One of the central ideas revealed in the poem “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye is our modern-day culture that is obsessed with the things and objects believed to be prominent and renowned. The concept, that everything is valued from the point of view of its being famous or not, is the central concept Shihab Nye utilized in this poem. On the basis of this concept, she evaluates the objects that are common in our daily life. A remarkable feature of the poem is the concept of fame by Shihab Nye which is in the fact that even ordinary objects are famous to those who come across them on a regular basis. Stating that even ordinary objects are famous, the poet tries to object to the cynical notions of modern culture. Overall, modern-day culture is not shown as something positive by Shihab Nye; on the contrary, every line of the poem “Famous” is the protest against hard-boiled values and beliefs common among people.
In the first lines of her poem, Shihab Nye speaks about eternal things such as the water in the river that is well-known to those who swim in it and the loud voice that is well known to silence (Shihab Nye 121). Then, she continues enumerating such simple and common objects, things, and living beings as the fence, the cat, the birds, and the birdhouse. Addressing such objects, things and living beings, the author shows that the surrounding world of nature always stays the same. In these initial lines, the author creates a peaceful atmosphere that is known to people worldwide for centuries. The only point here makes the audience’s minds concentrate. That is the ‘loud voice’ that is famous for silence. The word ‘loud’ does not add to the peaceful atmosphere in the first lines; on the contrary it introduces the other ideas that Shihab Nye addresses next.
After a few lines with the mood of peace and calm, suddenly Shihab Nye makes an abrupt shift to the other phenomena of the surrounding world. The author says: “The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek” (Shihab Nye 121). In these words, she discusses the things that are common in today’s world. It is true that modern culture and the modern world are full of cruelty and pain that make people have many tears on their cheeks. The author herself is not an exception as she had to go through the tears of war. So, it is understandable why she makes such an emphasis on the phenomenon of grief that is so common in today’s culture.
Next, we read: “The idea you carry close to your bosom is famous to your bosom” (Shihab Nye 121). Here, the author makes stresses egoism and indifference that are so spread in the world today. Shihab Nye gets to the point with this statement as today people only care about their own concerns. Then she mentions ‘the boot’ that is famous to the earth and ‘the dress shoe’ that is famous to floors. Thus, she emphasizes that although people are concentrated on public routs and cultural events where dresses and shoes hit the floors; there exists another reality of boots that invade the lands of nations. Thus, the world is separated between the seeming prosperity and grief that the afflicted people have to suffer.
In conclusion, in her poem “Famous”, Naomi Shihab Nye discusses important issues that are common in today’s reality. She speaks about loud voices that disturb the eternal peace of silence. She mentions the tears that are famous on her cheeks. She addresses the ideas that are important only to those who produce them. In this way, the author stresses the fact that modern culture is the culture where cynicism and indifference are spread. In addition, according to Shihab Nye, modern culture is the culture of people who like celebrating famous things during their public routs where they are pompously dressed in dresses and shoes, but they forget about the pains of those who have to see boots of invaders in the lands.
References
Shihab Nye, Naomi. Words under the Words: Selected Poems, The United States: Far Corner Books, 1995. Print.