What could a short story titled “Gyroscopes” have anything in common with a poem titled “Gate A-4?” Besides them both being written in the 21st century, both of these pieces of literature share a common theme. In Susan Muaddi Darrajs’ short story “Gyroscopes,” an Arab-American teenager deals with painful feelings when she confronts racism in an unexpected place. “Gate A-4” written by Naomi Shihab Nye is a poem where the speaker describes her experiences before a delayed flight. Both writings share the common theme that certain individuals can sometimes not be very culturally understanding but humanity has to have hope for individuals who are. The theme of certain individuals can sometimes not be very culturally understanding but humanity has …show more content…
In the short story, Layla tries to have a conversation with Mr. Davison about Aladdin being culturally insensitive. Layla states, “But he ignores me and starts going on about being inclusive and how we have to listen to everyone’s voice...except he’s just ignored mine” (Darraj). Here Mr. Davision is being hypocritical when not listening to Layla. This shows that he is not a very culturally understanding individual. This relates to the first part of the theme that certain individuals can sometimes not be very culturally understanding. At the end of the short story, Layla talks to Dr. Bledsoe about the play. Layla says, “The genie lift is on the bench. I can hear Dr. Bledsoe’s voice, saying, ‘It does suck,’ and I continue to play his words in my mind as I use the brick hammer to smash the whole thing into tiny, jagged shards” (Darraj). In this scene, Layla decides to make the right decision for herself and not participate in the play. This illustrates how an individual who is culturally understanding can make an impact on someone's life. This also highlights the second part of the theme that humanity has to have hope for culturally understanding