Analysis Of Under The Persimmon Tree

With all of its good intentions, people attempting to swoop in and ‘rescue’ Muslim women from what they believe to be an oppressive and violent culture, is actually doing more harm than good. In the novel, Do Muslim Women Need Saving?, Lila Abu-Lughod explores how this type of sympathetic aid from these seemingly superior, progressive, Western countries can reinforce negative stereotypes about women in the place she calls IslamLand (an overarching and ignorant term for where all Muslims reside). The author investigates the consequences of this post 9/11 concern about Muslim women in government and in the media. She explains how the power of choice is relative, Muslim women’s

During the reign of the Taliban, women were subjected to silence while injustice flared through the Middle East. Forced to stay submissive to their superiors, women had no rights nor freedom to surpass society’s upbringings. The main intention of the three novels eliminates the withholdings of education from certain groups. Without these fundamental regulations in women’s favor, the value of peace is threatened.

In Afghanistan, Women’s rights were very denied and completely dismissed. Women were treated horribly. They were beaten, abused verbally, and even killed. Under the rule of the Taliban, women were better off staying in the safety of their own homes.

Throughout centuries of human existence, women have been deemed as inferior to men in multiple different cultures and religions. Men have developed a norm to be the individual who carries out duties to help maintain a stable life for himself and the family in which he is providing for. Because of this fundamentalist approach towards how society should be, women’s rights have been suppressed throughout political, social, and cultural actions. The Islamic religion in particular, is fond of abusing the rights of women and empowering the rights of men in such a way that it has created a permanent existence of conflict within countries who follow Islam. In fact, in the Quran it states that women must have lesser authority than men, therefore their

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.

(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.

(AGG) The loss of somebody or someone can lead to PTSD, which can later lead to other effects, and it is said that up to 20% of all adults in America who have experienced some type of loss develops PTSD (“PTSD Statistics”). (BS-1) Towards the beginning of the novel Under the Persimmon Tree, there is a character named Najmah who loses the ability to speak and loses control of her life, as a result of Mada-jan and Habib’s loss. (BS-2) As an effect of Baba-jan and Nur missing from her life, Najmah changes her mindset and the decisions she makes from then on. (BS-3) Najmah’s relationships with others and voice is altered, this happens once she meets Nusrat and she adjusts due to her losses. (TS) Throughout the novel Under the Persimmon Tree, we see a character named Najmah who is ultimately shaped through the people who are missing in her life.

The Taliban is an extremist Islamic group highly emphasizing a strong interpretation of sharia law that arose in the early 1990s after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Referencing the BBC article, a common belief holds that the Taliban first emerged in religious seminaries that preached a hard line of Sunni Islam. The Taliban’s promise to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the surrounding area was to restore peace and security using their interpretation of the sharia law once they were in power (“Who Are the Taliban?”). Along with the many new policies and regulations of society, there arose a new interpretation of the role of women in society. Women became very restricted and had to live in a way that was extremely submissive to men to the point where it was almost dehumanizing, as many would argue. Although the Taliban has been out of control in Afghanistan since December of 2001, remnants of their oppression towards women remain. In this paper, I will demonstrate the Taliban’s remaining effects in Afghan society regarding many aspects of everyday life, such as the workforce, education, healthcare, and human rights. To begin, I will give a brief overview of how Afghan women participated in society before the Taliban came to power. I will then provide information and examples that shed light on women’s life during Taliban rule. In the final section of this paper, I will describe how the lifestyle of women has changed as a result of the Taliban’s oppressive laws and

(AGG) Despite all of its faults, war is what first forced humans to band together, blossoming the flower of civilization out of a god-forsaken battlefield. (BS-1) Everybody loses something in war, whether it be their family member, or their life. (BS-2) War also kills in a way sometimes unseen, contorting the minds of the apparent “survivors.” (BS-3)

(AGG) People change for many reasons, and the loss of a loved is one of the biggest reasons why a person would change. (BS-1) In the book Under The Persimmon Tree, Najmah changes because of the loss of her father and brother when they are taken by the Taliban. (BS-2) She also changes more while she travels through the mountains with Akthar and Khalida because her mother and baby brother passed away. (BS-3) These losses motivate Najmah to go look for her father and brother in Peshawar. She eventually meets Nusrat who encourages her to have a change in mindset to live her life differently. (TS) These losses that Najmah has encountered in her life made her a stronger person.

(AGG) People have the choice to deal with loss in two different ways: they can choose to let it control their lives, or they can let it empower them through their actions and other decisions. This was the choice Nusrat had to make in the book Under the Persimmon Tree. (BS-1) Nusrat's connection to the loss of Margaret; her sister, shaped her decisions throughout the book. (BS-2) Nusrat loss of religion led to her decision of finding Faiz and adopting Islam. (BS-3) When she found out Faiz died, she realized she must make amends with her parents. (TS) Nusrat chose throughout the book to let her losses help her and shape her character.

The Taliban implemented laws restricting the movements and actions of women in Afghanistan in public places. While attempting to visit her child in a home for young girls, Laila is beaten within an inch of her life as a consequence of walking outside without a male escort (Hosseini). The extreme course of action, beating a woman for walking alone, demonstrates the illogical and unjustifiable actions the Taliban promotes the practice of in Afghanistan. The women and men have dramatically unequal rights.

These heinous events are happening all around the world. In this book, Suzanne Fisher Staples portrays how Najmah goes through the hardships of the Taliban bombing her family and how it impacts her and the people going through these same situations today.

In today’s society women are given ample opportunity just as much as men. In some countries, such as middle-eastern nations that is not the case. Muslim women are often perceived to be submissive to Muslim men and unequal. Mohammed never taught for women to be treated as lower class citizens. Nonetheless, the blame is pointed towards the religion of Islam. The Islamic religion began as all monotheist religions representing a belief in one God and moral standards. In the following essay I will discuss and elaborate what Mohammed taught, how women lived in early Islamic society, and what it has become.

(AGG) Everyday, people all over the world experience the effects of losing a loved one; even worse, children growing up in countries at war have to watch their families get killed and their homes be bombed right in front of their very own eyes. (BS-1) In the novel, there is one specific key event that causes a loss of Najmah’s voice both literally and figuratively.(BS-2) Throughout the book, Najmah overcomes many internal conflicts, develops focus, and hope of recovery. This begins when she starts to regain some of her voice.(BS-3) Najmah begins to recover from the bombing and new experiences leads to her regaining her voice, she now has a say in her life and the decisions she makes.(TS)In the novel Under the Persimmon Tree, the loss of Najmah's family causes her world to spiral down which provokes her to lose a say in her life, but in return, developing her into a more independent girl with determination to drive her through the rest of her life.