Analysis Of The Film 'Osama'

In this thesis the writer wants to analyse how the condition of the Taliban rules in Afghanistan and its impact toward female characters as pictured in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Before reading this novel I thought that I had a fairly good understanding of the restrictions that faced women in Afghan culture. However, after finishing this eye-opening novel, I was struck by the abundance of knowledge that was unknown to me. The most prominent theme that I saw in this story was social injustice, especially through gender roles. The oppression that Mariam, Laila and countless other women faced each day due to the fact that men in Afghan culture desired complete control and power over women shocked me.

Amira Arzu, an Afghan teenager, was only 15 years old when she was forced into an arranged marriage. She was kind hearted, intelligent, elated, and humorous until one day this was all taken away. December 15th, 2016 she was on her way to school in Afghanistan not knowing that her parents were driving her to a Mosque, the Shrine of Ali, to get married to her future husband, Ahmed Akmal. A few days later she found herself on the street Taimani in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amira ran past workers ordering from street carts, women with their children, men in trucks honking at one another, and many looked at her uncertainty as she was running through the streets of Kabul. At the time, she was wearing a blue floral hijab, jeans, and a dress as in Afghanistan you cannot wear a dress without covering your legs. Many deduced that she was without her husband on the streets of Kabul, which is not normally the case, but Amira was different from the other wives and arduously wanting to figure out an escape.

In this novel the author, Hosseini, uses a powerful bond between the two main character to give a reader a deeper understanding about the way women are viewed and treated in Afghanistan. These two main characters are used to represent the different perspectives from which women in are viewed. The first character we meet is Mariam, a woman from an unloving and poor past. She portrays the old ideas of abuse and mistreatment towards women. Conversely, the other main character Laila, a young woman who came from a more modern and loving family, is used to represent progress towards the equal treatment and education of women. These two women obviously come from different backgrounds but are brought together through

During the novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, which takes place in Afghanistan, the rights of women change dramatically, and at times they had no rights at all. In the extremely male dominated society women are not allowed outside without being covered, whereas in the public society women are allowed out by themselves, and uncovered. The societies in which these changes take place are very different, however in both, women are dominated by men.

The novel is centered around the city of Kabul during the late 1900’s to the early 2000’s. During this period, the city was in a time of conflict. There were forces trying to seize control over Afghanistan. There were various social and economical classes throughout the cities. For example, Jalil Khan lives in a high class area where as, Rasheed lives in a low-to-middle class area. Prior to the Soviets control, there were multiple benefits for women in education and obtaining jobs. When the Taliban later got control, there were many laws made governing daily life. Many, if not most people risked punishment and would for example, use televisions to watch the new movie, Titanic. Living in Kabul was extremely dangerous with rockets flying wild and armed men patrolling the neighborhoods. In 2001 on September 11th, people in Kabul and all of Afghanistan, were informed on the news of the Taliban’s attack on the United States. Also they learn that the U.S. has declared war on Afghanistan. During this time period, the people of Afghanistan learned to endure and never lose hope.

Osama is a great representation of the relationship between culture and gender and how that relationship differs around the world. Geographical location as well as ethnicity play a large part in determining the roles of each gender and what is expected. The plot displayed in Osama touched upon the roles of men and women and what happens when these roles are altered.

The historical perception that was going on in this film took account the years before, it would be a big leap to assume that they released this film just on the 2012 historical events. Going back a year before the film was released in 2011, big things did happen that put some relief on America. Back in May 2011 the assassination of Osama bin Laden occurred. “ A bold cross-border raid at night by navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden, who had been living comfortably in the shadow of Pakistan’s premier military academy.” (Oliver et al., 2014) Relation of how they disposed of his body, was like one of the killings of one of the families in a way that they died. “ In euphoria the raid created in the U.S., celebrating the skill and power of the SEALs

Having always been interested in the history of women’s rights, the oppressive rule of the Taliban on Afghan women has always been an interesting topic to research. Prior to Taliban control of Afghanistan, women enjoyed living the freedom that they were granted. They were very crucial to the development of the Afghan society, but when the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan in 1996, the rights of Afghan women began to dwindle. Although they negatively affected Afghanistan, for instance, politically, economically, and socially, the major negative impact their rule had on socially specifically was the Afghan women’s rights.. Even though the Taliban claimed “that it was acting in the best interests of the women,” according to a report on the

One of the biggest anomalies among current events today is the topic of Muslim women. Islamic women have been in the shadows for years, hidden by their spouses, therefore resulting in the reason why so many of them have been the subject of abuse. The devastating incident that led to many deaths on September 11th of 2001, could possibly be the most recent event that has sparked interest with the Muslim population (Daba-Buzoianu et.al 148). Even then, however, Americans were more concerned for their own safety rather than the safety of Muslim women. In the past, these women have had a history of abuse as a result of their disobedience and unfaithfulness to their religion. For example, in Pakistan, “...men, soldiers, and civilians have used rape as a strategy of terrorism against Pakistan’s women, particularly those who dare to transgress existing social hierarchies or who belong to stigmatized social groups (Sharlach 95).” Two of the most recent victims of authoritative Muslims that have managed to get their stories heard have been Mukhtaran Mai and Malala Yousafzai. Mai was raped as a result of her brother’s crimes and Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban as a result of merely wanting an education (Afzal-Khan 153). Although it seems that free will is an option for these women, few are brave enough to let their own opinions on issues concerning their lives surpass the demands of their religious leaders, who can possibly even be considered their masters. Women of this culture are

Feminism has revolutionized the rights of women around the world. From having almost no rights to suddenly being set free, the women of Afghanistan have faced a drastic change in their lives. After the Taliban was overthrown in 2001, the women of Afghanistan have gained new liberal rights that were once lost under the Talban’s rule. However, the women lack protection to be able to safely use these freedoms and continue to be abused for not complying with the rules of the past. These new liberal rights will set the path for the women of Afghanistan towards equality.

This short video covers women’s rights in Afghanistan before and after the Taliban, the mid-90’s. The makers of this video often post informative videos, in fact, that’s all they post. In this video, Paula Bronstein, a woman that studies Afghan culture with a main focus on women, is interviewed about the information she found in her studies. This video’s content explains the oppression of Afghan women.

While in prison, Mariam shared a cell with several women and children, who were also incarcerated for nonviolent moral crimes, but interestingly enough, the women in prison admired Mariam for her strength to end her husband’s abusiveness for good. After ten days of prison, Mariam was taken to Ghazi Stadium, and she was publicly executed by a Taliban soldier. Until women build up the courage to escape their husband’s abuse, they never fully realize what the domestic violence does to their bodies mentally and

     A woman’s life in Afghanistan is one of the most shocking and devastating truths. It wasn’t until September 11th 2001 that the world awoke to the relevance of women’s issues to international peace and security. However, it’s been two years since and the lives of Afghan women have improved only slightly. Harassment, violence, illiteracy, poverty and extreme repression continue to characterize reality for many afghan women.

The entire female population in Afghanistan is directly affected by the societal prejudice against them. There are so many restrictions and limitations towards women that they can be charged with a crime that harmed nobody and nothing at all. The male population is willing to find anything they can to use against these innocent women. Women deserve to at possess the minimal human rights that they should have been granted at birth. In order to make this happen, these women need