Tuesday, January 31, 2012

19 Varieties of Gazelle: (Section 2) Silent Words

      "The Tray" on page 105 and "A Single Slice Reveals Them" on page 124 both discuss words that are not necessarily spoken. The poem "The Tray"  is about the ritual of tea drinking. Tea drinking is used for numerous reasons but here the author drinks tea with her companions through a situation where people cannot find words. The words are spoken through the shared tea and the only noise comes from the sips. They can share in this exercise. The tea is the beginning of the conversation.
     "A Single Slice Reveals Them" also explains how eating an apple is similar to not sharing words. The meat of the fruit is underneath the skin and the very core contains seeds to ideas, hopes, dreams, and beliefs that can all be accessed through words and speech and sharing with others. these are were the poems can overlap either by sharing words out loud or silently. Talking about things we care about is like peeling back the layers and borders we put up for ourselves. The eating of the apple is the ending of the conversation.

2 comments:

  1. This idea Nye presents in her poems reminds me of the saying "actions speak louder than words". This idea is illustrated in these poems as sometimes silence can represent the comfort shared, or silence could be a tension between two enemies. This idea of having a conversation over sipping noises and eating of apples can say a lot about the relationship Nye has with others.

    Irene Bloomer

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  2. I agree on both accounts. Nye uses common imagery customary to her culture as well as metaphors to connect seemingly unrelated things. Everyday rituals such as tea drinking or eating an apple may not always signify larger forces at work, but I think Nye wanted to show that sometimes hidden meanings lie in the most simplest activities.

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