The dialectic of survival and destruction in Arabic poetic prose texts

Abstract

contemporary Arabic prose poem is no longer merely a stylistic practice, but has transformed into an existential space charged with the tension between the instinct for survival and the inevitability of annihilation. True survival in the Arabic prose poem is not achieved by escaping annihilation, but by fully engaging with it and aesthetically deconstructing its structure. This dialectic stems from a politically and socially troubled Arab reality, which has driven the poet to make the text a last refuge to confront nothingness. The research thesis is that "survival" in poetic prose does not signify physical safety, but is a "metaphorical survival" achieved through the act of writing and creative rebellion, while "annihilation" represents surrender to reality, the erosion of identity, and the fragmentation of the self The concept of "salvation/destruction" in Arabic poetic prose is not a binary opposition (black/white), but rather a cyclical existential dialectic and a relationship of overlap. Salvation may be found within destruction, and destruction may be found within salvation. Thus, salvation may be born from the womb of destruction, and destruction may lie in wait for every salvation.

Furthermore, "destruction" is no longer an ordinary event but has transformed into a "mythology of ruin," where the poet lives under the weight of imminent annihilation. This highlights psychological and existential fractures, and therefore transcends biological death. It is the entrapment in the moment of shock, the transformation of living beings into inanimate entities, "stone icons." In other words, the concept of "destruction" has broadened to include not only physical death but also loss, alienation, the collapse of values, and the erosion of identity under the weight of violence.