I have thought quite a while before choosing our new short story. It comes from New Writing 15 and it is a unique piece in a number of ways. It brings us some quite polemic issues that are likely to spark a lively debate, but which I’m sure we will all be able to approach in an open-minded and respectful way, trying to understand each other’s opinions and points of view and appreciating the fact that we all here come from different backgrounds.
    
     Selma Dabbagh, a British Palestinian, tells her controversial story about the terrible standoff between militant Jewish settlers and Arab villagers in the occupied territory of the West Bank. Dabbagh's narrator, a Jewish boy visiting from London, doesn't seem to have any understanding of the seething tensions of the land he has stepped into.
    
     This is a controversial piece, but above all it is a good literary piece, and that is the main reason for having been included in the anthology. The characters’construction and development along the story and the narration techniques Dabbagh uses are really worth a closer analysis. Moreover, it can be a good opportunity to reflect on how a writers' background influences their vision of the world and their texts.
    
     Please, click on the link to download Down the Market – New Writing 15
    
     Looking forward to a really stimulating discussion.
     Cheers - Chris

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Hi everyone
    
     I have just moved to Plymouth, in the south-west of England, and because of all moving stuff I have been a bit absent from the Group. Now things are settling in and I am back! :)
    
     Obviously there are thousands of things that we can discuss about this short story, but I would like to start with idea of *not belonguing*. I have just moved and even though there are no great language and cultural barriers in my case, I just wonder how much and how fast can human beings really adapt to a new environment. Moreover, how language can betray people in this process of adaptation. One of the little things in this story that called my attention was when the boy was invited to go to the *market in town* and he started thinking if he would be able to find some new PlayStation games there! How far his Londoner concept of *market in town* was from those of those he was now living with and how the same words could depict completely different realities!
    
     Have you spotted any other examples like this in the text??
    
     Cheers - Chris

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

hi everyone,
     I have just finished reading the very controversial short story, I feel very moved, that is why i will not respond for now to the theme of the story; rather i will just focus on a technical aspect:narration.The narrator is as uninformed as the reader, he and i discover things(horrible things) in parallel, he has no advantage on me!this is quite significant. the narrator-the author- tries not to influence the reader's point of view and makes him/her conceives of this very bellicose world in direct (live) ways. I appreciate very much the objective eye of the londoner .
     to be continued
     cheers
     Mostafa Morocco

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Hi Mostafa
    
     Thanks for your first impressions. Indeed, it is a shocking story and I share your perception of the narrative technique. The first time I read it I felt as if I was the narrator getting into that car from the airport and seeing everything with stranged eyes. This is a part of the world I have never been too and I think I am not better informed than the character was. I believe this is one of the strenghts of the story, to make us aware of how little you sometimes know about place and situations we walk into.
    
     Let's keep talking :)
     Cheers - Chris

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Dear All,
    
     It's a very moving experience reading "Down the Market". I've learned a lot about Jewish religion values and symbols (The star of David) . It has a lot similarities to our culture (for example, bar mitzvah is rytes of initiation to us) and another example is that of calling "Uncle" anyone older than you not because you have family ties, but we consider it respectful.
    
     The narrative is quite impressive and the author uses many techniques like mentioning movies setting (Indiana Jones), people or groups known by their behaviour(the Union Jack, National Front) to make the reader understand what is not told about in the story. It's like there's a lot for the reader find out for him/herself.
    
     The author gives powerful speeches ("These politicians!") to bring the feelings of characters and build the suspense in the narrative using the characters' point of views, like the author doesn't want to participate or tell us what are the true feelings about the events in the story. Can we merge the boy visiting with the author? That's one question which will make me read the story again!
    
     It's not told this is a religious story, but one might think...
    
