No Voice : Muted Group Theory

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No Voice: Muted Group Theory in A Thousand Splendid Suns [Attention Getter]As the young Pakistani activist, Malala Yousafzai said, “I speak not for myself but for those without voice... those who have fought for their rights... their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated”. How do traditions and language in a foreign country like Afghanistan teach women and other groups to accept their mutedness? [Introduction of Theory] Muted group theory, proposed by Cheris Kramarae, states that all groups in a culture are not equal, especially when it comes to language. The people who are in groups with low power are overlooked and rendered insignificant by the…show more content…
After being let down by her father she decides to make the trek to his house. After being turned away repeatedly and spending the night outside, she is then forced to go home by her father’s driver. However, upon arriving home she discovers that while she was gone her mother took her own life. She then has no choice but to live with her father, his wives, and her half-siblings. After letting Mariam grieve for a couple days, Jalil’s wives then announce to her that she will be married to a man she has never met named Rasheed. After telling her father that she was done with him, Mariam and Rasheed leave for his home in a different city. As time goes by Mariam discovers she is pregnant. After the tragic miscarriage of her baby Rasheed begins to mistreat her. Mariam’s side of the story leaves off with Rasheed forcing her to chew on rocks so she can understand “…what you’ve given me in his marriage. Bad food and nothing else” (Hosseini pg. 104). Next the story transitions to the story of Laila’s life growing up in Afghanistan. She is the youngest and only daughter between her father, a teacher, and her mother, who has checked herself out mentally the majority of the time. Laila talks about her best friend, a boy not much older named Tariq, who is also missing half of a leg. Tariq lost part of his leg when he accidently stepped on a land mine but he doesn’t let it hinder him in anyway.
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