Carlos Montemayor

Dr. Sharity Nelson

English Composition 1301 - 124

15 November 2022

Rhetorical Analysis of Arab Science Fiction Article

On 1 October 2020, Emad El-Din Aysha published an article on ReOrient, A journal

focused on critical Muslim studies. The article talks about orientalism and women in science

fiction films. Orientalism is the depiction of the Eastern world typically written or interpreted by

someone from the West. This article aims to argue for a new Arab-Muslim science fiction to

combat orientalism in Western science fiction. This essay argues that Aysha’s article is effective

in achieving this purpose due to using experts with significant credentials, citing many examples

of science fiction works, and willingness to use explicit language.

Aysha’s article uses the rhetorical strategy of referencing works written by experts with

significant credentials in either Orientalism or science fiction. Aysha uses Edward Said’s concept

of Orientalism as a focal point for the article, as shown in the various examples he uses

throughout the article. Edward Said invented the term and study of Orientalism which, in simple

terms, is a flawed depiction of Eastern cultures by the West. Said never explicitly stated his view

on whether or not he was against Orientalist culture; instead, it posed a negative view of both the

East and the West. His theory on Orientalism is the skeleton of Aysha’s article and the backbone

of all his claims. Aysha cited two other credible sources, Dr. Marie Lathers and John Carlos

Rowe, which both expanded upon Said’s theory on Orientalism. Lathers wrote a book exploring

the place of women in Western science fiction and Orientalist motifs. She dove into women’s

fundamental role in science fiction, where they typically support their much stronger male
partner. John Carlos Rowe dealt with sexuality and political paranoia in American pop-culture

works. Rowe stated that in eastern countries, it is common to greet others with a kiss on the

cheek and be more affectionate than the Western audience is used to, which is why in many

films, Eastern individuals were portrayed as more effeminate than their Western counterparts.

Aysha cited many more sources that all came to a similar conclusion, Orientalism exaggerates

Eastern cultures and negatively portrays them. Some authors, such as Aysha, propose a new

Arab-Muslim science fiction to combat Orientalism in modern-day science fiction.

Aysha cites credible sources to build trust with the reader. These sources are experts in

their field and are an effective strategy to build credibility. This is an example of the author’s use

of ethos to support her argument.

This article uses other science fiction works as examples to show how prevalent

Orientalism is within the science fiction genre. From movies to books, the author uses a variety

of examples of Orientalism to illustrate his point. As a result of their incorporation of

Orientalism in both negative and positive ways, movies such as Blade and Blade Runner are

discussed. There are several examples of the harmful use of Orientalism in books such as Out of

the Coffin and The Living Dead. Aysha mentions these examples in her article. Several works

presented in this article have incorporated Orientalism during numerous decades, the earliest of

which is 1927's Metropolis (Aysha 3). Aysha even gives examples of Arab works that fall into

the Orientalist narrative and favor the Western ideal. These examples appeal to the audience's

sense of logos. This is because they can reason that the sheer number of these examples proves

that Orientalism is a much larger problem than expected. This is why it needs to be confronted.

The author of this article cites a lot of science fiction works as an example to show

readers just how standard Orientalism is in movies, from antique films from 1927, such as
Metropolis, to modern films, such as Blade (1998). This information effectively informs the

reader just how widespread Orientalism is.

The author uses examples of explicit language present in books and films, which include

Orientalist themes. Many of these examples fall under John Carlos Rowe’s area of study. He

believed that anxieties evident in Orientalism are over male sexuality. The following examples

are greatly exaggerated compared to what John Carlos Rowe was referring to, such as the book

cited by Aysha, The Last Ramadan, where the protagonist, Ibrahim Khali, performs disturbing

acts, which the author details extensively. An example of the Orientalist themes present in this

book is shown when the protagonist enters a room with two bulky men who seem to admire how

“well-developed” he is in a non-sexual way, the author of the book states. This admiration gives

Khali a slight erection. That example is the least explicit of the ones detailed by the author.

Aysha mentions these disturbing, graphic examples to draw attention to how the East is depicted.

In the same novel, the author describes the protagonist spying on a young boy masturbating with

an uncontrollable urge to sodomize him, even though he is as heterosexual as they come. These

themes are common, though less exaggerated, in science fiction. They harm the public’s opinions

on Eastern cultures, which is why a new, Orientalist-free science fiction is necessary, Aysha

argues.

The article presents many examples of graphic language to further inform the reader of

how Eastern cultures are being represented. This convinces the reader that Orientalist themes are

primarily negative and that the author’s argument should be supported.

On 1 October 2020, an article regarding Orientalism was published in the ReOrient

journal. It argued that a new Arab-Muslim science fiction must be made to combat Orientalism

and provided many good and evil Orientalist themes in science fiction through the ages. The
author cited examples from the 1920s to modern-day science fiction. Aysha also cited many

credible sources, such as Edward Said, who initially proposed the theory of Orientalism.

Additionally, the author cited other professors and researchers who expanded upon Said’s theory,

such as Marie Lathers and John Carlos Rowe. They studied different branches of Orientalism,

like Rowe, who studied the anxieties over male sexuality. Aysha also uses examples of vulgar

language in novels with Orientalist themes to emphasize the extent of Orientalism. All these

factors effectively convince the audience that Orientalism should be combated against and that a

better approach to Eastern cultures is necessary.

 Work Cited

Aysha, Emad El-Din. “Science Fiction by, about, and for Arabs: Case Studies in De-Orientalising

the Western Imagination.” ReOrient, vol. 6, no. 1, 2020, pp. 4-19. Academic Search

Complete, https://doi.org/10.13169/reorient.6.1.0004. Accessed 20 October 2022.