Genre: Poetry
Culture: Muslim
Book:
Nye, Naomi Shihab. (2002). 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle
East. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Level/Age: YA (ages 12-20)
Synopsis: This is a collection of sixty poems
about the various areas and peoples of the Middle East. The child of an Arab father from the Old City
of Jerusalem and an American mother, Nye has lived in, visited, and written
about the Middle East her whole life. Her
collection of poems depicts various incidents of family history, including a
grandmother’s pilgrimage to Mecca; memories of different visits to the Middle
East, including coffee shops, refugee camps, and a lunch in Nablus City Park;
and the impact of war and prejudice, including fundamentalism, school bombings,
and the tragedy of September 11, 2001.
Comparisons/Contrasts
with traditional American/Western Culture:
Locke writes, “Muslims desire that their religion be seen as one of
peace and acceptance and that they not be judged by the actions of particular
Muslim individuals and groups” (p. 211).
Nye’s poems embody peace and acceptance.
In the introduction, Nye writes, “Perhaps Arab Americans must say, twice
as clearly as anyone else, that we deplore the unbelievable, senseless sorrow
caused by people from the Middle East…but also we must remind others never to
forget the innocent citizens of the Middle East who haven’t committed any
crime.” In one poem, entitled Red
Brocade, Nye writes “The Arabs used to say, when a stranger appears at your
door, feed him for three days before asking who he is, where he’s from, where
he’s headed.” These poems provide many
such examples that personify the peace and acceptance of the Muslim culture.
Response: I was moved by many of these poems. Some were subtle, and others were bold. For example, some lines that stood out to me
include: “To live without roads seemed
one way not to get lost” (from the poem Spark,
p. 16). “Teach me how little I need to
live and…the world jokes and says, how much” (from the poem For Mohammed on the Mountain, p.
28). “What is the history of Europe to
us if we cannot choose our own husbands?
Yesterday my father met with the widower, the man with no hair. How will I sleep with him, I who have never
slept away from my mother?” (from Biography
of an Armenian Schoolgirl, p. 11).
These poems gave me lasting images and insights into the Muslim culture.
Suggested
Extension Activities: I could see
using this book in a Language Arts class, or a Reading class, during the month
of Ramadan, or featuring it in the library media center in honor of Eid
al-Fitr, or Eid al-Adha. It could be
used with Civics or Social Studies classes to cultivate a better understanding
of the Arab culture, or in a unit on Palestinian/Israeli relations.
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