Memory of my 7th birthday
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Category Archives: Zadie Smith
Dad and Me
This is probably my favorite photo of all time: dad and I sitting on a lawn, by a lake, feeding black swans. There is something so peaceful about it.
This picture was taken in the countryside of Minas Gerais, a state in the Southeast of Brazil. My parents would take us there every year; maybe even a couple times a year. I remember that it was so exciting when they would tell us that we were going to Minas. I always thought it was funny that we were so excited to leave a city that so many people would love to visit (my hometown is Rio de Janeiro) to go to a small town with not much going on. But look at how beautiful those swans are! We don’t see swans in Rio that often.
I love the way my dad is holding me. He was always so protective of us. And isn’t it great that he actually let me feed the birds? What if they bit me? Would they bite a 2.5 year-old? There are swans at the park near my apartment here in New York. They are white ones, though. I’m too scared to get near them; I heard they attach you if you get too close. Maybe if my dad was here I would feel brave enough to feed these yankee swans? Maybe.
I remember those shoes–I used to love them. I had another pair of the same kind that I used to like even more, but in different colors (gray and blue) and bigger size. I wore the blue ones after they became too small for my feet. I didn’t tell my mom, because I was afraid she was going to make me stop wearing them. She finally realized, of course. Isn’t it a shame children’s feet grow so fast and their shoes go to waste?
My dad passed away two years ago. I’m so very grateful to have to picture to look at every now and then. I don’t have too many pictures of us together, but that kind of makes the ones I have of us even more special.
Proliferate
Proliferate (verb)
Definition: to increase in number or amount quickly
Source:Ā http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proliferation
Found in: Scenes From the Smith Family Christmas By Zadie Smith
Quote: āDenzil found this out when he attempted, on this most sacred of days, to do the things we could not do because we’d always done them another way, our way — a way we all hated, to be sure, but could not change. Denzil wants to open a present on Christmas Eve — don’t do that, Denzil. Denzil wants to go for a walk — I’m so sorry, Denzil, that’s impossible. We’d like to, but we just can’t swing it. Why not? Because, Denzil. Just because. Because like the two parts of Ireland, because like the Holy Trinity, because like nuclear proliferation, like men not wearing skirts, because like brandy butter.ā
The word nuclear proliferation in this text technically means the spread of nuclear weapons, but the author is using it as an example of things that arenāt changing, just like the way Christmas presents are opened in their family.
Photobiography: a lifetime ago
Inspiration: Scenes from the Smith Family Christmas By Zadie Smith
This picture is from around 1994-95ish, when I was just a toddler. My older sister is holding me safely in her arms; she is 3 years older than I. My Uncle Alex is on the left, I think heās in the process of creating ābunny earsā for my grandmother who is to the right (that was all the rage!). I vaguely remember this day; we were visiting a park in the Bronx I believe. Iām not sure who took it, but this photo speaks volumes to me. Looking at this, I remember how my grandmother didnāt want to be called āabuelaā, rather she preferred her grandchildren to call her Dubby (very possibly misspelled). I remember her singing “La Cucaracha” to make me laugh. My Uncle Alex was the coolest; he was always doing goofy stuff just like in the photo. I remember him throwing me in the air and tickling me until my ribs were sore, he still is my favorite Uncle Alex who is an expert at making people laugh whenever heās around. But my favorite part of this image is my sister, whose head is resting on my shoulder and holding me like a little dolly she had to protect. And she did. We donāt get to see each other all that much anymore since we donāt live in the same state, but I remember our childhood. We went through a lot of things when we were younger, from living in bad neighborhoods to our father selling our things to fuel his drug addiction. I still remember asking my sister where our N64 went, or why things kept disappearing. She tried to protect me. She was older and knew better. I donāt know what I would have done in her situation, having a younger sister who completely depended on you. But the fact was that I had her, and she made my life easier. I didnāt have to worry because I knew my big sister would be there. And she still is.
Blogging for Thursday: photos and shawls
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For Thursday, please read the two story pairings:
Zadie Smith, āScenes from the Smith Family Christmasā andĀ photograph; Jamaica Kincaid, āBiography of a Dressā (andĀ listen to her read the story)
and Cynthia Ozick, āThe Shawlā (932-935) and Louise Erdrich, āThe Shawlā (1409-1413)
Then write a post, approximately 300 words or longer, either the photobiography or the object-biography, usingĀ the categories Homework Responses and the name of the author or authors you’re imitating or drawing on.:
The Photobiography: imitating the style and themes of Smith or Kincaid, who tell their stories through careful consideration of a photograph from their pasts, write a creative close-reading of an old photograph of yourself. Include the photograph if possible. Tag your post Photobiography.
The Object-biography: considering how both Ozick and Erdrich tell these story with the object of the shawl as an important object, both physically and symbolically, write a creative close-reading about an object of significance to you or your family. Include a photograph of the object if possible. Tag your post Object-biography.
