If I Lose My Voice Open Access
Bakdash, Talah (Spring 2019)
Abstract
If I Lose My Voice is my attempt at navigating the space between what it means to be American and Syrian, specifically in the midst of the Syrian war. This space is abstract and isolating, so these poems work to ground my identity in things that are more concrete: the body, food, music, flowers…and that do not fall under the clichéd images of Arab culture (i.e. the desert, tea, and the call to prayer). Materializing the gap between two countries creates a home of the things around me rather than a specific location. This, in turn, helps me answer the following questions: What does it mean to live between two cultures? Has language helped to bridge that gap or widen it? Is there a culture I identify more with? How can I actively engage with a culture to ensure it won’t be lost over time? How can I be nationalistic for a country I’ve only visited, and what does it mean to lose that country to war? What is my place in mourning for that country when I am in the privileged position of not being physically hurt by that war? To help me write through those questions, I turn to a variety of writers who are exclusively Arab (i.e. Adonis), American (i.e. Carolyn Forchè), and Arab-American (i.e. Fady Joudah).
Table of Contents
Small Talk 1
When They Ask You: How Do You Speak English So Good? 3
Remedy 4
When They Ask You: How Do You Pronounce Your Name? 5
Ghazal to the Heart 6
Arabic Music Videos 7
Tabbouleh 8
Jasmine 10
Myopic 14
Summer Every Winter 15
Dive 16
When They Ask You: Do You Shower in That? 17
Thanksgiving 18
Ramadan 19
Genealogy 20
Duplex: Wedding Ululations 21
Love in Arabic 22
Photographs of Our Apartment, Destroyed 27
Recovery 29
Exits 30
When They Ask You: Where Are You From? 31
Notes 32
About this Honors Thesis
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Primary PDF
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If I Lose My Voice () | 2019-04-09 11:54:41 -0400 |
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