Blog Post #5

The italics are mine / Nina Berberova

By- Ava Daniels

"I knew how to love people and things then, but I also knew how to hate" (73)

I think that this quote above taken from Nina Berberova's excerpt The Italics are Mine, really sets up an understanding for then authors personality and her dislikes. After this statement, she goes on to list things she hates such as family spirit, paternalism, and anything having to do with the nest. Now when referencing the nest, this part stood out to me. What was the "nest" and what was Berberova referencing. She talks about how she never felt free while in the nest. My understanding is that the nest is another name for something having to do with her family life or where she lives. Maybe her family was strict and she never felt free to do anything. The topic of freedom also comes up when Berberova speaks on choosing a profession at the beginning of the excerpt. She talks about writing a list of professions regardless her gender or other factors. I feel like this relates to the topic of freedom because there is something holding her back from reaching her full potential or doing something that she wants to do. 

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