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She wanted more, more slang, more figures of speech, the bee's knees, the cats pajamas, horse of a different color, dog-tired, she wanted to talk like she was born here, like she never came from anywhere else
Jonathan Safran Foer
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote expresses a desire for authentic expression and connection through colloquial language.

In this quote, the character longs for a deeper connection to her surroundings by immersing herself in the local vernacular. It highlights the role of language and slang as a means of identity and belonging, suggesting that to truly integrate into a new environment, one must adopt its cultural language and expressions.

Themes

LanguageIdentityBelongingSlangExpression

In practice

Example use cases

An author might use this quote in a workshop about the importance of local dialects in storytelling.

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