The Phoenix Rises: Archetypal Mythology Renewal in Dunya Mikhail’s poem ‘The Iraqi Nights’
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.9.4.P2.17Keywords:
Dunya Mikhail, The Iraqi Nights, Jungian Archetypes, Hero Archetype, war, Exile, Myth and ModernityAbstract
This research paper explores Dunya Mikhail's poetry "The Iraqi Nights" through the lens of Carl Jung's archetypal psychology. In this poem, classical myths and their symbolic symbols have been recreated in the broken land of modern Iraq, which is broke separate by war and exile. In this poem, the image of the traditional hero goes away in place of a more difficult figure who carries the brunt of memory and loss, silently pushing their sorrow without recognition or glory. Mikhail uses mythological figures like Scheherazade, Tammuz, and Gilgamesh not to escape reality, but to bring back shared memories and deal with the psychological scars caused by violence. The hero is not a victorious warrior; he is a tired survivor who wears "half a metal heart" and "tows the hills of dust" so lightly that no one notices. This represents invisible pain and the weight of silent sadness. Through ‘The Iraqi Nights’ Mikhail asserts that healing starts with getting language and myth back. Telling stories, like Scheherazade's voice, fights against silence and gives an archetypal way to avoid destruction. The poem is not just a sad song for a lost Iraq, but also a thoughtful hymn to the power of poetry to show how people think and feel and help them survive and get better.
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