Dialectic Between the Self and the Other in Ezzeddin al-Manasserah’s Resistance Poems

Abstract One of the most prominent features of the self, regarding the innate dimension and identity, is manifested through the negotiation and encounter with the other as an effective and opposing element. Cultural and civilized encounter and relationship with the other, firstly depend on the nature of the self, its problems with the other, and on the problems of the society in which it lives. Therefore, the other is reflected and manifested through establishing communication with the self. This communication might be demonstrated in various forms, for instance, a positive and friendly interaction, negotiation and dialogue, or dialectic. Whatever this communication is, it results in leading the self to the manifestation and interpretation of itself.  The poems of Ezzeddin al-Manªsserah are the vast realm of the manifestation and emergence of the self and the other and the interaction and dialectic between them. The reason for this feature of his poems is that he is rejected by his country at a young age and lived in another country for a long time where he had close relationship and interaction with the other and has portrayed various types of the other in his works. In this study, after reading Ezzeddin al-Manªsserah’s poems in the area of resistance literature and through emphasizing on imageological concepts and applying descriptive-analytical method, the image of the self and the other in al-Manªsserah’s works were investigated. The results demonstrated that Ezzeddin al-Manªsserah has depicted the self in three different types, including individual, group, and human, in most of his resistance poems. Particularly, the individual type of the self is manifested more than the other types in his poems. Moreover, he has portrayed the other in two types, namely the stranger and opponent other and the fellow other which is merely in disagreement with the self about beliefs. However, it is important to note that the other has not been depicted vividly and independently in his poems and cannot be addressed.