Naomi+Shihab+Nye

__**Biography:**__ In St. Louis, Missouri, Naomi Shihab Nye was born to a Palestinian refugee and a mother of American of German and Swiss decent on March 12, 1952. Living in both Jerusalem and San Antonio, she had many factors to influence her writing. She had many things to change her perspective on life by supporting the Arab American community by changing the way Americans look at them. Nye mostly writes about heritage, religion, and over all human insight. She usually write in free verse because she thinks that she can get the point across better.
 * [[image:naomi-shihab-nye.jpg width="245" height="157" align="right"]]__**By: MaKiyah Dickinson**__


 * “Famous” **

(1)The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence, which knew it would inherit the earth before anybody said so.

(5)The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom.

(10)The boot is famous to the earth, more famous than the dress shoe, which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it and not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

(15)I want to be famous to shuffling men who smile while crossing streets, sticky children in grocery lines, famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous, (20)or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular, but because it never forgot what it could do.

In the poem "Famous", poet Naomi Shihab Nye wrote in prose using a conversational tone which allowed the reader to understand her poem clearly. Her poem consisted of stanzas varying from single lines to quartets. Having this structure allows for her thoughts to be spontaneous yet organized. She use the word "famous" as an anaphora by repeating it in the beginning of each stanza. Using repetition of the same words allows the reader to think about what context is she using it in. In the first line, we can infer that she is using the word famous in terms of being important. When you think about a fish and he river, you think about how the fish relies on the water since they use it to breathe making it important. In the next set of lines, Nye encouraged us to use our senses from feeling the river to hearing a loud voice and complete silence. Not only does it involves the reader by reading it, but also picturing it which makes it a clear image. In lines five and six, the way she describes the word fame was changed. It went from representing the necessity of having something to representing the impact that has. The idea of a "cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds watching him from the birdhouse" (5,6) impacts the birds in a sense that if they get close enough to the cat, they could be eaten. In line seven, Nye describes how "The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek". In contrast to the last stanza, the tiered does not pose threat to a cheek. They tear quickly disappears or as the fear of the cat from the bird is still there. In the next stanza, Nye explained the importance and idea is famous to you bosom. The use of the word famous is shifted back to the original meaning, importance. In lines 13 and 14, the bent photographed portrays an image of someone looking at the photo frequently throughout their day. So far, Nye has showed us that we cannot be famous by ourselves but you need something else to consider it as well. In the second to last stanza, she changed the poem from important relationship that goes hand-in-hand to relating it to her personal issues. This was a clever thing to do because the reader understand the point she is trying to make due to the previous perspectives she has given us. Nye included two types of people that are commonly overlooked, children and elderly people. She hopes to be important to them by impacting their lives just by smiling at them. Overall, Nye does not want to be spectacular, but she wants to be able to have an impact on someone's life from the little things like a buttonhole and a pulley.

Sources: "Naomi Shihab Nye." //Poetry Foundation//. Poetry Foundation. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. . "Poem of the Week." //Shenandoah//. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. [] Picture only

Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. (5) What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. (10) How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever.
 * "Kindness" **

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness (15) you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans (20) and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice (25) catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread, (30)only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.

The overall message of the story was that all humanity is worthy of respect, consideration, and is in need of kindness. One must understand and except bad things in order to appreciate and achieve the good. The poems perspective is based on personal observation that she has either experience or witnessed as an outsider. In the beginning, it started off sad and sorrowful but becomes reassuring that everything will be fine at the end. I noticed the repetition of the word "before" which showed the understanding about what you have to go through before you can really achieve kindness. Within the first stanza, the poem begins with irony because you "know what kindness really is"(1) when "you lose things"(2) is not your ideal impression about kindness. She used the literary device, metaphor, to compare the future to salt. In lines three through four, Nye ascribed "feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weekend broth"(3-4) which explained how the future will be gone quickly as if you put salt in a broth. When she was talking about "what you counted and carefully saved, this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness" (6,9), she was explaining that you must lose all your money that you saved in order to begin the feel what it takes to become kind. Within the second stanza, we are greeted within an located image of an "Indian and white poncho lies dead by the side of the road"(15,16). Nye executed the point that life is more precious and meaningful then we perceive it to be. It gives the reader a chance to think, "that could've been me laying there dead with no one to help". This infers that there is a purpose for their life and they are meant to be here. This message was meant for anyone regardless of race or nationality because everyone wants to achieve the goal of becoming kind and it depends on if they got what it takes. I believe that Nye created this poem to show the process of becoming kind. There are many kind people in the world which makes me think how did they become that way. Sometimes, it takes something to knock you down, as in having nothing, it makes you realize how important life is and the importance of being kind.

