Document Type : Research paper
Authors
1 M.A. Graduate,Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
Abstract
Metaphor functions not merely as a literary ornament but as a cognitive framework that shapes thought and unveils dominant ideologies, thereby illuminating underlying power relations. In Ghazi Al-Qusaibi’s Abu Shallakh al-Barmāʾī, metaphors are employed satirically and multi-dimensionally, serving as both cognitive and critical tools to expose and challenge entrenched ideologies in Arab societies. Using a descriptive–analytical approach, this study identifies central metaphors in the novel and investigates their role in reproducing or resisting sociopolitical structures. The findings reveal recurring metaphors of gender inequality, modern slavery, anti-Semitism, Westernization, and moral corruption. These operate through functions such as modeling, reconceptualization, concealment, and satire to critique Arab social and political realities. By highlighting the contradictions within patriarchal norms, the kafāla system, colonial legacies, consumerist culture, hypocrisy, and self-glorification, the novel encourages reflection on reform and social change. Through grotesque humor and layered imagery, Al-Qusaibi exposes the hidden workings of ideology, transforming literature into an effective instrument of social critique.
Keywords
- Cognitive Metaphor
- Ideological Metaphor
- Ideological Critique
- Abu Shallakh al-Barmāʾī
- Ghazi Al-Qusaibi
Main Subjects
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