Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Shammas: "Arabesques". Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 6 page paper discusses the novel "Arabesques" by Anton Shammas and argues that one of the most important techniques he uses is to make his narrator unreliable, thus mirroring both his own situation as a Christian Arab Israeli, who feels out of place; and the turmoil that characterizes the Middle East. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVShamas.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
and circumstances that can be bewildering. This paper discusses his novel Arabesques, and argues that he is using an unreliable narrator to mirror the instability of his life. The Unreliable
Narrator When we read a story or novel, we believe that the person telling us the story is telling the truth. When a novel is written in first person, we
hear the narrators voice directly: "I married him," says Jane Eyre, ending one of the greatest romance novels of all time. Second person is much more difficult to pull off,
and consists of the narrator talking directly to the reader, as if they were face to face: "You listen to me, and Ill tell you what really happened." This is
difficult to sustain for any length of time and is rarely used. Third person, and third person omniscient are very closely associated; this is the way most stories are told.
Someone (we dont know who), stands outside the events and relates them to us: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." Hes not in the story, hes
telling us about it. But all of these narrators have one thing in common as far as we as readers are concerned: we expect them to tell us the truth.
We make allowances for human failing-perhaps Jane remembers it as a sunny day when it was raining-but we dont expect them to lie about what really happened; we dont expect
to be fooled about the things that really matter. Edgar Allan Poe was famous for using unreliable narrators. Often wed find ourselves listening to a story of a crime told
by the murderer as he tries to justify himself. With a narrator like that we cannot be sure of the facts. Shammas, well argue, is similarly unreliable. Arabesques One critic
...