Monday, March 2, 2009
Quote: Chapter 5 (pages 40-41)
"I wish I could be like Aisha and just focus. Or Taslima, talking back. But that's not me. I like staying quiet and still, taking in the words of the grown-ups. Only sometimes it feels lonely being this way, as if their voices are turning me to heavy stone. Sometimes I wish I could lift out of myself and do something that really counts." I recognized in this quote that Nadira felt more comfortable being who she was and not who Aisha or anyone else around her was. Even though she knows it's not her personality to be like them, she says she feels lonely being in this position. She wants to be recognized. She still has a hint of jealousy that pushes her out of her comfort zone in order to explore new possibilities for who she is here in America. She wants to do something that makes herself stand out, something that 'really counts'. She just needs to realize there are people out in the world who thinks she's special, she just needs to discover who she is in order to find where and with who she belongs.
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This quote is really sad. :( It's sad how terrible she feels when she's lonely. I agree with what you said.:) :) :) (extra smileys) :) :) :). Yeah, she does want to be different than she is, which is kind-of sad. :(. :)
ReplyDeletetoo many smileys!
ReplyDeleteya i agree with carolyn. nadira needs to realize people like her for the person that she is (like her mother told her that on the phone earlier in the chapter).
ReplyDeletei think that it is so sad (at the end of the quote) when nadira says "i wish i could lift out of myself and do something that really counts". she shouldn't judge her life on doing something super important in it or not. just because someone doesn't do something major in life (like stop a bad war or something), doesn't mean that they are a bad person.
btw, there's no such thing as too many smileys. ;) :) :) :) :) :) ;) ;) :) :)
ReplyDeleteI think that Nadira is being to hard on herself. A lot is happening right now, and Nadira is all taking it on herself. I think Nadira needs to just forget what is happening with her family and just live life as a normal American teenager, until everything is sorted out. I think it would be good for her to act like an American Teenager because then it would be what she wanted, to call it "home". And by acting like an American teenager will get her more to say "home" than anything else.
ReplyDeleteI think that Nadira needs to have more self confidence. She stands in the shadow of Aisha, who seems like the "perfect" sister, but I think that Nadira is perfectly capable of moving out of this shadow. When Aisha starts to break down (ahem ahem Ch. 6), Nadira should take the chance to talk to Aisha about everything.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap Tallliya!!! Moving on...
ReplyDeleteI love this quote. I used the same one, and on my blog, I said that Nadira notices more than people give her credit for. She knows a lot about her family, especially Nadira. I hope in time, she can use this knowledge to become closer to her sister.
I think that Nadira needs to break out of her shell and do something outrageous! She is always complaining about never doing anything worth while, but it is totally up to her. If she wants to do something noticeable, she should. However, I think that even if she does, people aren't going to notice it as much because she has been under Aisha's shadow for so long. She has always been the quiet one, so I don't think that people will take her as seriously when she tries to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carolyn's response. I think that Nadira really is not comfortable being something she's not, but I also thing Nadira wants to become a better, and stronger person. I hope that Nadira will learn how to speak her mind in a respectful, yet strong way. I have faith that she will become the leader she has potential to be by the end of the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elana that Nadira needs to accept who she is and that people like her for who she is. Nadira feels like she isn't smart or pretty, just because people think Aisha is. She should stop comparing herself to her sister and be herself.
ReplyDeleteand haha Talliya
I disagree with Karly. I think it is really hard to be a "normal" teenager when people on the street look at you like weird. I think Nadira needs to stand up for herself more and just exept who she is. She should stop thinking about the person on the outside and think about the herself in the inside.
ReplyDeleteI think that Nadira needs to stop trying to be like Aisha, and needs to start finding the good in herself. Once she does that, I think that she will stop eating candy all the time, and won't be picked on at school.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shino. I think that once she is comfortable with her self then she will stop eating so much bad food and be able to stand up for herself more.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason that Nadira said/thought this is because she hasn't really found out who she is as a person yet. My prediction is that in this book Nadira will find who she is as a person (like or unlike Aisha or Taslima) by overcoming the obstacles of being an illegal immigrant, especially of Indian descent after 9/11.
ReplyDelete