THE ARAB PSYCHE

Tribal System

During the pre-Islamic era, the tribe was the primary social and political unit of the Arabs. The primary function of the
clan structure was to defend its members, whether right or wrong. Correspondingly, the tribesmen devoted themselves
to protect their collective honor and they obeyed the dictates of their tribal elders. A pre-Islamic poet eloquently
expressed this unquestioning loyalty as follows: I am nothing but a member of my tribe. If it goes astray, I will too, and
if it follows the right path, so will I. The Holy Quran preached strongly against this blind loyalty and the destructive
prejudices which resulted. The Word of God decreed a better criteria to differentiate between people, being their
devotion to Islam.

Practical Knowledge and Science

The Arabic culture of the pre-Islamic era did not invent the sort of complex mythologies and creation myths which
characterized ancient cultures such as Greece. The classic framework of philosophy and rhetoric which the Greeks
developed was therefore far from the more mundane considerations of the early Arabs. The tribal lack of advanced
urban centers meant that schools of specialized intellectual skills did not develop. The pre-Islamic Arabs were either
villagers, pastoralists or traders, who existed with the less effete goal of simple physical survival.

The Need for Revenge

Pre-Islamic Arabs were adamant about the unquestionable law of revenge. In their view, a disgrace must be avenged, no
matter what the consequences. One of their poets expressed this cultural fixation thus: I shall wash disgrace with the
edge of my sword, no matter what this may bring about. In this context, the pagan tribes believed that if the murder of a
kinsman went unavenged, a bird named 'al Hama' would come out of the victim's skull and hover over his grave
shrieking "Satisfy my thirst!" This would be the victim's demand to avenge his death and to quench his terrible thirst
with the blood of the murderer.

A People of Eloquence

The early tribes did not commonly express their artistry with architecture and statuary. Instead they gloried in the
intricacies of their splendid Arabic language. The tribes loved eloquent speech and the expression of their folk wisdom in
clever proverbs. Story-telling and recitations of poetry were standard features of the social gatherings of both hathar
and bedouin.

The Character of Respect

For a tribesman to hold his head high among his fellows during the long epoch of the pre-Islamic period, he had to
display certain elements of character which were highly valued in his culture. These qualities included courage,
generosity, integrity and pride. An unfortunate aspect of the life of both hathar and bedouin was a condition of constant
insecurity. Attack from hostile forces could take place at any time. For members of the tribe, courage was imperative if
family and property and honor were to be defended. Audacity therefore came to be a highly regarded attribute,
whereas cowardliness and fear of the enemy was a disgrace.
 The Emergence of Islam

The Word of God was revealed to mankind in the year 610 AD. The message brought by the Prophet Mohammed, peace
be upon him, introduced drastic changes to the political, social, intellectual and cultural life of the Arabs. The teachings
of the Holy Quran were a blunt instrument to suppress the cruder aspects of the Arabic culture, and a fine instrument to
uplift their better selves. The revealed system was complete, as it established all of the laws necessary to regulate both
personal and political life. Islam instilled in the Arab the high ideals and holy fire which enabled the miraculously rapid
expansion of the Muslim world. Such is the power of the word of God! The Revelation of the Word had a powerful
impact on the Arab psyche

1. What are the clans of the Arabic tribes? What are their similarities and differences in terms of origin and
characteristics?

2. Explain briefly the Arab trait of the need for revenge. When was this Arab mentality changed? How?

3. What personal and political progress did the Arabs gain after they had embraced Islam as a religion?

4. After knowing the history and the present condition of Saudi Arab, what insights can help you better understand them
as a people

PROPAGANDA DEVICES
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or
position by presenting only one side of an argument.

Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in
audience attitudes. Propaganda is intended to make us accept or approve something without looking closely at the
evidence. Most of the propaganda devices utilize emotion and avoid critical thinking. Here are some of the common
propaganda devices:

1. Card Stacking: The strategy of showing the product‘s best features, telling halftruths, and omitting or lying about its
potential problems. Ex. Drug manufacturers do this frequently in ads in which they skim over the possible harmful side
effects of their products. Facts are Selected and presented which most effectively strengthen and authenticate the point
of view of the propagandist.

