A Thousand Splendid Suns Dialectical Journal Analysis

Rasheed’s cruelty towards Mariam reveals his values of male superiority as well as his thirst for dominance and control. In the Afghanistan society, men rule over women just as Rasheed rules over Mariam. The belief is

One main event that occurs in the first third of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is the first group meeting Mr. McMurphy joined on the ward. Nurse Ratched begins to talk about another patient named Harding, and his issues with his wife. After listening to what the nurse had to say, McMurphy made an inappropriate joke concerning the matter of Harding’s wife. Everyone was amused with his joke, except for Nurse Ratched. She retaliates by reading Mr. McMurphy’s file out loud for everyone to hear. This was the first time as a reader I got to hear about McMurphy’s history and why he was put on the ward. She reads how Mr. McMurphy is 35, never married, was dishonorably discharged from war in Korea, has a prolonged history of street

The Middle East has long struggled to show their women the rights and freedoms offered to most other women of the world. The struggle to gain equality amongst men has been unsuccessful as women today are still oppressed. They’re forced to cover the bodies and sometimes their faces, they can’t leave their homes without the company of a man, and they aren’t allowed to receive an education usually past middle school. These are just some of the things women are forced to deal with. Despite these restrictions seeming cruel and pointless, there are people who support this, including women. The Middle East’s reaction has been mixed.

Power, a major influence throughout all of history. Wars, love, and countries all began with the same concept: power. Sometimes, power is used responsibly; other time the platform of prestige authority is used in a manipulative way. Power can stem from an individual, but it can also be rooted in memories that haunt people forever. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini writes an impactful novel, showing the brutality Afghanistan goes through as power is corrupted in the country. However, Hosseini also explores the theme of authority that family has over others and how dark feelings can rule people’s lives. Power is depicted in three different ways in the novel: the Taliban’s rule over Afghanistan, Baba’s pull on Amir, and the guilt Amir feels over himself.

I wasn't shocked to know that Rasheed, a sixty or more years old man, with white hair and sagging skin, wants to marry another woman. The fact that shocked me is that that woman is Laila, the fourteen year old young lady. Rasheed isn't seeing anything wrong with this and

Imagine waking up as a 15 year old girl, you think it's going to be a normal, ordinary day, but instead you get sold away to a man old enough to be your father. Life in the 1970’s to early 2000’s was a much different time than it is now. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini, many questions arise as the story goes on such as, are all men as selfish and sexist to their wives as Rasheed is to Mariam and Laila? The answer is no, some men are kind and trusting while others beat and shun their own wives.

While I previously viewed the Muslim form of veiling as misogynistic and compulsory; however, Tamira Stephens describes that certain American Muslims see it as empowering (Stephens pg. 5). Furthermore, despite the common belief as veiling being particular to Muslims, Tamira Stephens also reports through her essay that even “more American” subcultures (the Amish) have a form of this practice much closer to my perception of misogyny (cite). Though Stephens’ comparison of the Amish and American Muslim veil serves as a means to subdue any negative stereotypes surrounding the Muslim practice, Stephens’ description of this Islamic practice of veiling can also serve as a testament to the positive effects of pluralism and equality in the United States.

The dictionary defines the word inspire as “...fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something.” That is exactly what teen activists do. They inspire people and teens and kids all around the world. Especially when they are physically or mentally abused through their protests, but keep speaking out for what they believe is right. They may face obstacles, but they keep going. They might even be threatened, but they keep going. Some even risk everything to stand up for what is right, sometimes even standing in the face of danger. Ils inspired. Sie inspirieren. Ellos inspirar. They INSPIRE. But what ARE teen activists? Teen activists are teens who see an injustice and stand up for it. They may start funds and/or organizations for

In 1939, Reza Shah’s unveiling declaration sparked a worldwide debate as to what the veil actually symbolizes. Ever since the beginning of Islam, women throughout the Islamic world have had to adopt the hijab as part of their cultural and religious attire due to various interpretations of the Islamic dress code. In addition, the Koran emphasizes purity in the name of Islam by asking both men and women to be modest when it comes to the way they dress. Furthermore, in his efforts to modernize Iran, Reza Shah failed to satisfy the needs of his people, as he gave women no say in what they could and could not wear in public. This eventually resulted in the division of Iranian women, as there were those who favored the Islamic tradition, and those who supported the regime and its adoption of Western values.

