Najmah's Voice

In Danuta Shanzer essay, “Voices and Bodies: The Afterlife of the Unborn,” her main arguments deals with the idea that the souls and bodies of aborted children are as prominent in late antiquity as they are in the modern world. That is, our current political view of abortion. She focuses on abortion pre-Christianity, and the Orphic prohibition of abortion. She examines the supposed first appearance of the idea of abortion, which is commonly believed to be “the 2nd century ce Greek version of the Apocalypse of Peter.” However, she questions the validity of this statement through numerous primary sources and other secondary works. A quote from her Introduction may provide a clearer understanding, “This paper is not about abortion in antiquity,

“The Sound of a Voice” by David Henry Hwang is a one act play telling the story of two characters, Man and Woman. These characters both live alone and isolated. Woman is rumored to be a witch, and Man is a soldier without a purpose who comes in hope of killing Woman. They both have a fear of silence and love. These unusual fears result in their fatal downfall. This play explores deep emotions, such as the fear of silence that Man and Woman share which pushes Woman to commit suicide. A fear of intimacy, felt exceptionally strong by Man, results in unfortunate timing leading to Woman’s death. Loneliness displayed by both characters is the underlying cause of the outcome. These feelings play together to contribute to Man and Woman’s tragic love.

“Whenever we’re hungry we drink water. the nuts and dried apricots are gone...The first day my stomach growls, but after that I no longer feel hungry”(87). This quote shows that for the first day, Najmah has to adjust to what her life will turn into for a while. Therefore, by her experiencing hunger, she becomes stronger. (STEWE-2) Now since Najmah will be walking for quite some time, it is not safe for her to look like a women. The Taliban often capture women and kill them. So because of this Najmah cuts her hair. “The hole where Akhtar has buried my hair also holds my mother and baby brother”(85). This is showing that she has to leave everything behind, to escape Goletsan safely. (SIP-B) Now that Najmah has gained some strength back, she forms a plan to go to Peshawar and try to find Bada-jan and Nur. (STEWE-1) Najmah starts to form a plan while everyone else is sleeping. “A plan begins to grow within me to return to Kunduz and resume life on our farm...This plan fires my heart, and I begin to believe I can do almost anything I want to”(151). This quote shows how determined Najmah

(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 .

(SIP-A) Najmah has a lot of trust issues, she doesn't trust anyone because of what she's been through in her life, the only person she trusted was Nur. (STEWE-1) “ she picks up a pair of scissors that lies on my pile of quilts and snips at my hair in shorts strokes until it bristles out all over my head. When she has finished, she and Akhtar gather up my hair. Then sprinkle it into a large hole” (Staples 84).I picked this quote because that's when she “changed” and couldn't be Najmah anymore, she had to keep it a secret which lead to her trust issues. (STEWE-2)”

The use of Frioozeh Dumas’s voice enhanced the piece for the reader by allowing the reader to visualize the feelings and emotions of Frioozeh Dumas. This is shown in the text when she states “I cringed” and also when Frioozeh says “we were stupid”. The reader can sense the frustration and the embarrassment that she felt as a child. You can also see that she looks into her past and admits that she and her mother lacked the knowledge of most Americans. These quotations of text prove that Dumas’s voice allows the reader to visualize the feelings and emotions of Frioozeh Dumas.

(MIP-2) Najmah becomes very silent and avoids to talk to everyone to stay alive,her experience in the pear truck made her silence grow even stronger.(SIP-A) Before Najmah goes in the pear truck or sees her mother die, Najmah was trying to keep her family safe because Baba-jan is gone.(STEWE-1) This quote shows that Najmah is standing up to threats because her brother and father are gone so no one else will take care of it even though ,it's dangerous to try keeping her family safe Najmah still steps up “ I creep to the purdah with it clutched"(57). This is an example of Najmah getting more responsibility and trying to take care of her remaining family members without disturbing any of them. (STEWE-2) Najmah is selfless because she left

(BS-3) Najmah loses all her family members at this point she changes very dramatically.(BS-2) The loss of her father and brother changes Najmah hugely.(BS-1)During the war Najmah witnesses the bombing and killing of her mother this shifts her focus to finding her father and brother who were taken by the Taliban.8(R) The war in afghanistan changed many people’s future like the children, who had to witness the loss of family members and friends. While they did lose them they also gained many useful traits that helped

