REHUMANIZING RESISTANCE: HUMAN METAPHORS IN MAHMOUD DARWISH'S SYAJARAH AL-ZAITŪN AL-SĀNIYAH FROM A COGNITIVE SEMANTIC PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/hijai.v9i2.56081Keywords:
human metaphor, cognitive semantics, mahmoud darwish, arabic poetryAbstract
This study identifies and analyzes human metaphors in Mahmoud Darwish’s poem Syajarah al-Zaitūn al-Sāniyah through the cognitive semantic framework of Michael C. Haley. Human metaphors, which constitute the highest tier in Haley’s nine-level metaphorical hierarchy, involve the mapping of psychological, social, and moral human attributes onto non-human entities. Seven metaphorical expressions are identified and analyzed thematically, revealing how the olive tree is systematically constructed as an entity possessing emotional transcendence, social authority, existential paradox, communicative ethics, and moral agency. This study argues that Darwish employs human metaphors not merely as aesthetic devices but as a cognitive strategy of rehumanization: a deliberate reclamation of full humanity for a people subjected to colonial dehumanization. The olive tree functions simultaneously as a symbol of steadfastness, dignified resistance, and historical legitimacy deeply rooted in Palestinian culture and collective memory. By demonstrating how metaphorical language encodes socio-political realities, this study contributes to the growing field of cognitive literary studies, particularly in the context of Arabic poetry and resistance literature.
References
Abadi, Hermawan Septian. 2019. “Ekspresi Metaforis dalam Antologi Puisi Doa untuk Anak Cucu Karya W.S. Rendra: 9 Klasifikasi Metafora Perspektif Michael C. Halley.” Stilistika: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra 12(2):154–63. doi:10.30651/st.v12i2.2899.
Acar, Halil. 2025. “The Philosophy of the Olive Tree: Resilience, Peace, and Healing.” https://www.psikologhalilacar.com/en/new/the-philosophy-of-the-olive-tree-resilience-peace-and-healing-6.
Al-Harahsheh, Ahmad. 2021. “The Rhetorical Feature of Chiasmus in the Quran and Its Translation into English.” An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities) 35(11):1905–24. doi:10.35552/0247-035-011-006.
Azrianti, Henna Putri, Diana Kartika, Syahrial Syahrial, and Irma Irma. 2022. “Metafora Being (Keadaan) Dalam Album Stray Sheep Karya Kenshi Yonezu.” Hikari: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Kebudayaan 1(2):42–52. doi:10.37301/hikari.v1i2.28.
Baudet, David, Aline Cordonnier, Olivier Luminet, and Christine Bastin. 2025. “From One Generation to the next: Perception of Frequency of Family Memory Transmission.” Memory 33(5):510–26. doi:10.1080/09658211.2025.2492601.
Bdier, Dana, Fayez Mahamid, and Bilal Hamamra. 2025. “Traumatic Events and Psychological Wellbeing among Palestinians: The Moderating Roles of Mattering, Anti-Mattering and Posttraumatic Growth.” Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health 12:e47. doi:10.1017/gmh.2025.34.
Damanhouri, Miramar Yousif. 2013. “Saudi Perceptions of Linguistic Representations for Women in Use of Arabic Language.” doi:https://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/bitstream/10443/3261/1/Damanhouri%20M.%20Y.%2013%20%283yr%20res.%29.pdf.
Haley, Michael. 2021. The Semeiosis of Poetic Metaphor. Indiana University Press.
Hayati, Rizka. 2016. “Metafora dalam Ragam Bahasa Puisi (pendekatan Teori Cognitif Linguistik) | Pena: Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan Dan Teknologi.” https://jurnal.unikal.ac.id/index.php/pena/article/view/494.
Helmer, Loreine M. L., Roxane A. F. Weijenberg, Ralph de Vries, Wilco P. Achterberg, Stefan Lautenbacher, Elizabeth L. Sampson, and Frank Lobbezoo. 2020. “Crying out in Pain—A Systematic Review into the Validity of Vocalization as an Indicator for Pain.” European Journal of Pain (London, England) 24(9):1703–15. doi:10.1002/ejp.1623.
