A Pragmatic Study of Children’s Suffering in the Tragedies of Karbala and Gaza

Abstract

This study examines the pragmatic representation of childrenʼs sufferings in some selected texts from the tragedy of Karbala and Gaza by applying presupposition analysis. The study focuses on two Karbala texts and two Gaza texts to understand the representation of deprivation, violence, fear and children suffering in the selected texts with respect to the role of presupposition. The analytical model of the study is the framework of presupposition proposed by Yule (1996). The selection of texts is qualitatively analysed to locate the presumed meanings underlying the linguistic structure of the extracts and to consider their contribution to the depiction of suffering and violent experience. The results indicate that presuppositional structures are common across expressions of kinship relations, deprivation of water, injury, death, and restriction. The analysis further reveals that the texts depict children as victims of violent situations, but simultaneously also as agents whose voices, gestures, and reactions are important in the described situations. Although Karbala and Gaza share obvious differences in their history, both share clear similarities in how childrenʼs suffering is evoked through understatement.