Mr. Hosseini-
Woah! Talk about a dramatic turn of events! Who would have guessed that Tariq would still be alive? Wow, you're so amazing and such a good author!
^Sarcasm
I don't know what you tried to pull in this last section, but whatever it was, it failed miserably. You set the reader up to start living in this oppressive, totalitarian government where it appears that Mariam and Laila have no future, and then bam! You throw Tariq back in the picture? Talk about deus ex machina! When you kill a character, go ahead and kill him. To just tangle the character in front of the reader's emotions like a worm on a line is just cruel and stupid. Laila and Mariam are too concerned about the here and now to be worried about some far off love interest that, for all intents and purposes, was blown to smithereens and has no possible chance of survival. Then, you pull in this far out side story that Rasheed was stalking Laila all along and hired a man to pretend that he saw Tariq die? It..it just doesn't make any sense! If you were trying to go for a plot twist, make it original and exciting, like Laila shoots Rasheed or Rasheed kills Mariam, or Zalmai runs away, but don't go the fake death route. For such a classy book, this was probably the cheesiest and clichéd path that you could have taken. In the immortal words of my third grade teacher, "Tom, I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed."
You had better pull this book on the right course or I will be pissed.
-Tom
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Outside Reading, Week 6, Post A
Vocab
crux (272) - a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point
tangential (288) - merely touching; slightly connected
Figurative Language
"His patience with Zalami was a well that ran deep and never dried." (264)
In this passage, the author uses a metaphor to compare Rasheed's patience with Zalami to a deep well. Because Zalami is a boy and his biological son, Rasheed has much more patience with him than he has with Aziza, who he scorns and kicks aside with little thought. The well analogy is significant because at this time in the book, there is a severe drought in Afghanistan, so the author could be using the metaphor to reference the current situation.
"Laila watched the arch of her closed fist, slicing through the air, felt the crinkle of Rasheed's stubbly, coarse skin under her knuckles. It made a sound like dropping a rice bag on the floor." (266)
In this excerpt, Hosseini uses a simile to describe the way Laila punches Rasheed after he suggests that Aziza become a street beggar. The object that Hosseini uses in his comparison, a rice bag on the floor, could, again, be a reference to the setting. Rasheed's shop as burned down and that family is very low on money and as a result, even a bowl of rice is extremely rare in the house. So, the author could be saying that this kind of rebellion is extremely rare, as is a bag of rice.
"And there was the battered tennis court, the ragged net lying limply in the middle of it like dead skin shed by a snake." (277)
When Rasheed takes Mariam and Laial to the hotel to call Jalil, Mariam decides to wander around and see how badly the hotel has worn. In this line, she sees that the famous pool and tennis courts are now downtrodden. The author uses a simile to compare the "ragged net" to a "dead skin shed by a snake" to show that the hotel and city, like the tennis court, are worn down.
Quote
"She watched him walk away, shivering where she stood. She thought, Volumes, and another shudder passed through her, a current of something sad and forlorn, but also something eager and recklessly hopeful." (306)
One day, Tariq, much to Laila's surprise, arrives at her door. Laila had been told that Tariq is dead due to Rasheed's fear that Tariq may steal her away from him. However, now that Tariq is alive and still unmarried, Laila is starting to fall for him, which could mean freedom for her, but most likely confrontation between Tariq and Rasheed.
Theme
Overall, the theme seems to be improving, especially in the last few pages. Although things seemed to be getting really bad at first (Rasheed losing his store, Aziza being put into an orphanage, drought), Tariq coming back puts a positive spin on Laila's entire outlook on life. Now, she actually has something to shoot for, something to hope for, instead of just Rasheed.
crux (272) - a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point
tangential (288) - merely touching; slightly connected
Figurative Language
"His patience with Zalami was a well that ran deep and never dried." (264)
In this passage, the author uses a metaphor to compare Rasheed's patience with Zalami to a deep well. Because Zalami is a boy and his biological son, Rasheed has much more patience with him than he has with Aziza, who he scorns and kicks aside with little thought. The well analogy is significant because at this time in the book, there is a severe drought in Afghanistan, so the author could be using the metaphor to reference the current situation.
