Analysis Of Under The Persimmon Tree

In the poem “Persimmons” Li-Young Lee leads us on a journey that bounces between childhood and adulthood. There is an undercurrent of divisiveness as Lee recounts moments from his time at school that conflict with the lessons he learns at home. Lee writes “Persimmons” as a stream of consciousness reflection of his youth and his struggle to reconcile his Chinese heritage with his American upbringing. He structures the poem to allow the audience to see these moments through his eyes and uses persimmons to show not only the emotional attachment that words have but as a symbol for the strained relationship Lee had with his white teacher Mrs. Walker. In reading the poem we gain a deeper understanding of Lee’s complicated relationship with the two worlds he finds himself in.

(MIP-2) Secondly, Najmah’s mindset is adjusted once she knows what her goal is, which was ultimately shaped due to the loss of her father and brother. (SIP-A) Najmah starts to regain her focus and sets a goal for herself due to her need of reuniting with

Persimmons, by Li-Young Lee, is a poem that discusses many aspects of growing up in a split between two cultures. Lee is presumably the narrator of this poem and describes different aspects of him growing up between the lines of Chinese and American culture. This poem touches on the many ways Lee feels as he is growing up in American Culture and how that affects the Chinese Culture he has at home. Each stanza represents a different memory that describes an instance in which he feels as though he falls between the two cultures, not exactly pertaining to one or the other. Throughout the poem, we can see that Lee is struggling with this notion of losing his Chinese Culture. The poem begins where Lee is an outsider to American Culture, then

To begin with, Farah Ahmedi worked hard to get her and her mother to a land free of war. For example, Ahmedi stated how “[...]her father and brothers [were] dead from a rocket attack[...]” (Studysync). Farah knew how dangerous her country, Afghanistan, had become and they (Farah and her mother) were “[...]desperate to get through[...]” (Ahmedi 1). This led Farah to not only want to save herself, but also her

Neveah was born and raised until the age of twelve in the Caribbean Islands. Neveah has a history of physical and sexual abuse. She reports physical abuse by her maternal grandmother, who she was raised by. Neveah states that at times she felt she was going to “die” and the abuse frequently left “welts.” Neveah reports that she was “raped” twice by two individuals. Neveah did not report these incidents because the laws in her native country are “corrupt.” Furthermore, she shared that “rape” was very common in her native country.

Najaf actively sought out ways to help and feel as if he was useful as he travelled through all of the different camps. His responsibility began in ‘November’ where we would help set up for meals and grew when he moved to ‘Mike’ to supervising the entire mess hall. Najaf’s leadership escalated again when he moved to ‘Main’ camp and was the head of the entire Afghan population. However just because Najaf was somewhat in control doesn't mean he escaped the conflict. At one point hope is compared to a small child, and when that hope dies it is as though the child too has died. This is shown when, in an act of protest, a fellow refugee sews his own lips together. Najaf is devastated when he hears of this. The government of Australia believes the man is lying yet every ounce of Najaf disagrees. There is an inner toil that makes Najaf want to kick and scream about the unfairness of the situation. This kind of conflict is one that has made Najaf compassionate and understanding and given him the skills to lead the afghan refugees. There is a camp in woomera called ‘Sierra’. This camp is where all of the refuges that start fights or are hostile or standoffish etc. are sent. Najaf talked about hoe understandably tense everyone is and how this built up tension often would break out in fights. This is a conflict that is different to any

for example,"They separated us not long after they took us from Golestan. They told the boys to stay behind the hill with a guard. They took Baba jan and the other village men in their trucks. They tied their hands behind their backs and drove off, over the hill, with the men crowded in the back like cattle. Not long after we heard gunshot" (254). This quote shows a large impact on our character Najmah, it shows how her brother Nur and her father Baba jan were kidnapped and how Baba jan was killed by The Taliban and when Najmah knew that her father was dead it changed part of her life. A Lot of events happened in this novel to our character Najmah. particularly this is a quote that shows a even that tells us about our character " I hold Habib close, as if the warmth of my body will bring him back to life. I can tell by his utter stillness that he is gone. I carry him to where my mother lies on her side" (82). This is another big part that affects Najmah, her mother and baby brother died because of bombs from the time of war that they were in. The Taliban impact Najmah a lot to illustrate "this is a matter of the greatest honor to us, we must do everything to obey our father's wish if we don't we may as well die" (Staples 256) from the piece of textual evidence it is the great honor to Najmah and Nur to keep what their father has demanded before he has left, and from what the decision will be depends on their faith as to keep their father's wish. Najmah and her brother will go through the danger to go back to their land, so The Taliban caused a lot of things in Najmahs

(AGG)Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “only in the darkness can you see the stars.” with this, Nusrat relates because the stars shined brighter in the darkness of Faiz’s death. (BS-1)In the book, Under The Persimmon Tree, Nusrats’ loved ones are related to the stars in her mind because she has a basic connection with the stars. (BS-2) Additionally, when Nusrat realizes Faiz is dead, the author uses stars to symbolize her loss of faith. (BS-3)Similarly, the author uses Nusrat’s connection to the stars to symbolize her loss of faith when she accepts Faiz is dead. (TS)Furthermore, at critical moments in Nusrat’s life, the author uses Nusrats’ connection with the stars to highlight how she loses faith.

