Monday, January 30, 2012

19 Varieties of Gazelle : Arabic

"The man with laughing eyes stopped smiling to say, 'Until you speak Arabic, you will not understand pain" (90).
    I really enjoyed this quote.  It made me stop and think.   Its simple, short, but very powerful.  When someone has "laughing eyes" that is true joy, something you cant fake.  But then to have all his joy sucked out of his eyes with his next sentence puts added importance and enfaces on it.  Here, it is being stated that only true Arabs, ones that speak Arabic, understand true pain.  That is a very bold statement but by having a normally joyous person say it gives it added validity.  It is stated in such a way that instead of challenging such a bold statement, one pities.

Irene Bloomer

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