To begin with, Mariam is one character who demonstrates most if not all of these character traits, especially selflessness. She willingly makes major sacrifices for Laila and her children, as well as taking responsibility for their abusive husband, Rasheed’s death despite knowing that she will be punished.Laila tries her best to change Mariams decision but it does not work. Mariam tells Laila different reasons of why she can not go with them such as “When they do [find us], they’ll find you as guilty as me. Tariq too. I won’t have the two of you living on the run, like fugitives. What will happen to your children if you’re caught?”(Hosseini,358). Mariam offers to surrender herself for Rasheed’s death, instead of taking the risk of both of them getting caught and killed. Unlike herself, she realizes that Laila has significantly more to lose, her children and Tariq. Mariam knows that the action she has taken against Rasheed is completely justified, therefore to her, execution is an honest and good way to die. For her family

Rasheed’s sexual advances are recognized at various points during his relationship with Laila. Since Laila is trying to deceive Rasheed, his sexual advances towards her happens almost immediately and she is therefore able to trick him into believing that he is in fact the father of her child. She is early enough in her pregnancy so that he believes that he has made her pregnant. If not for his immediate desire for her, had he waited, the pregnancy would not be attributable to her. Mariam is repulsed by Rasheed and is glad she is no longer intimate with him, proven when the author states “Sex, mercifully, was a closed chapter in her own life. It had been for some time, and now even the thought of those laborious sessions of lying beneath Rasheed made Mariam queasy in the gut.” (Hosseini, 221) Arguably, her disinterest in him sexually and his crude sexual advances leads him to be attracted to Laila in the first instance. Interestingly, Rasheed misunderstands Laila’s eagerness to be intimate with him. She wants the wedding as soon as possible to cover up her pregnancy. He takes her comments to mean that she desires him. This is Rasheed’s largest role in the story. It is very possible that had Rasheed not been attracted to Laila, and had not made her his wife, Laila’s story could have taken a dramatically different turn. If the author’s description of the risk of Laila not staying with Rasheed

Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, presents the central tension of Marjane struggling with the relationship of her nationality and herself by seeing the transition of clothing, makeup and accessories that female characters wear in the book. During her teenage years, she had been to a lot of countries and she always felt like she couldn 't find her real identity, either as a westerner or an Iranian. The book presents a lot of struggles with her trying to figure out her relationship, nationality, and her identity. The readers can see the transition of cultural background by noticing details within the image, for example, character’s clothing and how they dress themselves up. The transition of clothing and fashion represent cultural backgrounds that create struggles for Marjane and her search in self identity.

The tension around mainstream Western feminisms and religion is one that is fundamentally rooted in secularism. In fact, this tension leads to a resistance of Western feminists to understand the importance of religion for women (Vuola 2). Thus, they perceive women only under the framework of religion, often deeming them

Persepolis is the graphic novel which shows how Marjane grows up under a repressive government in Iran. After the Islamic revolution in 1979, many things were changed by the government such as school curriculums. They closed university to make sure that all books are following the true path of Islam (Satrapi 73). One of the important change, in Persepolis, was the obligation of wearing the veil. The veil is covered women 's skin or hair as a symbol of devotion and modesty for the Islamic religion (Lazreg 10). Until the Pahlavi dynasty was taken the place by Ayatolla Kohmeini after the Islamic revolution, wearing the veil was banned by laws (Heath 31). However, after the Islamic revolution, people start wearing the veil. They are veiling because

Indonesia went through crucial events in the last few centuries including the spread of Islamic faith and influence. The spreading started out from trades that happened between Indonesians and Arabians (Sousa). Religious laws and traditions have changed from the moment Islam spread in Indonesia. Architectural style and mandatory rules also changed. Islam also had an impact on Indonesia economically, such as on banking and financial products (Rama). Islamic culture expedited massive changes whether religiously, artistically, or economically throughout Indonesia’s territory.