Under The Persimmon Tree Summary

Despite having contrasting personalities, both confront the stereotypes pushed upon them, consequently maturing and forming their distinct sense of self. In a passage from chapter 2 (p. 21-29) of Exit West, Mohsin Hamid develops the character of Nadia by contrasting her with her surroundings; this contrast highlights her independent and free spirit as well as confronting how religion, a stifling society, and loss manifest into one’s identity.

This furthers the gap between the notion that most non-Islamic people have around the world, which relates to the aspect of vainglory, because in the US, like many countries around the world, women are seen as political figures, physicians, and have simple freedoms. Compared to other ares of the world that contain a predominantly Islamic ethnicity, the rights of women less restricted as they are in Afghanistan. In the US and other countries that allow freedom of religion and expression, the burka is completely optional based on the individuals preference. In order for the Taliban to gain power, they had to convince the public that they were in the best interests of women and not only men. However, the truth is that the Taliban regime has cruelly reduced women and children to poverty, worsened their health by denying them adequate healthcare, and deprived them of their right to an education. In some cases they are denied the right to practice their religion. As a result of these measures, the Taliban was ensuring that women would continue to sink deeper into poverty and deprivation of rights. This would ensure that their future would consist of them having limited skills needed to be considered a civilized individual in modern day

Abayas, shailas, burkas, and chadors: all are forms of veiling in the Middle East, and all are perceived as symbols of oppression and patriarchy by the West. The veil worn by a Middle Eastern woman is striking and beautiful in its simplicity and elegance. The hijab, the most common form of veiling, leaves only the face visible with the neck and hair completely covered. Onlookers are in awe at the mystery and symbolism associated with the many veils created out of fine, exotic silk. But such notions of oppression and patriarchy often associated with veiling are not only inherently biased and ironic – it would be interesting to explore the symbolism behind a mini-skirt or a pair of five-inch heels, no? – but they are also inaccurate. Although veiling has most definitely been used in the Middle East as a “mechanism in the service of patriarchy, a means of regulating and controlling women’s lives” (Hoodfar, 5), it has also been used as a mode for rebellion and self-expression. Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian woman who grew up during the Islamic revolution, resisted the regime and the universalizing nature of the veil in the hope that she could maintain her individual identity whilst communicating her political ideologies. By examining the way in which the veil is represented in Satrapi’s graphic memoir, Persepolis, while also considering the history of veiling in Iran, it will become evident that the veil is not just a political tool used by male chauvinists; it also presents an

When she moved into the apartment she was finally able to wear colorful clothes and be herself. Without the power authority telling her how to act in public and what to wear. Scott in this case would describe this as a hidden public transcript. Nafisi describes in her memoir that there are two hidden transcripts of power. One is where she may dress in home how she wants and wear colorful clothes. To be able to be herself, read forbidden literature and dress how she wants without the power authority to tell her how. Two, in the public she must wear black robes and scarves around her head and body. Obey the public’s eye of power that has a hold over Nafisi. Nafisi states “Although they came from different backgrounds, the regime that ruled them had tried, to make their personal identities and histories irrelevant. They were never free of the regime’s definition of them as Muslim women.” (Nafisi 437). Here Nafisi is describing one of the hidden transcripts, where Muslim woman are degraded down to nothing more than subordinates to their superiors. Where Scott had described this pacific statement in his book and at the beginning of this paper. This is what

for example,"They separated us not long after they took us from Golestan. They told the boys to stay behind the hill with a guard. They took Baba jan and the other village men in their trucks. They tied their hands behind their backs and drove off, over the hill, with the men crowded in the back like cattle. Not long after we heard gunshot" (254). This quote shows a large impact on our character Najmah, it shows how her brother Nur and her father Baba jan were kidnapped and how Baba jan was killed by The Taliban and when Najmah knew that her father was dead it changed part of her life. A Lot of events happened in this novel to our character Najmah. particularly this is a quote that shows a even that tells us about our character " I hold Habib close, as if the warmth of my body will bring him back to life. I can tell by his utter stillness that he is gone. I carry him to where my mother lies on her side" (82). This is another big part that affects Najmah, her mother and baby brother died because of bombs from the time of war that they were in. The Taliban impact Najmah a lot to illustrate "this is a matter of the greatest honor to us, we must do everything to obey our father's wish if we don't we may as well die" (Staples 256) from the piece of textual evidence it is the great honor to Najmah and Nur to keep what their father has demanded before he has left, and from what the decision will be depends on their faith as to keep their father's wish. Najmah and her brother will go through the danger to go back to their land, so The Taliban caused a lot of things in Najmahs

Neil MacDonald’s article on the issue with Canadian politics is filled with the richest form of sarcasm that pinpoints exactly how juvenile this topic truly is. In my article that I choose, MacDonald takes a look at the issue of the nigab and other Muslim related topics and how the current Canadian politics is strategically creating an invisible barrier between Muslims and Canadians. I will first start off with a brief summary of the article followed by how Edward Said and Jasmine Zine discuss what is currently happening with the niqab.

