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Literature and Media: A Study of Stoning of Soraya M.

Conference Paper · July 2017

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 Literature and Media: A Study of Stoning of Soraya M.

Dr. Purnima Bali1

Abstract:

The word media is derived from the medium which is intended to address large number of people all round the
world. Media was earlier used in respect of books and newspapers only but with the advancement of technology, it
now encompasses movies, radio, television and internet also. In the modern scenario, media is playing an important
role in the strengthening of society. On the other hand literature also plays an integral part in the creating and
shaping the opinions of public in positive manner. Literature and media are interlinked in some or the other way.
Both reflect the realities of the contemporary society in relevant perspective and when the text is transformed into
the movie format then people relate to that quite easily and effectively.

This present paper throws light on the importance of media in relation to literature with the reference to Stoning of
Soraya M. The text was written by Freidoune Sahebjam (a renowned international reporter), which was later on
transformed into movie directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. After being the text converted into movie, its effect enhanced
and was spread all over the world. The present paper will explore the real incidents of Soraya M. in Iran along with
the endeavours made by the director and actors during the making of the film. The focus will be on women
empowerment and their position in the world especially Iran. The role played by media in determining the place of
women in society will also be elaborated upon in detail in the paper.

Key Words: Literature, Media, Contemporary Society and Globalization.

Introduction:
Media and literature are the both sides of a coin which are related to each other somehow. The
meaning of literature cannot be understood completely outside of the specific medium of its
transmission. “This realization can be considered a revolution in literary studies, and its
fundamental ramification is the confluence of literary studies and theory with media studies and
theory. The fields of media studies and theory are dedicated to the analysis and understanding of
the myriad media through which information is communicated. Under the influence of these
fields, the media through which the literature is communicated is no longer considered secondary
to the literary content or form, but deserving attention in its own rights” (Egginton &
Wegenstein). The literary forms are deeply influenced by the form of media which is prevalent at
that particular time of their publication whether that is print media or audio-visual one. The
literature gets more influential and powerful through media; moreover it gets deserved
recognition all around the world.

1
Assistant Professor (English), Faculty of Management Sciences & Liberal Arts, Shoolini University, Solan,
Himachal Pradesh (India). E-mail – balipurnima8@gmail.com, purnimabali@shooliniuniversity.com

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Media and Literature:
Media has an important role to play in every aspect of life. It is a medium through which
information can be communicated in the easiest way possible. Media theory is basically related
to the actual functioning of the media and how it influences the mind set of people:
Marshall McLuhan, considered by many to be the father of media studies,
initiated the revolution in media studies with his declaration that “the medium is
the message”. Although his was not the only theoretical practice to do so,
McLuhan’s insistence on regarding the medium as a primary rather than
secondary focus on analysis was a key factor in a general movement in
humanistic and social sciences to redirect attention to process, social context,
performance and other ostensibly secondary or non-essential aspects of texts or
artifacts. (Egginton & Wegenstein)
The new media theory is largely dependent on digital technology rather than analogue one which
utilizes binary code to transmit information. The information which has been archived in this
format is further recomposed in another format which is suited to the consumers. The media
theorists who are also concerned with literature strongly support the change in the system how
the literature is written and how it is read thereafter. Moreover the literature has become the
another name of images. Writers and Readers both perceive the writing as images. Jean
Baudrillard has rightly suggested the relation between text and images:
From the moment we are in the front of the screen, we no longer perceive the text
as text, but as image. Thus writing becomes a bona-fide activity in the separation
of the text from the canvas, of text and image – never in its interaction. Likewise,
the spectator becomes an actor when there is a strict separation between stage and
audience. Hence everything concurs nowadays, for the abolition of this gap.
Heyday or end of the spectator? (146)
In the present scenario, the author is no more just an author. He/she has the capacity to add
various unique elements into the text through the technology which enhances the quality of the
writing. The readers get connected to the author through their imaginative powers hence the texts
are more relevant and have the strength to change the mindset of people around the globe. “In
principle, the notion of world literature today finds its most relevant expression in infinite digital
space. Goethe argued that national literatures depict different forms of human existence and that

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these fictional representations should be adopted for mutual returns resulting in an interplay that
in turn would determine a new world” (Albrow 428). In the age of new media and digital space
this notion of world literature changes to a situation where: “In the global society globality
shapes the frame for all social relations. Globality is indeed not simply the outcome of the
interaction between social groups, be they nationally or internationally oriented. This is the big
difference to the situation, Goethe had in mind” (Albrow 432).

