Drawing Inspiration from "The Fifth Book of Peace"

So over the last week or so, I have been doing a lot more reading than writing. Here are some quotes and ideas I've collected from my various readings that I found inspiring.

First of all, I feel I have wronged Maxine Hong Kingston by calling her wishy-washy. In fact, looking through my Winter Term notebook, I found that I'd written down some quotes that were pretty awesome. In one section, Kingston talks about a class she taught, and a student who raised his hand and said: "The story of our generation is that we are always on the move. We travel to every state and country, and do not commit to any one place, to Aristotelian unities of time and place. The setting of our novels will be everywhere." I think this is a really insightful point - definitely a possible basis for a story. I think moving around a lot is a theme of times when America is alienated, when the culture is fractured. In the Gilded Age, many writers moved to Europe, and much of The Fifth Book of Peace is about a family's move to Hawaii from the conflict-heavy, war-protesting Berkeley. Of course, America's disenfranchisement by many nations worldwide thanks to our War on Terror, has driven thousands to leave the country.

Kingston also talks about William Carlos Williams' law of poetry. He says, "Listen to the ground of the Americas, and hear her voice." Her best ideas are the ones she cites and references, which struck me much more powerfully and helped her credibility. She discusses the Outline of Caodism, that "humanity lives in sufferings," and Prince Han of Western Thebes' quote about going into battle. He says, "you determine to go forward. Shuddering seizes you, your soul lies in your hand." I think that even though I didn't find all of Kingston's book persuasive, her ability to cite so extensively really helped her cause. From a writer's perspective, points of reference such as the ones I just mentioned, can really help widen a writer's scope of view.

I think that's enough for now, but I want to post more quotes from the poetry I read on my walk.