Previous
Aman
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:
).
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Xiomara offers some of her questions about religion that she doesn’t feel that she can voice anywhere else. She shows here that because of what Mami and Father Sean preach and teach her, she’s unable to use her own voice or think her own thoughts because she believes that she owes it to God to be devout and not ask questions that might challenge his authority over her life. In this sense, Xiomara sees that God and the church are her main foes, not necessarily Mami or the men who catcall her. This also situates Xiomara’s primary challenge as extricating Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam conse
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:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
During her confirmation class, Xiomara snaps and asks Father Sean about Genesis, original sin, and if the Bible’s stories are real. For Xiomara, these questions are pressing and extremely important, in part exactly because she doesn’t feel like she’s supposed to ask them (and Father Sean goes on to not actually answer them). Though this questioning doesn’t go over well with Father Sean (or later with Mami), it shows that Xiomara is becoming more comfortable with her voice and her thoughts. Being more comfortable gives her the courage to speak up and ask these questions, no matter what the consequences Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. T
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
When Mami forces Xiomara to attend confession with Father Sean, Father Sean asks if Xiomara is actually sorry for getting in trouble. Xiomara reveals here that she’s not sorry at all about what she did; she’s only sorry that, because her parents are so controlling and repressive, she has to act as though she cares about church or about living up to the version of ideal womanhood that the church promotes. Through phrasing her answer in this way, Xiomara notably begins to speak her truth—and when she’s willing to share this with Father Sean, it suggests that on some level, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore.
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:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In one of Ms. Galiano’s writing assignments in which students must explain why they love their favorite quote, Xiomara chooses a psalm and uses it to prove her newfound belief that the Bible is a metaphor and is poetry. By seeing the Bible in this light, Xiomara is able to find a place for herself in the church that doesn’t feel constricting and that instead lets her feel seen, heard, and valued in a way that interpreting the Bible literally never allowed for. Most importantly, Xiomara is now able to interpret the Bible as something that is supposed to bring Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor
Get the entire The Poet X LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Father Sean Character Timeline in The Poet X
The timeline below shows where the character Father Sean appears in The Poet X. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part I: In the Beginning Was the World
...concerned that she’d die or kill Mami. There was a prayer circle at church and Father Sean came to the ER to hold Mami’s hand while Papi paced. The doctor said that...
(full context)
...church for three years. The first year, the class filled up and Mami couldn’t make Father Sean bend the rules to let Xiomara and Twin in. Last year, Xiomara’s best friend Caridad...
(full context)
Father Sean . Father Sean runs the confirmation class. He’s been the head priest for Xiomara’s entire...
(full context)
Haiku; Boys. As Father Sean lectures, Xiomara whispers to Caridad. She asks if Caridad kissed boys when she was in...
(full context)
...an altar boy since he was eight and leads discussions in Bible study better than Father Sean . This summer, he volunteered at Bible camp. With school in session, he’ll miss the...
(full context)
...she loved Mass. The music was loud, everyone was happy, and Mami cried. Now, when Father Sean talks about Scriptures, everything feels weird and wrong. She hates when he says that girls...
(full context)
...Mami scolds Xiomara for not taking communion. Xiomara mimics Mami’s straight back and spits that Father Sean says that communion should only be taken with joy. Xiomara isn’t sure who wins this...
(full context)
...Mami spits that Xiomara has the same devils in her that Papi had and that Father Sean will speak to Xiomara. Xiomara thinks that Father Sean won’t help and that she doesn’t...
(full context)
Part II: And the Word Was Made Flesh
...club. She does a good job of pretending to listen until one day, she asks Father Sean about Eve.
(full context)
Eve. Father Sean explains that Eve could’ve made better choices. Her story teaches people how to deal with...
(full context)
...if it’s all a metaphor, and if any of it happened. Other kids watch, transfixed. Father Sean asks to talk to Xiomara after class.
(full context)
As We Are Packing to Leave. Caridad whispers that it’s going to be awful if Father Sean says anything to Mami. Xiomara says that they’re supposed to be curious and asks if...
(full context)
Father Sean . Father Sean says that Xiomara seems distracted and asks if there are other things...
(full context)
Answers. Father Sean looks like he expects answers. Xiomara stares at a photo of Father Sean in a...
(full context)
...wanted to keep going while knowing she’s not supposed to. Xiomara avoids looking at Caridad, Father Sean , or Jesus and thinks that if God exists, he saw what happened at the...
(full context)
Concerns. Father Sean asks Xiomara if things are okay. She thinks he knows about the kiss and watches...
(full context)
What Twin Knows. Xiomara interrupts Twin’s furious texting and asks if he knew that Father Sean ’s mom died. He looks confused and says that she died three years ago. Xiomara...
(full context)
...takes away Xiomara’s phone, lunch money, and freedom. She also has to attend confession with Father Sean .
(full context)
Part III: The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness
Sunday, November 11. Heavy. Xiomara asks Father Sean to meet her for confession as Mami looks on. He asks Xiomara to meet him...
(full context)
...it was just a kiss. She doesn’t think this is one of the seven sins. Father Sean joins Xiomara and offers her tea. Xiomara stares at her hands and says that she...
(full context)
Father Sean Says. Father Sean says that God is forgiving and understands that people are weak. However,...
(full context)
Prayers. Father Sean is Jamaican and speaks with an accent that makes people laugh. When he speaks to...
(full context)
...her writing is so good. Xiomara thinks that she has confirmation class, but remembers that Father Sean isn’t expecting her. Mami wouldn’t know she skipped as long as she’s there when Mami...
(full context)
...Twin squeezes Xiomara’s shoulder and Xiomara tells Mami that they need to talk. She lets Father Sean into the kitchen and he reaches for Mami. Xiomara watches Mami begin to sob and...
(full context)
...mountains. Xiomara and Mami try to break down their own walls by meeting weekly with Father Sean to talk. Mami starts teaching communion classes and seems happier than ever. She’s excited and...
(full context)
...Twin messing around. Because Mami and Papi are in the front row, Xiomara doesn’t see Father Sean . When she does notice Father Sean, she doesn’t hear Papi telling people that Xiomara...
(full context)
...Twin pretend he’s not watching Stephan as Aman takes over as DJ. Ms. Galiano and Father Sean argue about boxing and then Papi holds out his hands to Xiomara to dance. He...
(full context)
