The Arts in New York City
During the “Meet the Author Event: Edwidge Danticat,” Danticat mentioned five fascinating proverbs that emerged from her memoir (Brother, I’m Dying) and/or inspired her writing. She defined proverb as an inspiration for writing, and I absolutely agree with her. Here are the five proverbs:
Proverb 1: Words have wings, words have feet.
In other words, words are able to travel to many places to be in the hands of someone else. For Danticat, letters were important her, in which communication between her and her family was by words on letters. Her words were able to create her memoir. The words of her life traveled through her memoir so that others may be inspired also.
Proverb 2: Sometimes you’re running from the rain, but you end up in the fire.
This relates to Uncle Joseph, where he ran away from the chaos occurring in Haiti. He believed that entering America would be the safe zone, but instead, he still didn’t escape into safety. Unfortunately, he died there from his illness because of mistreatment.
Towards the bigger picture, Danticat relates this with immigration, in which immigrants viewed America as a safe haven where they can potentially prosper. However, many immigrants, whether illegal or legal, continue to face hardship (but possibly not as worse as back in their home countries).
Proverb 3: Misfortune has no horn.
Overall, anything can happen at anytime, whether it’s a miracle or some misfortunate. Be prepared to face the worse.
Proverb 4: Those who care cannot rest. (Variation: Those who are concern cannot sleep).
Probably self-explained, but in Danticat’s experience, those who want to fight for justice should continue to fight until it is achieved.
Proverb 5: When you see an old bone in the street, remember that it once had flesh.
Personally, this is my favorite proverb out of the five. As Danticat explained, the memoir is putting the flesh on the bone of Uncle Joseph and that the memoir is also dedicated to his father and as a tribute to family. It can be said the same for other memoirs, such as Patti Smith’s Just Kids. Her memoir is the bone and she attempts not only to cover that bone with flesh of her own, but of Rob’s flesh also. Overall, with this proverb, Danticat provides us with crucial advice: “Don’t forget the great sacrifices that others have made for us.”
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I thought Edwidge Danticat was such a genuine woman and when she shared her proverbs with us, I felt they were really coming from her heart. I usually don’t read memoirs, but I really enjoyed Brother, I’m Dying. As you explained in the first proverb, words really do have wings/feet. Danticat was able to communicate with her family members through letters, and she was able to tell her great story through her powerful words in her book. My favorite proverb is the fifth one as well. “When you see an old bone in the street, remember that it once had flesh.” Not only does this apply to Danticat’s memoir, but it applies to everyday life. Like you said, the memoir puts flesh back on the bones of Uncle Joseph and tells the story of his journey. I think this proverb can really make you stop and think. We often forget about those that came before us, or disregard the feelings of older people, like the U.S. Customs Officers did. We need to remember that these people have a story. Many of them aren’t as lucky as Uncle Joseph, to have their story shared in a book, but we must recognize that “old bones” have a history.
Nice review and explanations!
I like your review. Unlike most of the other Edwidge Danticat reviews that attempted to find a deeper meaning within her event, you were straight-forward and provided the meanings of her proverbs. What I liked about Danticat’s proverbs were that they helped me find the meaning of her book, Brother, I’m Dying, her life story. The first proverb explained her love for writing, the second, her uncle’s dilemma, the third, the effect of her father and uncle’s misfortunes on the family, the fourth, Danticat and her uncle’s reactions to the injustice that occurred in both Haiti and America and the fifth being the way Danticat learned to be humblr due to her uncle’s voice box. All of these proverbs were originally Haitian, thus explaining and maintaining Danticat’s closeness to Haitian culture despite living in America presently. Thus your review preserved Danticat’s inspiration for writing her memoir rather than providing meaningless forms of “symbolism” like a typical class discussion would. Great and solid review!
Meet the Artist: Edwidge Danticat was a heartwarming event. I felt that Danticat was speaking from her heart and genuinely offering us advice about life itself. For Danticat, each of the five proverbs meant more than just words. It represented her past experiences and her outlook on life in the future. Although we were sitting in a large auditorium and it was our first meeting with one another, she spoke to us as though we were friends. For me, she was like a mentor rather than an author explaining to her readers about Brother I’m Dying. The fact that she said each proverb in Haiti before translating it into English gave us a glimpse at her culture. It showed that she’s proud to be Haitian and not afraid to express it. But at the same time, because they were each proverbs with a long history, I felt like she was telling us a secret.
Personally, the fifth proverb, when you see an old bone in the street, remember that it once had flesh, was also my favorite quote. I felt that out of all the five proverbs, it’s also the most important one. This proverb serves as a reminder of our origin. It reiterates the point to not look down upon others or cast them aside simply because we are better off. After all, the majority of us were once in their place. I feel that this is an important proverb to keep in mind, especially for the ones that are building their road to success.