249 Results with the "Poetry" genre


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      Chapter Seven

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      by testsuphomeAdmin
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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…
    • Chapter Nine: Bobby Sands Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with Cyrus Shams, a young Iranian-American man, confessing his preoccupation with death to artist Orkideh during an encounter at the Brooklyn Museum. He awkwardly reveals his fascination with historical figures like Bobby Sands who died for their beliefs, contrasting their meaningful deaths with his own existential uncertainty. Orkideh, a terminally ill cancer patient conducting a living exhibition called "DEATH-SPEAK," listens intently while subtly challenging Cyrus's romanticized…
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      Chapter Ten

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter depicts the narrator's life working at an industrial chicken breeder farm in Fort Wayne, where the chickens are genetically modified for rapid growth and efficiency, stripped of immune systems to maximize productivity. The narrator describes the sterile, laboratory-like environment, contrasting it with traditional farming imagery. Their daily routine involves meticulous biosecurity measures, including showering and wearing scrubs to prevent contamination. The chickens, referred to as…
    • 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…
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      Chapter Twelve

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter introduces Cyrus Shams, an Iranian-American navigating life in the Midwest during the post-9/11 era, where he grapples with xenophobia and cultural alienation. Cyrus perceives natural phenomena like storms and sunlight as personal affronts, reflecting his broader sense of isolation. His upbringing is marked by microaggressions, such as a math teacher’s racist joke and a social studies teacher’s condescending remarks about U.S. intervention in the Middle East. These experiences highlight…
    • Chapter Thirteen Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter introduces Roya Shams, a woman living in Tehran in 1987, who reflects on her ambivalence toward life and the constraints of her marriage. She describes her limited personal freedoms, cherishing small moments of solitude like sipping tea or doodling, which stand in stark contrast to her domestic responsibilities. Roya’s husband, Ali, is friends with Gilgamesh, a police officer, and the two men take annual trips to Rasht, leaving Roya briefly free from the exhaustion of constant scrutiny.…
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      Martyr!

      Martyr! Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin “Mar­tyr!” is a thought-pro­vok­ing poet­ry col­lec­tion by Kaveh Akbar that explores themes of faith, spir­i­tu­al­i­ty, iden­ti­ty, and self-sac­ri­fice. Through pow­er­ful, evoca­tive lan­guage, Akbar delves into the inter­nal con­flict between reli­gious devo­tion and the human expe­ri­ence, espe­cial­ly focus­ing on the con­cept of martyrdom—the ten­sion between sur­ren­der­ing one­self for a cause and the self-affir­ma­tion of per­son­al iden­ti­ty. Akbar uses his poems to inter­ro­gate the nature of…
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      Chapter Sixteen

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      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter introduces Arash Shirazi, a soldier in the Iranian army during the 1985 Iran-Iraq War, who adopts a unique role inspired by his comrade Arman. Dressed in a black robe with a flashlight illuminating his face, Arash becomes a symbolic "angel of night," riding his horse Badbadak among the dying soldiers to offer them solace and reinforce their resolve. Arman explains that every platoon has a soldier like Arash—one who embodies this celestial figure to provide comfort amidst the horrors of war.…
    • Chapter Thirty-one Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the narrator reflecting on their first experience with death, which they missed entirely, leaving them with unresolved grief. This time, they aim to confront their own mortality head-on through their final art installation, *Death-Speak*, which serves as a literal and metaphorical presence in the face of death. The narrator contrasts their experience with Leila, who may have found clarity in death, while they remain burdened by the weight of living. The installation becomes a way to…
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