Najmah Research Paper

This story started out with a bang. I thought this right here was going to be the climax of the story. I was wrong. Even after the main character Nae, stabbed a man as she was trying to protect her sister, the situation ended shortly after. I thought Nae was just like any other little sister, always wanted to be with the older, but then throughout the story, I came to realize that Nae, even with being the young of the sisters, is very protective of her older sister Sourdi. Often times when Nae thinks she is helping Sourdi, she ends up making things worse. Sourdi and Nae live with their mother who is spoken of as Ma throughout the story, and also, live with their younger sisters. Things seem to change towards the end of the story for Sourdi, and Nae, of course, tries to save Sourdi from nothing. During the story, Nae speaks of how she has dreams of Sourdi and herself running away and Sourdi would end up being her guardian. She had I hopes of this

(SIP-A) Nusrat’s hope becomes non-existent. (STEWE-1) Nusrat loses hope and cannot bring herself to go on, “How will she find the power to do it? With Faiz gone, she feels as if one of her main parts is missing causing her nerves to misfire and her intent to falter” (Staples 140-141). Without Faiz, Nusrat cannot function - she loses motivation and feels like she can't achieve anything without him by her side. He used to be the one guiding on her Islamic journey and she doesn't know what to do next without him. (STEWE-2) Nusrat emotionally loses hope and the people around her can sense it, “Bibi Nusrat is very sad. Several times I have seen her lying at night under the stars on the cot, talking to her husband and crying” (Staples 223). She feels like her world has fallen apart and everything she was familiar with is gone. (SIP-B) Losing Faiz helped Nusrat realize things about herself and her family that she couldn’t see before. (STEWE-1) Nusrat accepts both sides of herself, “The culture in which I grew up doesn't make me so unhappy now that I know what I believe in and what I value. I know who I love and why. My culture will always be with me, wherever I go” (Staples 238). She combines Elaine, her Christian half, and Nusrat, her Islamic half, to make a whole, who she now identifies as and truly accepts. (STEWE-2) Nusrat makes the decision to go back to her family in

(SIP-B) But through her trip, it's evident that her mental state is improving, represented in the stars. (STEWE-1) She has shown signs of development from her initial breakthrough from her past mental state.The next time in the book development is shown, Najmah is yet again changing her mental state in a positive way,“Moon- and starlight guide us through the mountains, and I am able to keep our direction true by finding al-Qutb… just as my father showed Nur and me what seems a lifetime ago in our village in Kunduz” (Staples 109). Najmah is focusing more on the reality of her situation, rather than staying in the past, and she shows that whilst thinking of her missing family. Though she has shown she has “found a new purpose” so to speak, the purpose being her decision, “... to look for my father and brother” (Staples 131), she still isn't able to let go of her mother and baby brother just yet; “Intermittently clouds roll over the sky, obscuring the moon and the stars…” (Staples 109). The clouds could be seen as her memories blocking her from being able to move on and to be able to grow and help herself, as they are obscuring the stars, which represent her hope.

(AGG) Najmah being with certain people and going through the things she did really helped her change her ways of thinking and handling things in real life situations. (BS-1) The Taliban taking Nur and Baba-Jan taught Najmah how there are real life situations and she has to step up to the plate and do something so she can protect her family. (BS-2) Akhtar and Khalida were a help for Najmah, they guided her into realizations for her to be strong and determined for Baba-Jan and Nur. (BS-3) Nusrat showed Najmah it is ok to trust others and that she has to make good choices for herself. (TS) Throughout the book Under the Persimmon Tree, Najmah goes through many events that change the way she acts and makes choices that change her who she is from the beginning of the book to at the end of the book.

mother undergo dramatic shifts of character during the novel, it is Leah that changes the most.

