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Macbeth

In: Historical Events

Submitted By cbusa
Words 608
Pages 3
Cody Busa
Mr. Volding
English IV
13 February 2012
The Thief and the dogs Essay #2 Said is unable to accept a reality in which people treat others with kindness. Instead, he insists to see every interaction as a potential trap. Said’s initial interaction with Mr. Bazaya demonstrates his paranoia, hatred towards Illish and lack of rational judgment. Once again as Said converses with the Sheikh, he ignores the Sheikh’s advice and further demonstrates a lack of good judgment. Lastly, as Said receives viable work solutions from Rauf, he instead chooses to ignore him and return to a life of crime. Said lacks all forms of rational judgment, that then in turn cause him to lash out at those trying to help him, make poor personal decisions, and return to a life of crime. Said's insistence upon spurning the kind gestures of the people he interacts with demonstrates that he is an emotionally damaged character who's thoughts of revenge clouds rational judgment.

Said's paranoia becomes revealed through his thoughts as he interacts with Mr. Bazaya. Said thinks that "So the bastard has friends. He'll know right away what all these greetings are about. You're probably peeking at us through the shutters now, Illish, hiding like a woman" (Mahfouz 16). Not only is there a sense of paranoia present in Said’s thoughts, but also his opinions of Illish are clearly presented as full of hatred. Illish’s betrayal of Said causes Said to seek revenge, which in turn results in his judgment becoming impaired. Consequently, Said’s actions and behaviors towards those around him lack good judgment and rationality.
Said’s unwillingness to follow the Sheikh’s sage advice demonstrates how his judgment is both irrational and illogical. As demonstrated by Said’s interactions with the Sheikh, he is unable to listen to the instruction given to him by others, even those of his superiors. The Sheikh’s recommendation to Said to "Wash and read the verses: 'Say to them: if you love God, then follow me and God will love you' and 'I have chosen Thee for myself'” go unnoticed by Said (32). Furthermore, Said is unable to accept the Sheikh’s advice as helpful because his judgment is not only tainted with irrationality, but also blurred with a sense of revenge. If Said had followed the Sheikh’s advice to contemplate and reflect his actions while reading the Koran, then he may not have continued on his destructive path to seek revenge and return to his criminal past.
Said further shows his lack of good judgment through his interaction with Rauf. As they discuss Said's desire for a career, Rauf suggests to him a variety of admirable jobs. Unsurprisingly, Said’s unambitious attitude towards Rauf’s suggestions, "'So I have to choose something menial?'" reveal his lack of willpower to better himself (45). Said’s poor judgment especially reveals itself through the use of the word ‘menial’. Though Said feels Rauf’s job suggestions are boring and unentertaining, they are better than his past life of crime and can lead to a better life from Said. Consequently, Said’s choice to return to his old ways rather than work for his wage clearly demonstrates his lack of work ethic, motivation, and logical judgment. Said makes an irrational decision to discount all the rational advice given to him by his counterparts. Consequently, Said’s initial poor judgment to not listen to the advice given causes him to make even more irrational decisions. These irrational decisions are a result of Said’s destructive path to seek revenge, and consequentially result in his return to a life of crime.
Work Cited
Mahfouz, Naguib. The Thief and the Dogs. New York: Anchor Books, 2008. Print.

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