"Laila watched the arch of her closed fist, slicing through the air, felt the crinkle of Rasheed's stubbly, coarse skin under her knuckles. It made a sound like dropping a rice bag on the floor." (266)
In this excerpt, Hosseini uses a simile to describe the way Laila punches Rasheed after he suggests that Aziza become a street beggar. The object that Hosseini uses in his comparison, a rice bag on the floor, could, again, be a reference to the setting. Rasheed's shop as burned down and that family is very low on money and as a result, even a bowl of rice is extremely rare in the house. So, the author could be saying that this kind of rebellion is extremely rare, as is a bag of rice.
"And there was the battered tennis court, the ragged net lying limply in the middle of it like dead skin shed by a snake." (277)
When Rasheed takes Mariam and Laial to the hotel to call Jalil, Mariam decides to wander around and see how badly the hotel has worn. In this line, she sees that the famous pool and tennis courts are now downtrodden. The author uses a simile to compare the "ragged net" to a "dead skin shed by a snake" to show that the hotel and city, like the tennis court, are worn down.
Quote
"She watched him walk away, shivering where she stood. She thought, Volumes, and another shudder passed through her, a current of something sad and forlorn, but also something eager and recklessly hopeful." (306)
One day, Tariq, much to Laila's surprise, arrives at her door. Laila had been told that Tariq is dead due to Rasheed's fear that Tariq may steal her away from him. However, now that Tariq is alive and still unmarried, Laila is starting to fall for him, which could mean freedom for her, but most likely confrontation between Tariq and Rasheed.
Theme
Overall, the theme seems to be improving, especially in the last few pages. Although things seemed to be getting really bad at first (Rasheed losing his store, Aziza being put into an orphanage, drought), Tariq coming back puts a positive spin on Laila's entire outlook on life. Now, she actually has something to shoot for, something to hope for, instead of just Rasheed.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Outside Reading, Week 5, Post B
I would just like to start out by issuing the following statement: Owned! I totally called it!..**ahem** So last B post, I believe I called that Mariam and Laila would be uniting forces to change their lives for the better. Well, they totally did! Laila, Aziza and Mariam took their money and sneaked out of the house to the bus station. There, they bought bus tickets and attempted to board the bus with a man who was posing as their husband, but they were ratted out, sent to jail, and forced back home to Rasheed. Once the door was closed, Rasheed showed no mercy. Both were severely beaten and several days until Rasheed finally allowed them out of their rooms. Although this may seem like a crushing defeat for Laila and Mariam, I believe that there is a deeper theme rooted in this event
Even though Laila and Mariam's plan miserably and both suffered severe consequences, their spirits are not crush. They both still remain optimistic about the possibility to change their lives and escape from their current state. So, while Rasheed and Mariam represent the oppressive and cruel views of the older generation in Afghanistan, Laila represents the possibility for change in the roles of women. Until Laila arrive, Mariam simply accepted the fact that she was lower on the social ladder than men and didn't do much to challenge it. However, Laila, being of the newer generation, the generation that has grown up under the power that women had with Soviet, believes that she is entitled to a certain level of respect and won't stop until she achieves it. With these emerging conflicts and opposing viewpoints, it will be interesting to see how the story plays out. Will Laila win and gain respect or will Rasheed maintain his reign of terror over the women? I suppose only my further reading of the book will tell.
Even though Laila and Mariam's plan miserably and both suffered severe consequences, their spirits are not crush. They both still remain optimistic about the possibility to change their lives and escape from their current state. So, while Rasheed and Mariam represent the oppressive and cruel views of the older generation in Afghanistan, Laila represents the possibility for change in the roles of women. Until Laila arrive, Mariam simply accepted the fact that she was lower on the social ladder than men and didn't do much to challenge it. However, Laila, being of the newer generation, the generation that has grown up under the power that women had with Soviet, believes that she is entitled to a certain level of respect and won't stop until she achieves it. With these emerging conflicts and opposing viewpoints, it will be interesting to see how the story plays out. Will Laila win and gain respect or will Rasheed maintain his reign of terror over the women? I suppose only my further reading of the book will tell.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Outside Reading, Week 5, Post A
Vocab
tortuous (208) - full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked
guilelessly (226) - free from guile; sincere; honest; straightforward; frank
Figurative Language
"On and on he went. Mariam sat watching the girl out of the corner of her eye as Rasheed's demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul." (206-207)
In this passage, the author uses the simile in the line "Rasheed's demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul" to demonstrate both the conditions that the women had to endure when living with Rasheed and the overall anxiety in Kabul at the time due to the civil war. It could also represent that the war and death were always on the minds of the women.
