Mahmoud Darwish Narratives of Exile and Diaspora in the Poetry

Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian who lived between 1942 and 2008. His birth place was al- Birwa, a village in Galilee, which was occupied and eventually razed by the army from Israel. Considering that Darwish and the family had not participated in the authorized Israeli tally, they were regarded as internal refugees. For several years, Darwish resided in Paris and Beirut as an expatriate.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mahmoud Darwish: Narratives of Exile and Diaspora in the Poetry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Darwish wrote numerous poetry and prose books. As a result, he was an award winner to the Lenin Peace Prize, Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize (Lannan Foundation), Belles Lettres Medal (France), and Knight of Arts. This paper aims at discussing the narratives of exile and diaspora in Darwish’s poetry. There are a wide array of attitudes linked to the exile and diaspora in Darwish’s poetry. T he Palestinian literature is punctuated through the themes of diaspora and exile. In the poem â€Å"Earth Scrapes Us†, Darwish depicts the level of nostalgia he had for his motherland. He wished that they were motherland’s wheat, its mother, and that their mother would have mercy on them. Similar to the Jews, the Palestinians had a destiny of residing in diaspora. This is because they had the habit of migrating from one exile to the other. Therefore, Darwish finds himself marveling about where their consequent refugee camp would be. On the same note, he made the revelations that the bleeding wounds bore by the refugees from Palestine would develop and become masses of olive trees. In several series of poems, Darwish created a vivid picture of the wretched conditions that his people in Beirut’s exile were residing in. In addition, he scrutinized the Palestinian refugees’ massacres since they were entrapped in the Lebanese civil war. Darwish’s poetry is a narration of the entire story concerning the Palestinian misfortunes while in the Lebanese Diaspora. The Lebanese allies and Israeli army heartlessly attacked the Palestinians’ refugee camps, which were based in Lebanon. After the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s multitudes were expatriated from Lebanon in 1982, the Israeli attacked the country. During this period, defenseless refugee camps were invaded and many children and women who were disarmed were killed. This was accomplished by the Israeli in coordination with the Lebanese Christian militias. In addition to this, these militias were accountable for the Palestinian refugees’ mass killings. This happened during the Tel-Al- Z a’tar massacre while the Lebanese Civil War was ongoing.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, the Palestinian refugee camps were under siege for a p eriod of more than 6 months. The Shi’ite Muslim militias and Syrian army had besieged the refugee camps. A majority of the exiled refugees starved to death. Darwish used a wide array of images in his poems. For instance, he utilized the sea image in â€Å"Brief Reflections on an Ancient and Beautiful City on the Coast of the Mediterranean Sea† to symbolize the Palestinian exile. Having been banished from their country, the refugees from Palestine had resided in the Lebanese exile from 1948. In 1982, when Lebanon was invaded by the Israeli, the Palestinian refugees were enforced to abandon their Lebanon camps and migrate to a new exile. Darwish gave a narration of how the sea evacuated the Palestinian refugees. In this case, the sea symbolized the Palestinian exile. Darwish also gave a highlight of the period that the Palestinian suffering lasted. The Palestinians’ exile took place in 1967 and 1948. This was after all the Palestinian terrains had been occupied. D uring the 3rd exodus in 1982, the Palestinian evacuees who were residing in Lebanon underwent through grave suffering. This was depicted in the statement that the sea could not hold an additional immigration since it had no more room. The survivors of the camps’ genocide were referred to by Darwish as the Massacre generation. These were doomed since they had to migrate from exile to exile. However, death was their only fate. Hence, Darwish showed the sympathy he had for the Palestinian refugees and offered apologies for the atrocities imposed upon the victim and land. In the ‘Victim Number48’, there is a description of the experiences of a Palestinian expatriate in Lebanon. Such experience is used to symbolize all the Palestinian refugees who were living in the Arabian land. It is worth noting that the expatriates were exposed to alienation, exile sufferings, and vulnerability to genocide and war. The Palestinian refugees were termed to as the victims who were de nied national passports. Ironically, the host country only gave them a travel document. There is a symbol of a poor woman in one of the poems. The poor woman symbolizes all Palestinian mothers who have no option but witness the suffering and death subjected to their children.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mahmoud Darwish: Narratives of Exile and Diaspora in the Poetry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The sufferings are particularly carried out by the Israeli soldiers as well as in the Arabian nations where the Palestinian refugees were regarded as aliens. In essence, Darwish made a lot of efforts in exploring the experiences in exile and diaspora. This essay on Mahmoud Darwish: Narratives of Exile and Diaspora in the Poetry was written and submitted by user Sonia Whitney to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

