Significance of Time and Change in “Half a Day” DK DF 11th Grade

Time is the scarcest resource and it affects society and people by causing extremely major changes either positive or negative; time is as well indefinite and continuous. In “A Streetcar Named Desire”, the readers face and observe the considerable changes of the old south to the new south, in addition to Blanche’s change to a promiscuous woman as her husband died and time passed. In “Half a Day”, Naguib Mahfouz portrays the changes taking place universally and around every single person by focusing on the modifications that the narrator and the city of Cairo are undergoing. This is illustrated through the use of imagery and symbolism as well as characterization and irony.

To begin with, both imagery and symbolism enhance the readers’ view on the message delivered in “Half a Day” about time and change. The visual imagery of the landscape before the narrator goes to school is viewed first in the text. The streets that the narrator walked to go to school are described as “lined with gardens; on both sides were extensive fields planted with crops, prickly pears, henna, trees, and a few date palms”. The author uses these … to symbolize the fresh, natural, and peaceful environment of Cairo that the boy is enjoying before arriving to...