"The baby's screeching rose and fell like a cleaver on meat." (213)
The author uses a simile in this excerpt to describe the general attitude of Rasheed towards the baby. Rasheed was praying for a boy, but when Laila delivered a girl, he lost all respect for both her and the baby and now treat them as nuisances. So, instead of describing the baby's cries as innocent or cute, he uses an ugly and blunt comparison to a cleaver on meat.
"...suddenly Mariam started telling her about Jalil, and Nana, and the jinn. Laila stood with her hands idle on Mariam's shoulders, eyes locked on Mariam's face in the mirror. Out the words came, like blood gushing from an artery." (228)
In this excerpt, the author uses the simile "out the words came, like blood gushing from an artery" to describe how Mariam tells her story to Laila. Mariam is very conservative and shy and has never been able to express her emotions and feelings to anyone until Laila shows up. So, all of her pent up emotions spill out at once in a massive rush, much like blood coming from an artery.
Quote
"She ran to the living room, found Laila already at the window, Aziza mounted on her shoulders. Laila turned and smiled. "The Taliban are here," she said." (244)
I believe that this quote will foreshadow a major shift in the plot line. Up until recently, the plot has been pretty static, with the exception of Laila and Mariam's breakout attempt. But with this quote, and especially with the way the author isolates it from the rest of the paragraph, I believe that some real change will come to the lives of Laila and Mariam.
Theme
The novel is staying pretty true to its pessimistic theme. Laila and Mariam devise a plan to escape to Pakistan by slowly taking Rasheed's money and saving up enough money to buy a bus ticket. However, when they attempt to execute the plan, they are ratted out for not have a male escort and are later returned to Rasheed via the police. Rasheed beats them both and starves them for several days until he finally lets them out with a severe lecture. So, it appears that Laila and Mariam are stuck in this dismal state until something major happens.
tortuous (208) - full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked
guilelessly (226) - free from guile; sincere; honest; straightforward; frank
Figurative Language
"On and on he went. Mariam sat watching the girl out of the corner of her eye as Rasheed's demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul." (206-207)
In this passage, the author uses the simile in the line "Rasheed's demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul" to demonstrate both the conditions that the women had to endure when living with Rasheed and the overall anxiety in Kabul at the time due to the civil war. It could also represent that the war and death were always on the minds of the women.
"The baby's screeching rose and fell like a cleaver on meat." (213)
The author uses a simile in this excerpt to describe the general attitude of Rasheed towards the baby. Rasheed was praying for a boy, but when Laila delivered a girl, he lost all respect for both her and the baby and now treat them as nuisances. So, instead of describing the baby's cries as innocent or cute, he uses an ugly and blunt comparison to a cleaver on meat.
"...suddenly Mariam started telling her about Jalil, and Nana, and the jinn. Laila stood with her hands idle on Mariam's shoulders, eyes locked on Mariam's face in the mirror. Out the words came, like blood gushing from an artery." (228)
In this excerpt, the author uses the simile "out the words came, like blood gushing from an artery" to describe how Mariam tells her story to Laila. Mariam is very conservative and shy and has never been able to express her emotions and feelings to anyone until Laila shows up. So, all of her pent up emotions spill out at once in a massive rush, much like blood coming from an artery.
Quote
"She ran to the living room, found Laila already at the window, Aziza mounted on her shoulders. Laila turned and smiled. "The Taliban are here," she said." (244)
I believe that this quote will foreshadow a major shift in the plot line. Up until recently, the plot has been pretty static, with the exception of Laila and Mariam's breakout attempt. But with this quote, and especially with the way the author isolates it from the rest of the paragraph, I believe that some real change will come to the lives of Laila and Mariam.
