Repetition in the Poetry of Antarah ibn Shaddad "Critical Reading in Cultural Patterns"

Abstract

Cultural reading examines texts as part of a broader social, political, and cultural context. The repetition of names or phrases in texts from this perspective serves various functions and meanings that differ according to the context and cultural environment. Thus, repetition is not merely a rhetorical device or a phonetic phenomenon; it is a means of conveying deeper cultural meanings. This research will explore the cultural patterns underlying repetition in the poetry of Antara. The researcher has identified two main influential patterns behind the repetition in Antara's poetry: the pattern of humiliation and the compensatory pattern. Accordingly, this study is divided into two sections: one focusing on the humiliation pattern and the other on the compensatory pattern, which includes several sub-patterns. A descriptive-analytical approach is deemed most suitable for the nature of this research, with cultural criticism being the method applied in reading the texts.

The study reached several key conclusions, including:

• The cultural reading of repetition in Antara's poetry reveals the dominant patterns that emerged from the two phases of his life: during his state of slavery and afterward.
• The humiliation pattern is the most influential in Antara's life and poetry.
• The compensatory pattern manifests in several sub-patterns, all of which are reactions to the humiliation pattern.