Literature & Language Essay: Meaning of “Killing the Dervish”

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Killing the Dervish
Meaning of “Killing the Dervish”
In the interview, Ziya Azizi, at one point, states that he had “killed the Dervish.” In order to make sense of this statement, it is imperative to refer to the context and the preceding remarks of Azizi to analyze the case effectively. Indeed, Azizi has modeled a contemporary form of dance after whirling dervish (Lecture Week 4). He has borrowed many elements from whirling dervish from movements to artistic appreciation (Icon). Hence, his invention is a renovation of traditional sema dance. However, as commented by Azizi, he has taken the dance to a new level. His mentioning of killing the dervish is preceded by his musings about how he has stepped farther than dervish (Icon). Therefore, it is clear that Azizi feels that the dance is no longer identical to the dervish. In other words, it is no longer restricted to spirituality but rises above the religious spectrum in its pure contemporary sense. In this way, it marks the end of an era when every whirling movement or similar elements were to be solely associated with Der...