Yamina Benguigui's Inch'Allah Dimanche (2001) : Phenomenon of Algerian Migration


Cultural Studies: Transnationality, Globalization, and Postcoloniality
INCH’ALLAH DIMANCHE (2001): PHENOMENON OF ALGERIAN MIGRATION



Introduction
This writing is composed as an answer to A Cultural Studies: A Practical Introduction by Michael Ryan and Hanna Musiol about issue caused by migration that is represented in French/Algerian Film entitled Inch’Allah Dimanche (Inch’Allah Sunday) released in 2001 by Yamina Benguigui. As a recollection of her childhood experience, this film portrays issue, as it is narrated in the very beginning scene, about Algerian families’ life, in France after World War II in which the government recruited massively North-Africans, Maghrebins, mostly from Algeria. Back then, French was in a big need of labor force as it caused men’s immigration. But the law did not allow them to bring their families. In 1974, Chirac’s law stopped the continuing migration and promoted a “Family Reunion” in which wives and children were given permission to join their husbands and fathers.  Benguigui indirectly shares her own story to the film how she and many Algerian women manage their live in French community and survive from diversities. This film somehow best represents transnationality, depicted through character, as a result of migration—main reason and globalization, and postcoloniality issue.
Discussion
A.    Plot Summary
In 1974, the French government promoted the “Family Reunion” that enabled Algerian men working in France to bring their families to legally join them. Inch’Allah Dimanche is started by Zouina (Fejria Deliba) who is miserably says good-bye to her friends and family in Algeria. With full of hope of new life she goes to France with her three children and mother-in-law to live together with her husband. Despite feeling new atmosphere freely, this voluntary migration has indeed put Zouina somewhere between tradition and modernity.  Ahmed (Zeniden Soualem), Zouina’s husband, forbids her to leave the house. In the film, Zouina is physically abused by her husband and emotionally attacked by her mother-in-law (Rabia Mokeddem) who is verbally abusive. They abuse her when she does what they think is disaster. Madame Donze (France Darry), Zouina’s neighbor, who is so obsessed with winning the prize for the best garden cannot that easily give her sympathy to Zouina. She and her husband in some ways have prejudice toward Zouina’s family. On the other sides, Nicole (Mathilde Seigner), a divorcee and another Zouina’s neighbor who works in a makeup factory and Madame Manant (Marie-France Pisier), Zouina’s acquaintance whose husband died in Algeria, accept Zouina, and helps her embrace French culture and other new stuffs. Time flies. Zouina finds herself struggling between traditional Algerian values and modernization of France. In France she lives in a prison. But Zouina then finds her one and only day of relief in Sunday – a day when Ahmed and his mother are out of the house.
B.     Tension between Traditional Culture and New Global Culture as  A Main Effect Caused by Migration
Phenomenon of migration somehow will give effect of culture shock to the immigrants as they will practice cultural routines that are not probably practiced in new place (nation) they live. Inch’Allah Dimanche depicts Algerian Immigrants’ way of life in which the depiction is well disposed to Algerian Muslim traditionalists—a stereotype.
We can see through characterization of Zouina’s mother-in-law. She comes up as a very powerful figure and a way too domineering. It is been shown how she keeps telling Zouina what to do in a very harsh way. Her mother-in-law represents a burden tradition. The old tradition can also be seen in Zouina’s disastrous visit with Malika, another Algerian family in France. Zouina’s good intention to ask Malika to celebrate Eid together ends up with Malika’s anger.  There, Zouina finds Malika is still dominated by her husband, finds tradition that a daughter’s marriage should be arranged, finds that leaving out house without husband is like a person sent by a devil. Both mother-in-law and Malika are stereotype of Mediterranean women who perpetuate Algerian tradition and reject integration of culture.

