagers » en fait partie. À travers une analyse critique de ce roman, dont l'essentiel se déroule à l'intérieur d'une voiture autonome contrôlée à distance par une personne maléfique, l'auteur a voulu mettre en lumière les problèmes posés par cette technologie. Il aborde l'importance de ce développement étonnant, son apport littéraire, son avenir, ses avantages, ses inconvénients, son impact sur nos vies et ses aspects humanitaires, judiciaires et juridiques. Nous en avons conclu que l'écrivain voulait transmettre, à travers ce roman, l'influence de cette supériorité représentée par le véhicule autonome, sur nos vies. Par conséquent, les personnes concernées doivent discuter des questions éthiques, juridiques, de sécurité et de droits de l’homme qui concernent tout le monde

Characterization in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman: A Comparative Reading

Hossein Sabouri, Ali Zare Zadeh , Roghayeh Lotfi Matanaq, Amir Gozalzadeh — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The overarching argument of this article is that Willy, in Arthur Miller’s The Death of a Salesman (1998), is portrayed both through Emad and the Old Man, and Linda is displayed by Rana and the Old Woman in Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman (2016). Drawing upon Linda Hutcheon’s concept of “meme”, the objective of this paper is to compare the characters of two masterpieces to discover how Farhadi adapts and creates them native to fit his local context. In order to fill the existing gap, examining the psychological development of the characters better illuminates the similarities and the differences between two different nations and unravels Farhadi’s creativity in adapting Miller’s play to the Iranian culture. By detaching himself from fidelity, Farhadi creates his own typical Iranian version of Miller’s characters in a new culture in lieu of an accurate duplication, a change which is repetition without replication, as if Miller’s characters were reborn with the same characteristics in another context.

Great the Danger When Unseen; Greater When Lost: An Ecocritical Poetic Study of Marine Micro and Nanoplastic Pollution

Inas Abolfotoh — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Plastic pollution is a global environmental abyss that has attracted the world’s attention over the last few decades. The problem began with macroplastics accumulating in the landscape and the seascape. However, the current development of plastic pollution is the fragmentation of macroplastics into unseen micro and nanoplastics, particularly in marine environments. These unseen particles are lost because of their higher mobility in tissues and among creatures consuming them. The study tackles marine micro and nanoplastic pollution in selected blue eco-poems to detect the fate of these elements in aquatic systems and the biological harm accompanying this phenomenon. The chosen poets undermine the myth of nature's self-renewal by exposing the irredeemable outbreak of marine plastic pollution. The study is interdisciplinary as it attempts to unveil the potentiality of poetic writing to absorb scientific knowledge and transfer it to the common reader. Furthermore, the argument endeavors to prove how poetry is capable of altering negative attitudes and raising awareness of such a critical issue threatening the ecosystemic equilibrium of Earth. To accomplish both goals, the investigated poems are analyzed literally and scientifically. Then, the need to initiate genuine reforms to the plastics economy worldwide is aroused. These reforms are inevitable to cure the devastating ecological chaos occurring at an alarming speed. Thus, economics is brought to the stage near the end of the study.

Highlights

1. The study bridges the gap between science and literature by showing how blue eco-poetry translates complex data about plastic pollution for the general public.

2. It challenges the myth of oceanic self-renewal, using poetry to expose the permanent damage caused by plastic fragmentation.

3. The research focuses on the unseen danger of micro and nanoplastics by highlighting their high mobility and biological harm within marine food webs.

4. It demonstrates that poetry is a powerful tool for raising environmental awareness and shifting negative human attitudes toward the ecosystem.

5. The article advocates for urgent global reforms in the plastics economy to combat the rapid ecological chaos documented in contemporary poems.

Poeticization of the South, Politicization of the Theater: Deconstructing the Phallogocentric Nationalist Historiography in Tennessee Williams's Orpheus Descending

Maryam Moradi, Zohreh Ramin, Maryam Soltan Beyad — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

American Southern Gothic is considered an ideological apparatus used by the nation to create the myth of homogeneity. However, by drawing on Kristeva's theories of abjection and revolution, this article argues that in Orpheus Descending, Tennessee Williams appropriates the very same apparatus to deconstruct the phallogocentric historiography of the nation. By casting the social abject into the mainstream drama, Williams means to disturb the symbolic realm in order to recalibrate the criterion of Americanness. It is also discussed that Williams's allegorical rendering of the abject sublimates what resists incorporation within the hegemony of the symbolic and dismantles its essentialist categorizations of the subject. Moreover, Williams equips the abject with a semiotically charged counter-discourse that is substantiated in his poetic dialogues as well as his obscene desire and sensuality. This recourse to the pre-symbolic drives is meant to enable the abject to reclaim his place in national literature and history.

