Different people Quote by Ismet Prcic
““What came to me then was the voice of my paternal grandmother. She had told me once that every time Bego or Irfan returned to Bosnia to visit, they seemed to her like different people. Unrecognizable. She had blamed this on America... I saw a young man sitting alone in a plastic chair, white-knuckle and wide-eyed and zit-faced, happy and perplexed, and I knew why my grandmother couldn't recognize her own son, why I was wielding a stranger's hand. I knew that someone new would get off this plastic chair and board a plane to Los Angeles and that all the while an 18-year-old Ismet would remain forever in the city under siege, in the midst of a war that would never end. (p.18)””
About This Quote
Source Memoir: “The Plastic Chair”, 2021
War reshapes identities, making loved ones unrecognizable and alienated.
In simple terms: War changes people, causing alienation.
Key Takeaway
Seek understanding of war’s personal impact.
Themes
war
identity
family
displacement
Mood
reflective
somber
Type
memoir
narrative
When to use this quote
- refugee experience
- family reunion
- personal narrative
Key Concepts
trauma
memory
generational loss
Questions to Reflect On
- How does war alter personal identity?
- Can families reconnect after trauma?
A Different Perspective
Narrative may be subjective.