The way Ahmed, Zouina’s husband, treats her is a way abusive and represents patriarchy system by Algerian Muslim family. Ahmed may potentially feel that Zouina’s hijab or veil will identify her as a threat by other community as this decision leave Zouina to not to leave the house. We may also find Ahmed is threatened by Zouina as she is able to read while he is not. When he finds that Zouina gets a book he brutally hits her and destroys the book. Unfortunately the same thing happens at the same time when he finds that Zouina hides cosmetics given by their neighbor Nicole.
   This oppressive situation has made Zouina want freedom. She deep down prefers French or modern culture to oppressive culture from her own origin country—a transnationality issue. Her rebellion starts from the way she goes out the house on three Sundays on a row, her interest to listen to the Radio program—the same thing as Madame Donze’s, her anger toward mother-in-law and her fight against Madame Donze.
C.    Postcoloniality Issue
Back then in early 20th Algeria was one of France’s colonies. Around centuries of colonialism Algeria reached its independence day on 1962. Inch’Allah Dimanche represents postcoloniality issue in two small portions. First, in Algerian side many of them make a living working as a labor which is in the film is represented living a life poorly. They still endure discrimination. When Zouina fought against Madame Donze, a French police is well disposed to have reconciliation toward the Donzes instead of Zouina’s family. Even a French passer-by asks the police to stay away from Algerian family. On French side, era after war has left a bad memory to Madame Manant who loses her husband, Colonel Henry missing in the mountains of Kabylia, Algeria. The feeling of losing family member makes Madame Manant feel sympathy to Zouina and helps her to find another Algerian family.
Conclusion
            Inch’Allah Dimanche (2001) by Yamina Benguigui is a French/Algerian Film that represents the phenomenon migration of Algerian. In 1974, the French government promoted the “Family Reunion” that enabled Algerian men working in France to bring their families to legally join them. This voluntary migration in some ways put the main character Zouina in a corner—the difficulties of migration, integration, and impossible sense of independence. The migration causes Zouina in a place between traditional culture and modern life. Traditional culture is best shown by the characterization of mother-in-law and Malika who portrays a stereotype of Mediterranean women who perpetuate Algerian tradition and refuse integration of a new culture—French culture. Some scenes best describe patriarchy system of Algerian Muslim. Transnationality is best described in a way Zouina still insists herself to embrace new culture since it promotes freedom and happiness. She loves going out, trying make-up product, reading book about women sexuality, listening to the French radio program—a power of globalization that will result in modernity.  Postcoloniality issue in this film is shown by Algerian family who is still under injustice and discrimination in France. But, thing goes differently characterized by Madame Manant whose husband, Colonel Henry, who was missing and probably dead in Algeria. The feeling of losing family member makes her sympathy to Zouina who wants to find Bouira family, another Algerian family.

References
·         Benguigui, Y. (Director), & Deraïs, B. (Producer). (2001). Inch’Allah Dimanche. Film Movement: USA
·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch’Allah_Dimanche accessed on June, 9 2014 at 12.36 p.m.
·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Algeria accessed on June, 18 2014 at 12.29 p.m
·         http://www.filmmovementcanada.com/downloads/press/InchPressKit.pdf accessed on June, 9 2014 at 7.48 p.m.
·         http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3cevans/fre397/InchAllahDimanche.pdf accessed on June, 9 2014 at 7.49 p.m.
·         http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3cevans/fre397/IN_InchAllahPresentation accessed on June, 9 2014 at 8 p.m.

Shakespeare's Sonnet


ANALYSIS OF SHAKESPEARE’S SONNET

Wikipedia;
"A sonnet is a poetic form which originated in Italy; the Sicilian poet Giacomo Da Lentini is credited with its invention.[1] The term sonnet is derived from the Italian word sonetto (from Old Provençal sonet a little poem, from son song, from Latin sonus a sound). By the thirteenth century it signified a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme and specific structure. Conventions associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history. Writers of sonnets are sometimes called "sonneteers", although the term can be used derisively."




a.                  Meaning (What is the poem about?)
To interpret the meaning I think it is better off categorizing them based on quatrain (a group of four lines) for the first three quatrain and couplet (2 lines) and then paraphrasing them.


Paraphrasing



We want to create something fair, raise and grow something beautiful, So the beauty of nature will not fade and disappear
Someday someone or people will pass away, There should be heir or successor

But you only think of your own beauty, You are obsessed of beauty in life
You make yourself suffer while you can actually be happy, You are an enemy of yourself, too cruel to yourself

You are now a young person in the world, As appears beautiful and pleasant
You bury your own beauty without sharing, Turning you into unpleasant and wasting time
 
 Do what the nature wants (by having successor or heir) or you are regarded as greedy and selfish and grave takes your beauty in your death



Poem Meaning:
This poetry is somehow about selfishness and greedy. It is addressed to young and beautiful man to have a family so there is always a new generation to continue bloodline. It is shown by “From fairest creatures we desire increase, that thereby beauty's rose might never die, but as the riper should by time decease, His tender heir might bear his memory” Young person is considered as generation who bring life better as associated with spring which denotes new and pleasant situation (Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament, and only herald to the gaudy spring). By having family and children he can share his love and his children will continue his generation. But this man seems to have narcissistic side in which in the poem he is described as a very prideful man who is obsessed with his own beauty and keeps wasting time, (Within thine own bud buriest thy content, And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding). He himself is strongly recommended to get married so he can share his memory and joy to others instead of being single for the rest of his life burying his memory alone and regarded as selfish and greedy (Pity the world, or else this glutton be, To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.)