Sources: "Destination Engagement Photography in NYC." //Kelli Daniel Taylor Photography LLC Blog Destination Engagement Photography in NYC Comments//. 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2016. . //Poets.org//. Academy of American Poets. Web. 22 Jan. 2016. .

Because the eye has a short shadow or it is hard to see over heads in the crowd?
 * "Fundamentalism" **

If everyone else seems smarter but you need your own secret?

(5) If mystery was never your friend?

If one way could satisfy the infinite heart of the heavens?

If you liked the king on his golden throne more than the villagers carrying baskets of lemons?

(10)If you wanted to be sure his guards would admit you to the party?

The boy with the broken pencil scrapes his little knife against the lead turning and turning it as a point (15) emerges from the wood again

If he would believe his life is like that he would not follow his father into war

In Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Fundamentalism”, she does not have a defined rhythm but it is filled with caesuras which allow the reader to stop and think about what she is explaining. In order to really understand the meaning of the poem, you have to understand the title, Fundamentalism. Fundamentalism is the practice of strictly obeying beliefs of traditions within a group or organization. That is important to keep in mind while reading the poem or else you may miss the overall meaning. In lines 1 and 2, Nye questions the ability to be able “to see over heads in the crowd” (2) which I believe it infers a child who has a “short shadow” (1). This can infer that they can have an impaired judgment on reality and what is really occurring. Not being able to see everything makes be believe they are blind to the facts which would put them in a prejudice situation considering they are being fueled with idealistic fundamental practices changing their understanding and perspective on life. In the second stanza she stated, “If everyone else seems smarter but you need your own secret” (3, 4) which I believing she is trying to show the only way for someone to keep from being idealistic, they would need a secret that the smart people could not find out making them better in a sense that they knew something that they others did not know. In the third stanza, she is addressing that the smarter people wanting to understand the secret but what “if mystery was never your friend” (5) as in the secret isn’t as big as they thought it was. In lines 6 and 7, Nye imposed “if one way could satisfy the infinite heart of heavens?” (6,7) describes how desperate people are to satisfy their God and be praised when they get to heaven. In the fifth stanza, ascribed “if you liked the king on his golden throne more than the villagers carrying baskets of lemons” (8,9) suggest that the king, in this case Allah, comes before humanity. In many religions, it is against to go against the fundamentalism to turn your back on humanity. You are to help them as if you would your God and not turn your back on them. In modern day terms, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are Islamic fundamentalist that are willing to kill others because of what they strongly believe in. In lines 10 and 11, Nye describes those fundamentalist as “wanting to be sure his guards would admit you to the party” (10,11) imposing that after their dirty deeds are over, they are going to gain entrance to the “party” which really means life after death. They hope that their God will accept them after they show that they are dedicated to their religion. In the last two stanzas, it changes from rhetorical questions to a personal incident with a little boy who follows the fundamentalism laws. Nye created imagery and sensory affect to the poem. Not only do we see a “boy with the broken pencil” (12) but we can imagine the sound of a “pencil scraping his little knife against the lead”(13). The diction she used “broken”(12), “scrapes” (13), “knife”(13), and “point”(14) are violent words that can be associated with war. After the pencil is sharpened, it turns into a weapon which is also associated with war. The rhetorical questions had an overall purpose of building up to this moment to show that fundamentalism can be damaging for the generations to come. If this particular boy was not stuffed with prejudice views from his religion, he would have known he has an opportunity to change rather than being like his father whom holds the same values his parents taught him.

"How to Sharpen a Pencil." //WikiHow//. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. . Allen, Austin. "Fundamentalism." //Poetry Foundation//. Poetry Foundation. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. .

"Different Ways to Pray"

There was the method of kneeling, a fine method, if you lived in a country where stones were smooth. The women dreamed wistfully of bleached courtyards, (5) hidden corners where knee fit rock. Their prayers were weathered rib bones, small calcium words uttered in sequence, as if this shedding of syllables could somehow fuse them to the sky.

(10) There were the men who had been shepherds so long they walked like sheep. Under the olive trees, they raised their arms— Hear us! We have pain on earth! We have so much pain there is no place to store it! (15) But the olives bobbed peacefully in fragrant buckets of vinegar and thyme. At night the men ate heartily, flat bread and white cheese, and were happy in spite of the pain, because there was also happiness.

(20) Some prized the pilgrimage, wrapping themselves in new white linen to ride buses across miles of vacant sand. When they arrived at Mecca they would circle the holy places, (25) on foot, many times, they would bend to kiss the earth and return, their lean faces housing mystery.