     Thanks
    
     Tanguene

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Hi Tanguene and all
    
     I was thinking about your last sentence... The first time I read the story it took me a few lines to realise the context. I hardly ever read the introductions to fiction books because I like the surprise and the thrill of the unknown in a story. However, from the moment you realise the plot involves a Jew boy going to an occupied territory you are kept on your toes waiting for the clash at any moment because we all know about the context and the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
    
     I was talking to a Muslim friend of mine whose family live just on the border with Israel and, after discussing many things, I asked her if she thought that it was everthing about religion after all. She as adamant to say that it is not. She said that most people in her country know that all religions pray for the same things - love and understanding - and that both Muslim and Judaic-Christian traditions have a lot in commom. In her words it is all about 'politics and power.'
    
     Of course if you asked me this question, I would probably give you the same answer - what I thought interesting is that it came from a person for whom this conflict is a part of daily life. I suppose that as long as we can have people in both sides who don't have their views and judgment obliterated by hatred and political propaganda, which uses religion as an excuse for their vicious purposes, there is still hope.
    
     Peace to all.
     Chris

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Dear All,
    
     Thanks Chris.
    
    
     There’s one aspect of my story reading approach I would like to share here, I’ve noticed it after Chris idea of bringing the story close to the real situation and feelings from somebody who belong to the society where the “true” story must be taking place. Though in my reading I’ve always preferred to be away from the real world and people and enjoy it like I only knew the names and places in the story only because I’m reading it. I draw parallels to real situations after I’ve tried my best not be influenced by such “real world” and it makes my reading pleasant. I use this technique only like an approach which prepares my mind to accept the turns in the story and be able to read any story without any prejudice before reading it.
    
     My suspicion of the story being religious was raised by the way Judaism is presented as the story flows, the symbols and pride the characters wear in being Jews. I don’t like the gun wearing some of the characters show, but then it’s in the story and I’ve to read it like the other issues in the story. The culture of Judaism is portrayed in full in the story, but I find the story tricky when I analyze the show and knowledge about Judaism and the reaction of a Jew boy who was being introduced to the values of this religion. Does the boy enjoy being or were the things happening there the ones he was expecting when he thought about being a “true” Jew? This question can be important to the teachings the story might be about to bring to us. You belong to a group, but by the time you see things they are doing you wished you didn’t and you’re no longer proud of belonging to such group. You no longer want to stay; you’ve just arrived but then you’re ready to leave!
    
     In reality nothing can justify violence even people who promote ideas of violence they know that, but then they do it and put people’s beliefs in front to achieve their vanity and obscure objectives behind.
    
     The story brings a culture of people who feel are superior to others (that must be racism) and they use this to justify brutal violence they inflict upon others, and the boy is part of this culture. But then, the boy denies that these values justify violence, he’ cries and is shocked by what he was witnessing and wanted to withdraw immediately. This is not easy to achieve in writing, I only have seen it in reading kinds o John Le Carré spies stories where the top leader of counter-espionage whose job is to stop spies from coming in he/her turn to be the top leader spy.
    
     I thank the author on how he satirizes the events there, how the people try to run and escape the violence, the images of women and children struggle for survival and the boy being the only one character who doesn’t know how to save his soul from this danger. The story telling is live and warm even if we don’t sympathize with what’s happening there. This is talent, and it only belongs to the author!
    
     Tanguene

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Hello, CHRIS & all ELT-Reading Group Colleagues!
    
     It has been a very interesting reading throughout this peculiar story from which I have learnt a lot. I have never been to Middle East but I frequently view the BBC's top stories related to that area of the world. Being recently retired, I think I can spare more time for expanding my readings.
     As for this short story, "Down the Market", we've enjoyed both the narrative and the stylistic devices. The Narrator's experience is touching and gives us a clue for reflecting upon values (social, religious, political).
     It seems to us that the last paragraph resonates in the Jewish boy's memory as a very strong note of his experience "Down the Market".
     Across the narrative the Author uses many comparisons/simile.We've particularly enjoyed the following: " It was a beating, fluttery sound like birds going up into a stormy sky and it was kind of spooky. Spooky but joyful and triumphant."Onomatopoeia is very often used alike. We can remember e.g. kerchunk, kerchunk (imitating the sound of the guns)
     We have certainly added some new words to our vocabulary list...
     Many thanks to you all for sharing your thoughts at this fruitful "intercultural crossroad".
    