Stoning of Soraya M.:

The issues are strongly dealt with by the media from the very beginning. The position of
women on the social platform has always been the burning topic in the media. “A woman’s
attempt to self-discovery leads her to interrogate that she has not been only born as a woman
rather she becomes one. Her true identity is smothered by pervasive, dominant and oppressive
patriarchal culture which pushes her and assigns her a place away from centre to periphery of
existence” (Bali 264). Stoning of Soraya M. by Freidoune Sahebjam (Paris based journalist) is
such a text which elaborately narrates the story of Soraya who became the victim of the brutality
in Iran. It happens rarely that a woman speaks out for another woman, breaks the silence, stands
up against the injustice and narrated the true story to a journalist so that the whole world can hear
to them. The stoning of Soraya M. published in 1994, unfolds the true tale of Soraya by Zahra
Khanum. Zahra narrates the whole story of stoning of her innocent niece (Soraya) in public by
the men to the journalist, Sahebjam. He comes to know about the conspiracy of Soraya’s
husband with local mullah to accuse Soraya to infidelity. In the absence of proof, all male
tribunal declares her guilty and punishes her to be stoned.
This story would have been ended here like so many other ones but the courageous Zahra
makes it public to the world and Cyrus Nowrasteh (director of the movie) feels moved by the
text deeply and converts the text into a powerful cinema. He says: “When I read the book, I
thought, if this is really happening all round the world, someone needs to shine a light on it,
somehow the world has to become more aware about it”. He further adds: “At its core, this is a
story that is very relatable, because it is about a conflict between a man and a woman and you
connect to the characters in an emotional way as husband and wife”. These situations take place
all over the world at certain point of time. While the adaptation of the movie all the
characterization has been done accurately from the Soraya and Zahra to Ali (Soraya’s husband),
Mullah, Mayor Abrahim to children of Soraya.

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 Conclusion:
Due to the non-reporting of the incidents, the actual figures of such cases can not be found out
but the rough report suggests that over 1000 women have been stoned to death for marital and
sexual violations in the name of honor killings, in number of countries including Iran, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan etc. The events depicted in
The stoning of Soraya M. are likely to inspire people to know more about stoning and
persecution of women all around the world. In 2002, the United Nations Congress condemned
stoning: “women around the world continue to be disproportionately targeted for discriminatory,
inhuman and cruel punishments”. There are bad people in every culture and there are the good
ones also who are always striving to do the right things. The question is: who will be the part of
the crowd and who will stand up against the injustice?

Works Cited
Albrow, Martin. “Auf dem Weg zu einer globalen Gesellschaft?” Perspektiven der
Weltgesellschaft. Ed. Ulrich Beck. Frankfurt : Suhrkmp, 1998. (411-34).
Bali, Purnima. “Portrayal of Women Characters in Rabindranath Tagore’s The Garden”. The
Criterion An International Journal in English.Vol. 5. Issue 5. 2014. (264-266).
Baudrillard, Jean. Tela Total. Mito-ironias da era do virtual e da imagem, Porto Alegre, Sulina,
1997. Print. [Series of articles published in the Persian Journal Liberation, where he
reflects on the epistemological consequences of the so-called age of the image]
Egginton, William and Wegenstein, Bernadentte. “The Impact of Media on Literature”.
Comparative Literature: Sharing Knowledges for Preserving Cultural Diversity. Vol. II.
(1-7). Print.
Hayles, N. K. “Translating Media: Why We Should Rethink Textuality.” The Yale Journal of
Criticism. 16(2), 2003. (263 – 290).

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