Department of English Language and Literature

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Open Access
The AFRICAN TRAGEDY IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART
(2017-06) Rima, BENNIA
ABSTRACT Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart marks a very important milestone in African literature. It has received global critical acclaim. The novel dramatizes precolonial and postcolonial Igbo life. Through Achebe’s narrative discourse, one can assume the distinction between the two cultures, the culture of the colonizer and the culture of the colonized, as well as the tragic events caused by the coming of the white man. Therefore, the aim of this research is to study African tragedy in Things Fall Apart. It examines Achebe’s postcolonial counter discourse to express the tragedy of a man and his people. Hence, the first chapter introduces the sociohistorical context of the novel. It sheds light on the different social, historical, and literary contexts that surrounded the writing of the novel. The second chapter involves the narrative discourse and stylistic techniques employed by the writer. The third chapter employs postcolonial literary criticism to approach the novel. Thus, we conclude that Things Fall Apart is one of the major literary and cultural works in the African canon. It explores the destructive aftermath of the advent of the white man, and the tragedy of the hero Okonkwo that implies the tragedy of the whole Umofian society in particular and the plight of Africa and Africans in general.
Open Access
The Arab Spring and the U.S. Democracy Promotion: Egypt as case study
(2017-06) FATMI, Chahra
I Abstract Democracy promotion is considered as a policy that is adopted by many developed countries. It has been used in their foreign policy; one of them is the United States. This latter has pretended to promote democracy to the rest of the world. The present research aims to examine whether the United States is really using this principle to promote democracy abroad, or just to preserve its interests. Also, the work highlights the U.S. intervention in the Middle East during Bush and Obama administrations. This study tries to reveal the contradiction between the U.S. values and interests, taking Egypt as a case study. It sheds light on the Egyptian uprising, which has shown the opposite of what the U.S. has pretended to spread. To investigate the topic, the descriptive method was used. The results of the research show that the relationship between the United States and Arab countries is one of power, and one of achieving benefits. This relation has put U.S. interests first, and applied universal values selectively.
Open Access
Red Skin, White Masks: Culture and Identity in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony
(2017-06) Salima, BENABIDA
This study addresses the relationship between literature and the Amerindian cultural identity in Leslie Marmon Silko‘s Ceremony (1977). The selected novel questions the Native Americans sense of belonging during the mid of the twentieth century. It gives a truthful description of the homecoming war veteran from the Second World War. Tayo, a native soldier, who was deeply affected by his experience in this war, developed a sense of loss due to his fragmented identity as a half-breed. In this multidisciplinary endeavor, we are interested in exhibiting the evils of the white world and the syndromes of hybridity that plagued and troubled the Natives‘ life. The dissertation examines Silko‘s Ceremony from both stylistic and the thematic angles. The first chapter deals with the socio-historical context of the novel. It inspects the status-quo of the Native Americans and the events that surrounded the process of writing this literary text. Besides, the second chapter, attempts at illustrating Silko‘s usage of the Indian Oral traditions as a main structuring element. It tries also to explain Silko‘s politics of language in using the power of the written word; i.e. this part aims at inspecting and clarifying Silko‘s stylistic strategies. The third chapter examines the psychology of the oppressed Native Americans, namely the war veterans who were forced to wear the White mask. As well as, it illustrates the power of the acknowledgment of the past in healing the future through exhibiting the impetus of the Amerindian culture and its paramountcy in the modern world.
Open Access
Radicalism in the Republican Party. Case study: Donald Trump
(2017-06) DILMI Samah, METTAH Hayat
Abstract In its early days, the Republican Party favored a large government to end the institution of slavery and ensure a better life for all Americans without regard to race .Over time, however, the party’s policies changed and Republicans championed a small government. Additionally, the party witnessed the emergence of extreme groups such as the Radical Republicans who represented the far left wing and the Neoconservatives who embodied the far right wing. Donald Trump, the current president of the United States who belongs to the far right wing has been the appropriate example to depict the rise of the radical voice in the party. In the present study we try to answer questions as what were the main shifts in the Republican Party's principles ? and what were the reasons for the rise of the new radical Republican Trump ? . The ultimate aim of the study is to analyze the factors that paved the way for the emergence of some radical voices in the party, especially the factors that helped Trump’s rise and thus the far right wing. The analysis shows that Trump gave birth to many radical ideas and that the main reasons behind the success of Trump are the effectiveness of his message and common people’ hatred to American politicians.
