What WAS the Knife of Dreams

[phoenix]

Yeah, that really bugged me. I just finished Knife of Dreams for the second time, but there was no mention in the book. ALL the other books have something to do with the title, so why not this one?!?!?!

[Graendals favourite]

I think it refers to that there were a lot of personal victories and defeats in the book. Before, this had been hanging in the air, and then came the knife of dreams that slashed out the dreams of some, and slashes out nightmares of some. So things were more or less equal, but the razor cut them, bringing almost randomly victory to some and defeat to some. Before we were at the crossroads, now the knife struck.

 

Just along the lines of that quote, "The sweetness of victory and the bitterness of defeat are alike a knife of dreams."

 

Btw, that has bothered me, a nonnative speaker, does the 'alike' in that mean 'both like' or 'like'? Not that I suppose it matters terribly.

[Zardi]

It really says "alike" rather than "like?" That sounds...funny. Maybe it's a typo.

[Graendals favourite]

It does at least in my book. It seems a strange place for someone to leave a typo in, like having one in a chapter title.

[TheDiceAgain...]

It's not a typo; from Merriam Webster:

 

alike - adverb

: in the same manner, form, or degree : EQUALLY

 

It sounds wierd, but then again, it's prophecy, it's supposed to sound cool and mystical

[jo]

You mean totally confusing! HAHA!

[kittydesmond]

good gosh its been two weeks since I completed my re-read...but I cant name page or chapter but knife of dreams is mentioned in "late in the book Aiel conversation" I have had way too much beer to quantify that but I have seen it two readings in a conversation late (Over half way in the book). VERY SHORT Mention In an ALMOST IRRELEVANT CONVO... but am I wrong was there hints I missed there?Any one else???

[jo]

ummm... sleep it off kitty.

[Graendals favourite]

Thanks, now I see. They are equally a knife of dreams.

[water_seeker]

Are you guys serious? You really didn't know what alike meant? And kitty, it's qualify, not quantify... Really, if you want to eschew obfuscation, you should try to improve your vocabulary.

 

Respectfully yours,

water_seeker

[kittydesmond]

and maybe my friend...someone else should work on people skills! :roll:

[Zardi]

Are you guys serious? You really didn't know what alike meant?

The only person here who didn't know what it meant is someone who doesn't speak English as a first language, and that's very understandable. As I said, it does sound funny to have "alike" rather than "like" in this context.

 

Speaking of vocabulary, though, maybe you should look up the meaning of "respectfully" and take another good look at your post ;)

[Wedge6173]

Could the title reference the knife ter'angreal that Elayne recived from Aviendha?

[Ruffio]

Are you guys serious? You really didn't know what alike meant? And kitty' date=' it's qualify, not quantify... Really, if you want to eschew obfuscation, you should try to improve your vocabulary.

 

Respectfully yours,

water_seeker[/quote']

 

And here's another contestant for "The More syllables You Stuff into a Word the Smarter You Sound" show!!

[bluecole]

Yes, the title comes from the knife that the supergirls found in Ebu Dar.

 

It is supposed to sheild the channler (and their dreams?) from the shadow.

 

It was givin to Avi by Elyane after the WO's folded tents and left Camlym.

 

B.

[Kadere]

the title is a referance to the quote at the beginning of the book because the victories and defeats that the main characters face in the book (and there are a lot of them) mean almost nothing in the big picture. They feel really good from having won, or really bad from having lost, but victory and defeat mean nothing because TG is coming and all the little victories and defeats pale in comparison. It also means that their dreams of peace, or a quick victory, or whatever have died because people have to die in order for those victories to take place.

 

There is no "knife of dreams", that's like trying to find the path of daggers or winter's heart, or where the crossroads of twilight are located on the map. It's nothing tangable. The Ter'angeral protects you from being seen by the DO, it has nothing to do with dreams, nor is it the meaning of the title. It's a metaphor.

[prophetman]

At first I interpreted the title as having to do with the knife that Elayne gave Avi, but I realized that I had completely skipped over that quote.

 

The "knife of dreams" is figuratively the approach of TG, coming to destroy the plans and hopes of the hapless people. It is a little vague, and a mite odd to be the title, but hey, it works.

 

And water seeker is likely a grumpy old english major who takes out his anger at people who misspeak or, god forbid, use bad grammar in a forum. Or just some guy who has way too much time on his hands.

[kittydesmond]

Oh well, It's not the first time I have been called down for that exact phrase...so I guess I wont get excited about it.

[Shamajotsi]

What happened to Surot, Galina, and Elayne's rivals was really like a stab with such a "Knife of Dreams". I just cannot figure out the victory part of the saying.

[Sirayn]

Ruffio & others: the phrase "eschew obfuscation" is a joke of sorts. It means "avoid using confusing words" -- the irony being that by including the phrase "eschew obfuscation", you are automatically breaking your own rule. Just passing by. :)

[n00l3y]

Here's what I think...

 

In the beginning quote, it said something like "the sweetness of victory and the bitterness of defeat are alike the knife of dreams". So what I thought was that all the sweetness from victories and the bitterness from defeats all goes down to nothing in the big picture. i.e, like a dream, there is pleasentness and horror, but it doesn't really affect real-life, or TG.