The Representation of Critique through the Sign System in Abdul Rahman Yusuf’s Poem ʿAmā’imukum

Abstract

This article analyzes critique in the poem ʿAmā’imukum by Abdul Rahman Yusuf, a contemporary Egyptian resistance poet whose work is known for its sharp social and political commentary, using Roland Barthes’ semiotic approach. The study aims to reveal how the system of signs in the poem constructs ideological meaning through three levels of signification: denotation, connotation, and myth. Employing a qualitative-analytical method, the research applies close reading to symbols, imagery, and inter-sign relations within the poetic text. The primary data consist of the poem itself, supported by Barthes’ semiotic theory and scholarly works on contemporary Arabic literature. The findings reveal that critique in the poem is not conveyed explicitly, but is constructed through the transformation of religious, legal, and power-related symbols naturalized as social truths. At the level of myth, the poem dismantles the grand myth of the sanctity of religion and law as moral guardians by presenting them as symbolic systems appropriated by power to legitimize violence and oppression. These findings affirm that ʿAmā’imukum functions as a form of ideological critique that challenges the dominant structures of meaning in contemporary Arab social reality.