This increases my regard for Edward Said even more. To achieve what he did, in the face of the odds against him, is even more admirable than I'd thought. Thank you, Noah, for this appreciation!
I didn't know anything about Said before your essay. Thanks for the enlightening words. I think you are spot on on your assessment regarding his neurodivergence.
I loved his analogy about being placed in a mold, like jello. It makes me think about Odo a character on Star Trek Deep Space 9 who is a shapeshifter and sleeps as a gelatin in a canister when he is not in his human shaped form. I believe Odo also represents neurodivergence. He was found by a human who raised him to "be human". Odo recounts the long hours it took him to achieve a human physical form and to eventually imitate human behavior and social norms. Even in his final form he was never able to perfect the human face. So his face looks noticeably different. This marks him as a non-human.
This increases my regard for Edward Said even more. To achieve what he did, in the face of the odds against him, is even more admirable than I'd thought. Thank you, Noah, for this appreciation!
I didn't know anything about Said before your essay. Thanks for the enlightening words. I think you are spot on on your assessment regarding his neurodivergence.
I loved his analogy about being placed in a mold, like jello. It makes me think about Odo a character on Star Trek Deep Space 9 who is a shapeshifter and sleeps as a gelatin in a canister when he is not in his human shaped form. I believe Odo also represents neurodivergence. He was found by a human who raised him to "be human". Odo recounts the long hours it took him to achieve a human physical form and to eventually imitate human behavior and social norms. Even in his final form he was never able to perfect the human face. So his face looks noticeably different. This marks him as a non-human.
I'm surprised and amazed by this insight. I've heard a lot about Said, but never read his books.
oh, he’s amazing! the memoir is fantastic, but so is Orientalism, The Question fo Palestine, Culture and Imperialism…I think that’s all I’ve read.