     Warmest regards Chris & All colleagues.
    
     Maria do Céu

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

The story is certainly an eye-opener and does give a glimpse into life in the occupied territories.... a glimpse in which the Jews come out as uncouth, heartless, in the role of the Terminator.
     It is a Palestinian perception of the Jews in the occupied territory and it gives the reader an insight into the Palestinian predicament, albeit through the eyes of a Jewish boy.
    
     A very interesting read.
    
     Rahel

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Dear All,
    
     Telling stories is our African way. I sometimes think Africa is rich in its own resources only because her children inherited the story telling abilities. This might not be true, but we enjoy it like that!
    
     I was in holiday in a rural district 80 km away from the capital city (Maputo), and I was looking for something to help me kill time there as I arrived. I looked in my trousers' pockets and I only had with me a copy of "Down the Market" print out. I had no choice but to reread and reread it, what else could I do then. Of course yes, after I joined the young ones there we went for a traditional alcohol drink, a locally prepared stuff.
    
     You know, when you have the time to sit and enjoy a story and at the same time enabling yourself to choose different perspectives and standpoints which suit you at each moment of your rereading, you learn a lot in a single story. I was looking at characters roles and learned we really need to be cautious with all of them. Abe (and his family) are like powerful characters, but then I asked myself how he could have become wealthy - the discription about their house shows they're a rich family in an uneven ground like the setting we’re given in the story (I laughed at the remark on page 7: “How can you let your children – Abe’s children- grow up as murders? You think this is what God commands?” after Ada – Abe’s wife- told the boy that “We were called here five years ago to perform our duty to God and our fellows…” on page 4. It’s satiric and beautiful style the waving of these, isn’t it?). It seems the Arabs don’t talk in this story, and that’s another issue I noticed which influence the unfolding of the story.
    
     One funny thing is that, the men (old and young) of the community I visited they carry these long knives for opening the way (like woodsmen) while walking in the wood (in Portuguese it’s called ‘catana’ and my dictionary say cutlass!!! It’s like a spear you can use for cutting down tree branches kind of thing and they carry these wherever they go and if you’re a stranger you then ask why to they do carry it all the time. I asked a boy about 11 years, and the answer was “in case I find something which blocks my way, I just cut”, and he said it naturaly like that. You soon learn reading is something good as I remembered the characters in “Down the Market” carrying guns with them, like simple things as spades for growing cabbages. They’re proud of carrying their “frightening and dangerous” instruments, but they mean no harm like it looks like in the story (I mean the gun wearing of the characters we see in “Down the Market”). Visiting a community for the first time will always be a challenge.
    
     And, the last paragraph is worth rereading as many times as one can – “the wailing sound from the town” can still be heard though “to me, it sounded like a warning, but I don’t think anyone was listening.” – I can hardly understand the message in this last sentence here, but it sticks in my mind (what does it mean?)
    
     And then, the last thing I made a game, the last one for exploring the story the still unexplored story. I was trying to identify the most beautiful thought or phrase in the story and I was pleased with:
    
    
    
    
     The boy said
    
     “I can’t
     Stop the shakes
     So I stop them
     As it makes worse to try”
     And trying in vain is
     Before such inhuman
     And nonsense violence
     One inflict upon another
    
     I can't
     I can’t
     I really can’t
     Stop the shakes!
    
     Tanguene
    
     It must be the 48th paragraph, page 9; I found this statement very beautiful and made a verse out of it just for celebration!
    
     Tanguene

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator

Hi Tanguene
    
     It's always a delight to read your posts. Thanks a lot for sharing your story with us and also the verses.
    
     *Wailing* is indeed a powerful verb. It is dramatic and dark in every possible way - it brings to my mind the onomatopoeic sounds Maria do Ceu talks about, crying , morning, ambulances, pain. It reminds me the 'wailing shells' in Wilfred Owen's 'Anthem for the Doomed Young.'
    
     You are absolutely right, this is a story to read and re-read a couple of times.
    
     Cheers - Chris

Reply to this message

Alert a moderator