Your track meet will coincide with my soccer game tomorrow since they are scheduled for the same time. taut (adj)- having no give or slack; tightly drawn
When he pointed the taut rubber band at me, I knew that it was going to hurt. stifled (adj)- muffled or repressed
He tried to say something, but he was stifled from having a lot of popcorn in his mouth. submerge (v)- to go under water
The sinking boat slowly submerges into the depths of the sea.
Respond and Interpret
The narrator’s reaction did surprise me because he/she went into shock on what he/she heard from Rami. At the beginning, he/she says that Rami and him/her loved the sea, which was right beside the balcony. After …show more content…
Rami and the narrator have different religions, likely to be Christian and Muslim. The couch cushion between them represents how their religious differences set them apart. The intertwined stars and circle pattern on the couch shows how two different things can come together to become one. The Muslim house in the book has one thousand windows open, except for one and the Christian house, drawn by the narrator at the end, has one thousand windows closed, except for one. This shows how the two religions are practically opposites from each other. When Rami tells the narrator his story about his early life, he tells how people of the narrator’s faith destroyed his house to pieces, killing his father. His father had a rifle that had four bullets and Rami had one in his pocket. From all of the violence he had witnessed in his lifetime, he must have learned how to shoot or defend himself, which is why he always wins at the game of marbles. He is really good at aiming and shooting marbles because of the war he had taken part in. While Rami tells the narrator this story, the narrator is afraid of Rami, due to his violent past experiences. Osman describes the narrator saying, “I didn’t look. I remained silent, afraid, my face towards a wall, the cushion between us.” (Osman 153). Rami puts the bullet in the narrator’s lap to ensure that he still cares about the narrator. After Rami leaves, the narrator draws Rami’s house over and over again because he wants to rebuild a house for Rami and him/herself so they can live together in peace. These symbols are effective because they show how different their religions are and how religious arguments can break relationships and friendships. The narrator shows, especially in the drawing of the house, that he/she wants to make peace in the world and to have one place where everyone gets along and can be