2. Name calling: The use of names that evoke fear or hatred in the viewer. The namecalling technique links a person, or
idea, to a negative symbol. The most obvious type of name calling involved ―bad names.‖ Ex. Racist, dictator,
communist, etc.

3. Plain Folks: The use of everyday people to sell a product or service. Speakers and ads appear to make the person to be
―one of the people.‖ Ex. America‘s recent presidents have all been millionaires, but they have gone to great lengths to
present themselves as ordinary citizens. Bill Clinton eats at McDonalds. Ronald Reagan chops wood.

4. Glittering Generalities: The act of referring to words or ideas that evoke a positive emotional response from an
audience. Virtue words are often used. Ex. Food products will quickly label their foods as low fat hinting that they are
more healthy, when, in fact, the product might be high in calories. Advertisers will sometimes give an incomplete
comparison like ―better tasting.‖ Better tasting than what? Spam? Dirt?

5. Soft soap: Flattery or insincere compliments designed to get the audience on the side of the speaker. Ex. "I love
visiting you folks in Bohol where the people are wholesome, hardworking and family centered. You all know what works
in your province better than Metro Manila."

Study the following situations. Each contains a propaganda technique/ device, identify the device used. Write your
answer after each situation.

1. "Sen. Ramos is a tax and spend liberal." "Pres. Santos is an elitist who's in the pocket of big oil companies."
2. "Secure, safe and stable. That's the advantage of a Togofa. No other car on the road is as reliable."
3. Bar charts of differing tax programs presented side by side.
4. No true Filipino would vote to take away our rights by outlawing hunting.
5. "Don't let those bunny huggers take away our right to hunt."
6. If you want to spend the night at a friend's house and you tell your parents that your friends parents will be home,
that you'll be in bed by 10pm, and that your friend isn't allowed out of the house after dark, but fail to mention that
your friend is allowed to watch "R" rated movies (if your parent's don't allow them).
7. Juan dela Cruz needs you to fight all the bullies in the world!
8. Buy Coca cola now in new King size bottle!
9. It‘s a great honor talk to the talented students, the cream of the crop! This new batch of graduates will definitely bring
a difference in our country. Congratulations!
10. A brand of snack food is loaded with sugar (and calories). The commercial boasts that the product is low in fat, which
implies that it is also low in calories

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES Conditional sentences play a very important role in English grammar. They express a
condition and its result. There are three types of conditional statement in English:
1. Open conditional statement - refers to a future event which is conditional on another future event.
Ex. If you eat too much, you'll get fatter. We won't finish in time unless everyone works fast.
This also describes one potential state of reality or circumstance which is dependent on something.
Ex. If the temperature falls below zero, it freezes. If it rains, everyone gets wet.
2. Open hypothetical conditional statement - refers to a possible future situation which depends on another possible
future situation.
Ex. If you ate too much, you'd (you would) get fatter.
If I went to London, I would / could visit the British Museum.
3. Unfulfilled hypothesis - refers to a situation which an event might have taken place, but did not, because a condition
was not fulfilled.
Ex. If you had eaten too much, you'd (you would) have got fatter.
If I had gone to London, I could have visited the British Museum (but I didn't).

Activity 22: SENTENCE COMPLETION

Use the correct form of the verb in the parentheses. Form a Conditional sentence – type 3. Mind the position of the if-
clause.
Example: I ____________ (to bake) a cake if I _________ (to know) that they were coming. Answer: I would have baked
a cake if I had known that they were coming or I‘d have bought a cake if it I‘d known that they were coming.

1. If it ____________ (to be) warmer, we _______________ (to go) swimming.

2. My parents ___________ (to buy) this house if the man ______________ (not/to sell) it to someone else.
3. If he ______________(not/to fail) his driving test, his parents _____________ (to lend) him their car.
4. If my uncle ____________ (to tell) the way to his office, I ____________ (not/to arrive) so late.
5. She ____________ (to be) at the airport if she ___________ (to read) the message carefully.
6. Lucy ___________ (not/to hurt) her foot if she ____________ (not/to drop) the old box.
7. If you ___________ (to use) a sharp knife, you ____________ (not/to cut) yourself.
8. If Victoria ____________ (to celebrate) her birthday at home, I __________ (to bring) her some flowers
9. We ___________ (to take) the train to Edinburgh if it _____________ (to run) on time.
10. If Max ____________ (not/to forget) my school bag, he ___________ (to give) you your USB flash drives.

