Quarter 4: Week 7, Post B

Dear Khaled Hosseini,

Wow! This weekend I finally finished your book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I loved it! It was a powerful, inspiring novel that moved me and opened my eyes to a tragic story that is an awful reality for many Afghan women. I must say I was doubting how much I would like this book at first. My Mom has been bugging me to read this and The Kite Runner, your other novel, for months but I've kept putting it off. It just didn't seem like the type of book I would enjoy. But boy was I wrong! I loved this story and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I looked forward to reading it each week.

Mariam and Laila's stories were both so different to begin with, and yet the way they intertwined in the middle was so cool! They experienced two completely different childhoods, but they were still able to connect as women and form and unbreakable bond within their terrible situation. Their friendship was so wonderful to read about. I loved that they supported each other and stuck up for one another, especially when Rasheed was involved. It seems so strange to me--two women forced under the same roof because they share a husband. They start out despising each other but grow to be best friends, almost sisters. It's such a crazy situation, unimaginable for me, a teenage girl growing up in modern America. But in spite of these core differences, I was able to relate to and empathize with Laila and Mariam in some ways too.

Even though I enjoyed the whole book, the ending hit me the most. I was completely shocked when Tariq showed up on Laila's doorstep. I mean obviously I had been hoping that he wasn't really dead the whole time, but I never actually thought it would happen! I can't believe Rasheed-what a terrible thing to do, to lie to Laila about something as serious as the death of her very best friend! I cannot imagine the anger I would feel if I was ever betrayed like that. And then, Mariam kills Rasheed! Just when I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore, Mariam gets some guts out of nowhere and shovels Rasheed to death! I was cheering for her when she did that for being so bold and finally taking matters into her own hands, even though murder is a horrible crime. Rasheed may have been a horrible, mean, scum of a person but he still didn't deserve death. I guess in their situation it was the only solution that Mariam saw possible. And I really respect the way she took the blame for the whole thing just so Laila, Tariq, and the children can live in peace and happiness.

Overall, this was an extremely moving and inspirational novel. I know the story will stay with me for years. And now I can't wait to read The Kite Runner!

Sincerely,
A-Rod

Quarter 4: Week 7, Post A

This past week, I continued to notice a lot of cultural differences in A Thousand Splendid Suns, even in these last few chapters. I found several examples in the story that demonstrated again the inequality between men and women. One instance occurred when Laila and Mariam tried to escape from Rasheed but they were caught by Afghan officers. Laila and Mariam know they are in deep trouble because it is a crime for women to run away from their homes. Officer Rahman tells Laila that he must send her back home because he has a "responsibility to maintain order" (238). However, when Laila begs him not to send them home for fear of Rasheed's abuse, the officer is indifferent. "'As a matter of policy, we do not interfere with private family matters, hamshira.' 'Of course you don't. When it benefits the man'" (238). The Afghan authorities do not care about the possible dangers Laila would face in returning home; instead they focus on making sure women know that men must be respected at all times as rulers of the household. This is very different from American culture where there are laws in place to incriminate men who abuse their wives. Abuse still occurs, but it is definitely not tolerated as it is in Afghanistan. Women's and men's rights are much closer to equal here in the U.S. compared to Afghanistan. Another example of the discrepancies in the rules for men vs. women is shown when Laila is visited by Tariq. After years of living with the belief that he was dead, she finally learns the truth--he was alive and thinking of her the whole time. However, even though the two are childhood friends, and maybe more than just friends, Laila still feels shameful at her enthusiastic welcome towards Tariq: "It embarrassed her now to think of how she'd thrown her arms around his neck and wept into his chest...Had she acted too eagerly, she wondered, too desperately?" (294). Laila worries about the affection she showed Tariq because it is considered unproper for women to show such affection for men other than their own husbands. This point is emphasized by Rasheed when he later asks Laila, "'I suppose you let him see your face?'" (301). When Laila must admit that she did indeed show Tariq her face, Rasheed becomes even more angry. This situation shows the restrictions placed on women's behavior in Afghanistan. There is a long list of written and unwritten rules that must be followed in order for them to uphold their honor and respect in society.

Quarter 4: Week 6, Post B

"It was hard to summon sorrow, to grieve the deaths of people Laila had never really thought of as alive in the first place[...]It was Tariq who was real, flesh and blood. Tariq, who taught her cusswords in Pashto, who liked salted clover leaves, who had a light pink birthmark just beneath his left collarbone shaped like an upside-down mandolin. So she sat beside Mammy and dutifully mourned Ahmad and Noor, but, in Laila's heart, her true brother was alive and well" (126).


In one of the chapters in my reading this week, Laila's family found out that her two older brothers, Ahmad and Noor, were dead. Her mother was grief-stricken and went into a state of listlessness and extreme grief. Her father, Babi, was also horribly upset. Laila, on the other hand, found it hard to mourn two brothers she'd never even met. Her brothers were not real people to her, more like characters in a story than her true siblings. I think it's really interesting how she considers Tariq a brother--she is 1,000 times closer to him than she was with her brothers. And now, she will never get a chance to get to know them. Clearly, she and Tariq are extremely close--they seem to know each other as well as they know themselves. I think Laila is very lucky that she has such a good friend in her life, especially because her own family life is so unstable right now. She needs someone to lean on, and Tariq is that person for her. Their close friendship brightens the mood of the novel during such a depressing event as the deaths of Laila's brothers.

