Գոյութիւն Չունեցող Բանին Արձանն Ալ Չըլլար

3 comments

1. Reminds me of Saroyan

   So true, reminds me of William Saroyan’s sarcastic, but true remark:
   ”I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread and water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia”

   And Saroyan would’ve said to the author of this article:
   "Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure."

    

2. Saroyan and his Quote

   Nercess quoting William Saroyan in Keghart gives an opportunity to share with the readers why I dislike this quote as quoted and invite the readers to comment. Let me explain.

    

   Many years ago and as a typical dutiful Armenian father I had two such oversized plaques ordered and placed one in each of the rooms of our two children. In and out of their rooms I would read the quote deriving a sort of satisfaction of having a quote by a prominent Armenian American displayed their rooms. Over time I came to dislike the quote. I disliked the quote because I saw an unwarranted paranoia and self-depreciation in the quote.

    

   I saw an unwarranted paranoia when Saroyan challenges the word to "Go ahead, destroy Armenia" and see for them if they can do it. Surely, we have our nemesis, but that has not been the world. I cannot believe that the world has pitted against us. We have not enjoyed friendly governments, but we have had the support of friendly people including many Americans and American organizations. One has to read Peter Balakian’s books "Burning Tigris" to read first hand the concern the welfare of the Armenians aroused in many segments of the American society.

    

   I also found Saroyan’s self-depreciation unbearable. Are we indeed a "tribe of unimportant people"? Are indeed our "wars have all been fought and lost"? Have our "structures crumbled"? Are our "literature unread, music unheard"? Why I wondered my sons would want to grow up taking pride and relating to a people who admit to these? I removed the plaques from their rooms.

    

   I have not read the book or the story where William Saroyan uttered these words. I know that the original wordings contain colorful language typical of the bear of a man mustachioed William Saroyan was. His reception by the Anjartis in Lebanon will always remain memorable for an authentic Armenian display of mutual affection between a true son William Saroyan was and his Armenian family.

    

   These words within the context and in its original colorful language uttered in the spur of the moment, may make sense and serve to make the point Saroyan wanted to make. However, the out of context quote in its sanitized version as quoted here by Nercess and elsewhere is an oddity as far as I am concerned.

    

   I invite the readers to comment if that is not so.

    

    

   1. Not So…

      Vahe, I understand your concern and praise your genuine feelings for Armenianness.  However the point I was making was that this article has similar sarcastic remark about Turkish stupidity, that’s all.  Both are sarcastic and both should be taken lightly.

      Having said that, we have to be realistic and admit the facts:

      • our "wars have all been fought and lost" -> Vartanants; a big example
      • our "structures crumbled" check this -> http://www.keghart.com/Cultural_Genocide
      • our "literature unread, music unheard" -> 9 out of 10 people on the street would not know if Armenia is a nation
      • and yes, if we were important – the perpetrators of the 1st Genocide of the 20th century wouldn’t have gone unpunished…
      • The punch-line of Saroyan’s article is that we are the strongest of all nations, having survived all of the above and still rocking and never giving up!  

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