Exercise 6: Hebrew Literature: A Short Story

BIBLE: THE STORY OF RUTH
The book of Ruth contains an interesting story about a Moabite woman who was redeemed into a Hebrew family. The
book may have been written by Samuel and was probably penned during the time of David.

A Dreadful Time in a Strange Country

Because of a famine in Israel, a Hebrew family moved to Moab. This was a country not far from Israel on the east side of
the Dead Sea. The family was from the city of Bethlehem -judah in Israel. Elimelech and his wife Naomi had two sons,
Mahlon and Chilion. Each of them married a wife from Moab. In time Elimelech and his two sons died which left the
three widows in Moab.

A new beginning
After her husband‘s death, Naomi planned to return to Bethlehem-judah to be with family. She prepared to leave her
two daughters-in-law. However, they begged to be able to go with her. She said that she had no more children and even
if she were to marry again and bear sons that the two daughters would not be able to wait for them to grow up. She
planned to return to Israel alone and empty.

True love and selfless giving

One of the daughters-in-law, Orpah, returned to her people in Moab. The other daughter-in-law, Ruth, said that she
would stay with Naomi. It was during this conversation that Ruth said these words which have become the basis for
many Christian wedding vows: ―Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou
goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou
diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.‖
Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem-judah together. Naomi was financially and emotionally despondent, but her
family and friends accepted her with joy. One land owner Boaz, notices Ruth and asked his workers to be kind to her and
leave plenty of grain for her and her mother-in-law. As they had no money and no men to take care of them, Ruth went
into the fields to gather whatever grain she could. One land owner, Boaz, noticed Ruth and asked his workers to be kind
to her and leave plenty of grain for her and her mother-in-law. He did not know at the time who Ruth was, but out of
kindness he chose to care for the new stranger in their land. Ruth returned to Naomi and told her about the generous
landowner. Naomi asked about the man and was pleased to learn that it was Boaz. Boaz was a near family member of
Elimelech, her late husband. This meant that Boaz had the opportunity to take Naomi and Ruth into his care as well as
free them from their financial debt.

A husband Ruth
Naomi instructed Ruth on how to ask for Boaz‘s help in the matter. She approached Boaz and asked him to become the
kinsman-redeemer for them. Before Boaz could accept the care of these two ladies he had to negotiate with another
kinsman for the privilege. This other man was closer to Elimelech and therefore had the responsibility to care for the
ladies. This man chose not to exercise his duty for their care which left Boaz with the opportunity to buy them out of
their debt and take Ruth as his wife. Boaz and Ruth were married became the great-grandparents of King David.
 Psalm 23 A psalm of David

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name‘s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
1. Who is the author of this psalm? What are the three main points of the psalm?
2. How does David describe the physical and the spiritual necessities provided by the Lord?
3. What is the author‘s purpose of writing the psalm? What is manifested in his character as he wrote this verse? What
does this tell us of the Israeli character?
PROCESS QUESTIONS:
COMPLEX AND COMPOUND-COMPLEX SENTENCES IN COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN Communication is a process
beginning with a sender who encodes the message and passes it through some channel to the receiver who decodes the
message. Communication is fruitful if and only if the messages sent by the sender are interpreted with same meaning by
the receiver. Communication breakdowns often occur in school and in our personal relationships, for various reasons.
And the effects of failed can be very damaging. Information overload can be one of the reasons for this problem. And
using complex and compound-complex sentences can help fix the problem.

Complex sentences combine one dependent and one independent clause through the use of subordinating conjunctions
such as because, though, as, while, if, etc.; these are also known as dependent adverb clauses. Here are two complex
sentences as examples. Notice how the two sentences are similar in meaning to the two compound sentences.
Though it's not available, I'd like to read the book.
Janet is going to a meeting after she has visited her grandparents.
Remember that the dependent clause can be placed at the beginning or the end of the sentence. When placing the
dependent clause at the beginning of the sentence, use a comma. Compound complex sentences are sentences that
contain two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
I would like to read the book which was written by John Handy, but it's not available.
Jane is going to a meeting after she has visited her grandparents who live in Boston.