DOWN SYNDROME Essays - Chromosomal Abnormalities, Cytogenetics

DOWN SYNDROME Essays - Chromosomal Abnormalities, Cytogenetics DOWN SYNDROME By; Theodore Kirk INTRODUCTION In every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes. Genes carry the codes responsible for all our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes. Typically, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent. Down syndrome occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. The cause of the extra full or partial chromosome is still unknown. Maternal age is the only factor that has been linked to an increased chance of having a baby with Down syndrome resulting from nondisjunction or mosaicism. However, due to higher birth rates in younger, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age. In my research paper I will be taking a closer look at the genetic disorders cause and effect. What is Down syndrome? Overview Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition that is associated with intellectual disability, a characteristic facial appearance, and weak muscle tone in infancy. All affected individuals experience cognitive delays, but the intellectual disability is usually mild to moderate. Case in point: I had a set of fraternal twins (boy/girl), and my son was Down syndrome and so this is why this subject is of great importance to me. Babies that are born with this genetic disorder may have a variety of birth defects. About half of all affected children are born with heart defect. Such as the case with my son, he was born with two holds in his heart and also suffered with digest abnormalities. Children with Down syndrome have increased risk of developing several medical conditions. These include gastro esophageal reflux, which is a backflow of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus, and celiac disease, which is an intolerance of a wheat protein called gluten. About 15% of children with Down syndrome have an underactive thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ in the lower neck that produces hormones. Individuals with Down syndrome also have an increased risk of hearing and vision problems. Additionally, a small percentage of children with Down syndrome develop cancer of blood-forming cells (leukemia). Delayed development and behavioral problems are often reported in children with Down syndrome. Affected individuals speech and language develop later and more slowly than in children without Down syndrome, and affected individual speech may be more difficult to understand. Behavioral issues can include attention problems, obsessive/compulsive behavior, and stubbornness or tantrums. A small percentage of people with Down syndrome are also diagnosed with developmental conditions called autism spectrum disorders, which affect communication and social interaction. People with Down syndrome often experience a gradual decline in thinking ability (cognition) as they age, usually starting around age 50. Down syndrome is also associated with an increase risk of developing Alzheimer disease, a brain disorder that result in a gradual loss of memory, judgment, and ability to function. Cause for Down syndrome In 1959, the French physician Jerome Jejune identified Down syndrome as a chromosomal condition. Instead of the usual 46 chromosomes present in each cell, Lejeune observed 47 in the cells of individuals with Down syndrome. It was later determined that an extra partial or whole copy of chromosome 21 resulted in the characteristics associated with Down syndrome. In the year 2000, an international team of scientists successfully identified and catalogued each of the approximately 329 genes on chromosome 21. This accomplishment opened the door to great advances in Down syndrome research. There are three types of Down syndrome: trisomy 21 (nondisjunction), translocation and mosaicism. My research focus will be on trisomy 21, because this one was my sons condition and it accounts for 95% of cases. TRISOMY 21 (NONDISJUNCTION) Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called nondisjunction. Nondisjunction results in early embryo with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or egg fails to separate. As the embryo develops, the extra chromosome is replicated in every cell of the body. DOWN SYNDROME DIAGNOSED There are two categories of tests for Down syndrome that can be performed before a baby is born: screening tests and diagnostic tests.