Open Access
Christian Dogma and American Modern Feminism
(2017-06) Saadi Oumama, Gasmi Lamria
Abstract Feminism is a belief that refers to social, political, and economic equal rights and opportunities between male and female that started in 1960’s and lasted until 1980’s. Religion has been one of the most powerful institutions involved in shaping people’s beliefs, attitudes, values, and behavior. Few scholars, however, both in China and in the United States, have ever focused on this topic. This thesis studies feminism in relation with religions, it specifies with Christianity as a main subject for this work. It contains the necessary information to understand how feminism as new movement is constructed with Christianity which always considers patriarchy as a central element in the life of Church. However, it seeks to show the way Church treats women in the old and modern era and the Bible's view on them, it also presents the roles women played to achieve their God's satisfaction whereas in Church, in their families, with their husbands, relatives and in the whole community. Besides that, this thesis provides the achievements that some women figures realized through politics, religion as well as literary writings. This piece of research relied most on two methods: the historical and descriptive approaches.
Open Access
The American Foreign Policy towards Iran during Obama’s Presidency (2009-2017)
(2017-06) HAMOUMA, Chahrazad
Abstract The United States of America (U.S.A) presented itself as the worldwide power which interfered in the internal affairs of many countries such as Iran. Iran was considered as a threat to the international security due to its enrichment of the nuclear program, this made the US adopt several policies for limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The current thesis presents a comprehensive investigation and analysis about the bilateral relationship between the US and Iran. The purpose of this study is to analyze the foreign policy adopted by Barack Obama towards Iran, examine the effectiveness and the outcomes of his policy, and compare his policy towards Iran with some previous president’s policies. This research uses the historical and analytical approaches for collecting and analyzing data. The study findings revealed that Obama adopted some strategies that focused primarily on imposing political and economic sanctions against Iran, but later on he shifted to the strategy of negotiations and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. In addition, the study indicated that Obama could elaborate a direct engagement between U.S and Iran that made the relation between the two countries better; thanks to the “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action”, which legitimized the use of the nuclear weapons only in peaceful conditions. Moreover, the study revealed that the policy of Obama which relied also on the power of engagement and negotiations was better compared to Clinton and Bush’s policies; this is due to the fact that the previous policies were more confrontational.
Open Access
Shaping the African American Dream through Langston Hughes’ Poems “ I Too” and Let America Be America Again
(2017-06) Samia FEREDJ, Soumia CHADDADI
Abstract This dissertation is intended to examine the concept of the American Dream which is prevalent in the body of Langston Hughes poetry. It analyses the historical background about the relationship between the American Dream and the African American Dream. Moreover, this study attempts to analyze Hughes two poems '' I Too'' and '' Let America Be America Again'' focusing on the different issues that faced African American people when fighting to fulfill the American Dream; racism and inequality that divided the American society . In order to answer the research questions of this project, a New Historical approach in addition to Critical Race Theory are to be used. The results of this study show that Hughes is a representative of the twentieth century America as well as a brave spokesman of his African American culture. As a poet, Langston Hughes succeeded in shaping the African American Dream. This research however, attempts to prove that Hughes hope is to change America to the best and to revive the promised glories of liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed by the American Dream.
Open Access
Thesis Submitted to the Department of English in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master Degree
(2017-06) Djaalab Fatima Zohra, Guendouz Biya
Abstract This work studies George Orwell’s visions of dictatorship in his Nineteen Eighty Four’s novel. Since this research deals with the upheavals of social class struggle, the appropriate approach to apply is the socialist. This latter is based on Marxist literary theory. The aims behind identifying these authoritarian visions are to highlight the negative dimensions of dictatorial regimes and to emphasize their deep influence upon the mass. This research is significant because it raises the readers’ awareness of the contemporary government’s conformity not only to control the physical and concrete aspects of people, but rather to master their psychological and cognitive orientations till they become its property. It can be also a starting point for many researchers, engaged in the same field of our interest, in terms of comparing this interpreted fictional world with today’s world.
Open Access
The Arab Spring in Syria and the Human Rights’ Violation
(2017-06) Oumessaad, BERKANI
Abstract The Arab world has witnessed a series of civil wars since 2010 in which citizens started their uprising for the concept of human dignity .In this thesis, Syria was the chosen model because of the brutal crackdown and the massive human rights’ violation held in its terrain. In 2011, Syrians were inspired by the success of revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt. They began their demonstration peacefully then it was transformed into an armed conflict .The results of this bloody struggle were and still immense .It led to the flow of immigration to neighboring countries .Meanwhile, the Syrian war has become a hot issue that pushed the external forces to intervene and to find the routes toward a possible resolution. The main purpose of this research is to shed light on the violations and crimes against humanity. To do so, the descriptive method seems more appropriate to explain the circumstances of the war and to describe the human rights’ violation in Syria. The conduction of this research helped us to conclude that the world’s attempts toward finding a solution to the Syrian ongoing civil war are still taking place, and the Arab Spring was just a motto since the Syrians have not achieved any success up till now. Thus, the Arab Spring seems to be as an Arab Winter for Syria.
