We woke in the mornings to the stirring of olive trees in the breeze…the air cool and the sun a pale rim of persimmon to the east.
-- Narrator (N/A)

Importance: This line of narration describes a memory from the narrator's peaceful, apparently happy childhood. He lived in a farmhouse with his family, and the surrounding area was quite beautiful, so he and his brothers sometimes slept outdoors. These pelasant memories contrast with the tragic events of the Syrian Civil War.

I wish you hadn't been so young. You wouldn't have forgotten
-- Narrator (N/A)

Importance: In these lines, the narrator refers to the fact that his son was quite young when the war started. Thus, his son likely has no memories of the peaceful, happy times before the war. This juxtaposition further emphasizes the profound extent of the destructive effects of war.

In its bustling Old City, a mosque for us Muslims, a church for our...
-- Narrator (N/A)