Use subordinating conjunctions (though, if, when, because, etc.) to connect the sentences to make one complex
sentence
1. Susan teaches the kids who live in the neighborhood. They meet in the evenings after she comes home from work.
___________________________________________________________________
2. Anthony told us about the assembly of the products. Unfortunately, he didn't tell us about where they were made.
___________________________________________________________________

3. The doctor wanted to prescribe physical therapy, and he asked me to see a specialist. He recommended Dr. Smith.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. The eagles attract many tourists. They live in the local mountain range. Unfortunately, the politicians still refuse to
protect them. _____________________________________________________________________
5. I don't like the food. The staff prepare the food. I also do not like their unfriendly attitude.
_____________________________________________________________________
What makes an Israeli? A peculiar mix of joie de vivre, arrogance, aggressiveness, fear, claustrophobia, plus a whole lot
more. Living in Israel is one continual encounter with the Israeli character, stereotypically labeled as the ―sabra,‖ the
cactus that is hard and prickly on the outside, but mushy and sweet on the inside. But the Israeli character is far more
complex than the stereotype. Arrogance, well yes, most Israelis are convinced they are the best and they aren‘t shy
about letting you know it either. Not that they brag, rather they tend to put others down, leaving themselves in the up
position. I have a friend who is an airline pilot for Southwest who desperately wants to make aliyah – yet he can‘t get a
job with El Al because even though he has thousands of hours of experience flying airliners for major American carriers,
El Al hires IDF helicopter pilots with 1,000 hours before they hire him. Why? Because of a combination of that arrogance,
the Israeli Air Force way is clearly the best for everything, and the ―clubbishness‖ that goes with this superiority
complex. As to aggressive, well, this is a trait for which Israelis are famous. One of the challenges of getting by in Israel is
that if you are not aggressive you are perceived as a ―freier‖, which is a Yiddish term for sucker. The next trait on Elon‘s
list, fear of another Holocaust, is also real. But remember, just because you are paranoid, does not mean that they are
NOT out to get you. Ahmadinejad may be a nut case, but he is a nut case who is the head of state of a country.
Claustrophobia, yes, that comes with living in a very small country. Israel is more or less the size of New Jersey. If you
lived in New Jersey and on one side the borders with New York and Connecticut were sealed, and the border with
Pennsylvania was one you could technically cross, but it didn‘t feel particularly safe to do so because people there didn‘t
like you, you too would probably feel a little claustrophobic. In Israel we enjoy an attitude of living in a frontier. Maybe
some of the arrogance comes from living in a place that the rest of the world treats as important. There is more
terrorism

1. What four major traits characterize the Israeli as a people? Explain each briefly.
2. What is the sociological background of the arrogance of the Israelis?
3. What does ―freier‖ mean? When is one considered such?
4. Incorporating the terms, Jew, Hebrewn, Israelite, describe the Israeli psyche and temperament as reflected in their
reading and viewing texts.
5. What is the purpose of the writer for exposing his essay to the worldwide web?
6. What does ―blog‖ mean? Why do people create blogs?
7. Is it all right to make blogs or to comment on people‘s blogs?
8. What should be the appropriate behavior of a blogger so that he can freely yet responsibly express his ideas and
thoughts without being difficult and being in trouble?

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names,
images, and designs used in commerce. Footnotes are a conventional way to tell your readers where you got the
information and quotes that appear in your paper. Your goal is to make it easy for your readers to see what sources you
used -- and easy to find any that they might want to study further. To do that, you need to provide complete citations in
a consistent citation style. http:// history.hanover.edu/courses/handouts/footnotes.htm

Printed Resources How to footnote a book:

1 Ronald Takaki, Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th-Century America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 113.
or:
2 Ronald Takaki, Iron Cages: Race and Culture in 19th-Century America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990), 113.

When the book is edited: 3 Edward Chiera, They Wrote on Clay, ed. George C. Cameron (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1938), 42.

How to footnote an essay in a journal: 4 Samuel M. Thompson, "The Authority of Law," Ethics 75 (October 1964): 16-24.
How to footnote an article in a newspaper: 5 "Amazing Amazon Region," New York Times, 12 January 1969, sec. 4, E11.
How to footnote a work of art (in this case, a painting): 9 Larry Calcagno, Landscape, 1970