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The “Dickinson” show and falling in love with small ordinary things

4-6-2022

Today I finished watching the show and had some feelings to share!

First, the show made Emily Dickinson a “normal” woman who is a poet, not the mysterious solitary poet that happens to be a woman. Meaning it made her human in her anger, passion, love, family, and how she spent her time writing her poetry.

Second, the characters were so vivid and complex that you feel for them and care for them, even if some of them were rude and stupid at times. They are mainly Emily’s friends and family members. They all have to face certain events and we get to see everyone’s perspective and reason. 

Third, I loved the symbolism and highlighting the main themes in Emily’s poetry through the decor and clothes. I cannot explain more so that I do not spoil but the more you watch the show, the more you start to NOTICE this.

Fourth, the most important part which made me start watching the show, Emily’s poems! Her lyrical and deep words are wonderfully embedded in the show, making her writings more relatable and understandable, and along with the music .. it becomes just epic! The producers really made her poetry come to life! 

Sixth, I absolutely adored the female friendships and solidarity in this show. From Emily’s mother and her Irish maid to her Black American seamstress and her friends. It might have to do with me growing up with women from different nationalities as role models, Bosnian housewives, Algerian and Syrian teachers, Egyptians, Syrians, and Palestinians. Lots of women gave me strength and still inspire me.

Also, the whole show makes you understand the process of writing poems and what it meant for Emily, how she perceived life, nature, love, and war. It lets you sit beside Emily and see from her perspective and understand her. 

Lastly, he shows highlights an important characteristic of Emily, which is enjoying the small things in our daily life, like reading a book under a tree or drinking tea with a friend. She also makes a small moment feel like the most exciting celebration, even if its a blooming rose or wearing clothes. This concept had become one I try to take on more and more and enjoy the small things in my life. 

So those are my thoughts and feelings about this show and I hope it might encourage you to give it a chance. See you in another review!

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Review of The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita

The Forest of Wool and Steel  

      by Natsu Miyashita 

The Summary:

The story revolves around Tomura who discovers the beauty of the piano and decides he wants to become a Piano tuner, through the book we see how he practices under three mentors: Mr. Itadori, Mr. Yanagi, and Mr. Akino.

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As for the characters, they are all very real with their own distinct view towards life, art, and piano tuning. Mr. Yanagi especially was an interesting man who had an artist’s perspective towards life, comparing the piano to flowers and cheez. His beautiful metaphors guide you to understand the other dimensions you missed about the piano and how it can affect your life. 

As for Tomura, our main character, his dedication and yearning to learn inspired me to go back to my passion of painting. It would definitely be interested in trying something!

 As for the rest of the characters each give you a different outlook and makes the story so much more exciting.

The writing style is poetic and easy to understand (I read the English version) and the pacing was a bit slow, even though it is less than 200 pages, but it was the right one for me since I wanted to enjoy the book as long as it takes.

An important component of the story would be the use of imagery and metaphors. The author was very good at using this to connect us to the characters even if we are not pianists or understand the first thing about creating music. Here is an excerpt to give you an insight into the lovely writing style and the use of metaphor, it is taken from the chapter where Tomura realizes how hearing the piano for the first time changes his life:

“It liberated me to have a word for these things - for the trees, the mountains, the seasons. To call them beautiful meant I could take them out any time I wished, exchange them with friends. Beauty was everywhere in the world. I had just never known what to call it or how to recognize it - until that afternoon in the school gym, when it flooded me with joy. If a piano can bring light to the beauty that has become invisible to us, and give it audible form, then it is a miraculous instrument and I thrill to be its lowly servant”

For my general impression, this book made me reflect on how each person views “beauty” and “art” differently. However, it also made me think how auditory art is the least form appreciated today, in the era of photoshop and aesthetic visuals. The appreciation for the music I see here is similar to the one in the novel “Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Murakami. 

This idea also brought back memories of listening to Quran reciters such as Subhi Taha, or Houssam Al-Din Abbadi. Or listening closely to the music in Disney movies such as Brother Bear. Auditory memory has a way of evoking nostalgia like no other sense.

Another thing this book brought to my attention is the idea that we always appreciate the music and the instruments but know very little about the people who fix them and tune them. Lots of effort and practice goes into bringing the right noises out of the instruments, and more importantly, it needs an "understanding the vibrations and interactions among and between the notes".

Lastly, I think if you look for a heartwarming and inspiring book this might be it ! 

Other similar books that I enjoyed and have the same heartwarming component are Sweet Bean Paste and The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

I would like to know your thoughts about this book if you read it or tell me about a book that made you reconsider your thoughts about something?

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do not say that Isra*l was built upon an empty land

from @m_hushki on instagram