SPANKY

Rasheed (ATSS 2)

Mariam has just gone to live with Rasheed, the shoemaker, in Kabul. Fortunately for Jalil, Kabul is 250 km from Heart, so he won’t have to be reminded the shame of his illegitimate daughter. After the first viewing of Rasheed’s “sly cheeriness” and his “watery, bloodshot eyes” (49), Mariam rightfully doubts any positive outcomes of this marriage. Rasheed is a controlling, and a religious man.
Rasheed is always in control of his possessions, especially his women. Rasheed explains to Mariam, “Where I come from, a woman’s face is her husband’s business only. I want you to remember that (63).” He rarely lets Mariam leave the house alone. Rasheed also forces Mariam to obey him in the house. Rasheed orders Mariam to cook when he is hungry, and when he is unhappy with his rice he forces Mariam to eat rocks.
Not only is Rasheed controlling, but he is religious as well. Rasheed is a Muslim who abides by its laws. When Mariam first arrive at Rasheed’s home, he explains his disdain for men who are more lenient with their wives, “They think nothing of strangers touching their wives bare feet!... They don’t see that they’re spoiling their own nang and namoos, their honor and pride (63).” The idea that women should lives should be spent in the household with their husbands often reoccurs in the Qu’ran. To help hide his wife from society, Rasheed forces Mariam to wear a burqa outside their home. Also Rasheed strong religious devotion is shown in the way he prays to Allah five times a day. Although Rasheed’s controlling ways may not make him seem like the ideal husband, he does provide Mariam with shelter and food which is all some women wanted during this time of raging war.

Why the Memoir...

The main reason people write memoirs is for themselves. They remember every last detail of a situation, so they may have a story to savor for a lifetime. When writing memoirs, people use their time to reflect on the situation, like what emotions they might have been feeling at the time of the story or why they acted in such a way. Others use writing a memoir to help themsemvles deal with their feelings, like coping with loss or letting out frustration. While I think this selfishness lies at the bottom of every memoir, some claim to write them to for others’ enjoyment. Some memoirs are written to persuade people or to educate about a culture while others help to teach a lesson. Sure authors might claim the memoirs are meant to be enjoyed by others, but they will be the ones enjoying their own work the most.
Memoirs seem to be powerful writing tools because they very casual. This relaxed attitude in a story allows for voice and feelings to come through in a story which can help readers to better understand the overall idea of the memoir. Also the stories told are often easily relatable to, so people can almost feel as if they are experiencing the story.

Meet the Characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns (1)

The novel I’m reading, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossen is about life in Afghanistan in the past thirty years. The main character of the novel, Mariam, is naïve and optimistic, but she quickly learns about the harsh realities outside of her home in rural land between Hurat and Gul Daman. Mariam is constantly torn between the opposing stories of her parents, but often she believes her father’s interpretation of the situation. Mariam probably thinks her mother is just over exaggerating due to her bitterness of being kicked out of the house, and also Mariam probably prefers to hear more positive stories about how great her early life was rather than negative ones. Mariam soon regrets her admiration for her father when she realizes he only cared for her when it was convenient and out of the public eye.
Other characters are Mariam’s mother, Nana and Mariam’s father, Jalil. Nana is bitter about how Jalil threw her away once she became pregnant. Because of this, Nana’s life is consumed with hatred for Jalil and finding revenge. The narrorator describes he futile attempt at revenge, “Nana yelled at the boys (Jalil’s sons) as she carried bags of rice inside, and called them names Mariam didn’t understand (15).” Jalil only visits Mariam once a week for an hour because she is not a legitimate daughter. Mairam looked forward to Jalil’s visits more than anything; the narrorator explains, “The anxiety set in on Tuesday nights. Mariam would sleep poorly fretting that some business entanglement would prevent Jalil from coming on Thursday (19).” It is crazy that Mariam spends half of her week dreaming about the hour with her father. Mariam thinks the world of Jalil because when they have conversations Jalil is away from others so he may tell stories that need not be verified. Once seeing city life, Mariam quickly learns that Jalil is a selfish man who only cared about Mariam when it was convenient. Mariam has just been forced by Jalil to marry a forty five year-old shoe maker who I am anxious to learn about.

Richard's Famine

Richard hungers for many things in life, the most obvious being food. Richard constantly speaks of how his daily meals consisting of mush, lard gravy and a plate of greens are never filling enough and how he yearns for the grumbles in his stomach to be stopped. While at first Richard’s empty stomach is painful and keeps him from focusing on school, eventually his appetite makes him get a job. With a job Richard is able to become more independent and is able to gain more insight into the relationships of blacks and whites in the community. Richard also hungers for acceptance. He picks fights at the beginning of school terms, so he will be respected enough to become one of the guys. At the same time though, he becomes part of the church. Although Richard has no spiritual feelings and joins to keep his friends, Richard also pleases his mother in doing so. Richard also hungers for knowledge. This leads him into trouble as his endless questions usually lead to annoyance and in turn beatings. Richard’s search for knowledge also allows his to develop aspirations that will get him past oppression.