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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page book report that examines and discusses the memoir, Beirut Fragments, in which author Jean Said Makdisi records what it was like to live in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, during that country's long civil war, which was still being fought when her book was published. Her text offers intriguing insight into what it is like to live in the midst of a city divided by conflict and sectarian violence. Her account is varied and touches on a number of different aspects of her experience, but it is also interesting because of what Makdisi leaves out, as well as for what she includes. In discussing this aspect of the book, the writer relates the memoir to the history provided by Elaine Hagopian. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khmakdis.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
offers intriguing insight into what it is like to live in the midst of a city divided by conflict and sectarian violence. Her account is varied and touches on a
number of different aspects of her experience, but it is also interesting because of what Makdisi leaves out, as well as for what she includes. For example, Makdisi never
manages to fully convey to her readers a convincing explanation for why she and her husband remain in Beirut. In the opening to her memoir, the author indicates being very
aware of this mystery and indicates that she has never found an answer to this question herself. She writes, "...how can I express my strange love for this mutilated city;
how to explain, both to myself and to others, the lingering magic of the place that has kept me...clinging to its wreckage, refusing to go" (Makdisi 19). Makdisis husband, Samir,
a professor, "turned down offer after offer to leave the country and work abroad," and Makdisi supported his decision (Makdisi 21). Their decision to remain in Beirut, with their children,
was certainly puzzling to her friends and family, as Makdisis relatives living overseas begged her repeatedly to leave and remain safe. Examination of Elaine Hagopians article, "Maronite Hegemony to
Maronite Militancy: The Creation and Disintegration of Lebanon," perhaps, offers implications for Makdisis seemingly inexplicable behavior, as this article indicates the history behind the sectarian conflict that plagued Lebanon. Hagopian
begins by describing the historical background of the Maronite Christian population in Lebanon, which dates from the seventh century. She explains that "The majority of Maronites have consistently denied
their Arabism and have tended to identify with the West, while the Muslims and other Christians have tended to identify with Arabism" (Hagopian 103). Makdisis husband and family are of
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