Open Access
The US Cultural Diplomacy after 9/11 Case study: Fulbright Program
(2017-06) Dalila, BOUSSEFSAF
i ABSTRACT This dissertation deals with the US cultural diplomacy after 9/11. It tackles the evolution of United States‟ cultural exchange programs from the Cold War until the present time. It focuses on the period after 9/11 attacks. The significance of this study lies in demonstrating the role of cultural diplomacy in empowering the US foreign policy after 9/11 attacks which were considered as a turning point in the US history. Selectively, the largest educational program, Fulbright, is chosen as a case study. In addition to that, this work also shows the aims of the cultural exchange programs, including the US achievements through Fulbright program, as well as its benefits for other countries. This examination revealed that the Fulbright program could strengthen the US foreign policy through its educational exchange activities with other countries. That is, changing attitudes towards United States, mainly in Muslim countries like Pakistan and Indonesia.
Open Access
The Feminine Divine: The Black Madonna in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code
(2017-06) Khadidja AKRIB, Selma BENIA
Abstract Today, the Feminine Divine returns into the scene in different domains such as arts, media, music, movies, and literature. The Feminine Divine or the Sacred Feminine becomes a new trend in contemporary literature. Different authors start to challenge the traditional representation of the divine and give a new radical representation of divinity. Sue Monk Kidd and Dan Brown are among those authors who give a new representation of the Divine in their works. This dissertation is intended to examine the how Kid and Brown have represented the Feminine Divine in their novels The Secret Life of Bees and The Da Vinci Code. In addition, it also analyses the new role of women in the novels. In order to find answers to the research questions, the analytical approach and feminist theology are used. The result of this study shows that in both The Da Vinci Code and The Secret Life of Bees the divine was represented as feminine. For The Da Vinci Code, the divine is represented through Mary Magdalene a female character, while in The Secret Life of Bees the divine is represented through the Black Madonna a female and black character.
Open Access
Bella’s Stereotyped Role through Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight
(2017-06) Abir, KHELIFI
This dissertation examines the restoration of the patriarchal system, along with woman’s oppression and psychological repression through Twilight, a story written by the American novelist, Stephenie Meyer. This scrutiny is significant in the fact that it brings to the surface patriarchal oppression of a protagonist inscribed in the world of vampirism. Throughout the story and from feminist and psychoanalytical point of view, the protagonist Bella Swan is apparently restricted to a feminine role, including her appearance, her thoughts, and her behaviours with males. Then, she is exposed to the consequences of the classical gender role. She is physically, economically, and psychologically oppressed. Therefore, this examination aims to analyse the character of Bella and show the disparity between her and her lover, Edward Cullen. Moreover, this research intends to exhibit the negative impacts of patriarchy, regarding the Otherness and the psychological oppression of Bella, individually and socially. To achieve these goals, this study called for two theories: the feminist standpoint of Simone de Beauvoir’s the Second Sex which helps identifying Bella’s gender alienation in a male dominated society. In addition to the Freudian psychoanalytical perspective that studies the function of Bella’s psyche, as well as her traumatic psychology which is induced by her inferior status. After investigation, it has been revealed that Bella is inhibited by her stereotypical female role. She is physically and psychologically oppressed. In other words, she is subjugated in a patriarchal world
Open Access
When Fiction Affects Reality: Tacit Religious and Political Dogmas in Lois Lowry‟s The Giver
(2017-06) BELAROUI Thameur, AZZOUZ Hamza
Persuasive writing presents the writer's opinion explicitly and tries to convince the reader to agree with them. However, there is another kind of writing which tries to spread tacit information for the purpose of affecting the reader‟s thoughts and promoting a cause or point of view. This kind of writing is widespread in novels of fictional nature where novelists employ many psychological and linguistic techniques to make their novels amply meaningful and subject to many interpretations by their targeted readers. Fictional writings can, therefore, serve as a vehicle to convey positive or negative implications to the targeted readers for the purpose of persuading them, informing them, or entertaining and sharing experiences or feelings with them. This can be achieved only with the help of a set of appropriately employed linguistic and psychological tools. This work is an attempt to uncover and categorize those psychological and linguistic tools used in fiction through the qualitative analysis of a young adult fictional novel taken as a case study, namely Lois Lowry‟s The Giver (1993). By revealing those psychological and linguistic tools, we will be able to detect any possible dogmas behind the text. However, we are to put much emphasis on the religious and political dogmas due to their importance in forming the individual and collective ideologies. This thesis, therefore, might help founding a scientific basis for interpreting fiction and answering the question of how fiction can affect peoples‟ reality.
