Description in the Biography "Snake Sand: Biography of Ketziot Anṣār Detainee 3" by Al-Mutawakkil Ṭāhā

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the technique of description in the biography of Al-Mutawakkil Ṭāhā " Snake Sand: The Biography of Ketziot Anṣār Detainee 3," which served as a vivid example of creativity born from the crucible of suffering in the depths of prisons, the darkness of Israeli occupation cells. It examines how the description evolves from one scene to another based on the psychological state endured by the author and the detainees. Research Problem: The biography was written under difficult conditions that differ from those of other literary works, conditions experienced by the prisoner in the darkness of cells, which imbue it with unique psychological dimensions, harsh challenges, and aesthetic illuminations. All of this is accomplished through the use of descriptive techniques to establish time and place settings, present characters, and capture actions, visions, dreams, and marvels. The research used a descriptive-analytical methodology to study the description and its manifestations in Al-Mutawakkil's biography. It yields several key findings, including: The author focused on describing the oppressions of the occupier in the setting represented by their confinement in desert prisons, turning these places into hostile territories. The prison became a place that shackled the author, physically and psychologically, confining them to a specific spot within it, devoid of the freedom to move even between different sections of the prison. The author emphasized describing antagonistic places, such as detention centers and prisons, while also highlighting attempts to adapt and humanize them.