Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1952. (Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Foundation n.p.). Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother an American of German and Swiss descent. Nye spent her adolescence in both Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas (Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Foundation n.p.). Her experience of both cultural difference and different cultures has influenced much of her work (Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Foundation n.p.). Known for poetry that lends a fresh perspective to ordinary events, people, and objects (Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Foundation n.p.). Nye has said that, for her, “the primary source of poetry has always been local life, random characters met on the streets, our own ancestry sifting down to us through small

The poem emphasizes on the fact of Nye questioning her sides of life as being inherited or forced on her by the government. Nye uses personification in her poem to draw an image closer to our senses. For example, whenever she uses “..our palms peeled like snakes (What Does a True Arab Do Now? n.p.). Also, she uses the words such as “Today the headlines clot in my blood” (What Does a True Arab Do Now? n.p.), which refers to the shock or surprise. Also, symbolism takes over. The poem uses diction choices such as “A true Arab..” (What Does a True Arab Do Now? n.p.), which help the readers realize the characteristics of one another. Also, the name “Shihab” means a shooting star, which symbolizes light and beauty. The use of the fig tree is a reference to a biblical symbol. The “flag of stone and seed” in line 20 refers to the Arabic culture. The overall theme is that people with biracial backgrounds have a hard time fitting in and figuring out who they are as

Mrs. Nye has traveled a lot. She has seen the world in many of its different forms and circumstances. She would always want to focus on her Arabic culture and therefore relate it to her poems, like when she uses the phrase: “A true Arab..” (What Does a True Arab Do Now? n.p.). She is inspired by the simplest of things like daily involuntary acts done by human. Many of her work is said to be about simple things people often forget about because it’s become a habit rather than a value (Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Foundation n.p.). Due to her cultural background, her life has been full of experiences that show a lot in her poems. As a result, her poems stand as a voice for those who are being opposed based on a culture not well understood (Naomi Shihab Nye, Poetry Foundation n.p.). Growing up in an Arabic oriented society, and then moving back to an American society, Nye has adapted to both cultures, however not both adapted to her differences. Her stories and poems always leave the reader hanging since she is on both sides of the argument yet is still trying to figure out who she is (Naomi Shihab Nye, Steven Barclay Agency n.p.). As a result, her poems are a series of everything she’s been through while figuring out how to overcome the obstacles drawn her way (Naomi Shihab