~Passage Finder~
April 16th 2014 Daniela CampbellChapters 1 to 12
Passage 1: Page number: 18
Quote:
"Only one skill. And it's this: tahamul. Endure."
Discussion Point/Question to Ask:
This section shows how powerless woman living in that life were. Nana felt trapped and has no fight left in her. And it is shown when she kills herself when Mariam leaves, because in a way Nana depended on Mariam and once she left she was alone. This quote will be with Mariam throughout her journey in this book.
Explanation for why I chose this passage:
Nana wants to hold back Mariam from going to school. Because she thinks the only lesson Mariam needs to learn is to endure. It shows that Nana has been through so much and she has no fight left, except to deal with what was given to her and not fight back for what she wanted.”
Passage 2: Page number: 21
Quote:
"Nana said that one of these days he would miss, that she, Mariam, would slip through his fingers, hit the ground, and break a bone. But Mariam did not believe that Jalil would drop her. She believed she would always land safely into her father's clean, well-manicure hands."
Discussion Point/Question to Ask:
It shows the contrast of how Mariam view’s Jalil and how Nana does. Where Mariam views him with childish worship and Nana knows the truth that he will drop her, maybe not physically but mentally he will eventually disappoint her. Figuratively dropping her and breaking her trust. Do you think Nana should have let Mariam find out for herself just how Jalil truly was like or do you think she was right in her way or teaching?
Explanation for why I chose this passage:
I chose this passage because it just showed the dynamic of Nana, Jalil and Mariam. It was an important passage because it showed that Nana may not have gone about teaching Mariam that her father was a weak-minded push-over in the correct way, she was right to have taught her daughter that even the people closest to you can and will betray your trust. No matter how much they love each other. But no matter how her mother taught her about betrayal Mariam would no doubt have still loved her father due to the fact that, until he failed her, she would have loved him blindly, until she found out the truth.
Passage 3: Page number: 27
Quote:
“What a stupid girl you are! You think you matter to him, that you’re wanted in his house? You think you’re a daughter to him? That he’s going to take you in? Let me tell you something. A mans heart is a wretched, wretched thing, Mariam. It isn’t like a Mother’s womb. It won’t bleed, it won’t stretch to make room for you. I’m the only one who loves you. I’m all you have in this world, Mariam, and when I’m gone you’ll have nothing. You’ll have nothing. You are nothing!”
Discussion Point/Question to Ask:
Nana chooses to manipulate Mariam to try and get her not to go away with her father because she really just doesn't want to lose the only person who should love have loved her unconditionally, like any child should. But due to the circumstances Mariam believed her father loved her more, so she wanted to be with Jalil over Nana. Do you think Mariam was right in how she handled the situation? Or should she have stood up for herself? Should she have stayed with Nana or was she right in going to look for Jalil?
Explanation for why I chose this passage:
I chose this passage because it was the turning point in Mariam’s life. If she would have stayed and not gone off to see her father she wouldn't have had to witness her Mother’s suicide. Her mother wouldn’t have committed suicide in the first place because Nana wouldn’t have felt so alone and ended her life. That betrayal wouldn’t have pushed Nana over the breaking point in her life. Then the rest of Mariam’s life would have gone differently. She would have no doubt still loved her father, after some questioning about why he wasn’t there on her birthday, but he would have no doubt lied to her again about his intentions. Also, Mariam wouldn’t have had been married off to Rasheed. Every aspect of her life would have been different.
April 22nd, 2014
Mary Soppitt
1:
pg. 87
"Mariam wished he wouldn't do that, hitch his hopes to its being a boy. As happy as she was about this pregnancy, his expectation weighed on her."
Question: Do you think in the culture that Mariam and Rasheed live in, its acceptable to put so much honour on giving birth to a boy apposed to a girl?
Explanation: The reason I chose this passage was because of how women are viewed from birth. They seem to bring no honour to the family and seem to only be a burden. When Mariam is married to Rasheed, Jahil and his wives seem happy to get rid of her. The fact that Rasheed puts so much hope on the baby being a boy shows that their culture values boys alot more than girls. I think this is because of their ability to carry on the family name and the freedom they have in the country of Afghanistan. Girls will also be forced into marriage where as boys can chose their wives for the most part.
2:
pg. 135
"Women have always had it hard in this country, Laila, but they're probably more free now, under communists, and have more rights then they've ever had before... it's a good time to be a women in Afghanistan. And you can take advantage of that, Laila. Of course women's freedom... is also one of the reasons people out there took up arms in the first place.
Question: When Babi says this to his daughter, do you think she takes it seriously or is oblivious to the freedom she's grown up in at home?
Explanation: I chose this passage because of the dramatic switch between Mariam and Laila's story. Laila has grown up in freedom where women have the right to talk and voice their opinion where as Mariam, even since a child has been locked away inside and has to follow strict rules in society. I found it surprising that these two families lived so close together but had such different styles of living. It made me realize that despite the rules the Communist had set in place for women and their education, if their husbands or fathers did not allow it then women stayed uneducated. This made me think about the fact that no women is truly free unless the man incharge of them beleives in the right thing.
