Character Quote by Said Sayrafiezadeh
“An initial impulse of mine was to portray the way in which a city is impacted by war. But this is vague, no? After all, how do you actually have an entire city - or country, for that matter - be a character a reader can follow? One way is by making it smaller and personalizing it, by writing specifically about the citizens and the way they contend with the reality, even minutiae, especially minutiae, of their lives.”
About This Quote
The author discusses how to make a city or country a relatable character by focusing on individual citizens and their daily struggles, especially during war.
In simple terms: Use personal stories to humanize large places.
Key Takeaway
Show the human side of conflict.
Themes
characterization
humanization
war narrative
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
literary
instructional
When to use this quote
- novels
- journalism
- screenplays
- historical accounts
Key Concepts
microhistory
perspective
empathy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can personal narratives reveal larger truths?
- What balance between detail and scope is effective?
A Different Perspective
Focusing on minutiae may overlook broader systemic issues.
![“It is as though the practices organizing a bustling city were characterized by [city practitioners', everyday citizens'] blindness. The neworks of these moving, intersecting writings compose a manifold story that has neither author nor spectator, shaped out of fragments of trajectories and…” quote by Michel de Certeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21e/michel-de-certeau-15812_blindness_it-is-as-though-the-practices-organizing_1209841.jpg)
![“[Ending] is partly drawn from a desire to shock the audience, to brutally de-romanticize what many Americans think is happening overseas. And partly drawn from my own childhood: violence and a loss of innocence. But keep in mind that, as a writer, I'm both the criminal and the victim. I'm not…” quote by Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1c0/said-sayrafiezadeh-16091_audience_ending-is-partly-drawn-from-a-desire-to_597129.jpg)
