Introduction
According to our book definition (2008), a holistic approach means “Conceiving of the phenomena being studied as interrelated parts of a larger system or process, institution, region, or historical trend” (p.88). A holistic understanding means that we are interested to study the whole picture. In this paper, i choose an Arabic funny cartoon and I will provide the holistic context. I choose this specific cartoon because i think it is funny how men struggle with one mother in law but what if he married four women, it will be double the struggle.
Aspects of Emirati Culture That This Cartoon Pokes Fun
The united Arabs emirate’s culture does not oblige people from marrying either two, three, or four wives. Just like in the other Muslim countries, Emiratis are given the freedom by the Islamic law to marry many wives as long as there is equality. However, there is a problem that all men face when it comes to handling the wife’s families and especially the mothers-in-law. Majority of men struggle dealing with the mother-in-law. This cartoon brings humor in trying to compare how if one mother-in-law is a big challenge to the husband, how will the husband deal with three or four in-laws.
The cartoon shows how Emirati men find themselves in a dilemma in regards to achieving the social status that comes with marrying many wives and having to deal with three or four nagging mothers-in-law. I find it funny how the mothers-in-law in the Emirati culture are troublesome to their son’s-law, yet the men want to have more and more wives for themselves. The majority of the men desire to have several wives due to reasons like a symbol of wealth and success to the men, a way to prevent adultery, and desire by the man to have more children.
Emiratis Reaction to This Cartoon
According to me, the cartoon is very humorous. Different people in the Emirati society will have different reaction towards the cartoon as some may find it humorous while others will not find any humor in it. The people’s reaction on this cartoon will depend on different factors like age, gender, and cultural background. The people of United Arabs Emirates who are likely to find this cartoon funny are the young married generation in UAE. The UAE cultural background does not have restrictions or oppose polygamy in any way.
However, there is an emerging trend where majority of the Emiratis are not advocating for polygamy system of marriage. This group may find fun in this cartoon as the cartoon majors mostly in the humorous challenges that polygamous men face in the Emirati community come across. The cartoon tries to mock the polygamous marriage through creating humor on the many challenges the husbands have to go through as they deal with the mothers-in-law, if they choose to engage in polygamy marriage.
However, those that advocate for polygamy marriage may not find this cartoon to be funny. The reason why this cartoon is not funny to them is because, this cartoon tries to concentrate more on the challenges men have to go through when they marry many wives. The population that supports polygamy will find the cartoon more of a campaign meant to sensitize people to avoid engaging in polygamous marriage in the Emirati society.
However, according to my observation this cartoon remains one of the most humorous cartoons of all time in regards to trying to show to its viewers the challenges men have to go through in dealing with their mothers-in-law, and a bonus challenge to those who marry two, three, or four wives.
Part of the Cartoon That Requires Explanation
Some parts of this cartoon need to be explained to make the viewers of the cartoon understand it better, have knowledge of the nature of polygamous marriage in the UAE, and be able to have answers to questions that they might have towards the Emirati peoples culture and attitude to polygamy. More explanation is required in areas like how polygamy influences the life of both the husband and the wives. The cartoon needs to explain the factors that lead Emirati men in marrying many wives.
Information regarding what drives the men to marrying additional wives and how these relationships affect the whole family. The cartoon needs to provide information regarding why majority of men have challenges when it comes to dealing with their mothers-in-law. The cartoon has to provide areas in which conflict arises between the men and their in-laws and try to explain the reason this phenomena is common in the Emirati culture. This information is important, as it will explain to the viewers about the current state of affairs in polygamy marriage in the UAE.
The information will enable the younger generation be aware of the challenges and privileges they expect to face when they decide to engage in polygamous marriage system. Additional information on the cartoon will provide a good platform to determine and compare polygamous marriage in the UAE, other Arab regions and the rest of the world.
When the cartoon provides additional information relating to the issue of polygamy in the Emirati society, it will serve as a point of reference to the outside world on matters on polygamy precisely the UAE. Writers or anyone who will be interested in study of polygamous marriages in the UAE region or the rest of Muslim regions where polygamy is legal according to Islamic law can use the information provided by this cartoon.
Improvement of the Cartoon
This cartoon can be improved in some parts to make it more interesting, and easy to understand to any viewer across the globe that does not have any idea in regards to the people and culture of the Emirati population. One way through which the cartoon can be made more funny is through introducing parts such as involving the mother-in-law in some acts like calling the husband late at night, the mother-in-law overstaying her visits to the family, knowingly calling the husband by names of his wife’s ex boyfriend.
Other activities that can add humor to the cartoon include stealing the grandchildren’s birthday invitation cards and sending them to her friends who the family did not even want to invite.Such things will increase the humor brought by the cartoon to its viewers. In addition, some information may be added that will make the cartoon easy to understand.
This could be adding information like regions within the UAE where there is a high record of polygamous marriages, the economic status of men who engage in polygamy, and the social status accorded to men with several wives. Information regarding the factors that motivate men in the UAE to marry two or three wives might provide the viewers with additional knowledge on nature of polygamy in the UAE and have a better understanding of the cartoon.
The cartoon can also be made more understandable through including aspects like including real life features and landscapes of the UAE both the urban environment and the countryside. This will give a clear image to the viewer that whatever the cartoon is portraying are the real happenings taking place in UAE region. The graphics will also give the viewers knowledge and understanding of the way of life of the Emirati people. These alterations base their context to the culture and believe of the Emirati people.
The changes are likely to bring humor in the terms of the relationship of Emirati men and their mothers-in-law. These changes are meant to provide a wide base holistic approach to understanding the issue of polygamy in the United Arabs Emirates. The changes made on this cartoon are not likely to affect the context in which this cartoon is based; rather the changes will increase knowledge and provide more humor within the context of the study.