(MIP-1) Najmah’s character changes because the losses of family in her life have shaped her as a person and have changed her personality during the outcome. (SIP-A) Najmah’s character change throughout comes from emotional feelings of sadness and hopelessness. (STEWE-1) Half of Najmah’s family was taken from the Taliban. This made najmah hopeless and emotional when her father said, “take care of your mother”(14).

All these traits reveal Najmah as the child that she is. However, after the Taliban take

(BS-1)Najmah’s father and brother were taken by the Taliban, in spite of losing them, she became very mature and she made a goal to find them instead of grieving about it.

(BS-1)Najmah’s father and brother were taken by the taliban, in spite of losing them she became very mature and she made a goal to find them instead of grieving about it.

Najmah was all alone, and searching for her father and brother. She decided to try to get to Pakistan because she may “find them in Peshawar” (Staples 108). The laws of the Taliban made it very unsafe for women to be in public alone, considering how "women are not allowed to be seen outside without a man by their side and being completely covered from head to toe in a burqa" (Yan). In order to stay safe from the Taliban, Najmah dressed up as a boy because she would be “safer...as a boy traveling through strange areas” (Staples 85). Still affected by the Taliban taking away her family, Najmah decided to stop talking for some time.

The bombing of the Twin Towers turned America’s focused toward the Middle East. The War on Terrorism began in earnest. This war has brought about more than one conflict. As a nation, the United States is unique. The government is not run by any particular regime or religion, there is freedom. Yet, this is our unique brand of freedom. The Middle East is full of peoples with their own way of life that do not necessarily agree with the way we see freedom. Lila Abu-Lughod discusses one of the many difference between the United States and the Middle East, the use of head coverings and the burqa, in her article “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” She examines the cultural significance and different types of veiling.

(SIP-A) Her experience with Akatar and Khalida change her so that she won't get killed and allow her to forget about the tragedy that happened in Golestan.(STEWE-1) Akhtar turns Najmah into a boy "this is Shaheed, my oldest son." (Staples-128). During her time as a boy she starts to work and forgets about the past.(STEWE-2) Najmah wants to find her father and brother "I must pretend to be Shaheed if I'm to look for my father and brother in Peshawar." (Staples-150). She is looking for her father and brother and overcomes her tragic past.(SIP-B) By the time they get to the refugee camp Najmah becomes more courageous and is able to do men's work as well as women's work.(STEWE-1) Najmah helps at the camp by providing services "I have proved very adept at finding food when there seems to be none" (Staples-150). She can work as a boy to find things that they need.(STEWE-2) Najmah needs to find out what happened to Nur and Baba-Jan so she goes into a pear truck to get to Peshawar "this is the first chance I've seen for a ride to Peshawar" (Staples-154). She has to know what she's doing in order to get into the truck.(CS) Living as a refugee forces Najmah to become more

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini takes a solid focus on the lives of two young women, Mariam and Laila, who grow up in a struggling and turbulent Afghanistan. This book emulates the lives of those who have actually been affected by the extreme changes of power within their culture. From the Soviets to the Taliban, these people are caught in a war they cannot win but must deal with the consequences of. The lives of Mariam and Laila are consumed and silenced by those with power over them, namely males with traditional values. The book conveys the idea that even with an immense amount of destruction and terror wrought throughout Afghanistan, underneath lies a beauty that has been muted but it still provides hope for the future.

Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, the reader observes many injustices committed due to the presence of the Taliban and cultural conflict in Afghanistan. One of the most concerning issues in Afghanistan is the mistreatment and inequality that women face on a daily basis due to Taliban mandates. Women in Afghanistan are treated as inferior beings to men and are unable to stand up for themselves due the laws the Taliban enforces. Hosseini uses the wives of Amir and Hassan, Soraya and Farzana, to represent the injustices to which women in Afghanistan are subjected.