Theatre’s Reaction to Media: Robin Soans’ Life after Scandal

Yeliz BİBER VANGÖLÜ, Mehmet ÜNAL — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Mass media’s influence on public perception, often involving the manipulation of information, raises concerns about its role in shaping public discourse. However, the relationship between media and individuals is complex and not always one of exploitation. By constructing plays from the documented words of individuals, verbatim theatre offers a unique response to this mediated reality. This article analyses Robin Soans’ Life after Scandal (2007) to explore how verbatim theatre engages with and critiques media representations of high-profile scandals. Through an examination of key characters’ experiences and the play’s thematic focus on truth and manipulation, this study applies media effects theories, including agenda-setting, framing and the concept of the ‘global village,’ to demonstrate how verbatim theatre exposes the constructed nature of media narratives and offers alternative perspectives on the complex relationship between media, individuals and public perception. By presenting multiple, often conflicting, accounts of the same events and amplifying marginalised voices, the analysis reveals that verbatim theatre challenges the dominant media narratives, offering a critical lens through which to understand and resist media manipulation.

Highlights

1. Examines theatre's response to media through Robin Soans' verbatim play Life after Scandal.

2. Analyses the play through a broad framework of media effects theories (e.g., agenda-setting, framing, cultivation, spiral of silence).

3. Demonstrates how verbatim theatre exposes the constructed nature of media narratives.

4. Shows how verbatim theatre challenges dominant narratives by amplifying marginalised voices.

5. Concludes that verbatim theatre offers a critical lens to understand and resist media manipulation.

Leila Abouzeid’s Year of the Elephant: A Reexploration Case from a Postcolonial Lens

Saif Al-Ghammaz, Asad Al-Ghalith — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

Of the continually rising facts about postcolonial literature is that it makes efforts to control the concept of self-representation, alongside creating a new world and uprooting the cultural and social leftovers of the colonial age. Conversely, it is found that postcolonial literature may reestablish plenty of the key stereotypes already established by the colonial discourse together with recreating a destructive and gloomy discourse that contributes to deteriorating the fabric, consolidation, and image of the colonized societies. Accordingly, this paper aims to reconsider Leila Abouzeid’s Year of the Elephant (1980) utilizing a postcolonial thematic narrative analysis. The methodology makes use of a postcolonial perspective and textual analysis, along with the incorporation of secondary sources. By addressing Year of the Elephant in this way, the piece of research not only is an invitation to rethink conventional perceptions relating to postcolonial issues and concepts but also aims to foster our understanding of Moroccan fiction's legacy as a pivotal figure in contemporary Arab literature.

Radical Homelessness of Humanity in Derek Mahon's Selected Poems

Sahar Abdul Ameer Haraj, Anan Alkass Yousif — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0300

The notion of radical homelessness developed by Derek Mahon (1941-2020) is examined as one of the fundamental aspects of the human experience when individuals are troubled by the sense of displacement and existential despondency. The subject of radical homelessness, as discussed by Mahon, is not the only instance of exploring the issue; it is also a journey into the existential desire and alienation that is built into the experience of a human being. This paper espouses a transnational understanding that is the result of a feeling of displacement on the part of humanity. It is an extreme feeling of homelessness which may cause the person to ignore boundaries and acclimatize himself to a different place which is not his own country. It is the application of these theories of Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) and Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962) which are used to discuss what Mahon demonstrates. Their spatial ideas and spatial relations, especially the interaction of the inner and outer space give, a reinterpretation of the meaning of home. The idea of spatiality or transnationality represents the dream that man attempts to embrace by his experience of places.

The purpose of this paper is to probe into Mahon's poetry and its geographic settings of alternate realms, envisioned tomorrows, and diverse places. The paper argues for a transnational perspective that stems from a profound sense of displacement experienced by humanity. It is a radical sense of homelessness that can lead the individual to neglect borders and adapt himself to an alternative location not his homeland. How does Mahon demonstrate that is meant to be discussed through applying the theories of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) and the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard (1884-1962). Their concepts of space and spatial relationships, particularly the interplay between interior and exterior spaces provide a rereading of the meaning of home. The concept of spatiality or transnationality symbolizes aspirations the individual strives to capture through his unique encounters with locations.

Highlights

1- to provide a new reading for the conception of homelessness in Derek Mahon's poetry especially from the theoritical perception of Martin Heidegger and Gaston Bachelard

2-to show that homelessness might be personally imposed as well as imposed from outside.

3. a new reading of Mahon's poems to show that displacement can provide the ability to to adjust one's self and being regardless of the boundaries imposed on humanity.

4. spatial ideas of Bachelard and Heidegger enabled the reader of Mahon's poems to reconsider the definition of home and existence.

5. Despite its being an ever changing world, the reader of Mahon's poems can, still, find a sense of belonging interdependently of location, memory, and imagination. The sense of homelessness is a reminder of the human experience regardless of all the types of boundaries. According to Mahon, man must find his place despite this everchanging uncertain world.