How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Voice, according to Miss Wilcox, is not just the sound that comes from your throat but the feeling that comes from your words. I hadn't understood that at first. "But Miss Wilcox, you use words to write a story, not your voice," I'd said.
"No, you use what's inside of you," she said. "That's your voice. Your real voice. It's what makes Austen sound like Austen and no one else. What makes Yeats sound like Yeats and Shelley like Shelley. It's what makes Mattie Gokey sound like Mattie Gokey. You have a wonderful voice, Mattie. I know you do, I've heard it. Use it." (46.9-10)
Although voice is traditionally tied to writing, it's also inherently tied to individuality. But consider too, a different meaning, a comparison between giving voice to something and remaining silent about it. Mattie has a voice as a writer, it's true, but she's trying to decide whether the sacrifices necessary to communicate her voice are worth the life she would have in Eagle Bay if she stayed silent.