3:
pg. 168
"Tell your secrets to the wind, but don't blame it for telling the trees."
Question: Laila tells this to Tariq when he asks her not to tell his mom about his smoking habit, do you think this saying has an validity?
Explanation: I chose this quotation because of the application it has in every day relationships. People intrust information to each other all the time, especially those close to them. The saying is implying that the winds have no choice to shake the trees. However, us as humans have a choice in whether we tell people secrets. From Laila's point of view, I like to beleive that she is trying to save Tariq from the dangers of smoking thus saying she has no choice in whether she tells his mother or not. This quotation can apply to every day relationships when we keep secrets or tell secrets for other people's benefit. The significance of this however is knowing whether it will benefit or harm the person.
Reactions by the group:
These are the groups answers and reactions:
- the culture puts men above women
- Rasheed has the right to be angry but not the right to take it out on Mariam the way he does
- he should be comforting Mariam as opposed to being angry at her for something she can't control
-Laila doesn't realize how important her education is right now because of her age
- Babi wants Laila to realize her potential as a women
-Babi knows she can do better than just marry off, he wants her to have independence
-this quotation has validity if Laila is concerned about his health
-this may be her way of flirting with him
- it's obvious that they have feelings for each other
April, 24th, 2014
Meaghan Ballanger
1:
pg. 185
"She closed the door on him, Laila leaned her back against it, shaking against his pounding fists, one arm gripping her belly and a hand across her mouth, as he spoke through the door and promised that he would come back, that he would come back for her."
Question:This a selfless act on Laila's part. So, does that make Tariq's actions selfish? Is it selfish of Tariq to ask Laila to leave her parents knowing of Laila's mother's condition?
Explanation: I selected this passage because it depicts love at its finest and its worst simaultaneously. Her love for her father makes her stay, which shows love at its finest. The selfless love that we should all attain for. It also shows love at its worst because Laila has to sacrifice her chance at a life with Tariq, which is love at its worst because it shows the pain that love can bring.
2.
pg. 252
"But Aziza only muttered contently and dug her face in deeper. And when she did that Mariam swooned. Her eyes watered. Her heart took flight. And she marveled at how, after all these years of rattling loose, she had found in this little creature the first true connection in her life of false, failed connections."Question: True love is always associated with romantic love, but would you say that the love of a child is the truest kind of love?
Explanation: It is heart-warming, heart-breaking and understandable that a true connection, the first for Mariam, began with a child. A child's love is so magnificent. We have a lot to learn from children, in the realm of love. If Mariam had been loved in this way by her parents then, perhaps, she would have never married Rasheed. She never would have walked to Jalil's place in order to find the love she thought she had and never knew at home. Her mother never would have killed herself because she wouldn't have had the selfish and anxious thought of Mariam 'abandoning her'. Mariam would never have left or even wanted to leave because her mother would have clothed her in the love she both needed and deserved.
3.
pg. 337
Question: Was it dishonest of Laila to marry Rasheed and pretend that Aziza was his baby? Or in the circumstances was it necessary?
Explanation: At first glance this passage inspires rage within you but, with though you consider the validity of Rasheed's statement. The truth is that Laila did deceive Rasheed by not telling him that the baby swelling within her was not his... but what would have happened if she had told him?
Reactions by the group:
These are the reactions and answers from the group:
-Tariq wasn't selfish. He saw a chance for Laila and him to be together and took it.
-He wasn't thinking of anyone but him and Laila. But he wasn't being selfish. If we were in the same situation we would have done the same thing.
-He was leaving the country, and it would be safer in the country he was travelling to, so naturally he wanted to take the one he loved with him, which in this case is Laila.
-Yes. A child's love is unconditional. They give and give and don't expect anything in return except that you love them. Sometimes they love you even if you don't love them back.
-They don't expect anything in return. With romantic relationships there is often a give and take factor but in a child's love they don't expect anything at all, except that you will love them.
-It was a bit unfair that Laila didn't tell Rasheed that she was pregnant before she married him but, to be fair, he never asked. That doesn't excuse Laila but she did what she had to do.
-If she had said no, to marrying Rasheed, then her prospects would have been much worse then what she did get when she did marry him.
-If she had told him about the baby, he might have, if it was a boy, accepted him as his own based on the gender factor alone. Since it was a girl he might have beaten her and given the baby away to an orphanage.
