A Semiotic Analysis of the Characters in the Resistant Poetry of Mohammad Al-Fitouri (Cases of Political, Heritage, and Literary Characters)

The contemporary Sudanese poet, Mohammad Al-Fitouri, employed revolutionary personalities to indicate the pains of his society and their wishes for freedom. He has created an enthusiastic spirit in his poems. His characters portray his ambitions, opinion for national and humanitarian issues in the Arab world and represents his beliefs, the torment and oppression on people. He highlights his feelings against the harsh conditions in the Arab world. This study through descriptive-analytical approach and using semiotic analysis aimed to investigate revolutionary personalities in the poetry of Al-Fitouri to reveal the semiotic connotations. To achieve this purpose, the names of political, heritage and literary personalities were categorized and then their signs, actions and connotations in the poetic text were explored. Sometimes these characters are signs and symbols. They have multiple connotations and convey the profound meaning of the poem. The identification of the symbolic features in characters’ names plays an important role in preserving national values and strengthening the spirit of hope. Among the most prominent characters were Imam Khomeini, Nelson Mandella, Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, Antara ibn Shaddad, Abdul Khaleq Mahjoub and Sultan Taj al-Din. Results showed that the characters in the poetry of Al-Fitouri can affect the human soul and evoke ideas as such rejection, rebellion and revolution against tyranny in readers. On the other hand, words such as garden, bird, the dust, etc. have different connotations to indicate national issues. Yet, issues like rain, jungle, river, and storm represent the people who struggle to obtain freedom. His poems carry connotations such as hope and liberty and call people to fight against injustice, colonialism and defend the dignity of their homeland.