Theme
The novel is staying pretty true to its pessimistic theme. Laila and Mariam devise a plan to escape to Pakistan by slowly taking Rasheed's money and saving up enough money to buy a bus ticket. However, when they attempt to execute the plan, they are ratted out for not have a male escort and are later returned to Rasheed via the police. Rasheed beats them both and starves them for several days until he finally lets them out with a severe lecture. So, it appears that Laila and Mariam are stuck in this dismal state until something major happens.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Outside Reading, Week 4, Post B
I think the theme (and plot) in A Thousand Splendid Suns is finally starting to come full circle. The book started out with the story of Mariam's arranged marriage, which was a tragic but extremely common one in the Middle East. Her mother died and she was forced to marry a man thirty years older than her, subsequently forcing her to remain indoors all day and essentially become a slave for him. This story, and the subtle nuances in it, hinted at this theme of overall oppression of women in the time period of the book. However, just as things were getting started, gears shifted dramatically to the story Laila and her childhood sweetheart, Tariq. The two are deeply in love, but Tariq is forced to move. After several months debating whether or not to leave Kabul, Laila's family decides that it is time to leave Kabul as well, but right before they are about to leave, their house is hit with a rocket and Laila's mother and father are killed. We later find out that Tariq was killed leaving Kabul as well. However, this is where the story starts to connect.
Up until now, the only real connection between the stories has been the theme (the mistreatment of women), but now the plots directly overlap. Rasheed, Mariam's husband, saves Laila from the rubble and marries her. Now, Mariam and Laila, two abused and mistreated women share the same home. The two lived in general isolation from each other until Rasheed confronts Mariam and Laila pushes Rasheed over to save Mariam. Now, I think that the two will work together to both unite the theme (or reverse it) and overcome Rasheed.
In terms of symbols, Rasheed clearly represents the general will of Afghanistan at the time in terms of attitude towards women. Rasheed is intolerant of new ideas and insists that his wives wear burqas outside the house. In addition, he believes in the outdated role of women in a marriage: that they should only be used for reproduction and household chores, nothing more. However, I believe that Laila represents a new hope for women. She is extremely intelligent and driven and although she is stuck in this marriage, I believe that she possesses the potential to escape and make something of herself. However, Mariam does not. She is older than Laila, and her ideology shows this. Mariam is pessimistic and simply accepts the fact that she is lower than Rasheed and is doomed to be a housewife her entire life. This is, until Laila shows up. The author seems to be hinting that Laila will somehow impact Mariam in such a way that it will dramatically change her life. I guess I will have to keep reading...
Up until now, the only real connection between the stories has been the theme (the mistreatment of women), but now the plots directly overlap. Rasheed, Mariam's husband, saves Laila from the rubble and marries her. Now, Mariam and Laila, two abused and mistreated women share the same home. The two lived in general isolation from each other until Rasheed confronts Mariam and Laila pushes Rasheed over to save Mariam. Now, I think that the two will work together to both unite the theme (or reverse it) and overcome Rasheed.
In terms of symbols, Rasheed clearly represents the general will of Afghanistan at the time in terms of attitude towards women. Rasheed is intolerant of new ideas and insists that his wives wear burqas outside the house. In addition, he believes in the outdated role of women in a marriage: that they should only be used for reproduction and household chores, nothing more. However, I believe that Laila represents a new hope for women. She is extremely intelligent and driven and although she is stuck in this marriage, I believe that she possesses the potential to escape and make something of herself. However, Mariam does not. She is older than Laila, and her ideology shows this. Mariam is pessimistic and simply accepts the fact that she is lower than Rasheed and is doomed to be a housewife her entire life. This is, until Laila shows up. The author seems to be hinting that Laila will somehow impact Mariam in such a way that it will dramatically change her life. I guess I will have to keep reading...
