North-by-northwest for the New World.
Did we arrive? Years later, yes.
By plane, suddenly. With suitcases
And something as hazy as a future."
-Gary Djanikian in Sailing to America
In the first two lines of this passage from his poem, Gregory Djanikian makes reference to a childhood memory of playing with his sister in pretend ships as if journeying on an ocean together. The third line suddenly bridges the gap from this distant memory to one slightly more recent. Since this poem has such a personal feel (he even quotes himself and his sister from their childhood memories), I wanted to find out where this experience had come from in his life. It turns out that Gregory was born in Alexandria, Egypt and came to the United States with his family at the age of 8 in 1957. This fact goes with the idea of the American Dream, which we have started talking about in class. It is extremely likely that this prompted the Djanikian family to move to the US and start a life for themselves in Pennsylvania. I like how his use of the phrase "something as hazy as a future" provides a window into an experience that most of us can not relate to in a literal sense. The phrase indicates the feeling of being unsure, anxious, and completely lost in a new place. On a smaller scale, I can relate to Djanikian's experience. Coming in to college for the first time certainly made me feel that way. I understand the idea of having a completely unclear future, but still seeing the goal on the other side. It's somewhat unnerving and uncomfortable, but exciting all the same.
References: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/entertainment/poetry/profiles/poet_djanikian.html
Sailing to America by Gregory Djanikian
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