Open Access
Racial Preconception in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
(2017-06) Sabah, Farrah
The present research examines the Whites’ racial preconception that grew up strongly against the African-Americans in the county of Maycomb, the state of Alabama, during the Great Depression, through Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. In effect, this thesis endeavors at shedding light on the victimization of the mockingbirds that are innocent and harmless characters but they receive an unfair treatment in the prejudiced society of Maycomb. Actually, this society is full of wrong assumptions and gossip opinions that turn eventually to be the truth that everyone believes in. The dissertation, therefore aims at portraying the atmosphere of living in Maycomb community during the Great Depression; depicting the Whites’ preconceived treatment and victimization of the Blacks; insisting on the awfulness of killing mockingbirds and destroying their innocence; delving into the main causes of racial preconception and shedding light on their effects on the main characters; pointing out the basic morals and ethical lessons learnt from the novel.Besides, this research raises the following questions: who are the mockingbirds in the novel and why are they considered so? What are racial preconception aspects in the novel? What are the causes of racial preconception and their impact on the characters? To what extent did the novelist Harper Lee contribute in shaping the American reality in Alabama, the state of America, during the Great Depression through her novel? And, what are the models of moral and ethical behaviors in the novel? In addition, in this research the Critical Race Theory and Marxist Theory will be adopted. This study is divided into two main chapters. The first chapter tends to put the novel into its socoihistorical and literary contexts, as well as, providing a theoretical background for the theories will be applied in the next chapter. The second chapter puts the novel into practice.
Open Access
American Women’s Oppression in Sylvia Plath’s Novel The Bell Jar
(2017-06) BELHADDAD, Hassina
V Abstract The aim of this work is to discuss the notion of female oppression in literature by looking to The Bell Jar. In order to discuss this notion we looked to the representation of female oppression in literature and the different cultures represented in the novel during the 1960s. The Bell Jar represents the American cold war history with regards to female gender identity by looking to the madness of the world. It investigates the struggle of women to achieve personalized identities. Feminist and psychoanalytic theories are employed to assess strategies of female identity formation by looking to the psychology of the protagonist of the novel Esther Greenwood. Furthermore through using those theories different models of sexuality and female dissatisfaction are defined as illnesses treatable by psychology. In this context, Esther search for a self with whom she can identify becomes the novel’s main question to follow her mother advice or to accept living in the patriarchal society dominated by the man.
Open Access
A Journey into the Realm of Human Destructiveness in Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho
(2017-06) Ahlem CHAIB, Yamina GHALEB
This dissertation explores the complexity of human’s psyche and its destructiveness in Bret Easton Ellis's novel American Psycho. The selected novel , which belongs to the serial killer genre, offers the reader an opportunity to enter into the world of psychopathic serial killers through the novel's anti-hero Patrick Bateman; the echo of human destructiveness. The novel reveals numerous realistic facts about American society and culture at the end of the twentieth century which were characterized by the collapse of ethics and values. The novelist aims at criticizing the consumerist culture that resulted in people’s preoccupation with superficial matters, loss of identity, and the decay of ethics. Eventually, such conditions drove them to deviant behaviors such as violent crimes. Hence, in addition to the twisted nature of human psyche, we can argue that this kind of culture paved the way for the emergence of the remorseless serial killer Patrick Bateman. The novel of American Psycho is studied both thematically and stylistically. Indeed, literature is one of the best means to deepen our understanding of human psyche and cultures and that takes us beyond our limited personal experiences. Therefore, due to the fact that literary works cannot be fully appreciated without reference to their historical contexts, the first chapter of this study is devoted to the sociohistorical context that frames Ellis’s selected novel. This chapter demonstrates that several facts about the author’s life experiences and the American yuppies have oriented his literary production. Besides, the thematic study is presented in the second chapter of this dissertation; it is split up into two main sections to emphasize that human beings are complex creatures with good and bad aspects; however, when societies encourage the bad aspects, they can be turned into evil monsters. Last, the third chapter captures the complex architecture of violence and brutality that were presented in a narrative production.
