Word: brotherã
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...after all, Carson’s delicate efforts toward finding consolation that provide the driving force of her book. Towards the beginning of her journal, it seems that Carson tries to comfort herself through telling the story of her brother??s life: “My brother ran away in 1978, rather than go to jail. He wandered in Europe and India, seeking something, and sent us postcards or a Christmas gift, no return address. He was traveling on a false passport and living under other people’s names. This isn’t hard...
Interspersed with her exploration of the layers of her brother??s life, Carson similarly examines the layers of each individual word in Catullus’ elegy. Rather than attempting a simple translation, Carson displays entire dictionary entries on each Latin word in sequence with its appearance in Catullus’ poem. For the word “aequora,” for instance, she not only includes the direct definition—“a smooth or level surface”—but also an example of its usage, the translation of which...
...relates, thematically and grammatically, to every other word in the poem in which it appears. Carson studies with similar rigor each inexplicable decision her brother made and every conversation she had with him. Definition by definition, poem by poem, Carson slowly creates a portrait, not of her deceased brother??s personality or character, but of the effect of his absence on his family, both before and after his death...
...amazed at the strange things humans do.” The study of history often raises more questions, Herodotos argues, than it resolves. Carson’s elegy is indeed similar to Herodotos’ concept of history. Although she does not fully arrive at an understanding of her brother??s life, Carson seems to find consolation through the very process that Herodotos describes. In its collage of images, definitions, and poetry, “Nox,” creates a powerful visual and literary rendering of this poet’s searching, collecting, doubting, and blaming...
Ultimately, like any other word, “brother?? has a subjective meaning and is therefore variable between individuals. However, we should remember the power that the word can have and use it more sparingly and appropriately. Brotherhood or sisterhood isn’t about shared genetics, simply spending a certain amount of time together, sharing similar interests, or mutual inspiration. It’s only about all those things until it’s about none of those things. Know what I mean broth–err friend...