Growing up I was often told what it means to be a good girl...
A good girl doesn't wear make-up.
A good girl doesn’t date.
A good girl doesn’t argue with anyone.
A good girl sits home, doesn't talk much, and accepts what her family says.
A good girl does not have an opinion.
In Afghanistan a good girl enters her husband's house in a white dress and leaves in a white shroud. A shroud is something one wears after death. Meaning that a good girl is to tolerate anything. Whether its abuse or just an unhappy marriage because she is a good girl the only time she will leave is in the shroud. She is to be her father's daughter. Make him proud by staying home and helping her mother with chores. A father's daughter will marry young before she gives her family a bad name. According to these social norms, I am not a good girl, my mother is not a good girl, Malala Yousafzai is not a good girl. And if it means I must give
…show more content…
That was also the day my life changed forever. It was the day i received the most rewarding advice. My mother told me that the only person i should ever try to impress is myself. She told me that i can be whoever i want to be and i shouldn't give anyone permission to tell me otherwise. She told me that if i worry about being liked by everyone i will never be able to accomplish anything. She also told me that as a girl i should always stand up for myself and i should never rely on anyone else to take care of me. It was the same day i decided i’m going to be the one in charge of who i become.
In afghanistan, women and girls face this horrific abuse everyday. But this isn't just the case in afghanistan. There are hundreds and thousands of stories from around the world of similar incidents. Whether its in developing countries or in places like North America and Europe. Women and girl of all races are being oppressed by those who feel that males should be more
Novels, fictional or nonfictional, can be used to express opinions in ways that are complex. Stories allow authors to convey a message through the lives of the characters. More specifically, renowned authors Truman Capote, In Cold Blood, and Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, use the stories of several characters to communicate their opinions regarding various social issues such as child abuse, mental instability, capital punishment, and gender inequality. Although both authors never directly state their opinions about the issues, they use the character’s experiences to demonstrate their arguments. Even though In Cold Blood is a mystery novel about a murder, author Truman Capote focuses on the actual murderers throughout the majority of the story.
Women in Afghanistan still have very little say and are still being mistreated. Women before the Taliban had rights and were able to work and go out like men. During the 1920’s and before the invasion in 1979 women had some rights. When the Soviets invaded in 1979 and the war started women’s rights started to go away. In 1996 when the Taliban took over women’s rights were completely pushed back.
A patriarchal society dominated the early years in Afghanistan. This society is not also apparent in modern America. Women may not be treated as badly, but are still not treated equally. For example, women do not necessarily get paid the same as men even when they do the same job. In fact, America has never even had a woman president.
Throughout history, as well as in modern day, there are certain societal and cultural views that justify negative treatment towards women. A perfect example of this is in the novels, A Passage to India by E.M. Forster and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. A Passage to India is set in the early 20th century in Chandrapore, India. At this time there were many gender stereotypes which limited women, placing them at the bottom of social hierarchy. The inequality portrayed in this novel is more internal than A Thousand Splendid Suns where the reader sees more physical abuse. This novel is set in Kabul, Afghanistan from the 1960s to the 2000s. This was a time where the Taliban had very strict rules to
Khaled shows through his novel that it is almost always the male that is doing the abusing in their Afghan society at the time. Mariam makes it clear that the women are helpless against the power of the male by incorporating statements such as, “As a reminder of how women like us suffer. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us.” (91). Under the
Afghanistan women have no say in what they do and are thrown around like they are some kind of ball. This is all do to their strict religion where men have 95% of the power, or a say in everything that is done. Whereas in the United States women are almost equivalent to men. United States women are able to pursue their dreams whether it be an accountant to a surgeon. Women in Afghanistan
The defeatist mindset of women can perpetuate their own continued oppression. This is the psychological result of extreme oppression, abuse and marginalization of women in a radically patriarchal society like Afghanistan. In this society, one might assume that the power of men is reinforced mostly by fellow men; however, it is enlightening to learn that women themselves can perpetuate male privilege when they succumb to defeatism. Khaled Hosseini does an excellent job demonstrating this phenomenon in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Hosseini effectively shows Afghanistan as the quintessential patriarchal society that is oppressive to women and subverts feminism through abuse of human rights.