b.                  The form and the organization of the poem (How does the poem organization into its stanza signify the organization of ideas put in the poem?)
Cambridge states that Sonnet is a poem with 14 lines, written in a particular pattern. Like in the first question, Sonnet is usually divided into four groups called quatrains. The first three quatrains consist of four lines and use an alternating rhyme scheme. The final quatrain consists of just two lines which have same rhyme known as couplet. Each quatrain should progress the poem as follows:
1.                  First quatrain: An introduction the subject in the sonnet. Shakespeare introduces a man as this poem is addressed to as a subject that lacks of heir. He is asked to have a family so the children can continue his bloodline. Somehow Shakespeare symbolizes this young man with womanly attribute like beauty’s rose which is unique since there is no woman is mentioned in the poem.
2.                  Second quatrain: Introduction of the sonnet’s theme. Shakespeare describes this young man as a selfish which contribute to the theme of the poem. This young man is praised by Shakespeare with his beauty of physical body (bright eyes) but by having the gift this young man starts building a selfish and excessive self-pride and tend to avoid reproduction. Shakespeare represents him as a young man of candle-like who is burned by its own flame (self-pride) that leads to famine (incomplete and unhappy) instead of abundance that is why he is literally an enemy for himself.
3.                  Third quatrain: It strengthens the sonnet’s theme. The theme of selfishness and greedy is strongly constructed in this stanza. In the beginning, the young man is considered as potential young man as "Fresh" may refer to new, young, and beautiful and "Now" refers to the young man soon should be the heir or should have family and children to inherit the bloodline. The young man brings life and growth similar as spring. But the young man choose to keep his beauty (bud) and life to himself, instead of letting the world see his beauty blooming as he describes wasting time.
4.                  Couplet: It may refer to a conclusion to the sonnet. The couplet concludes a young man with a threat of a miserable death and emptiness without heir or successor to carry on legacy if he chooses not to have a family. The way the speaker says to this young man is both threatening and praising at the same time so Shakespeare develops paradox pattern in this stanza. So the man may be considered as the beloved one as he is described with beauty’s rose, bud, spring, and tender all in good way but still is insisted in a bad way to follow the nature to bear a child to have an heir or successor.

c.                   Sound devices that make up the poetic composition (accent, rhythm, foot, meter, rhyme, stanza form, diction, assonance, onomatopoeia, alliteration, repetition) you find in the poem.

1.                  Stanza Form
Cambridge states that Sonnet is a poem with 14 lines, written in a particular pattern. Like in the first question, Sonnet is usually divided into four groups called quatrains. The first three quatrains consist of four lines and use an alternating rhyme scheme. The final quatrain consists of just two lines which have same rhyme known as couplet.
     
First Quatrain with number of lines: 4.
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
Second Quatrain with number of lines: 4.
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel
Third Quatrain with number of lines: 4.
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding

Couplet with number of lines: 2.
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

2.                  Rhyme
The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB / CDCD / EFEF / GG.
First Quatrain with Rhyme Scheme: ABAB
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
Second Quatrain with Rhyme Scheme: CDCD
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel
Third Quatrain with Rhyme Scheme: EFEF
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
And only herald to the gaudy spring
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding

Couplet with Rhyme Scheme: GG
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.

3.                  Rhythm, Foot, and Meter
Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter, according to Mugijatna a poetic meter with 10 beats or syllables (five pairs or feet) per line made up of five alternating unstressed and stressed syllables. So the rhythm of the poem goes from the stressed syllables, so it’s like ba-Beat! ba-Beat!
From fair! | est crea! | tures we! | desire! | increase!
That there! | by beau! | ty's rose! | might ne! | ver die!

4.                  Diction
Shakespeare deliberately reflects unique diction in which some expressions are different from the lexical meaning (figuratively constructed). The expressions consist of praise and threat. For example he expresses the bloodline with beauty’s rose which reflects the appraisal and idolatry of the speaker and the young man. It is supported by showing his tender heir, thine bright eyes, and world’s fresh ornament. The riper means the old people or old generation who needs young to set the world better as the young man is described with spring which is the most waited and pleasant situation.
The speaker also concerns on the young man to continue his bloodline but ends up criticizing that the young man is so selfish and stubborn choosing to be alone and threatening him if he still buries his own bud (which may refer to his semen, a material in baby formation) and not want to have family and children he will suffer from famine (emptiness) instead of sharing abundance (happiness) and end up by beauty swallowed by grave (death).
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