Entry 1 - February 3, 2011

If it is one thing that I really pick up on when I read Nye’s poetry, it is the sense of humanity that she conveys. I feel as if all of her poetry is trying to get the reader to look deeper into him/herself and others. Nye wants us to think about the individual, the person; not the person in the context of society or a specific culture. She wants the reader to put what they know, believe, and hold to be true aside, because of how it can influence how we perceive and think about a person and the raw emotion that every individual has. I feel as if her goal is to have us thinking with our emotions rather than our minds.

The events that occurred on September 11, 2001 allowed the media, government, and every other influential institution to paint a picture of a culture and race of people. What concerns me is whether or not this was done without considering all of the possible repercussions to this action. The American people needed a bad guy and the media allowed the American people the bad guy they needed in this very scary story. People accepted this picture to be true at face value, because it was painted by what American culture considers a reliable source. Realistically, the picture that the American people were given was not an accurate one, but few have challenged it.

I feel that one of Nye’s main goals with this collection of poetry is to convey the side of Middle Easterners that many Americans fail to open their eyes to and see. Nye accomplishes this goal. This is evident in poems like My Father and the Figtree, Arabic Coffee, My Grandmother in the Stars, and Stain. I feel these poems convey a feeling or theme that many individuals can relate to. Every family has someone that tells them stories of a different time or place that are intriguing, but sometimes hard to relate to. There is always some common denominator, such as coffee or tea, or among a group of family and friends that allow people to come together without hesitation. Everyone has someone with knowledge, wisdom, and a never-ending ability to give. Everyone has been torn between where they want to be and what they are. This is the point of this collection of poetry. We can all relate to one another with out considering skin color, religion, creed, race, etc. In the end, we are all people with emotion and a desire to belong.