Passage 1: “Nana said, ‘Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam’” (Hosseini 7). Journal Entry: (R) This passage is indicative of their misogynistic society, but this is not limited to the novel. The fact that men often blame women is the root of many discrepancies and injustices against women. In Afghanistan, this manifested itself in male dominance, marital abuse, and extreme oppression. Men were seen as superior in every way, so they were expected to be responsible for many aspects of their wives’ and daughters’ lives, such as the way she dresses, the way she conducts herself, her honor, and her sustenance, among …show more content…
For both pairs, their isolation from society is caused by a child born out of wedlock. For both, also, they had a choice of where to settle. The two, however, chose differing degrees of isolation: Hester lives in a cottage on the outskirts of town, accessible and visible to all, while Nana’s kolba is totally isolated, surrounded by willows and requiring a trek to arrive at. The fact that Nana chose to live in such isolation illustrates her shame in baring a harami, and, when compared to Hester Prynne, suggests that the way Afghan culture regards adultery is more strict and shameful than colonial Boston. No matter their living conditions, the mothers’ connections to their daughters are much alike. When Mariam discusses wanting to leave the kolba to attend school, Nana justifies her refusal with various, possibly imaginary, reasons but also reveals her true intentions when she says, “You’re all I have. I won’t lose you to them.” Nana cannot bear losing her daughter, her only solace in her shame and isolation. This is similar to Hester’s reaction when there are rumors that the villagers plan to take Pearl away from her. These similarities of living conditions and mother-daughter bonds clearly illustrate a connection between Nana and Mariam and Hester and Pearl. Because A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses more on Mariam’s perspective and feelings, …show more content…
At the kolba, her earliest and only education is on the Koran, taught by Mullah Faizullah. Whenever she encounters hardship, she turns to religion and prayer for comfort, such as after she loses her first baby. It is the only thing that stays consistent throughout her tumultuous life, so she always relies on it for solace and to return to normalcy. In addition, religion allows her to further connect with Aziza, as Mariam teaches her verses from the Koran. Religion, however, would also be her downfall. When on trial, the judge states that he wishes to grant her forgiveness but cannot in good religious conscience because of Shari’a, Islamic law. Thus, her Islamic religion leads to her death, mandating the death penalty. With religion playing such a large role in her life, it is only appropriate that her life closes with religion, praying up to her last breath, as shown in the passage. This reveals the importance she places on religion, that even when facing certain death, she still takes the time and thought power to honor her religion. With her throughout life, from the beginning to the end, religion is the single most significant aspect of Mariam’s life, her “only true possession” (298). Passage 8: “The Taliban have announced that they won’t relinquish bin Laden because he is a mehman, a guest, who has found sanctuary in Afghanistan and it is against the Pashtunwali code of ethics to turn over a guest. Tariq chuckles bitterly,
In the beginning of the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne introduces the main character Hester Prynne, a young, beautiful member of a Puritan society being punished for her sin of love, not lust. The opening chapters introduce the reader to gossips who deem her original punishment, death, too harsh and contrary to Puritan beliefs that unborn babies should be given a chance at life. Instead, Hester and her child are to be alienated and shunned. In addition she is to wear the letter ‘A’ (which stands for ‘adultery’) on her chest which will forever display her as a symbol of shame for her sin. Though a very resilient figure who soon overcomes this pain, Hester’s isolation takes a negative toll on her life.
Done Peyton was done with her homework and decided to go on her laptop and play a game. Don't Maddie said “ don’t tell mom that I got an A+ on my test because I want to tell her. ” Dozen Mason went to the store and bought a dozen of eggs, bacon, bread, sausage, pancake mix, hash browns, oatmeal, and fresh strawberries for breakfast.
I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I am on page 42. So far this book is about a group of kids who were alive through the Great Depression. These kids seem to all share one single trait. They are all scared of one family.
Journal 1 I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and I am on page 42. In this journal I will be predicting and Evaluating. G- I predict Jem, Scout and Dill will not meet Boo Y-
During the course of this past week and a half, I have been wearing the letter I chose to represent me. My results I received were very weak and almost unresponsive. But didn’t I wear it all day for a week? Yes, people tend to mind their own business while walking in-between classes.
Although, Mariam is discouraged to pursue an education, Mariam and Laila knew the possibilities of women. Laila was expected to be something important in her life, her childhood friends and Rasheed made a note on how intelligent, independent and determined she was. While Mariam
Mariam refuses to see Jalil even though he waits a long time for her. Jalil cannot be relieved of the guilt he feels for abandoning Mariam. When Jalil finally walks away from Mariam’s house, Hosseini describes his
Laila on the other hand was raised by both parents except her mother did not focus much on her. She therefore had a strong bond with her father than her mother. The two grew up with the knowledge they were brought up with. My essay will focus on the comparison between Mariam’s relationship with her mother and Laila’s relationship with her mother and how these relationships prepare them for adulthood.
She knew how much of an abomination killing her husband would be to society, but she loved Laila enough to risk the punishment. Instead of running away from Kabul with Laila, Mariam stayed behind so that Laila would never get in trouble for killing Rasheed. She was then arrested and later shot for murder (371). Mariam sacrificed her own life so that Laila could marry Tariq and live happily and freely with her family. She gave up everything, even her life for those whom she loved, even though they biologically were not her children.
Her sphere and focus go no further than the family home, and she appears to be satisfied with her role as a wife andmother and is not much of a use outside the family home. For Antonio, Maria's role has always been that of keeping the family functioning; he remarks that she most often appears in the hears of our home.. (her) ketichen. She is easily labeles as a powerless wife, given that her usual responses to family crises is to retreat to a room in prayer. Antonio himself describes her as a "devout catholic" and a woman who believed that "the salvation of the soul was rooted in the Holy Mother Church" One would say that she was a faithful and loving housewife despite the contradictory behavior of her husband; she is powerless when it comes to family arguments, choosing to flee the scene and to pray ahaihfklalkj. As a housewife, she is constantly around Antonio, causing different aspects of her personality to influence his beliefs of growing up, especially the thought of how "it was a sin to grow up and be a man ….
Isolation has a powerful affect is a recurring theme in The Scarlet Letter displayed through Hester, Pearl and DImmesdale. Isolation changed Hester’s appearance and the way she acted. In the beginning of the book, Hester was very beautiful and people were jealous of her. “The
In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam is presented as a Christ figure in a Muslim society through her humble and forgiving qualities and the sacrifice of her life and freedom. When Hosseini wrote this novel, many people were stereotypical of Muslims. Hosseini presented Mariam this way to show the readers that although people may have different beliefs, they are not as different as one would
Mariam longed to place a ruler on a page and draw important-looking lines”(Hosseini ). Mariam is an example of how women are banned from an education and whose life could have been changed by education. Instead of being educated, she is sheltered by her mother and lives the rest of her life without high expectations of herself. Nana teaches her that an Afghan woman has to endure the life that is chosen for her because she does not have a say. Nana even says "There is only one, only one skill a woman like you and me needs in life, and they don't teach it in school.
Mariam’s character as being playful to Aziza and Zalmai shows that she is like a mother to them on the grounds that she played with them to bring about
Mariam and Laila had both faced struggles being women in a country that did not value women highly. Rasheed was able to overpower them easily because of this. Mariam’s mother says to her “Learn this now and learn this well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman” (Hosseini 26). It shows how women always get blamed for everything even when they are not responsible. Women in Afghanistan grew up thinking about how life is like this for everyone.