(AGG) In this story, Najmah will encounter many people who help her along the way.(BS-1) When Najmah first encounters the Taliban, it matures her outlook on different types of situations.(BS-2) Akhtar and Khalida help Najmah regain her strength after the loss of the majority of her family.(BS-3) Nusrat helps Najmah see that she can trust people.(TS) In Under the Persimmon Tree Najmah encounters many people to help her become a stronger and more independent girl. (MIP-1) when Najmah first encounters the Taliban, it mature’s her outlook on different situations. (SIP-A) Before the Taliban came to take away Bada-jan and Nur, Najmah used to be free, and do whatever she likes. She used to never have to worry about adult situations. (STEWE-1)Before

(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 .

The civil war also caused Babi to make the unbelievable decision of making Laila drop out of school. Giti and Laila’s other classmates still went to school, but Babi was worried of the well being of Laila and made her drop out. Babi still took over Laila’s studies, by teaching her himself. Giti and two classmates get blown to bits by a stray rocket. Which scares Babi even more. Babi wants to move out of Afghanistan, but Mammy isnt ready.

(TS) Due to her experiences Najmah has changed in both emotional and physical ways throughout the book.

The narrator, a young girl named Nea, starts the story in the middle of action. She told that she stabbed a man with knife at eleven years old in order to release her older sister, Sourdi, from the man. “I charged and stabbed the man in the sleeve” (9). This situation is not only a introduction of this story to the readers, but the further explanation of the events explains each of the characters involved in this story. The main character of this story is Ma, who willing to sacrifice Sourdi’s happiness in order to please the man in the society. Next, Sourdi is another main character in this story. She has beautiful face that attracted the attention from admirers throughout this story. Then, Nea is also main character in this story. She is impulsive young girl who reacts in rash to protect her sister from the men that can threaten their relationship.

(MIP-1) The loss of her mother affects Najmah's actions throughout the book. (SIP-A) After the death of her mother, Najmah Is taken on the journey throughout the mountains with Akhtar and Khalida. (STEWE-1) After the death of Mada Jan, Najmah is saved by Akhtar and Khalida and brought on the journey in the mountains. “The next thing I am conscious of is being lifted in the arms of Bibi Usmani’s brother Akhtar” (83). While they are on the journey Najmah starts to dress as a boy to allow her to do more things than she would be able to do as a girl “I take advantage of being dressed as a boy to wander into the makeshift bazaar that has sprung up at the end of the tent village”(148). (STEWE-2) If Mada Jan had not passed, Najmah would not have

(AGG) we recently read the book Under The Persimmon Tree. Najmah the main character changes in many ways.(BS-1) Due to loss of family Najmah become more grown up.(BS-2) Her journey to Peshawar makes Najmah more independent.(BS-3)Nusrat helps Najmah which allows her to start trusting other people again.(TS) Najmah changed and developed throughout the book as a result of her experiences.

(RTS) The past experiences that Najmah has faced with the loss of her family have affected her as to who she is as a person. (BS-3) Najmah is not the little girl that she used to be, and the effects among her have taken a toll on that. (BS-2) Najmah went all the way as to getting what belonged to her back. (BS-1) Half of her family was taken by the Taliban, a group that was very dangerous and were a major threat to Kunduz and Peshawar. (R) When Najmah lost the people that she loved, she tried to do everything she could to get them back. The people that she loved was her family. Najmah knew that she would find them, but only one of her family members came back alive.

(MIP-2) Najmah's personality has matured after the tragic situations she has been throughout her life. (SIP-A) When Najmah had to take charge in her home, she had also became a more independent person and didn’t depend on anyone for anything. (STEWE-1) She became an independent young women, that woke up earlier without her mom telling her to. “ I arise long before first light. Mada-jan still lies silently on her cot, string and weeping” (Staples 37). (STEWE-2) Najmah is also independent when she has to go find her father and brother after they have reached Torkhum. “ I feel I must keep my distance from Khalida and Akthar because I know I will have to leave them soon” (Staples 151). She wanted to become an independent person, so she wouldn’t lose another person she cared about.

(why) Naama hated being teased. She didn’t need to hear that her walk was funny. She was completely aware of how much she was eating and didn’t need her sister’s “solicitous suggestions”. She didn’t need another mother to tell her what to do, how to act, or what to say.