LessonsDefining the Subject by Demonstration: Rhetorical Purposes of DemonstrativesQuiz

The poetic expression بَيْنَ الضَّالِ وَالسَّلَمِ
Among the desert trees known as ḍāl and salam.

The two names refer to trees associated with the open desert. The description evokes a distinctive setting. The commentary considers that setting in relation to desert life and to the possible praising or disparaging implications of the poem.

The important interpretive principle is that a reference to a location or way of life is not automatically praise or blame. Its force comes from the speaker's broader purpose, the audience's assumptions, and the attributes attached to the person described.

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The poetic setting among desert trees

Defining the Subject by Demonstration: Rhetorical Purposes of Demonstratives

The poetic expression بَيْنَ الضَّالِ وَالسَّلَمِ
Among the desert trees known as ḍāl and salam.

The two names refer to trees associated with the open desert. The description evokes a distinctive setting. The commentary considers that setting in relation to desert life and to the possible praising or disparaging implications of the poem.

The important interpretive principle is that a reference to a location or way of life is not automatically praise or blame. Its force comes from the speaker's broader purpose, the audience's assumptions, and the attributes attached to the person described.