The Imagery of Dogs in the “Lands of the Infidel Franks”- “I am a Dog”
The dog expounds, “In the lands of the infidel Franks, the so-called Europeans, every dog has an owner. These poor animals are paraded on the streets with chains around their necks, they’re fettered like the most miserable of slaves and dragged around in isolation. These Franks force the poor beasts into their homes and even into their beds. Dogs aren’t permitted to walk with one another, let alone sniff and frolic together. In that despicable state, in chains, they can do nothing but gaze forlornly at each other from a distance when they pass on the street. Dogs who roam the streets of Istanbul freely in packs and communities, the way we do, dogs who threaten people if necessary, who curl up in a warm corner or stretch out in the shade and sleep peacefully.” The dogs in the European lands are restricted by chains; hence, they cannot delight in freedom. Comparatively, in Istanbul, they dogs enjoy a higher degree of liberty which permits them to freely mingle with other dogs. The speaker’s ideology in this imagery is to censure the domestication of dogs because it is tantamount to enslavement of animals which ought to be roaming liberally.
The imagery of Black-“I am your Beloved Uncle”
Enishte explains, “It pleases me to see him (Black) before me now, a determined, mature and respectful nephew. The respect he show me, the care with which he kisses my hand and presses it to his forehead, the way for example he said, “Purely for red,” when he presented me with the Mongol inkpot as a gift, and his polite and demure habit of sitting before me with his knees mindfully together.” Manifestly, Black is a respectful and humble young man. He depicts mannerisms which are divergent from his father who “was ill-tempered, angry and had a weakness for a drink.” Black’s person is impressive and appealing; hence, his uncle is unreservedly proud of him. Had Black espoused a persona similar to his father’s he would have inevitable lost his appeal.