While for certain cousins and grandmothers the pilgrimage occurred daily, (30) lugging water from the spring or balancing the baskets of grapes. These were the ones present at births, humming quietly to perspiring mothers. The ones stitching intricate needlework into children’s dresses, (35) forgetting how easily children soil clothes.

There were those who didn’t care about praying. The young ones. The ones who had been to America. They told the old ones, you are wasting your time. Time?—The old ones prayed for the young ones. They prayed for Allah to mend their brains, (40) for the twig, the round moon, to speak suddenly in a commanding tone.

And occasionally there would be one who did none of this, the old man Fowzi, for example, Fowzi the fool, (45) who beat everyone at dominoes, insisted he spoke with God as he spoke with goats, and was famous for his laugh.

In Naomi Shihab Nye poem “Different Ways to Pray”, she wrote in free verse and relies on figurative language rather than rhythm. In line 1, Nye starts the poem with methods of praying, which in this case is kneeling, shows that you are humbling yourself to whom you are praying to. Lines 2 and three suggest that kneeling is only common in places where there are smooth stones to do so. In places where that are not exposed to those conditions, may have a different way to pray. Nye used repetition for the word method to put emphasis on the specific method to pray, which is kneeling. The second half of the first stanza, lines 4 through 9, is describing how the women wanted to have a good courtyard but they were kneeling on unstable ground. They prayed hard to the point where they “somehow fused them to the sky” (9). These lines provided imagery of women praying for a change. The first three lines are describing the official method of praying but the women are not doing it correctly since they do not have the proper conditions. Nye used a simile to describe “men who had been shepherds so long they walked like sheep” (10, 11) which is effective because it gives the readers an idea about what the setting is and the type of people they were. She changed the focus from how women pray to the way men do. Them praying under an olive tree and raising their arms to the sky symbolizes the hope to be heard from God because they “have so much pain there is no place to store it. The men “were happy in spite of the pain because there was also happiness” (18, 19) suggest the idea that pain and happiness can co-exist without a problem. In the third stanza, the conversation changes from the men to Muslims making their pilgrimage to Mecca. This stanza also provides imagery from Muslim “wrapping themselves in new white linen to ride buses across miles of vacant sand” (21, 22) until “they would circle the holy places” (24) to “bend and kiss the earth” (26). The diction chosen allows the reader to have a clear understanding of what is going on which is very effective to create an image. The fourth stanza expresses a mother praying for her children. In lines 28 through 31, Nye indirectly compared the Muslims to cousins and grandmothers because they both have to make a time consuming journey that requires a lot of energy. The mother’s prayers are more stationary compared to the pilgrimage because they make clothes for their children and pray. Out of all of the other methods of praying, this one is the most ironic. Instead of everyone praying together, it is more so the “old ones prayed for the young ones” (38). It is ironic because “they told the old ones, you are wasting your time” (38). Compared to the other methods of praying, this one is not as committed as the others. In America, the young ones “were those who didn’t care about praying” (36) which is different from all the other because it went from praying when you only need something to not often at all. The old ones “prayed for Allah to med their brains, for the twig, to round moon, to speak suddenly in a condemning tone” (39-41) they prayed that God would bring them to understand the importance of prayer and to steer them to do good. This stanza shows how the generations have changed over time. The older generation held religion as a big aspect of their life where as the young ones are not being shown the importance of it. Within the last stanza, Nye introduced “the old man Fowzi, for example, Fowzi the fool who insist he spoke with God as he spoke with goats, and was famous for his laugh” (44-47). The old man Fowzi was different from the other prayers because he did not pray because he was in need of something but because it was natural to him. He was famous for his laugh because he always happy that he talked to God because it was a conversational tone. Overall, people have different methods and meanings behind their prayer hence the title “Different Ways to Pray”.

Allen, Austin. "Different Ways to Pray." //Poetry Foundation//. Poetry Foundation. Web. 01 Feb. 2016. . "The Fifth Pillar of Islam: The Pilgrimage (Hajj)." //- The Religion of Islam//. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. .

In the two poems "Different Ways to Pray" and "Fundamentalism", they are similar in many ways. Nye based both of them on religion because she is trying to show the good and bad things that can could come from religion. In "Fundamentalism", she really showed the negativity that can be associated with following the wrong path of that particular religion. In "Different Ways to Pray", she showed that everyone can pray but there are different ways to do so. I think that most of her poems are alike but it is just to show the different parts of humanity and open peoples eyes to reality. ||