Naomi Nye was born to a German-American mother and a Palestinian-American father. However, she normally writes from her Palestinian-Arab perspective. In several of her poems within The Heath Anthology—“Ducks,” “My Father and the Figtree,” and “Where the Soft Air Lives”—Naomi Nye reminisces about her Muslim heritage and childhood as it correlates to her present identity. In addition, she incorporates the effect of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on herself and on Arab culture in her work. Ultimately, Naomi Nye’s poetic work should remain in The Heath Anthology as her style demonstrates how historical events and a deep-rooted heritage can enrich a sense of identity and culture.
“Ducks” is valuable poem as Nye propagates the effect of the war on herself and Arab culture. Initially, she uses the appreciation many Arabs have for books as an example of the rich heritage of her people. However, Nye inherently ponders the question of when the world will see Palestinians in this way again since the conflict has produced an erroneous perception of Arab culture. Naturally, she writes about her...
Having skilled war within the Middle East, she articulated disappoint, frustration and anger with a few political leaders’ adoptions that spreading conflicts and affected prone populations. She objects inequalities and does no longer hide her feelings while irritated. Nye’s poems are all times based on stability as compared to exploitation and chaos. Her stress on inspecting and presenting diverse topics associates readers no matter their variances. She articulates value for humans’ field and desires them to proportion their insights.
Critics have already begun a heated debate over the success of the book that has addressed both its strengths and weaknesses. The debate may rage for a few years but it will eventually fizzle out as the success of the novel sustains. The characters, plot, emotional appeal, and easily relatable situations are too strong for this book to crumble. The internal characteristics have provided a strong base to withstand the petty attacks on underdeveloped metaphors and transparent descriptions. The novel does not need confrontations with the Middle East to remain a staple in modern reading, it can hold its own based on its life lessons that anyone can use.
Joyce, James. “Araby”. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Eds. R.V. Cassill and Richard Bausch. Shorter Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. 427 - 431.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
As one of America’s leading contemporary poet’s, Sharon Olds is known for the intense personal and emotional poetry that she writes. Her ability to intimately and graphically divulge details of her personal life allows readers to delve into the deepest parts of not only her mind, but of their own as well. Sharon Olds uses her writing to allow readers to experience the good and bad of life through her eyes, yet allows readers the interpretive freedom to define her works as they fit into their own lives. Olds’ ability to depict both wonderful and tragic events in stories such as “First Thanksgiving” and “Still Life in Landscape”with beautifully gruesome clarity allow readers a gritty real-life experience unlike any other.
Joyce, James. "Araby." Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. By X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 316-21. Print.
In the short story “Araby,” James Joyce uses religious and biblical allusions to portray a young narrator’s feelings about a girl. Through these allusions, readers gather an image of the narrator’s adoration of his friend’s, Mangan’s, sister. James Joyce’s allusions to the Bible and religion relate to the idolized image the narrator has of a girl.
James Joyce's use of religious imagery and religious symbols in "Araby" is compelling. That the story is concerned somehow with religion is obvious, but the particulars are vague, and its message becomes all the more interesting when Joyce begins to mingle romantic attraction with divine love. "Araby" is a story about both wordly love and religious devotion, and its weird mix of symbols and images details the relationship--sometimes peaceful, sometimes tumultuos--between the two. In this essay, I will examine a few key moments in the story and argue that Joyce's narrator is ultimately unable to resolve the differences between them.
Although “Araby” is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boy's trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. James Joyce’s uses the boy in “Araby” to expose a story of isolation and lack of control. These themes of alienation and control are ultimately linked because it will be seen that the source of the boy's emotional distance is his lack of control over his life.
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
Joyce, James . “Araby.” Literature: An Introduction to Writing. Roberts, Edgar V. and Jacobs,. Henry E. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001.
In his short story “Araby”, James Joyce tells a story of a young boy’s infatuation with his friend’s sister, Mangan, and the issues that arise which ultimately extinguish his love for her. In his first struggle, the narrator admires Mangan’s outer beauty, however, “her name was like a summons to all his blood,” which made him embarrassed to talk with her (Joyce 318). Every day he would look under a curtain in the room and wait for her to walk outside so he could follow her to school, but then he would simply walk quickly by and never say anything to her (Joyce 318). In addition to his inability to share his feelings with Mangan, the boy allows difficulties to get in the way of his feelings for her. After struggling to get his uncle’s permission
Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St louis Missouri in 1952, to a palestinian refugee and a swiss german american, she spent most of her life in san antonio texas and jerusalem. The vast differences in cultures and peoples influenced her works. Naomi earned a BA from trinity university in san antonio, and now continues to work and live in san antonio. She takes influence from the common people like her neighbors, “ she never tires of mixtures!!” her poetry borrows from middle eastern, native american and and eastern religions, her poetry is said to be similar to william stafford and wallace stephens. it is said that with her acceptance of differences in prayer, show that she has realized that livig in the world can be difficult. Nye takes focus
His origins were extremely important to him and he displays this throughout the poem. Mahmoud repeats the statement “I am an Arab” in almost every stanza of the poem (Darwish 80). He’s not ashamed of his heritage and will not forget it. Mahmoud wants to reveal how proud he is to be an Arab, and show that he is being punished for who he is. Darwish wants it to be remembered that he is being exiled and he wants his feelings recorded. The reader is continually told to “put it on record” (Darwish 81). The author is not afraid to express himself through his writing. He writes in a style that encourages people to communicate their views. Darwish wants people to be able to comfortably express themselves. The author is very upset about his unjust experience, but calmly documents his feelings. He ironically asks “What’s there to be angry about?” four times in the poem (Darwish 80). Darwish is staying calm but still showing that the situation is extremely unfair and bothersome. “Identity Card” shares one terrible exile experience with readers. Repetition is used many times in the poem, stressing important
In many cultures, childhood is considered a carefree time, with none of the worries and constraints of the “real world.” In “Araby,” Joyce presents a story in which the central themes are frustration, the longing for adventure and escape, and the awakening and confusing passion experienced by a boy on the brink of adulthood. The author uses a single narrator, a somber setting, and symbolism, in a minimalist style, to remind the reader of the struggles and disappointments we all face, even during a time that is supposed to be carefree.