Write a 5 page essay on A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family.Download file to see previous pages... In light of these developments, Munif humorously presents his major targets in the s

Write a 5 page essay on A Review of Cities of Salt and Running in the Family.

In light of these developments, Munif humorously presents his major targets in the story. Despite the common belief that the American influence counts as one of these targets, he satirically dodges the presence of the foreigners by depicting them as aloof to the local culture by virtue of their literal confinement to the fenced-off neighborhood (Munif 81). The local Arab elite is depicted as ignorant of the pressing issues that affect their people due to their mesmerism by the American resources. For instance, towards the end of the book, Munif satirically depicts the Harran’s leadership as blind and easily fooled by trivial things like an American telescope and radio. Munif (288) portrays these technology items as playing an important role in the subsequent incursion of the foreigners into the society’s very core, a development that results in the society losing its vital unity of Harran and fundamental Islamic principles and beliefs. How the local core values were lost is simply laughable.

The realistic stories surrounding the lives of the Americans and the Arab kleptocracy is embedded on satire. Munif (330) manages to reveal these previously untold stories in a humorous and more captivating manner to the readers than the gloomy portrayals of the local peasants who were forced to migrate to shantytowns by the foreigners. As such, irrespective of the side of life one finds themselves in, Munif restates the common fact that economic and technological revolution nearly often creates a miserable life for some people.