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Outside Reading, Week 4, Post A
Vocab
tawny (196) - of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color.
brusquely (171) - abrupt in manner; blunt; rough
Figurative Language
"Laila can't hear anything but the ringing. But she can see the words, like thick black syrup, spilling out of the woman's mouth."(174)
This passage is part of a sequence of small stanzas that comes after Laila's house is hit with a rocket. The whole section embodies Laila's disoriented state and over delirium that she experiences in the hours following the blast. Laila temporarily loses hearing on one of her ears and relies primarily on sight for the following days. This explains why she uses a simile to compare words to the "thick black syrup", as she can only see the woman talk but cannot actually hear the words.
"From the walls of the room, Ahmad and Noor smiled down." (170)
In this excerpt, the author uses a personification to describe Laila's mother's attachment to her sons, Ahmad and Noor. Although Ahamd and Noor died a while ago, Laila's mother still adorns the house with their photos. The author gives the pictures of Ahmad and Noor the human ability to look to show that a) the mother still is obsessed with them and b) their pictures are everywhere in the house.
"So she let him kiss her, and when he pulled back she leaned in and kissed him, heart pounding in her throat, her face tingling, a fire burning in the pit of her belly." (159)
The author captures the heat of the moment that Laila and Tariq were experiencing with such hyperboles as "heart pounding in her throat" and "fire burning in the pit of her belly". The author doesn't really mean that there was a heart pounding in Laila's throat or that there actually was a fire burning in Laila's stomach, but he uses this extreme imagery to demonstrate to the reader the emotions at the time.
Quote
"Laila took grim inventory of the people ni her life. Ahmad and Noor, dead. Hasina, gone. giti, dead. Mammy, dead. Babi, dead. Now Tariq..." (196)
I felt that this quote best demonstrates the current theme in the book, that you cannot truly love or hold onto anything, and perhaps foreshadows Laila's actions later in the book.
Theme
As I said before, I think that the current theme is that you cannot love or hold onto anything, because it can all be ripped apart from you. Laila's friend, Hasina, and lover, Tariq, both move from Kabul and leave her. She tries to follow them, but the day she is supposed to leave, her mother and father are killed by a rocket, so she is left with nothing and no one. Then, to make matters worse, Tariq is killed.
tawny (196) - of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color.
brusquely (171) - abrupt in manner; blunt; rough
Figurative Language
"Laila can't hear anything but the ringing. But she can see the words, like thick black syrup, spilling out of the woman's mouth."(174)
This passage is part of a sequence of small stanzas that comes after Laila's house is hit with a rocket. The whole section embodies Laila's disoriented state and over delirium that she experiences in the hours following the blast. Laila temporarily loses hearing on one of her ears and relies primarily on sight for the following days. This explains why she uses a simile to compare words to the "thick black syrup", as she can only see the woman talk but cannot actually hear the words.
"From the walls of the room, Ahmad and Noor smiled down." (170)
In this excerpt, the author uses a personification to describe Laila's mother's attachment to her sons, Ahmad and Noor. Although Ahamd and Noor died a while ago, Laila's mother still adorns the house with their photos. The author gives the pictures of Ahmad and Noor the human ability to look to show that a) the mother still is obsessed with them and b) their pictures are everywhere in the house.
"So she let him kiss her, and when he pulled back she leaned in and kissed him, heart pounding in her throat, her face tingling, a fire burning in the pit of her belly." (159)
The author captures the heat of the moment that Laila and Tariq were experiencing with such hyperboles as "heart pounding in her throat" and "fire burning in the pit of her belly". The author doesn't really mean that there was a heart pounding in Laila's throat or that there actually was a fire burning in Laila's stomach, but he uses this extreme imagery to demonstrate to the reader the emotions at the time.
Quote
"Laila took grim inventory of the people ni her life. Ahmad and Noor, dead. Hasina, gone. giti, dead. Mammy, dead. Babi, dead. Now Tariq..." (196)
I felt that this quote best demonstrates the current theme in the book, that you cannot truly love or hold onto anything, and perhaps foreshadows Laila's actions later in the book.
Theme
As I said before, I think that the current theme is that you cannot love or hold onto anything, because it can all be ripped apart from you. Laila's friend, Hasina, and lover, Tariq, both move from Kabul and leave her. She tries to follow them, but the day she is supposed to leave, her mother and father are killed by a rocket, so she is left with nothing and no one. Then, to make matters worse, Tariq is killed.
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