Addresses Quote by Joy Harjo
“I spoke with the crows before leaving for Los Angeles. They were the resident storytellers whose strident and insistent voices added the necessary dissonance for color. They had cousins in California, and gave me their names and addresses, told me to look them up. They warned me, too, what they had heard about attitude there. And they were right. Attitude was thick, hung from the would-be's and has-beens and think-they-ares, so thick that I figured it was the major source of the smog.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Personal Reflections on Los Angeles, 2020
The narrator describes crows as symbolic storytellers warning about the pervasive, oppressive attitude in LA, likening it to smog that clouds the city’s atmosphere.
In simple terms: Crows warn of a thick, negative attitude in LA.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and avoid toxic attitudes.
Themes
culture
environment
attitude
urban life
Mood
reflective
critical
observational
Type
analytical
commentary
When to use this quote
- travel
- city living
- personal growth
- media consumption
- social observation
Key Concepts
symbolism
social critique
urban decay
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your environment shape your perception?
- What steps can you take to counteract negative attitudes?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overgeneralize a complex city’s culture.
![“I also remember a line from a song by Smog [Bill Callahan], which seems to describe the experience of a town-dweller moving to the country: "I was raised in a pit of snakes/Blink your eyes - I was raised on cake."” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/950/quentin-s-crisp-4149_bills_i-also-remember-a-line-from-a-song-by-sm_299534.jpg)
![“[T]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be6/arthur-schopenhauer-226_addresses_t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between_32897.jpg)
