“Kansas is not easily impressed. It has seen houses fly and cattle soar. When funnel clouds walk through the wheat, big hail falls behind. As the biggest stones melt, turtles and mice and fish and even men can be seen frozen inside. And Kansas is not surprised.Henry York had seen things in Kansas, things he didn't think belonged in this world. Things that didn't. Kansas hadn't flinched.”
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Analysis of Quote
The quote from N.D. Wilson's novel demonstrates the resilience and extraordinary nature of Kansas through vivid imagery and metaphor.
The author uses images of flying houses, soaring cattle, funnel clouds, and frozen creatures inside melting hailstones to convey the idea that Kansas has experienced bizarre and otherworldly events. Despite these fantastical occurrences, the people of Kansas, represented by the protagonist Henry York, do not react with shock or disbelief. Instead, they remain unfazed and stoic in the face of the impossible.
This quote showcases the unique character of Kansas, which is portrayed as a place where the extraordinary is not only expected but accepted as just another part of everyday life. It highlights the theme of resilience and adaptability in the face of the unknown, making the setting an integral part of the story's narrative.
The Resilience of Kansas
The quote from N.D. Wilson's book highlights the resilience of Kansas, a place where extraordinary events like houses flying and cattle soaring through tornadoes are not uncommon. This resilience in the face of adversity can serve as an inspiration for us in modern times, reminding us to stay strong and unshaken in the face of unexpected challenges. Just like Kansas, we too can face the unexpected with grace and strength, knowing that we have the capacity to overcome anything that comes our way.
Example of Usage
In this quote from N.D. Wilson's novel, "Kansas is not easily impressed" serves to highlight the extraordinary and otherworldly events that take place in the setting of Kansas. The author effectively uses this line to convey the unassuming nature of Kansas despite the fantastical occurrences that occur within it.
Reflection Questions
The quote by N.D. Wilson highlights the extraordinary and almost otherworldly events that can occur in the state of Kansas. This raises questions about perception, acceptance, and the boundaries of reality. Reflecting on this quote, consider the following questions:
- How do the occurrences described in the quote challenge traditional ideas of what is possible or "normal" in the world?
- In what ways do we, as individuals, react to the unexpected or the unexplainable? Are we more likely to accept or resist these occurrences?
- What does this quote suggest about the resilience and adaptability of people, like the residents of Kansas, in the face of extraordinary events?
- How do stories or narratives that feature fantastical elements, like those seen in the quote, contribute to our understanding of the world and our place in it?
- Do you think our perceptions of reality are limited by what we have experienced or been taught? How might we expand our perceptions to be more open to the extraordinary possibilities of the world?
Similar quotes
“Every year, Kansas watches the world die. Civilizations of wheat grow tall and green; they grow old and golden, and then men shaped from the same earth as the crop cut those lives down. And when the grain is threshed, and the dances and festivals have come and gone, then the fields are given over to fire, and the wheat stubble ascends into the Kansas sky, and the moon swells to bursting above a blackened earth.The fields around Henry, Kansas, had given up their gold and were charred. Some had already been tilled under, waiting for the promised life of new seed. Waiting for winter, and for spring, and another black death.The harvest had been good. Men, women, boys and girls had found work, and Henry Days had been all hot dogs and laughter, even without Frank Willis's old brown truck in the parade.The truck was over on the edge of town, by a lonely barn decorated with new No Trespassing signs and a hole in the ground where the Willis house had been in the spring and the early summer. Late summer had now faded into fall, and the pale blue farm house was gone. Kansas would never forget it.”
“They were going crazy in Kansas. People were up to 9 p.m. I think that was the greatest thing to happen to Kansas since the eradication of the boll weevil.”
“Self-loathing and self-worship can easily be the same thing. You hate the small sack of fluids and resentments that you are, and you would go to any length, and betray anything and anyone, to preserve it.”
“You fainted,' Tom said.Reg coughed.No, I didn't,' he said. 'Women faint. People afraid of needles faint. Men black out.”
“Imagine a poem written with such enormous three-dimensional words that we had to invent a smaller word to reference each of the big ones; that we had to rewrite the whole thing in shorthand, smashing it into two dimensions, just to talk about it. Or don’t imagine it. Look outside. Human language is our attempt at navigating God’s language; it is us running between the lines of His epic, climbing on the vowels and building houses out of the consonants.”
“The moon was up, painting the world silver, making things look just a little more alive.”