Introduction
Egypt is a country in the northern part of Africa continent. This country is involved in various social and monetary activities. Egypt has gone through great community and economic developments in the past years. Some of the economic activities practiced in Egypt are agricultural production, food processing, manufacturing, tourism, trade and mining of natural resources. On the other hand, social activities in Egypt include communication, education and provision of health facilities and clean water for human consumption. Some of the socio-monetary activities are controlled by the government while others like agriculture are mainly in the hands of private owners (International Labor Organization, 2006). The socio-fiscal profile of Egyptian society helps to show the entire course of development in Egypt. Although much has been done on social and financial outline of the Egyptian society, more information is required in order to understand the socio-monetary profile of the Egyptian society and this builds up the thesis for this work. This paper will thus discuss the socio-economic profile of the Egyptian society as discussed by Najib Mahfouz and Al Aswany in Palace Walk and The Yacoubian Building respectively. The paper will explore how the socio-fiscal profile of Egyptian society is reflected in the two novels through the use of various themes and literary techniques.
Discussion
The socio-economic profile of Egyptian society is reflected to be made up of various social and economic activities. The novels “Palace Walk” and “The Yacoubian Building” both set in Cairo reflect the socio-fiscal and major concerns of the people of Egypt. Egypt is a society that is involved in various trade and business activities. Some people operate grocery stores while others engage in big business such as the construction of prestigious apartments (Aswany, pp 13). These prestigious apartments are used by government ministers, rich manufacturers and foreign residents as offices. Later, these apartments have been used as residential houses by military personnel who have a lower social status than the previous occupants. On the other hand, the grocery stores show that Egypt is involved in the production of various types of food which help in the development of the society. In addition, these stores show that some Egyptians engage in small businesses operations which help them to get income. Other businesses that help the people of Egypt to earn income include drugs businesses whose dealers can afford to drive expensive cars and convince themselves that they are still prominent business operators just like those operating other types of business (Aswany, pp 18). The urban areas are also inhabited by poor immigrants from the rural areas who go to the towns in search of employment.
Agriculture is another economic activity in Egypt. There are many people involved in agricultural and livestock production which help in generating income for the society. Moreover, the Egyptian society also takes part in manufacturing, tourism and mining of natural resources in order to generate income for its country (African Economic Outlook, 2010).
The other economic activity among the people of Egypt is their engagement in music and dance. Some people have taken music and dance as their source of employment and this helps them to earn money by being invited in events like marriage engagements in order to entertain people (Naguib, pp 21). Education in Egypt has been emphasized and this enables people to pursue various careers in order to earn their living. There are serious and intelligent students who have chosen careers such as law and this has enabled them to participate in national movement in protest against the British people in their country. In addition, other scholars have become engineers while others work as dentists and this enables them to become wealthy (Naguib, pp 21). However, the literacy level of men is higher than that of women and this shows that female education has been looked down upon in the Egyptian society. Other activities such as tailoring have also been taken as economic activities in order to raise income for some Egyptian men. Although the Egyptian society encourages its people to pursue high education levels, this does not guarantee employment for those who finish their schools (Aswany, pp 33). This is because, the profession of the parents of the young generation is considered when joining careers such as police and this becomes an obstacle to the young people. The inability of some children to join the professions they have trained for shows that Egypt is a corrupt society where corruption may determine the future of a child regardless or his/her education level. Moreover, it shows that some young people in the Egyptian society have been discouraged because the profession of their parents determines their future employments.
The social outline of the Egyptian society shows that women are mostly kept in the house to maintain the good name of their families. As such, they are not encouraged to move out of their houses because this can make them to be exiled from the house as a way of punishment. The men on the other hand are the heads of their families and they demand total obedience from their wives and children without any questions about their behavior. This enables men to get back to their houses late in the night very drunk. The wives advise their children on matters concerning sexual chastity which cannot be discussed openly. Female parents also advise their daughters to uphold their moral values by preserving their virginities (Naguib, pp 27). Some other women are also forced by circumstances to look for jobs in order to help their families when there is no alternative source of income. However, the men in the Egyptian society practice bad social crimes such as immorality. Both young and the grown up men indulge in officially forbidden pleasures such as music, extramarital affairs and drinking wine (Naguib, pp 29). They also engage in homosexual behaviors which are openly condemned in the society. The women who engage in immoral activities in search of money end up robbing men off their money and belonging (Aswany, pp 41). On the other hand, some men even try to force themselves into women when the men are overcome by the power of wine. Moreover, some other men chase after women despite being married. The socio-economic outline of the Egyptian society thus shows that women do not participate in income generating activities as much as men because they are mostly entitled to working in the kitchen with the assistance of their daughters.
It can also be noted that the people of Egypt engage in social activities such as marriage. Their marriage ceremonies are valued and this makes them to ensure adequate preparation for such social activities. Negotiations for wedding engagements are made in order to ensure that wedding ceremonies remain a success. In this society, marriage is highly valued and this brings jealousy among women in case one is found to be more marriageable than the other (Naguib, pp 41). During wedding parties, entertainment teams are hired to entertain people during the ceremony. Parents also decide to marry their sons off to the daughters of their friends in order to secure appropriate partners for them and prevent them from getting into unnecessary troubles. Some people also suffer in failed marriages in Egypt while some of the men are polygamous.
The other social activity in Egypt is the issue of religion. Egyptian engage in Christian matters such as prayers and some of them even go to the mosques to pray. This shows that Egyptians are religious people and they believe in God. Politics is another social activity that is evident among the people of Egypt. Some Egyptians joined the country’s ruling party with a view of running for the public office. Communication is another social activity in the Egyptian society. This has made some people to get employed as editors in daily newspapers and other publishing duties. Communication is also enabled through the use of accessible roads that help people to commute from one place to another (African Economic Outlook, 2010).
Documentation
The works of literature read in this work show that Egypt is involved in various socio-economic activities. The society performs various economic activities in order to develop while still being involved in various social activities. Trade and business is one of the economic activities in Egypt. People practice both small and large scale business operations which help them to generate income for their living. In addition, Egyptian people also take other employment opportunities such as engineering, dentistry, law and artistic works such as music in order to raise income (Naguib, pp 251). It can also be noted that the Egyptian society practices various social activities. These social activities include marriage, politics, religion, education and communication which help to keep the society in continuous development. Although the some people in the Egyptian society are religious, many of the males are immoral and they indulge in various forbidden activities (Aswany, pp 61). Examples of such activities include taking wine, oppressing their women and engaging in extramarital affairs. In this connection, the socio-economic profile of the Egyptian society is made up of various social and economic activities.
Conclusion
The socio-fiscal profile of the Egyptian society has changed greatly over time. This society has gone through changes in both social and economic activities that keep the society growing. The social activities engaged in in Egypt include education, marriage, communication and religion among others. These are accompanied by economic activities such as business, agriculture and involvement in the music industry which provides income for the people. In this connection, the socio-economic profile of the Egyptian society is best discussed by explaining the various activities that the people of Egypt take part in.
References:
African Economic Outlook. Egypt. National Authorities Data. 2010. African Economic Outlook
Aswany A. The Yacoubian Building. 2002. Egypt. American University Press
International Labor Organization. Endangering the Egyptian Socio-economic Context. 2006.
International Labor Organization
Naguib M. Palace Walk. 1990. Egypt. Anchor Press