Open Access
CULTURAL AND IDEOLOGICAL PERCEPTIONS OF THE OTHER IN KHALED HOSSEINI'S THE KITE RUNNER
(2018-06) Amel BOUGUERRA, Aicha Nour El Islam MAADADI
ABSTRACT Afghanistan has suffered brutal civil war in addition to foreign invasions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and 2001 U.S invasion . These political and historical instabilities cost Afghanistan a cultural and ideological misconception by the west . It is largely depicted by western writers as the land of terrorist , barbaric, and cultureless people . Khaled Hosseini tried to manipulate these perceptions in his debut novel The Kite Runner through an intensive portrayal of Afghanistan's culture , ethnicity, religion and society within a historical context . In this dissertation , we address the question of how Khaled Hosseini could make westerners rethink Afghanistan and its people and eventually an impact on their cultural and ideological perception of the Other. The dissertation provides a vivid analysis of the Kite Runner's orientalist aspects, characters , and portrayal of extremism as well as the way it bridges west and east worlds. This analysis goes in parallel with the study of the novel's historical context spanning from monarchical to democratic Afghanistan . The study focuses mainly on how the Kite Runner as a New-Orientalist narrative could influence the western public's Understanding of Afghanistan's culture and people . Key
Open Access
The Enduring Effect of the British Imperial Policies on South Africa
(2018-06) Miss SOULEF AICHOUCHE, Miss MINATUE EMBOIRIK SAMBA
Abstract This work highlights an important historical event, the colonization of South Africa by the British who settled there at the beginning of the 18th century with the intention to civilize and Christianize the indigenous people. But in fact, and with the discovery of gold and diamond, they dehumanized them from their vital rights when they applied their cleavage imperial policies which deeply affected the nation politically, socially, economically and culturally. British rulers formed a white government that represented Britain in its drastic measures-Hence many coercive illegal laws were implemented on the blacks in their working places, in schools, in factories and in their health system. The most marking traits were Segregation and Apartheid which were considered the landmarks in the South African history because the Africans who thought that they gained independence, had found themselves struggling a long term discrimination age of apparent and racial seclusion.
Open Access
Colonial Evils: Cultural and Ideological Conflicts in Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God
(2018-06) Miss. Ilhem DJAALAB, Miss. Safia FREDJ
ABSTRACT Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God is a notable landmark in the African literary canon. It is met with global critical plaudits for moving the historical narrative of Achebe's trilogy forward. The novel dramatises the predicament of an Igbo tribe, namely Umuaro, caught amid the demands of two colliding cultures, and explores how the advent of Christianity to Eastern Nigeria destroys the infrastructure of the traditional faith. Therefore, the aim of this study is to cast light on the cultural and ideological conflicts and the evils brought upon the Igbos by the British colonialism. It examines Achebe's postcolonial discourse to account for the tragic experience of Umuaro clan and the downfall of its cultural life. Hence, the first chapter highlights the socio-historical realities that surround the writing of the novel, while the second chapter involves the application of postcolonial literary criticism to analyse the major themes of the work. Thus, the epilogue of Achebe's trilogy openly reveals the trauma that follows the coming of the white man, and the tragedy of the protagonist, Ezeulu, that implies the tragedy of the whole society of Umuaro in particular, and the plight of the African continent in general.
Open Access
EFL Teachers’ and Learners' Attitudes towards the Use of ICTs in Speaking Lessons The Case of Second Year Pupils at Baarir Mohamed Secondary School Ain El-Melh, M’sila.
(2018-06) Ammar AZZOUZ, Nour el houda BEN CHOUIKH
Abstract With the current trend in our daily activities, the use of technology has emphatically affected our life. This research work was done primarily to examine what attitudes teachers and pupils have about ICTs in use in EFL speaking lessons in the specific level of second year secondary school pupils in the province of Aïn el-Melh, M’sila, Algeria. In this study two collection tools have been used: an interview for teachers and a questionnaire for pupils. Through the course of this research and using the survey method of the descriptive approach, we have distributed thirty (30) questionnaires among pupils of second year (of a total population of 60 pupils) and interviewed five (5) teachers of English (of a total population of 8 teachers). In order to achieve objectivity and reliability, our choice of samples was based on total randomness and anonymity. The results showed that the majority of teachers and pupils have positive attitudes towards the use of Information and Communication Technology in EFL speaking classes. The results of this study are significant in that they give much attention to teachers’ and students’ as perceptions towards the use of ICTs in the development of a specific language skill in contrast to most previous studies which focused mainly on examining the ways in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are used by teachers or learners in a general manner. Teachers are invited to transform their teaching techniques through the use of ICT in the classroom to fit the accelerating needs of the pupils. Course designers are also expected to update syllabi and render textbooks more suitable for the current trends of developing educational technology. Furthermore, the government should ensure that all teachers receive adequate training.