Quarter 4: Week 6, Post A

I am continuing to notice more and more cultural differences within my book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. This week I particularly noticed a difference when it comes to languages among different ethnic groups. In Afghanistan, there are two major languages spoken by Afghan citizens: Pashto and Farsi. The split between people who speak Pashto and people who speak Farsi is fairly even. However, most people in Afghanistan know how to speak both. Because there is such an even split between the dialects, it's almost necessary to know both of them. Many people, even children, can easily switch back and forth between the two. For example, Tariq knows both Pashto and Farsi. Even though he grew up learning Pashto and knows it much better, he has no problem communicating with Laila in Farsi. "Though Tariq and his parents were ethnic Pashtuns, they spoke Farsi when Laila was around for her benefit, even though Laila more or less understood their native Pashto" (117). Clearly, Laila and Tariq, although still young, each understand the other's native language fairly well. The fact that so many Afghan citizens are "bi-lingual" like Laila and Tariq is something very different from the U.S. We obviously have many people who speak multiple languages, but it's much less common than in Afghanistan. Most Americans speak English. And although there are several other languages spoken in our country, none are even close to the same importance and popularity as English. No one ethnic group is so dominant in America that their language rivals English.

Quarter 4: Week 5, Post B

Dear Laila,

I really like your story so far! I've only read a few chapters, but I can already tell I'm going to enjoy it. The fact that you are so much younger than Mariam makes your story slightly more light-hearted and gives a fresh perspective. It's funny how even though you and Mariam live on the same street your stories are completely different. While Mariam is dealing with an abusive new husband, you are growing up in a home with two parents who fight constantly and a mother who is depressed.

I admire your relationship with your dad, or Babi. You seem to take after him and the two of you clearly share a bond that you and your mother do not. It's sad that he gets attacked by your mother for such tiny insignificant things, and he just quietly takes it. You should stick up for him to her once; maybe it would help your family situation. But I can understand why you might be afraid to make such a bold move. With your mother's moods so completely crazy, I wouldn't want to do anything to set her off either.

I also like hearing about your friendship with Tariq. It must be so nice to have a friend who you've known since you were little. The two of you seem to know each other really well and balance each other nicely. I can tell you're really missing him while he's away. Maybe you two will become more than friends as you get older...who knows! But for now, it's just nice that you have such a good supportive friend in your life to talk to when things get tough at home or at school with those nasty boys. I can't believe they sprayed pee at you!! I would be soo mad if any boy ever did that to me. You didn't do anything to deserve such cruelty! I hope they let up soon and that you can stick up for yourself next time!

Good luck,

A-Rod

Quarter 4: Week 5, Post A

This week I noticed a fem more cultural differences between the United States and Afghanistan, Laila's home. Also, in A Thousand Splendid Suns, Part 2 of the book is from a new point of view. Laila becomes the main character instead of Mariam and the story revolves around her life and her family, rather than Mariam's life with Rasheed. So, my posts will focus on Laila for now!

Anyway, one of the cultural differences I noticed this week has to do with marriage again. I already discussed arranged marriages as a cultural difference. This time, it's marriages to family members. For example, Laila's parents were originally cousins: "Both Mammy and Babi, who were first cousins, had been born and raised in Panjshir..." (98). In the United States, it would be a huge scandal if two first cousins got married. That just doesn't happen here, it's not socially acceptable. In Afghanistan, the social standard is clearly different--marriage between cousins is accepted and seen as normal.

A second cultural difference I discovered in this week's reading was in schooling. Laila's teacher, Shanzai--or Khala Rangmaal, Auntie Painter, as the students call her--uses discipline methods with her students that are very different from Edina High School: "...behind her back, the students called her Khala Rangmaal, Auntie Painter, referring to the motion she favored when she slapped students--palm, then back of hand, back and forth, like a painter working a brush" (101). Slapping students is considered totally reasonable punishment in Laila's school. If a teacher did that in Edina, or anywhere in the U.S., there would be severe consequences!

Quarter 4: Week 4, Post B

This week, I chose to analyze a quote. It's from earlier in the book, but it stuck out to me and I wanted to go back and acknowledge it, even if it's a little late.

"She [Mariam] remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how women like us suffer, she'd said. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us" (82).

For some reason, these lines immediately struck a chord with me when I read them. First of all, I thought they perfectly showed Nana's grief and unhappiness in life. She was constantly reminding Mariam of how much she had suffered--she pitied herself immensely. She wasted her life away with regrets and resentment. Instead of instilling hope and optimism in her daughter, she was constantly pessimistic. And this is only one example of this. Another reason this quote caught my eye is because of its significance in Mariam's life. When she remembers this moment with her mother she has just lost a child due to miscarriage. Rasheed is furious and upset with himself, the doctors, and Mariam. He is selfish about his grief though, and he doesn't see how Mariam is equally, if not more, grief-stricken by the loss. She does not speak up though. Just as her mother stated about the snowflakes, Mariam endures the loss quietly and alone. She doesn't burden Rasheed with her pain. I think this quote also holds some foreshadowing. Having read further ahead in the book now, I know that Mariam is just beginning to suffer. She is forced to endure much more pain in the future--this is only the beginning. And through all of it, she continues to turn inward and face her pain alone. This quote foreshadows the pain and difficulty Mariam will face in the future.