Monday, January 30, 2012
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Quote
"If grandmothers and children were in charge of the world, there would never be any wars" (p. xviii). I found this quote particularly endearing because I think it really captured the essence and value system of the author. Obviously, as the matriarch of the family and the anchor of Nye's Middle Eastern roots and culture, her grandmother represented a purity and faith that had been lost in so many other forms. I think this quote, and the entire introduction, set the appropriate tone to help see the poems in the way the author intended. It is about learning to be free, but never forgetting one's roots, or innocence in the wake of tragedy.
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I agree, grandmothers and children are interchangeable with the idea of innocence. Its this kind of innocents to Arabs that she speaks about. How not all Arabs are bad like they are made out to seem, and how children loose this innocence at such a young age and how it isn't right.
ReplyDeleteIrene Blooomer
I almost picked this quote as well. Grandmothers for me also represent a knowledge and wisdom that is always infinite. Grandmothers not only obtain countless memories and experiences but they also spend their lives doing routines that become monotonous but over time perfect them. Don't grandmothers have the best recipes and food? And as for children, the world seems to be seen through a simple pure lens that people tend to forget as they grow up, I believe adults once and a while tend to over complicate a situation whereas a child can make a solution that fits well but the adult has gained different knowledge that can cloud and cover the simpler solution. That is not always the case but definitely happens from time to time.
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