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Research on women in Afghanistan
Research on women in Afghanistan
The treatment of women in afghanistan
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Recommended: Research on women in Afghanistan
The idea presented by William Stryon that life “is a search for justice” can be analyzed in Kaled Hosseni’s A Thousand Splendid Suns and supports a central theme of the struggles of the Muslim women in Afghanistan. Throughout the novel Mariam’s struggle with injustice is depicted as extremely complex; from her illegitimate birth to the brutal misogynist she is forced to marry, the audience watches as Mariam grows from a naïve little girl into a strong women and how she symbolically overcomes corruption and systematic oppression by sacrificing her life for others. From conception, Marium is labled as a harami or a bastard child and it is this fact that her own mother, Nana, uses to crush her spirit especially when Mariam wishes to be educated
or to live with Jahlil. Being a child, Mariam is dependent on her parents for her physical needs as well as her emotional needs; Jahlil and Nana establish a foundation for what she should expect to be treated like, the level of respect, love, and justice she deserves. Mariam’s willful need to abandon Nana signifies her hopes that Jahlil can, in a way, liberate her from Nana’s bitterness and that he would truly follow through with the perfect promises that he had made to her all those years before. Being made to sleep on the street like a dog by the man whom Mariam put her faith, hope, and trust into alters her perception of the world in many ways, Jahlil has become a false idol in her mind but her marriage to Rasheed will give her a new figure to look upon for guidance. Mariam depends on others to guide her in her own search for justice and peace when in reality, each one has abused her. When Mariam grabs the shovel to murder Rasheed in the end, she is again willfully leaving the person whom she thought she could trust to show her happiness, the person who was freeing her spiritually by confining and beating her; she knows that the consequences will be death, but she also knows that Rasheed being alive means the lifelong oppression of not just herself but Laila, Aziza, and Zalmai. In choosing to kill Rasheed, Mariam is creating her own path and unshackling herself from the constraints that bound her causing all her suffering. Mariam becomes her own Christ-figure. In the jail before the execution, Mariam is surrounded by other women who know look to her and rally about her the way those in the prison did with Jesus before his crucifixion. Mariam has freed herself to a paradise without pain and, at the same time, given Laila’s family a chance to thrive.
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, many forms of social injustice towards women in Afghanistan are present. The characters face social injustice from family, relationships, society and are forced to endure them throughout their lives until they realize that the only way to bring justice is to fight back.
It is difficult to realize the harsh standards and obligations imposed upon women of different cultures. It is especially disappointing to note that women whom may seek to relieve themselves of such discriminatory practices, face little to no government support in terms of fighting inequality. Such as distinguished in text The War Against Feminism, women of Algeria must fight against patriarchal and incredibly sexist political movements, such as the “Islamic Salvation Front,” which although was banned, had won an election and the promotion of their platform’s ideas despite their notions consisting of extreme patriarchal views and their actual assassinations of individuals not compliant with their beliefs. I also strongly agreed with the United Nations decision to aid individuals from fear of the Taliban, in their stating of refusing to continue aid to Afghanistan if intense cruel practices were to continue. The interference of other government agencies in helping to promote the end of cruelty, such as was occurring by the Taliban, act as great movement of defiance against
Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, tells the stories of women in Afghanistan in the late twentieth century. Hosseini shows the women’s strengths, weaknesses, tribulations and accomplishments through their own actions, and how they are treated by other characters in the book, particularly the male characters. Hosseini portrays men in A Thousand Splendid Suns to create themes of justice and injustice within the novel. The justice, or lack thereof, served to the male characters is a result of their treatment and attitudes toward the female characters in the book and towards women in general.
Women are beaten, and it is culturally acceptable. Like routine, women are beaten in Afghanistan almost every day. When a person purposely inflicts sufferings on others with no feelings of concern, like the women of Afghanistan, he is cruel. Cruelty can manifest from anger, irritation, or defeat and is driven by self-interest. An idea that is explored in many works of literature, cruelty also appears in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns in the relationship between a husband and wife. In their case, the husband uses cruelties in the form of aggression are to force his wife to submit. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini’s use of cruelty elucidates the values of both Rasheed and Mariam as well as essential ideas about the nature of
Justice and perception are words that often overlap. What is seen as justice by one generation can be seen a hateful act of violence by the next. The point is, justice can only truly be construed by the one perceived as the victim. In A Thousand Splendid Suns a picture of sorrow and desperation that grasp Afghanistan is painted as the backdrop to the story. Mariam, a harami, was taught by her mother to endure. That her sole purpose as a woman was to endure the suffering that a man causes. Then, one day, she takes justice into her own hands and kills her abusive husband to save her sister wife and only true companion in her life. This crime leads to her execution; even her final moments a sense of purpose fulfills her because she knows that by sacrificing her life and saving Laila’s, Laila can start anew.