April 29th, 2014
Abigail Burns
Passage 1: Page Number: 277
Quote:
"Our watan is now know as the Islamic Emirate of Aghanistan. There are the laws that we will enforce and you will obey: [...] Singing is forbidden. Dancing is forbidden [...] Writing books, watching films, and painting pictures are forbidden. [...] Attention Women: You will stay inside your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go, outside, you must be accompanied by a mahram, a male relatives. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home. You will not, under any circumstance, show your face. You will cover with a burqa when outside. If you do not, you will be severely beaten. Cosmetics are forbidden. Jewellery is forbidden. You will not wear charming clothes. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not make eye contact with men. You will not laugh in public. If you do, you will be beaten. You will not paint your nails. If you do, you will loose a finger. Girls are forbidden from attending school. All schools for girls will be closed immediatley. Women are forbidden from working. [...] Listen. Listen well. Obey. Allah-u-akbar. "
Discussion Point:
What would you do if you were in the position of Laila or Mariam? Would you abide to these rules?
Explanation for Why I selected this passage:
I Selected this passage because it is a huge life style change for the women and how Laila will raise her children. It changes the education they will have, their sources of income, how they present themselves,act and what they do with their time.
Passage 2: Page Number: 281
Quote:
"Everywhere the Beard Patrol roamed the streets in Toyota trucks on the lookout for clean- shaven faces to bloody"
Discussion Point:
Overboard, unnecessary to have men measuring the lengths of beards when they could be doing things to help the community instead.
Explanation:
Sounds so stupid to fuss, sounds like the guardians of the revolution from Persepolis. Don't understand why a beard has so much of an effect on the community and why that is in their rules instead of things to protect the people and not restricting them.
Passage 3: Page Number: 281
Quote: "The Taliban went to the grave of Tariq's favourite singer, Ahmad Zahir, and fired bullets into it 'he's been dead for almost 20 years' 'Isn't dying once enough?' "
Discussion Point:- Earlier in the book it is said that the dead shouldn't be talked about
- Shows how attitudes change
- Taliban looking for ultimate control, shooting a person who made music which is now illegal
Explanation:
I thought it was silly that they would shoot someone who has been dead for so long, who has little impact on the society except for some old memories.
May 1, 2014
Amanda Lewis
1.
p. 346
"He let go of Laila and turned on her. At first, He looked at her without seeing her, then his narrowed, appraised Mariam with interest. The look in them shifted from puzzlement to shock, then disapproval, disappointment even, lingering there a moment."
Question: What do you think this interesting sequence of thoughts shows about Rasheed?
Explanation: This passage is very interesting and thought-provoking because it shows an interesting thought process that Rasheed goes through after Mariam hits him over the head with a shovel. This quote really shows, interestingly, a partial oblivion to his oppressiveness and abusiveness being terrible, despicable things.
2.
p. 370
p. 370
"Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No, it was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings."
Question: Despite most of her life being so incredibly full of suffering, Mariam decides to leave the world with this thought. Why do you think this is?
Explanation: In the moment where Mariam is about to be executed, she evaluates her life and comes to a conclusions about it. Where most people would be terrified, thinking about how it would feel and what would happen to them after, Mariam feels peace and fulfillment. She realizes that her life has meant something to many people. She finds satisfaction out of her life because she was able to provide freedom and love to those dearest to her. She became a mother and a sister, and she rests in peace after all her pain.
3.
p. 406-407
"Weak heart, the doctors say. It is a fitting manner of death, I think, for a weak man. Mariam jo, I dare, I dare allow myself the hope that, after you read this, you will be more charitable to me than I ever was to you. That you might fond it in your heart to come and see your father. That you will knock on my door one more time and give me the chance to open it this time, to welcome you, to take you in my arms, my daughter, as I should have all those years ago. It is a hope as weak as my heart. This I know. But I will be waiting. I will be listening for your knock. I will be hoping."
Question: After all that happened, and all those years, what do you think you would have done if you were Mariam, and had actually gotten that letter?
Explanation: I chose this passage because after all that time away from Mariam, in the midst of the war and loss, Jalil has realized what he has done. He sees that Mariam shut him out and that he made a mistake because of his pride, cowardice, and lack of integrity. This letter, when he has had all those years to regret and think about what he had done, shows, thankfully, a mature (if late) change of heart.
Reactions by the group:
These are the reactions and answers from the group:
-It showed just how blind he was, but also how corrupt he was
-Loved power, so didn't think about morals/didn't have any
-Maybe he grew up in a house where that's what his father did to control his wife/wives; had a bad childhood?
-She becomes a mother and protector to Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai in a way that her mother and father never were to her
-She sacrificed her life for their freedom and safety
-She experienced for the first time in her life true love and friendship first by Aziza, then by Laila
-By the time she gave herself up to be sentenced, she had become somebody, despite her mother saying she was nobody
-Had Mariam gotten the letter, she would have already forgiven him, and this letter would prompt her to be reconciled to her father
-They would go see him because he showed regret, a change of heart, and would want to see him after all those years of pain
-I thought it would be hard to forgive, but after all that, it would most likely happen and I would have gone to him
Very interesting insights and discussion. Great selection of quotations.
ReplyDeleteMissing quotations and analysis by Abigail and Daniella