The Poet X

by

Elizabeth Acevedo

Father Sean Character Analysis

Father Sean is the head priest at Xiomara’s church. He’s Jamaican and speaks Spanish with an accent that makes everyone laugh and smile. As a young man he wanted to be a professional boxer, but he joined the Catholic Church instead. Xiomara used to think that Father Sean was fun and lax, but in confirmation class and as she grows, she begins to take issue with what he preaches. Specifically, she hates how he talks about a woman’s worth coming from her devotion and her virginity, not her thoughts or her intelligence. He also doesn’t answer Xiomara’s questions when Xiomara asks about Eve, original sin, and suggests that the Bible is just a metaphor. Despite these valid critiques, Father Sean does begin to position himself as an ally to Xiomara in other ways. He doesn’t believe that people should be forced into devotion, so he refuses to go along with Mami and punish Xiomara for kissing Aman and even suggests that Xiomara shouldn’t be confirmed this year. He also insists that Xiomara’s questions aren’t bad or wrong, but says she does need to think about them. Xiomara begins to see Father Sean as more of a person and not just an authority figure when he tells her that when his mother died, he wasn’t able to go home to see her. Because of this, Father Sean’s openness, and his good relationship with Mami, Xiomara feels comfortable asking Father Sean for help when she speaks to Mami after Mami burns her poetry notebook. Father Sean begins leading weekly counseling sessions with Xiomara’s family and encourages them all to talk. He also attends Xiomara’s poetry slam to cheer her on.

Father Sean Quotes in The Poet X

The The Poet X quotes below are all either spoken by Father Sean or refer to Father Sean. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sexuality and Shame Theme Icon
).
Part I Quotes

what’s the point of God giving me life
if I can’t live it as my own?

Why does listening to his commandments
mean I need to shut down my own voice?

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Mami, Father Sean
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Part II Quotes

“And about this apple,
how come God didn’t explain
why they couldn’t eat it?
He gave Eve curiosity
but didn’t expect her to use it?
Unless the apple is a metaphor?
Is the whole Bible a poem?
What’s not a metaphor?
Did any of it actually happen?

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Father Sean, Caridad
Related Symbols: Apples
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
Part III Quotes

“I’m sorry I got in trouble.
I’m sorry I have to be here.
That I have to pretend to you and her
that I care about confirmation at all.
But I’m not sorry I kissed a boy.
I’m only sorry I was caught,
Or that I had to hide it at all.”

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Mami, Aman, Father Sean
Page Number: 226
Explanation and Analysis:

And so, I love this quote because even though it’s not about poetry, it IS about poetry. It’s about any of the words that bring us together and how we can form a home in them.

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Mami, Father Sean, Ms. Galiano
Page Number: 356
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Poet X PDF

Father Sean Quotes in The Poet X

The The Poet X quotes below are all either spoken by Father Sean or refer to Father Sean. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Sexuality and Shame Theme Icon
).
Part I Quotes

what’s the point of God giving me life
if I can’t live it as my own?

Why does listening to his commandments
mean I need to shut down my own voice?

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Mami, Father Sean
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Part II Quotes

“And about this apple,
how come God didn’t explain
why they couldn’t eat it?
He gave Eve curiosity
but didn’t expect her to use it?
Unless the apple is a metaphor?
Is the whole Bible a poem?
What’s not a metaphor?
Did any of it actually happen?

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Father Sean, Caridad
Related Symbols: Apples
Page Number: 120
Explanation and Analysis:
Part III Quotes

“I’m sorry I got in trouble.
I’m sorry I have to be here.
That I have to pretend to you and her
that I care about confirmation at all.
But I’m not sorry I kissed a boy.
I’m only sorry I was caught,
Or that I had to hide it at all.”

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Mami, Aman, Father Sean
Page Number: 226
Explanation and Analysis:

And so, I love this quote because even though it’s not about poetry, it IS about poetry. It’s about any of the words that bring us together and how we can form a home in them.

Related Characters: Xiomara Batista (speaker), Mami, Father Sean, Ms. Galiano
Page Number: 356
Explanation and Analysis: