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    257 Results with the "Poetry" genre


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      Chapter Four

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a woman's first flight experience from Tehran to Bandar Abbas on July 3, 1988, against the backdrop of Iran's economic hardship. The narrative paints a vivid picture of Tehran's struggles—families selling heirloom carpets for survival, men raising chickens in bathrooms, and desperate attempts to secure food. A haunting scene depicts young women risking prostitution on Revolution Street, with one girl violently apprehended by secret police. The protagonist's unease during her flight…
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      Chapter Five

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter explores the lives of Cyrus and Ali Shams, Iranian immigrants in Indiana, focusing on their struggles with insomnia and trauma. Cyrus, now an adolescent, grapples with chronic sleeplessness, obsessively replaying daily interactions and imagining social slights. His anxiety extends to fears of deportation and his family’s precarious visa status, exacerbated by his father Ali’s vague warnings about the dangers of revealing their Iranian heritage. Ali works long hours at a chicken farm,…
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      Chapter Fifteen

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with Cyrus experiencing a vivid dream set in an elevated parking lot surrounded by blooming trees and yellow plains. Unlike his usual dreams, the setting emerges before the characters, creating a surreal atmosphere. Two figures eventually appear: basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, dressed in a retro uniform, and Cyrus’s imaginary younger brother, Beethoven, named after the dog from the 1992 film. The dream’s whimsical tone is established as the two men engage in playful banter,…
    • Chapter Eleven: Hypatia of Alexandria Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter follows Arash Shirazi, a young Iranian man conscripted into military service during the Iran-Iraq War in 1984. With no means to avoid enlistment, Arash reflects on the absurdity of war and the shift from a revolution led by idealists to one controlled by armed zealots. He resigns himself to his fate, imagining his future as just another martyr's photo on the mosque wall. His observations highlight the senselessness of war, where men like him—poor, uneducated, and without special skills—are…
    • Chapter Eighteen: Roya Shams/Mom Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the narrator's vivid description of Leila, a woman whose striking presence transcends conventional beauty. Her sunglasses, confident demeanor, and animated conversation about eclectic topics make her magnetic, almost otherworldly. The taxi driver’s distracted driving underscores her allure, while her unfiltered cigarettes and casual defiance of norms—like removing her scarf—hint at her rebellious nature. The narrator is captivated, observing Leila as if she were a force of…
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      Chapter Eight

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with Zee Novak reflecting on her early relationship with Cyrus during their time at Keady University in 2014. Set against the backdrop of an unpredictable Indiana spring, Zee recalls working at Green Nile and selling weed while Cyrus worked at Jade Café. Their lives revolved around drinking and casual dating, a period before Cyrus’s sobriety and Zee’s eventual decision to stop drinking in solidarity. Zee hints at the growing emotional labor she invested in Cyrus, a realization that…
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      Bribed

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      by LovelyMay The chapter titled **"Bribed"** presents a tender depiction of a grandparent’s affection and weakness for their grandchild’s innocence and charming antics. The narrator confesses to succumbing to the child's endearing forms of persuasion, such as smiles, hugs, and tears, despite knowing that these indulgences might not always be in the child's best interest. For example, the grandparent gives in to granting treats like chocolate cake and watermelon, leading to the child's stomach ache, and buys roller…
      Fiction • Poetry
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      BOOK IV

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      by LovelyMay This passage concludes the narrative of the Argonauts and their eventful journey to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Upon returning to their homeland, they face no further adversities at sea or significant conflicts, marking a peaceful and uneventful conclusion to their epic quest. The narrative blends myth with elements of historic Greek geography and customs, offering insight into Greek mythology's complex world. The tale ends on a positive note, with the Argonauts safely reaching their destination,…
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      BOOK II

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      by LovelyMay Arms and quickly lowered the mast at the stay by the forestays, and they rowed the ship with their oars and made fast to the bank with ropes stretched to the shore. And they leaped out far eager to touch the land of Colchis. Here were the ox-stalls where Jason later would yoke the fire- breathing bulls to plow the field of Ares. Here too was the grove sacred to the war god, where hung the Golden Fleece guarded by a sleepless dragon, into which task Jason would be thrust as part of his quest. By the…
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      BOOK I

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      by LovelyMay Straightway they rushed in throngs from the city gates, eagerly seeking; for no one, neither youth nor elder, tarried behind. They searched, turning every stone, each one eager to be the first to bring back to Heracles tidings of his lovely Hylas. There is a fountain, Artacia, the water of which the Mysians say gushes up from the rock not far from the city, and thither, as fate would have it, the searchers came likewise. And Heracles eagerly asked them if haply they had seen a boy passing to the spring…
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