International Journal of Language & Literature

Sonallah Ibrahim and Martin Amis: The Quest for Self in the New Market Trends
Dr. Khaled Abkar Alkodimi, Dr. Noritah Omar

Abstract
Forbes Magazine, in its recent annual report of the richest people in the world for 2014, listed the top eight richest Arabs from Egypt.3 This very much contradicts the current critical socio-economic situation in Egypt where the majority of population is below poverty line. This paper draws on Marx perspectives to analyze Sonallah Ibrahim and Martin Amis’ satiric attitude of such contradictions, in their respected societies. Its primary concern is how Ibrahim and Amis make use of certain rhetorical devices to mock the ‘increasing consciousness that social position is made rather than merely inherited’, in late capitalist society, characterized by inequality, oppression and corruption. I would argue that the market system that prevailed in Egypt during this period of Arab history played a central role in widening the gap between the rich and the poor people of Egypt. The study concludes that Ibrahim and Amis, whose satirical perceptions have their roots in a Marxist critique of capitalism, have provided a dissident voice for the cultural dominance of the open market economy and its ramifications, and have critically utilized certain critical means to show how market system has redefined divisions and social identities.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v3n1a23