LORI DEDEYAN


(English composition written by
LORI DEDEYAN who won the 1st prize
from AGBU-MANOOGIAN DEMIRJIAN SCHOOL)


I have pondered a question since I was a young child, though I cannot say that it is an original one. The question that has plagued me since my childhood years is the following: what would I make of myself when I grew up? What would happen to me when I left the carefree comfort of youth to compete in a world that recognizes the strong; the bold, the gifted, and wipes the talentless into insignificance? For a while, my answers were varied. Adults who, for the lack of better conversation, asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up; expecting to hear “Doctor” or “Lawyer”, were met with “Artist” “Painter” and the occasional “ I don’t know” . But the answer should have been clear. I have always remained immersed in the world of books. Even as a child, I wanted to inform the world of injustice and cruelty. Only a few years ago did it become evident that I was to become a writer.
Knowing that it would be only natural for me to want to take the place of an Armenian writer, for the Armenian language was created for the purpose of being used for poetry, books, songs, stirring words and beautiful phrases. The Armenians are a poetic people. Armenian writers go about their work with unparalleled passion, for they know the injustice of Genocide, the sorrow of loss, the struggle of perseverance, and the beauty of our precious Armenia. The Armenian writer writes about values such as justice, bravery, love and loyalty. Nowhere else have I seen such beautiful writing and poetry flowing from the mouths and pens of ordinary men, and it makes me feel as if the possessors of such talent were not human, but divinities, descended to earth in mortal form to inspire its inhabitants with flowery words and heroic epic of a glorious post.
There is such a long selection of Armenian writers to choose from, that it was difficult to pick only one. However, I will select the one with whom I have become most recently acquainted. The person, whose place I would like to take would have to be the talented poet and writer, Leon Zaven Surmelian. The reason I have chosen him is because his work is inspirational, and has stirred within me a wide range of emotions, from awe to anger, humility to hate. If I possessed a fraction of his poetic talent, I would be the happiest person in the world. His poems overflow with vivid images of beautiful scenes; postures, villages, and the essence of nature. He writes with his entire soul and spirit; something I consider to be a prized quality among writers and poets. He transforms our surroundings into the vast plains and rolling hills of Armenia, lets us see with his eyes, and allows us to feel with his heart. And as we read his writing, we realize that the pounding heart is not his, but our own; beating wildly with the passion that his writing evokes.
Not only that, but his accomplishments satisfy my long-instilled desire to reveal; injustices and cruelty to the world. In his book I Ask You Ladies and Gentlemen, Surmelian writes about the horrors of genocide , the pain of losing one’s family and roots, and the difficulty of starting life all over again. I admire him for this, because this is his way of sharing the world the terrible cruelty and outrageous injustice that the Armenians, including himself, had to suffer. He puts his talent to a good cause. However, this is not the only reason I admire him. In his blood, it is true that he covers a morose subject, but he also includes another concept, hope. Indeed, he writes about hope, love, and the joy of a new beginning. He discusses beauty and nature with such talent that one feels that his heart must have been beating with the same rhythm of the earth as he wrote those wondrous words. His skill at describing emotion and nature is insurmountable. Leon Zaven Surmelian is a man who has change my world, and the world, with his words. If I could take his place; if I could affect the heart and soul of one young girl, just as he has affected mine, I would truly be happy. If I could become the pride of my country, he acknowledged by our great thinkers and writers, just as he has, I would be overjoyed. And finally, I want the capability to evoke unanswerable question about life, I want the vision of a better life, and I want the ability to endure tears and sorrow... just as he has.
My identity and fate may have been a mystery to me , but I have always know that I wanted to change ; to better ; the world .If I were in Leon Surmelian’s shoes, I certainly would have done so.