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In the passage from the novel The Book of Saladin by Tariq Ali, the author talks about a particular moment in the life of the former Islamic leader Saladin. The piece is written in a first person narrative view and is told through the view of Saladin. The passage talks about Saladin’s youth and how he was at first considered rather insignificant, as he was not the eldest born son in his family hence not much was expected from him. The passage then goes on to talk about how only his paternal grandmother saw greatness in him and goes on to give a recollection of a moment in which he and his friends killed a snake where upon Saladin’s grandmother calls him and tells him about her dream. The passage contains several significant themes …show more content…

The confident tone Saladin uses when he says this shows how he is in control over the situation and hence implying the fact that he is rather powerful. The word choice of the author is also significant in the sense that “normal” implies that this is not the first time Saladin has seen such fear in his subjects and suggests his intimidating figure. This if further emphasized by the caesura in between normal and it. The full stop puts emphasis on the first part of the second sentence hence again further emphasizing the fact that Saladin’s presence in the scene gives out a sign of awe over his subjects. This fear of him can also be interpreted as others respecting him. The theme of power is largely significant in this passage mainly due to the fact that it sets the tone at which the passage is to be read in. The use of this theme is mainly to introduce the protagonist to the reader and to establish the fact that he is a powerful and well respected leader. Lastly, the theme of conflict is also largely evident in this passage. The images of Saladin and his friends attempting to kill a snake is a foreshadowing of his brutal life. “Compete with each other in these foolish things. We would try and grab a snake by its tail and then swing it, before crushing its head on a stone or, as the braver ones among us did, stamping on its head with our feet”. The verb choices of this quotation are largely significant in emphasizing to the reader the

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