Poet Research: Nimah I. Nawwab
AP Lit
8 Apr. 2014
History: “Nimah Ismail Nawwab was born in a Meccan family with a long history of scholars”
(nimahnawwab.com). Because of her father’s scholarly involvement, Nawwab grew intrigued by
English literature and language at a young age. Nawwab’s interest in English literature soon
transformed into an overall interest in the world of arts from photography to writing to poetry.
While Nawwab’s writings are published in English, her attentiveness to Saudi customs and Islam
overall is what skyrocketed to her success in the world of literature. Her work began in Saudi
Arabia and soon became an international phenomenon. She has been published in local Saudi
articles as well as worldwide news sources such as BBC World News. Since Nawwab’s literary
success, the talented individual has become a Young Global Leader, an international lecturer and
speaker, and an inspiration for writers across the globe. Nawwab travels across the world to
share her work and most importantly her appreciation for the world surrounding her.
Writing Style: As mentioned above, Nawwab focuses her poetry on the Saudi Arabian culture
and customs. Although Nawwab’s family is from the most religious city of Saudi Arabia, she
still believes in the power and equality of women. She often writes about being a woman living
in a dominantly male society. Many of Nawwab’s poems share the common theme of freedom.
This comes from her experience of being a liberal woman living inside a country with rules
based upon a strict religion. Nawwab does not let her religion stand in the way of her beliefs.
Additionally, Nawwab’s use of diction and detail is consistent throughout her poetry. Nawwab is
specific in how she describes her poems. Her vivid use of diction engrosses readers and allows
them to see the world through her eyes. Nawwab does not fail to paint a picture in the audiences
mind. Nawwab is unique in the sense that she often describes sounds, but does not use
onomatopoeia in her work. This use of diction differentiates her poetry from many other poets.
Moreover, Nawwab is also consistent in her use of allusion to the Islamic religion. Islam is truly
the foundation for Nawwab’s poetry. Furthermore, Nawwab’s work, for the most part, is written
in free verse. This allows Nawwab to voice her opinions and ideas with no restrictions. While
themes, diction, and structure stay relatively consistent through the entirety of Nawwab’s work,
narration and perspective often shift from poem to poem. Each point of view creates a fresh
difference while still maintaining Nawwab’s admired and appreciated style.
Literary Merit: Nimah Nawwab deserves to be categorized with the scholarly elite because of her
incredible work and accomplishments over the past few years. Nawwab is undoubtedly a modern
poet of literary merit proven through her consistent use of allusion to Islam and consistent
themes. Nawwab uses her religion to send a message across that readers of any religious branch
may identify with. Rather than simply voicing her opinions about her religion and experiences,
Nawwab creates a platform for individuals to distinguish themselves and their self worth through
her consistent expression of freedom. Nawwab also does poetry justice by staying true to her
beliefs and expressing them, without discriminating or being biased toward others. Finally,
Nawwab’s success in writing has allowed her to travel to world to share her literary opinions as
well as her view points about life itself.
The Longing: The Longing is arguably Nawwab’s most famous piece of her growing selection of
work. Through this poem, Nawwab expresses her dire need for her soul and voice to be free.
Moreover, this piece of literary work is in the form of free verse and embodies a stream of
consciousness. Aside from the third stanza, four out of the five contain five lines, but there is no
rhyme scheme present. In addition, Nawwab simply speaks her mind and does not allow a single
thing to interrupt her flowing thoughts. This strengthens relatable and identifiable aspect of the
poem. Next, it is clear that freedom is the key theme in The Longing. Nawwab begins the first
two stanzas with “freedom” and the poem descends explaining her stance on freedom in that
moment. Finally, through the use of rhetorical question, Nawwab allows readers to question
where and how their soul will be one day. Readers are able to be put side by side with Nawwab
after analyzing The Longing. By ending the poem with a rhetorical question, the contents of the
poem stays lingering in the minds of the audience.
The Streets of Makkah: In this particular piece, Nawwab uses a compare and contrast technique
to get her point across. Per usual, allusion to Islam is present in this piece of work. First,
Makkah, or Mecca, is the holy region of Saudi Arabia. The title is of great importance when
analyzing this poem. A strong sense of Makkah is generated through the rich details Nawwab
incorporates into The Streets of Makkah. Using descriptors such as “mysterious labyrinths”, and
“winding walkways” makes readers want to read more and understand Nawwab’s Makkah.
Furthermore, Nawwab compares old Makkah to the reconstructed Makkah to portray freedom.
Even though Makkah is evolving, she is able to be free, to still be herself in Makkah: new or old.
Nawwab also uses hint a few Arabic words such as “dakkah”, and “sheeshah” to truly bring the
essence of Saudi Arabia. Nawwab politely provides an English translation of the Arabic terms to
allow readers to completely understand her message. And once again, Nawwab’s work is written
in free verse.
Banishment: Banishment is the lengthiest of Nawwab’s poetry. Unlike any other of her poems, it
is split into three parts. Each part could be read as an individual piece, and would still have
literary meaning. However, when combined, it can be beautifully read. Although the poem is
categorized into three parts, the poem as a whole is completely free verse. This is clearly a
largely contributes to Nawwab’s style. But ultimately, the free verse structure does not take away
from the perfect syntax for this piece in particular. And again, the theme of freedom is present in
this piece. Nawwab repeatedly says “I let you out”. This shows her dire need to be free in the
world, with no setbacks.
Bibliography
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Mar. 2014.
Nawwab, Nimah I. "Nimah I. Nawwab::Other Poems." Nimah I. Nawwab::Other Poems. N.p.,
2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Nawwab, Nimah I. "Nimah I. Nawwab::Poem - Banishment." NImah I. Nawwab::Poem Banishment. N.p., 2007. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
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Longing. N.p., 2007. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
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Nawwab, Nimah I. "Twitter Interview." Online interview. 27 Mar. 2014.
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2010. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.