Sarcastic Analysis of Asir’s Arrest
Lesson Brief
Al Arabiya
On August 17, Al Arabiya presented an episode of DNA, a satirical political analysis show. The episode focused on the recent arrest of Ahmed al-Asir, a radical Sunni cleric wanted by Lebanese authorities for his role in the death of 18 Lebanese army soldiers. Political opponents of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Sunni, including Hezbollah and its allies, accused the former of backing Ahmed al-Asir. DNA's host shows clips of a demonstration that occurred in support of Asir, noting that it was limited to only a few people, such as the cleric's wife and several children, and asked rhetorically where Saad Hariri's support was. He sarcastically suggested that the whole Hariri dynasty must have been toppled with Asir's arrest.
The video clip embedded in the article will be difficult for anyone unfamiliar with the Lebanese dialect. However, not only is the dialect important, picking up on sarcasm, and the transition to serious statements, is critical and one of the most difficult skills of foreign language learner must pick up.
Once you've had a chance to master the flashcards, watch the video, and read the article, test your knowledge with the quiz below.
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Click and Match
- clips, selections, excerpts, quotes
- مقتطفات
- to praise, to laud
- مَدَحَ ، يَمْدَحُ
- solidarity sit in (strike)
- اعتصام تضامني
- the efforts made by...
- الجهود التي بذلها
- leadership, (also a title, i.e. leader)
- زعامة
- inventing, conjuring, creating
- اختراع
- episode, installment
- حلقة
- stations
- محطات
- discussing, dealing with, presenting
- تناول
- beliefs, ideas
- معتقدات