#awriter'smind

by Anika Streitfeld Luskin

What struck me about this story is the way in which Marie has embraced being the last member of her tribe who speaks its language. I was moved by her calling to embark on the dictionary project - with a focus and passion that calls to mind the writer's impulse to put something on paper, but is infused with something else too: humility, and steadiness, the diligence of this unexpected but determined archivist.

I love the way Marie uses her computer - "pecking" at the old keyboard - and the way her daughter and grandson have taken up this project along with her. It feels, from this glimpse, as if they are invested in the dictionary as a legacy, but perhaps just as much that they are deeply devoted to their soft-spoken, exacting matriarch. Her daughter is so patient; her grandson so earnest in his attempts to converse with her in Wukchumni, that their love for her feels palpable.

A normal human mind is so powerful and magnificent that with just thoughts alone it has the power to create and destroy worlds and lives of people that don’t even exist. Considering that we can say that a writer’s mind is way greater than a normal mind as it has the guts to take this skill to the next level by putting them into words which is one of the oldest and most powerful form of presentation. As all knowledge including ideas must be shared with the rest of humanity and not be within the reach of selfish misers, a writer takes the initiative to publish it and share it with the world not considering the negative criticism or comments. This is an extremely brave task as those who can’t do something, judge people who can do it and mostly judge badly even if its new, good and original as the world isn’t accustomed to change. In this way harsh remarks on one’s hard work effects any normal person on a bad way but a writer has the power to move past judgments and take only the positive stuff as the feeling of completion after a long duration of hard work is its own reward.