Friday, July 1, 2011

Chapter 12 - New Friends

"'Ai yaa tákwa!' It was only in Zuñi that the Savage could adequately express what he felt about the Arch-Community-Songster.  'Háni!' he added as an afterthought; and then (with what derisive ferocity!): 'Sons éso tse-ná.'  And he spat on the ground, as Popé might have done."  (pg. 173)


This quote shows an example of the vernacular John spoke when he grew up.  The author used this device to show the type of background John had and to show the reader a glimpse of another culture.  John was so angry that he could only speak how angry he was in his native language.  Bernard kept wanting to show John, "the Savage," off to his colleagues, but John was done being treated like an animal in a zoo.  Since John refused to be seen, Bernard's popularity plummeted to where it was before he met John, and everyone hated him.  

There was another allusion in this chapter, but this time it wasn't Shakespeare.  "... the Savage looked at him over the top of his book and then, as the laughter still continued, closed it indignantly, got up, and with the gesture of one who removes his pearl before swine, locked it away in its drawer." (pg. 185)  Pearl before swine is just a way of saying that someone was offered something, and they didn't appreciate it.  (Thank you Mrs. Sander!!)  It's based on the story of Sermon on the Mount when the people did not appreciate Jesus' message.  John was telling the story of Romeo and Juliet to Helmholtz, but Helmholtz was laughing as though he was making fun of it.  Before this event, John and Helmholtz were becoming great friends, and Bernard was very jealous of them.

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