Friday, January 4, 2008
Post B # 7
I will be honest, here. I had not read a quality novel for a while. I had read a few good books last summer, but they all didn't have much substance. As for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I just couldn't get into it. Hosseni's writing style in A Thousand Splendid Suns is powerful, and draws the reader into the plot as though he or she is one of the characters, experiencing the hardships that plague Mariam and Laila throughout the story. The event that happened to Mariam on page 94 still sticks out to me. Rashid forces her to eat rocks, because supposedly he had eaten some dry rice. "He shoved two fingers into her mouth and pried it open, then forced the cold, hard pebbles into it. [...] Then he was gone, leaving Mariam to spit out pebbles, blood, and the fragments of two broken molars (94)." I read that page about five times. I don't even know why now, it was such a gruesome part, and each time I read it, I had an alarmingly clear picture of what was happening. Overlooking the horror of this passage, it is a great quote from the novel. It gave me a crystal clear mental image of what was happening, and I reread the passage more than once. Page 94 was not the only place that had the effect either. There was a time when Tariq's neighborhood was being attacked by men wielding rocket launchers and grenades. I could vividly imagine Rashid strangling Laila, then finding Mariam beating him down with a shovel. When it all boils down, I'm convinced that there is one main reason why this novel was successful. It was realistic. Think about it. When was the last time you read a fiction book that accurately portrayed the events it was written about? It was a realistic view about the horrors of the Taliban when they occupied Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseni taught me many things I did not know, and through his writing of A Thousand Splendid Suns, he opened my eyes.
A Thousand Splendid Suns Post A #7
Vocab
Squalor (noun) (289)- a filthy or wretched condition
Surreptitious (adj.) (297)- obtained, done, or made in a secretive or unauthorized manner
Figurative Language
"[...] crying that it wasn't the same ball, it couldn't be, because his ball was lost, and this was a fake one, where had his real ball gone(293)?" When Tariq returns, Zalmai throws a fit. He starts yelling about how he is not his real father, and how he needs Rashid. He then screams that he wants his ball. Mariam gives him the exact ball that he wants, but Zalmai refuses to accept his ball, and says it is fake. In this passage, the fake and real balls are METAPHORS for Tariq and Rashid, respectively.
"Did Baba jan leave because of me? Because of what I said, about you and the man downstairs (317)?" At this point, Zalmai has undergone a big change characteristically. He is no longer mischievous, but is quieter, and seems to understand Laila and Mariam's situation a little more. He now seems to be a SYMBOL for childish innocence. As Rashid was asking him what Laila was doing, he hesitates. He knows that she was doing nothing wrong, and looks to Laila before answering. She tells him it is okay to tell the truth, and he does. Later, when Zalmai finds out that Rashid is "gone," he asks her if it was his fault that Rashid left. He seems to be becoming more and more like his sister Aziza, who has acted this way almost since her birth.
"They [the police] will. Sooner or later. They're bloodhounds (319)." In this quote, Mariam uses the METAPHOR of bloodhounds to describe the Afghani police.
Quote
"It is fair. I've killed our husband. I've deprived your son of a father. It isn't right that I run. I can't. [...] I'll never escape your son's grief (319)." The irony of this quote lies in the sentence, "It is fair." It is most certainly not fair. All of her life, Mariam has been abused by Rashid, and Mariam has also witnessed Laila being abused as well. Rashid brought his death upon himself. Rashid was strangling Laila, and she had stopped struggling due to lack of oxygen, and Mariam had to decide between Laila dying, and later herself being murdered, or killing Rashid, and being able to give Laila a life. On the other hand, Mariam did commit murder. In an American court, her murder would be a justifiable homicide. She is living in Afghanistan, however, and she will without a doubt be sentenced to death for her act. In my eyes, no matter whether her actions were justifiable or not, I admire her courage for the will to turn herself in, so that Laila, Zalmai, Aziza, and Tariq might have a chance at a better life.
Theme
"Life ain't fair." I don't think this one needs explaining.
Squalor (noun) (289)- a filthy or wretched condition
Surreptitious (adj.) (297)- obtained, done, or made in a secretive or unauthorized manner
Figurative Language
"[...] crying that it wasn't the same ball, it couldn't be, because his ball was lost, and this was a fake one, where had his real ball gone(293)?" When Tariq returns, Zalmai throws a fit. He starts yelling about how he is not his real father, and how he needs Rashid. He then screams that he wants his ball. Mariam gives him the exact ball that he wants, but Zalmai refuses to accept his ball, and says it is fake. In this passage, the fake and real balls are METAPHORS for Tariq and Rashid, respectively.
"Did Baba jan leave because of me? Because of what I said, about you and the man downstairs (317)?" At this point, Zalmai has undergone a big change characteristically. He is no longer mischievous, but is quieter, and seems to understand Laila and Mariam's situation a little more. He now seems to be a SYMBOL for childish innocence. As Rashid was asking him what Laila was doing, he hesitates. He knows that she was doing nothing wrong, and looks to Laila before answering. She tells him it is okay to tell the truth, and he does. Later, when Zalmai finds out that Rashid is "gone," he asks her if it was his fault that Rashid left. He seems to be becoming more and more like his sister Aziza, who has acted this way almost since her birth.
"They [the police] will. Sooner or later. They're bloodhounds (319)." In this quote, Mariam uses the METAPHOR of bloodhounds to describe the Afghani police.
Quote
"It is fair. I've killed our husband. I've deprived your son of a father. It isn't right that I run. I can't. [...] I'll never escape your son's grief (319)." The irony of this quote lies in the sentence, "It is fair." It is most certainly not fair. All of her life, Mariam has been abused by Rashid, and Mariam has also witnessed Laila being abused as well. Rashid brought his death upon himself. Rashid was strangling Laila, and she had stopped struggling due to lack of oxygen, and Mariam had to decide between Laila dying, and later herself being murdered, or killing Rashid, and being able to give Laila a life. On the other hand, Mariam did commit murder. In an American court, her murder would be a justifiable homicide. She is living in Afghanistan, however, and she will without a doubt be sentenced to death for her act. In my eyes, no matter whether her actions were justifiable or not, I admire her courage for the will to turn herself in, so that Laila, Zalmai, Aziza, and Tariq might have a chance at a better life.
Theme
"Life ain't fair." I don't think this one needs explaining.
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