Chapter 6, Honor and Poetic Vulnerability Summary and Analysis

The Awlad 'Ali must hide many of their feelings in order to abide by their honor code. Complaining, weeping in public, expressing devotion to inferiors, and expressing self-pity are not socially acceptable, and yet there is a human need to express these feelings at times of sorrow or grief. Poetry fills this need for the Bedouin people, and in Chapter 6, the author explores different times when people use poetry to retain their honor when they are feeling vulnerable.

The author returns to the story of Rashid, the man who was distraught over his second wife's departure. The author spoke privately to Rashid several days after his second wife left, and the man spoke to the author with a poem: "Cooking with a liquid of tears / at a funeral done for the beloved. . ." The...