Kusmanto, Joko, and Anni Holila Pulungan. 2022. “Kekeliruan-Kekeliruan dalam Memahami Konsep-Konsep Teoretis Haley Tentang Metafora: Sebuah Kajian Metalingual.” PRASASTI: Journal of Linguistics 7(1):57–72. doi:10.20961/prasasti.v7i1.46857.
M. Hafidzulloh, S. M. M. Hafidzulloh, and Aprinus Salam. 2021. “Potensialitas Puisi Bithoqoh Hawiyah Karya Mahmud Darwish: Menilik Politik Kedaulatan Negara Palestina.” Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra 21(1):51–64. doi:10.17509/bs_jpbsp.v21i1.36658.
Muhamad, Fahri, Susanti Vera, and Putri Anditasari. 2022. “Tertawa Untuk Kesehatan Fisik Dan Mental: Studi Takhrij Dan Syarah Hadis Pendekatan Bidang Kesehatan.” Gunung Djati Conference Series 8:668–76.
Nabila, Ula, and Muakibatul Hasanah. 2021. “Metafora dalam Kumpulan Puisi Sajak-Sajak Lengkap 1961-2001 Karya Goenawan Mohamad.” BASINDO : jurnal kajian bahasa, sastra Indonesia, dan pembelajarannya 5(2):239. doi:10.17977/um007v5i22021p239-249.
Nirwana, Citra. 2021. “Metafora Cinta dalam Antologi Puisi Karya Nizar Qabbani (kajian Semantik).” 88–92. doi:https://kolita.atmajaya.ac.id/assets/uploads/K19/88-92%20Citra%20Nirwana%20dan%20Moh%20Masrukhi.pdf.
Nurmasyitah, Putri, and Hisyam Zaini. 2024. “Metaphorizing Hope in Palestinian War: Cognitive Semantics Analysis on Hiba Abu Nada’s Poetry.” Lisaniya Adabiya: Studies in Language and Literature 1(2):107–20. doi:https://ejournal.lisaniyaadabiya.id/index.php/lasill/article/view/17/7.
Pinar Dinc, Necmettin Türk. 2025. “Roots of Destruction: Exploring the Genocide-Ecocide Nexus through the Destruction of Olive Trees in Occupied Palestine and Rojava.” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13642987.2025.2541756.
Putri, Amelia Febriana, Nushrotun Nida, Rahmat Mulya Nugraha, Ari Nurhidayat, Rumi Pamungkas, and Muhammad Jundullah Al Haqiqi. 2025. “Hubungan Manusia Dan Alam Dalam Qasīdat Syajarat Az-Zaytūn Ath-Thānīyah Karya Mahmoud Darwish (Kajian Ekokritik Sastra Lawrence Buell).” Dirasa Islamiyya: Journal of Islamic Studies 4(1):92–108. doi:10.63548/dijis.v4i1.135.
Raut, Shubham. 2023. “The Psychology Behind the Power of Remaining Silent.” https://medium.com/@ifeelproxim/the-psychology-behind-the-power-of-remaining-silent-e8b78c6204e6.
Sanfey, John. 2023. “Simultaneity of Consciousness with Physical Reality: The Key That Unlocks the Mind-Matter Problem.” Frontiers in Psychology 14:1–16. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1173653.
أبو ستيت, الشحات. 2025. “الفصاحة | وزارة الأوقاف.” https://awkafonline.gov.eg/content-sections/110/3207/الفصاحة.
درويش, محمود. n.d. “شجرة الزيتون الثانية - محمود درويش.” Retrieved May 5, 2026. https://www.aldiwan.net/poem9619.html.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Kisti Arilla
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
For Authors:
1. Author's Copyright:
Upon publication, the copyright of the article is retained by the author(s). This means that the authors hold the exclusive right to use, reproduce, and distribute their own work.
2. User Rights and License:
The articles published in Hijai: Journal on Arabic Language and Literature are made available to the public under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the primary source, a link to the license is provided, and an indication if changes were made.
3. Author's Rights without Restrictions:
As the copyright holder, authors are permitted to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of their work (e.g., depositing it in an institutional repository, publishing it in a book, or sharing it on a personal website), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in Hijai: Journal on Arabic Language and Literature.
For Readers and Users:
1. You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
2. Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