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
For many decades, women have experienced all forms of oppression and constant violence that threatened their existence in the male-dominated society. Various forms of discrimination and oppression have been directed to women for decades. Violence directed at women such as rape and battery were seen and treated as isolated scenarios. However, as the need to foster gender equality took pace, such oppressive actions are now perceived as elements of a wider system of dominance in the society that that needs to be addressed as a whole rather than in singularity
I do not agree at all with how women are being treated in Afghanistan. They are being put in jail for getting out of bad situations and the government is calling it “moral crimes.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that reporting if someone’s husband raped me is a crime against his wife. In the article, it says, “A woman named Gulnaz was jailed and sentenced to 12 years in prison after reporting she was raped by her cousin's husband. Her daughter was the product of the rape.” That is absolutely ridiculous. Why should that poor women be punished because her husband decided to rape her cousin’s cousin? If I was her, I would fought for my rights even if it killed me. It’s also disgusting how women are forced into marriage, then thrown
In 2010 a young Afghan women had her nose and ears cut off. Aesha Mohammadzai, first appeared on the cover of time magazine in 2010, shared her story on how her husband and in-laws cut off her nose and ears as punishment for trying to run away. Mohammadzai said: “Every day I was abused by my husband and his family. Mentally and physically; Then one day it became unbearable so I ran away." Three years later Mohammadzai began her reconstructive surgery. Aesha Mohammadzai now lives with a foster family, and is studying English in school. A true inspiration to Afghan women, Aesha Mohammadzai tells women who are being abused to stay strong and never lose hope (Phillip Caulfield.2013). This is just one of the many common punishments Afghan women receive. Mohammadzai is proof that still in today’s society women in Afghanistan are still suffering with extreme punishments. The life expectancy for a woman in Afghanistan is 44, one of the lowest in the world (Life as an Afghan Women.2013). Throughout the years, women have been forced to live in fear because of the way they have been treated. The consequences of punishments are not balanced with the actions that are performed, and women fight to hold their own. Afghan women have struggled with extreme, cruel and violent punishments. Women’s punishments are the result of the loss of their basic human rights.
Sadly, many countries and/or communities still have that macho way of thinking, believing that a woman only has two jobs in life, serve her family and bear children. Unfortunately, in many cases, these women are being mistreated, beaten and/or shut down. We can see examples of these situations in some countries of the Middle East.
Afghanistan, as well as much of the middle east, is ruled by men. Women are viewed as lesser, and in some places are viewed as nothing more than an object - a possession. Countries such as Yemen, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are notorious for their poor treatment of women (Selby). Afghanistan used to be much the same way - a terrible place for women to live. In the 80’s and 90’s, Afghanistan fell under the rule of the Mujahideen, and later the Taliban. During this time, women had very few rights and virtually no control over their lives. Women were not allowed to leave the house without a man, many were not allowed to work, and were required to be in burqa at all times outside of the home (Selby).
The Taliban implemented laws restricting the movements and actions of women in Afghanistan in public places. While attempting to visit her child in a home for young girls, Laila is beaten within an inch of her life as a consequence of walking outside without a male escort (Hosseini). The extreme course of action, beating a woman for walking alone, demonstrates the illogical and unjustifiable actions the Taliban promotes the practice of in Afghanistan. The women and men have dramatically unequal rights.
Ever since the beginning of time, women have been fighting endlessly to be treated equally and fairly, whether it’s in their personal life, their business careers, or their social encounters. From the day in which women are born, they are raised and treated differently compared to men. Girls are expected to be sensitive and sweet, meanwhile boys are usually more tough, and expected to mature a bit faster. Girls are protected more in comparison to boys and as they grow, the way society treats each gender stands out more. Women are limited to certain professions because they are not men, and in situations where they can actually work the same jobs, they are paid much less. Throughout time, women all over the world continue to be sexualized and judged based on their personal opinions. While many nations have slowly begun to embrace women’s equal rights, Islam continues to oppress women by limiting their self-expression, using their religious misconceptions to abuse and control them as a whole, and constantly maintaining old cultural traditions that prevent freedom and equality for women.