₦airaland Forum

DarkRebel69:
A screenshot showing the definition of delicacy has been appended to this post. While the word is used to refer to "frailty of health" (those we call “biscuit bones”), it also means "elegance" or "senseness of touch". Have you never heard the word "delicacy" used to describe a work of art?

Let's look at the line again:-

"There was a delicacy about him that reminded Janelle of her son"

The questions you should ask yourself are- "is Janelle's son a retärd? "Was Janelle's son described as being socially awkward?"

The answer is NO. He was described as being intelligent (smart enough to get a scholarship to Harvard), and the word "sensitivity" (aka emotional intelligence) was also used to describe him.

So if Janelle thought Barron reminded her of her son, then it can only mean Barron possessed the warmth and sensitivity of her son.

I'm afraid it is you who needs English lessons. A seasoned reader does not treat words as discrete individual units in a sentence or passage, nor does he interpret them based on their lexical meaning alone. A good reader sees words merely as parts to a bigger puzzle, and then interprets them based on the contextual implications (which you have failed to do).

Hmm OK. I see it more clearly now.

DarkRebel69:
I read "Janelle Asked To The Room" some minutes ago and, well, I can't say that I understand the purpose of this bitter harangue. It's either the OP did not read the piece or that he read it and elected to give it an entirely different and exaggerated interpretation.

Where was the mockery of Melania's son?

This is the part where Adichie made mention of Barron (tell me what is inimical about this description):-

"Sometimes Barron came down to the gym during their sessions, sweetly shy and polite, dependent on his mother for his sense of self. There was a delicacy about him that reminded Janelle of her son."

(Even if she did mock Melania's autistic child (which she did not do), is it the business of the reader to apply himself to the moral aspects of a work of fiction? I don't think so.)

This is just Matthew effect at play here. If any unrecognized writer had written that piece, no one would care to give it a second look, but it's being hyped up beyond merit because Adichie authored it.

Frankly, the piece is barely above average. I found it rather gauche and stale, and even the occasionally piquant metaphors could not salvage the sinking ship. It is probably Mrs. Adichie's poorest work thus far.

I, for one dislike a writer making overt allusions to a public figure (just like the annoying thing Eminem does when he takes potshots at celebrities). In my eyes, such an act reeks of a poverty of creativity. Every good artist (writers, poets, etc.) knows that the subtler approaches usually have the most resounding impact.

See for instance what George Orwell did with Animal Farm. He could have just referred to Stalin and Leon Trotsky directly and the entire novel would be sure to numb the reader's senses with an unimaginative obviousness, but instead he took the long-winded albeit powerful route by choosing to give us porcine presentations of Stalin (Napoleon) and Trotsky (Snowball), and of course the ignorant and mindless proles (Boxer, Clover, the ducks, the sheep). And that is why Orwell remains my favourite writer of all time.

Like I said, I think you people are over-reacting.

Guy from your quote, I think you need more English lessons.
Check for the meaning of delicacy.
It is implied that he is sick
As for him being autistic I don't know.
It is really beneath am and a to have to resort so low to make a point.
Attack trump all you want and i think he is deserving of it
but don't bring his kids into it.

Wetin consign her
Is it ya country?

Rosskii:
Absolute horseshit and lies. Firstly, Chimamanda will NOT be jailed in Nigeria for insulting Buhari's wife. You are a liar. Here on nairaland, folks insult the president and his wife everyday. None has been arrested. Soyinka insulted Jonathan's wife when he was president, and wasn't arrested. So stop lying. And stop carrying Trump and his wife on your head. They would throw a fit if a black person like you came anywhere near them. Probably set their dogs on you.

Well we did have an instance of someone going to into custody for namING his dog buhari