Miriam's mom died, she was given up by her dad ever since she was born even although she does get weekly visits from him. Miriam was also put into an arranged marriage by her father even though she was only 15. Rasheed, Miriam's husband, was very abusive and forceful to her. She also was never able to have children even though she became pregnant 7 times, all ending up in miscarriages. Laila experienced a good childhood, she had friends and a good family. Soon all her friends either moved away or died. Laila and her family were going to move away from Afghanistan until their home was struck by a rocket, her mom and dad both died in the house while she was rescued by Rasheed who cared for her wounds. She was than convinced that he would be the safest person to be with, so then they married. Soon she became pregnant with Tariq's baby but had to act like it was Rasheed's. Miriam and Laila were both abused by Rasheed if they did anything wrong. They both experienced difficult lives. The driver states "the story of our country, one invader after another... we're like those walls up there. Battered, and nothing pretty to look at, but still standing." Miriam and Laila are like the Buddhas, they are constantly receiving bad things one after the other. Miriam and Laila slowly falling apart, yet still holding their will. They both show how much they've gone through but what they are still trying to get to. Afghanistan has

(BS-1)Najmah’s father and brother were taken by the Taliban, in spite of losing them, she became very mature and she made a goal to find them instead of grieving about it.

Najmah’s brother, Nur, reveals Najmah’s childish character “‘I saw a leopard's pug marks in the dust here last night,’ Nur says...But I really am convinced a large animal with long, pointed teeth is waiting to pounce on me. I am terribly afraid of leopards, although I have never seen one in my life”(5, 6). In other words, this quote asserts that Najmah is gullible and becomes alarmed by things that she has never seen before. This testifies that Najmah was tremendously fearful of her misconceptions and therefore immature. In addition, when Najmah’s brother and father were abducted by the Taliban, Najmah’s thoughts portrayed her character in a time of conflict. According to an excerpt: “I began to feel hopeless. I can’t imagine surviving without Baba-jan and Nur to look after the animals and tend the fields”(37). This quote evinces that Najmah is oblivious and naive because she feels hopeless because of the absence of her father and brother. She habitually doesn’t have to take responsibility, ergo, she is unable to lead her family when in a conflict.

(SIP-A) In the beginning of chapter one Najmah believes that she is stronger than Nur and Mada-jan said that Najmah was a strong and brave girl .

Zunaira actually attains her goal of becoming a magistrate, and thus, she experiences a greater sensation of loss. Mariam and Zunaira combat the oppression in different ways but they suffer the same pain and isolation. Oppression induces a negative change in both characters. In addition, the women have coping mechanisms to deal with the sorrow in their lives. Their ability to cope is affected by family members. Mariam remembers her mother's story, "where each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the World. That all the sighs drifted up in the sky, gathered in the clouds, and then broke into tiny pieces…" (Hosseini, 91). Mariam is submissive in her abusive relationship because her mother has taught her by example, that Afghani women solely have to endure the pain and suffering in their lives. She makes no attempts to change her situation in her marriage because she lives by her mother's teachings. Perhaps, if Mariam were to stand up for herself or stir up chaos during one of Rasheed's beatings, Rasheed would not turn to violence against her so easily. Also, Mariam could have searched for alternatives to escape Rasheed before the Taliban implemented the harsh laws. Over the years, Mariam becomes increasingly helpless and miserable under Rasheed's rule, as she follows the model of her mother's teachings. Also, she deflects her anger and sorrow 2

(MIP-1) Najmah has lost most of her family at the Taliban and Americans hand, leaving Najmah with no family to be with. (SIP-A)Baba-Jan and Nur were taken by the Taliban to fight for them, Mada-Jan and Habib, Najmahs newborn baby brother

Ultimately, Mariam and Laila attempt to escape, but fail, which in turn infuriates Rasheed even more. These two women then work together and protect each other, and in due course, kill Rasheed during one of his “ritual” beatings. In the end, Mariam is killed for murdering her husband, and Laila, with her children, Aziza and Zalmai, finds Tariq and marries him; then, together they start their own family. Throughout the course of the story, not only was a passionate, well-written story presented, but also a clear picture of what Afghan culture and its aspects are really like.