ion in order to see just an educated woman and not a Jew. In fact they could not understand her to the point where they hated her. Did not understand her to the point where they thought that my mom was a threat to society, who needs to be thrown out of the country or else. What was that "else" we never did figure out, but we always seemed to quiet down during dinners or gatherings when it was mentioned. Maybe my mom spoke the dead language; That same language that society could not understand. As Toni Morrison once said in her speech
             "a dead language is not only one no longer spoken or written, it is unyielding language content to admire its own paralysis. Like statist language, censored and censoring. Ruthless in its policing duties, it has no desire or purpose other than maintaining the free range of its own narcotic narcissism, its own exclusivity and dominance. However moribund, it is not without effect for it actively thwarts the intellect, stalls conscience, suppresses human potential. Unreceptive to interrogation, it cannot form or tolerate new ideas, shape other thoughts, tell another story, fill baffling silences. Official language smythered to sanction ignorance and preserve privilege is a suit of armor polished to shocking glitter, a husk from which the knight departed long ago. Yet there it is: dumb, predatory, sentimental. Exciting reverence in schoolchildren, providing shelter for despots, summoning false memories of stability, harmony among the public."
             Is it possible that a society would take the language of an educated professional and make it dead? Can it be that suddenly the language that was widely used and understood has become primitive and banished? Maybe with this language my mom became unable to "shape thoughts"
             ...