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Kite Runner Essay

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Since the beginning of time, women have had to fight rigorously for basic human rights. In the western stratosphere, those human rights were achieved in the early 20th century, but in a lot of eastern countries the battle for the women is just beginning, or worse hasn't even started. Women in Afghanistan have been subject to heinous circumstances, even though their religion, Islam "demanded that men and women be equal before God,"(Qazi). Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner offers a very insightful view of the governing politics of Afghanistan pre-Taliban regime and during the Taliban regime, and the differing situation of women in both those eras. Based on the book and outside research, it is evident that the situation of women in …show more content…

If a woman displayed herself in a sexy manner, as Sanaubar did, she would be considered "dishonorable" (8). If an unwed woman held a conversation with a man, she would be seen as a "lochak" (146), or in other words a brazen girl. The honor of a girl mattered so much because virtuous girls brought in respectable "suitable suitors" (148), and one of the most important things an Afghani girl needed was a husband. This cultural belief gave men an overbearing advantage once they married. The men essentially controlled how their wives lived their lives. The prime example in this case would be General Taheri, who had many opinions on how women should behave. The General forbade his wife to sing in public because he thought it was a job for people with "lesser reputations" (177), he didn't "approve of women drinking alcohol," (183), and was constantly worried about the public perception of his family. Baba, to some extent also represented these views. He talked about losing ones honor in a very somber manner, and believed that a man's honor rested in the "chastity of a wife. Or a daughter." (145)
The bulk of the blame for the tyranny of Afghani women falls on the Taliban. The Taliban was started in "in response to an infamous gang rape that occurred in

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