The women of Afghanistan have been through every hardship imaginable. Khaled Hosseini uses his novel A Thousand Splendid Suns to show his readers how women’s rights changed through out the last half of the 20th century and how the different governments affected the women differently.
In his novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, Khaled Hosseini skillfully illustrates many aspects of Afghan culture to the reader. The novel explores the struggles that have plagued Afghanistan, and how they have affected the lives of its people. Through the story’s two narrators, Mariam and Laila, the reader is presented with examples of how the nation’s culture has changed over time. Through “A Thousand Splendid Suns” Khaled Hosseini emphasizes the struggle in the area between traditional beliefs and progressive changes, specifically as they relate to women’s rights. Throughout history it has been shown these that progressive reforms are unable to coincide with strict Islamic beliefs.
Khaled Hosseini, author of A Thousand Splendid Suns, is indisputably a master narrator. His refreshingly distinctive style is rampant throughout the work, as he integrates diverse character perspectives as well as verb tenses to form a temperament of storytelling that is quite inimitably his own. In his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, he explores the intertwining lives of two drastically different Afghani women, Lailia and Mariam, who come together in a surprising twist of fate during the Soviet takeover and Taliban rule. After returning to his native Afghanistan to observe the nation’s current state amidst decades of mayhem, Hosseini wrote the novel with a specific fiery emotion to communicate a chilling, yet historically accurate account of why his family was forced to flee the country years ago.
Let us start with Nana Mariam's mother. Nana gets pregnant and is thrown out of her current home. "The wives demanded he throw her out"(Hosseini 6). Her father disowns her. "Nana's own father, who was a lowly stone carver in the nearby village of Gul Daman, disowned her. Disgraced, he packed his things, never to be seen or heard from again"(6). She lives the rest of her life in a small hut while Mariam's father lives in a mansion. "And so, your father built us this rathole"(9). She lives her life as a single mother. Her only chance of every getting married was destroyed by her having an attack. "The wedding dress was stashed away. After that, there were no more suitors"(10).
Didi? You see. This is what it means to be a woman in this world.” Due to cultural stigmas in Afghanistan, Nana was blamed solely for the conception of her child and isolated. She later says to Mariam, “Learn this now and Learn it well, my daughter: Like a
In a nation brimming with discrimination, violence and fear, a multitudinous number of hearts will become malevolent and unemotional. However, people will rebel. In the eye-opening novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini, the country of Afghanistan is exposed to possess cruel, treacherous and sexist law and people. The women are classified as something lower than human, and men have the jurisdiction over the women. At the same time, the most horrible treatment can bring out some of the best traits in victims, such as consideration, boldness, and protectiveness. Although, living in an inconsiderate world, women can still carry aspiration and benevolence. Mariam and Laila (the main characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns) are able to retain their consideration, boldness and protectiveness, as sufferers in their atrocious world.
In the book A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini, the author of the book, tells the stories of two women living in Afghanistan and what their lives were like. Through the tales of the main characters Mariam and Laila, the reader can see what obstacles and situations Afghan people have to deal with every day in their society. The role of men is also very prevalent throughout the entire book, with stereotypes of Afghan men and depictions of the stereotypes being broken by certain characters. (Hosseini, pp. 3-415)
Miriam was born out of wedlock to Jalil and Nana, who both did their best to keep her out of sight because she was an illegitimate daughter of a married man. On the other hand, Laila was born to Hakim and Fariba, who both did their utmost best to raise her until they were dragged into the war and met their demise. Hosseini’s, A Thousand Splendid Suns, weaves Afghanistan history and its influence into its characterization of Miriam and Laila.
These are the words uttered by Martin Luther King Jr. as he fought for racial equality in his cell at the Birmingham County Jail. This famous quote is a perfect example of the common belief that justice is always fairness. Even though the two terms are synonymous, fairness is subjective, especially in law. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Boo Radley’s life is exemplified by the statement that “extreme justice is often extreme injustice”.