What is the message of Naomi Shihab Nye's poem, Famous?

Answer 1

Fame, is it the same for all things? In Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Famous”, she defines the word in her own way. In the implied definition, famous is something that is associated or familiar to a person, place or thing. The concept of fame according to popular culture is a little different. It is more along the lines of something or someone that is celebrated or distinguished for a certain act or function. Therefore the word famous is mostly reserved for celebrities and landmarks. Nye, throughout the poem, gives many examples of ordinary everyday things that are famous to one another. These examples are familiar to each other because of the function and association with a certain event or task. Some of them work hand and hand together, some of them require one another for survival, and some are just famous to one another because of their function. To the popular culture, many of these examples are not famous to everyday people, but are famous to the objects with which they are associated with.

The opening line of this poem is “The river is famous to the fish” (Nye line 1). With that line Nye sets the tone, opinion, and definition of the whole poem. A fish lives in and needs the river to survive. The river is familiar to the fish, because it is the environment in which it spends its life.

Watching a television program brings about familiarity to a person. After seeing a person or place repeatedly on television, they become familiar to the viewer. Just as “The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds watching him from the birdhouse” (Nye 5-6). The cat is familiar to birds. He is not exactly celebrated, but is very well known. The birds constantly watch the cat, so it he becomes famous to them. Famous in the same way a television star becomes famous to a viewer.

Articles of clothing can also be famous. A tie is famous to a suit because it is worn and associated with a suit. It is not famous to a dress because it is not associated with it. This gives the implied definition another point. Footwear can also obtain fame; just as, “. . . the dress shoe, which is famous only to floors” (Nye 11-12) does. The shoe is associated with the surface which it comes into contact with. A dress shoe is more familiar to covered surfaces rather than the earths surface. It is not associated with grass, dirt, gravel, or other things on the earths surface.

A beautiful woman passing a man everyday on his path to class becomes familiar to him. She is seen on a regularly basis. This event is not associated by the way popular culture defines fame, but it is familiar to the man, so the event is famous by Nye’s implied definition. “I want to be famous to shuffling men who smile while crossing streets” (Nye 15-16) is an example of fame contrary to popular culture. The event, celebrated by some, becomes famous to the smiling men.

Some of the examples in Nye’s poem are famous in their own way. Simple objects become famous just by their function. A “buttonhole” or “pulley” does not seem to have any fame of any sort. The implied definition, however, gives the simple inventions fame. The task of lifting heavy awkward objects is associated with a pulley. This association of performing the task with ease makes the pulley famous. The task of buttoning a pair of pants is made possible by a buttonhole. The button is nothing without the famous buttonhole.

The examples used in Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Famous” make the reader broaden his or her view of fame. The implied definition does not exactly fit the way popular culture defines famous. Although the implied definition is more broad, it is essentially based on the same concepts of association, familiarity, and celebration of a person, place, or thing.

Answer 2

Famous By Naomi Shihab Nye

Answer 3

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What is the message of Naomi Shihab Nye's poem, Famous?

Answer 4

Nye Definition