He published his first book in 2000. Zabiba and the King quickly became a best-seller in Iraq.
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| The original cover |
Unfortunately, Zabiba is married to a cruel and heartless husband, who grows angry about her close relationship with the king. One night as she comes home, he rapes her in a fit of jealously. The king then declares war on the husband, and the ensuing battle is long and hard but ends in a victory for the king.
The purpose of the book goes beyond telling a story. It is full of propoganda. Saddam used the story of the heroic king and the evil husband as an extended metaphor of Iraq's relationship with the United States. All the characters in the book serve as symbols for deeper political meanings. Zabiba represents the Iraqi people, the king reflects Saddam, and the evil husband is of course, the United States. Saddam paints himself as a loving king with genuine concern for his people, while he evokes emotions of hatred and disgust for the United States using the husband. For instance, when Saddam agrees with Zabiba to "become a living particle of the people," he is countering accusations of him abusing human rights and restricting freedom of speech.
The complete storyline of the book ultimately serves one purpose. It is an appeal to the people, calling them to stay on his side. Saddam promises in his book that even in troubling times, the people can always turn to him as a compassionate and loving father.
If you happen to be interested in checking out this book, there's an English, translated version selling on Amazon.
Metaphors are interesting ways of presenting arguments. They allow you to present your ideas abstractly and part of a bigger picture. This is a really unique way though of demonstrating the relationship between the United States and Iraq. Cool to see the complexity of the interaction shown as a storybook.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that this book existed! I agree with John that metaphors are often a good way to present an argument. Sadaam Hussein's story functioning as Iraq's relationship with the U.S. seems to be intelligent but also a scary piece of propaganda.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone's analysis. Metaphors allow you portray an argument in an understandable format, leaving the reader to decipher the underlying meaning for himself or herself. It is a clever way to state your opinion on something. Metaphors usually give people room to consider the other opposing side, however. But in this case, Hussein's idea was clearly to state, one "true" side that people should follow.
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