January 20th

 "I knew how to love people and things then, but I also knew how to hate."

- Page 73, The Italics are Mine


    After reading this piece by Berberova, I think that there are many important takeaways. First and foremost, I think there is something to be said about her acknowledgement of her passions at such a young age. On top of this, I think that her realizing that things would not be the same for her as they are for a man is mature beyond her years. For her, all she ever wanted to be was a poet, and while the world around her told her 'no', she believed she could. The story of her going through and making a list of all the things she 'cannot be' because she was a girl was truly astounding and made me think back to when I was a little girl, contemplating all of the things I could or wanted to be. Maybe it was a cultural difference for her situation, but I can not imagine being 10 years old having to face the facts of "you cannot do this because you are a woman" and her parents just going along with it! 

    Secondly, I think that her hatred is right in the sense of hating populated places, fake people and non-worthwhile things. I think life is too short to not do what you want, and for her she finds it unnecessary to surround herself with people and things that she "hates" or hinder her excellence. While this can be difficult at times, I can imagine that what she got in return was a life that she was proud of. Because of this, I think we all can ask ourselves: Is what we are doing right now falling victim to the constructs that surround me,  or am I truly doing what makes me happy? 

    For Berberova, I think the most important thing to her was not feeling suffocated by family or her home or even the work she was doing. All she wanted to be was free and in the end, I think she gained at least a little bit more independence than what she started with. 

Comments

  1. Jordan MilesJanuary 20, 2023 at 6:38 AM

    I liked how you wrote about how she didn't let society be a limitation to her going after her passion of writing. I agree with what you said about being shocked if someone said no to a dream just because of being a women today.

    ReplyDelete

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