My father gave me my name,’ says Najmah. ‘He loves the stars, and he taught me and my brother, Nur, to love them, too’”(195), this shows Najmah opening up to Nusrat because Najmah had finally talked to her after all the silence she has had throughout the book. (SIP-B)Nusrat is still trying to get Najmah to get on her side. (STEWE-1)Najmah is starting to trust Nusrat, ”I’m not sure what will happen next, but I have no one else to trust and no other choices”(199), this helps prove that Najmah is starting to trust Nusrat because she had said “no one else to trust” which means she has no one else to trust but Nusrat at this point. (STEWE-2)Najmah still hasn’t fully trusted Nusrat yet, ”I will decide later whether this woman really can help me, and whether she can protect me”(199-200), this helps prove that she is having hard times trusting people.

(AGG) Najmah misplaced both her speaking voice and her figurative voice, but gradually gained them back through the book. (BS-1) The event that causes the loss of her voice is her mother and Habib dying, on top of Baba-Jan and Nur being taken away to the Taliban. (BS-2) Najmah is starting to gain both of her “voices” back, by trying to speak and being ready to let go of her silence, and by starting to make her own choices. (BS-3) Najmah almost completely gains back her voice, by making all of her own decisions, and being able to choose things that she wants, and is starting to talk fluently in english as well as her native language. (TS) Najmah’s literal voice, and figurative voice, change from the beginning to the end of the book.

This is when Najmah starts to mature and become more responsible because she does her father’s and brother’s chores. This shows how Najmah has changed because she is taking care of her mother like an adult. (STEWE-2) Najmah explains to the reader how she doesn't get scared of silly things anymore and how she has matured. “I no longer think of leopards at all. I am more worried about leaving my mother and baby brother alone in the house with the possibility that the Taliban might return looking for more food”(62). Now Najmah doesn’t worry about silly leopards, she only worries about the Taliban coming back. Her soul focus became protecting and taking care of her mother. (CS) These are a few examples of how Najmah changes due to the loss of Baba-Jan and Nur.

In this section of Let, Me Hear Your Voice by Catherine Maurice, readers learn that Catherine and Marc have begun to accept that Anne-Marie does have autism. Catherine especially begins ‘obsessively and frantically’ trying to learn everything she can about autism. She also takes Anne-Marie to additional doctors to confirm the diagnosis.

Nujood now goes back to explain her family had no identification and that her sister Mona was married to a man but as the years went by she had lost her natural smile. Soon Mona’s husband disappeared along with Nujoods other big sister Jamila. She thought maybe they went to Saudi Arabia along with her brother Fares to make a fortune (later we find out that Jamila, Mona and Mona’s husband were involved in child trafficking). The reason they disappeared was because Jamila and Mona’s husband were put into jail weeks before Nujoods

Her mother was the first to vanish from her life, and at the time young Naomi didn’t know what to make of it, only showed a feeling of bewilderment as it says “What matters to my five year old mind is not the reason that she is required to leave, but the stillness is so much with me that it takes a form of a shadow which grows and surrounds me like air.” (78) Naomi is haunted by the sudden loss of her mother, and like the incident with Mr. Gower, Naomi tries to ignore the painful memory throughout her adult life, but revisits it when she returns to Granton for her Uncle’s funeral. She then discovers the truth of what had happened to her mother, which was that she had returned to Japan and was a victim of an air strike, and despite surviving, was severely injured to the point where maggots inhabited her wounds. Naomi finally comes to peace by uncovering her dark past, as she believes she can communicate with her deceased mother, and also comes to the realization of her mental growth from her childhood when she says “I am thinking that for a child there is no presence without flesh. But perhaps it is because I am no longer a child I can know your presence though you are not here.” (292) This realization puts Naomi at peace after years of uncertainty and buried memories.

The veil for Najwa character acts as an arc for her independence. It is the proof of intersectionality, in a racist approach, some may consider it as a form of feminist oppression. However the site of the hijab becomes an articulation for identity. The protagonists transition from a lonely, uncertain powerless girl to a strong, certain, egoless woman, illuminates the importance of the veil. The transition to veil herself showcases her growth, the hijab which acts as a symbol to her liberation and self-claimed identity. It is her fight against her adversities. In spite of this, in this post 9/11 era, society has greatly criticizes the hijab, as it is denoted as a non-western ideal practice for woman, thus concluding its “backwardness” and