Looking back on the good ol' days... before the times of research papers

The first quarter of high school went surprisingly well. It’s constantly been go, go, go in the classroom, so it’s refreshing to have some time to reflect. Despite acclimating myself to nightly homework assignments, the ease into high school has been pretty smooth. I’m starting to enjoy language arts more too! Besides being so far from my brother’s parking spot, it’s nice having class with Ms. Froehlich in the morning; I’m able to start the day in a more calm and creative environment. My classmates are brilliant and supportive, so it’s nice to know I will have helpful feed back from my peers no matter the assignment or situation. While the classroom maybe conducive to learning, writing is still impossible. It takes me hours of scrutiny to pick words worthy of even being typed. I’m clueless on how to fix this issue. Along with word choice, I’m still struggling with my ideas. I know the steps to creating a thesis, but for some reason the thesis just doesn’t come out as great as I imagined it in my mind. Although I’m still struggling with my writing, I now feel confident in using MLA format, finding credible sources and paraphrasing.
Oh by the way, I loved the photography and film unit! I felt that finding the meaning in certain shots was like piecing a puzzle together. That unit definitely changed how I’ll perceive all photographs now.

Mariam & Laila vs. Rasheed (ATSS 5)

Another conflict that reoccurs throughout the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is the struggle for freedom. Mariam and Laila are constantly being oppressed by Rasheed’s cruel verbal and physical abuse. Together the wives dream of the day they escape Rasheed’s grasp and are able to start tranquil lives together. The narrator explains Laila’s imagination of this ideal new life, “They would live in a small house on the edge of some town they’d never heard of… They would make new lives for themselves- peaceful, solitary lives- and there the weight of all they’d endured would lift from them, they would be deserving of all the happiness and simple prosperity they would find (315).” The women use this dream to help them achieve temporary freedom from Rasheed and his unethical treatment. Mariam also finds a way to achieve a more permanent freedom from Rasheed, she kills him. It is not a plotted murder, but more of a spur-of- the-moment type. Mariam kills Rasheed as he’s about to strangle Laila to death for talking to a dear friend. Although the wives maybe free of Rasheed, they now are locked down by the guilt of taking Zalami’s father away from him.
This novel shares the question of when it is right to listen to one’s personal morals versus society’s with the film, On the Waterfront. When Mariam kills Rasheed she realizes that this action will be frowned upon by the government, but on the other hand she believes that it would be worse to let Rasheed live because he would probably do more damage to society. Mariam’s thinking is exposed in the novel, “If she let him walk now, how long before he fetched the key from his pocket and went for that gun of his upstairs in the room where he’d lock Zalmai (311)?” Just like Mariam, Terry must make a very difficult decision of whether exposing the mob will improve the union at the loading dock, or just get more people killed. I feel like there will never be an answer to this question because all societies and people are different.

Laila vs. Mariam: Wife to Wife (ATSS 4)

The war between Russia and the Afghanis has ended but now a civil war within in Afghanistan has started. Once Laila’s mother finally agrees to leave the dangerous Kabul, a missile hits the family’s house, killing Laila’s beloved Babi and Mammy. Laila is found by Rasheed, and agrees to marry him, and become his second wife. Laila agrees not only to have shelter and protection from the vicious rapists on the streets, but also so her and Tariq’s child, now six weeks along, will be able to grow up in a comfortable environment.
Now that Mariam must share her husband with Laila, conflict arises between the two women. This conflict is mostly caused by Rasheed’s disrespect for Mariam and his adoration of Laila. Rasheed makes Mariam his wife of eighteen years feel like an outsider when at the dinner table he says, “We are city people, you and I, but she is dehati. A village girl (199).” In front of Mariam, he tries to make himself and Laila appear more compatible by saying they are above Mariam. Then Rasheed goes on to compare his wives to cars. He metaphorically says, “If [Mariam] were a car, she would be a Volga...You, on the other hand would be a Benz (199).” So not only does Rasheed marry another wife, but he also takes every opportunity possible to make the old wife feel inferior to the new one. Because of all this cruel treatment from Rasheed, Mariam begins to resent Laila. Mariam is cold to Laila and even says “I have no use for your company. I don’t want it. What I want is to be alone. You will leave me be, and I will return the favor. That’s how we will get on (202).” I thought Mariam would enjoy some company after living with the horrid Rasheed for eighteen years, but I guess Mariam would rather be alone than be degraded, even if unintentionally. Although Laila makes many attempts, it is not until months after her baby is born, that she and Mariam finally resolve the tension between them. They reconcile one night when they are both up tending to the baby. During this time they begin to discus how they have both failed Rasheed, Mariam by not being able to give birth and Laila by having a girl. It is not until this discussion that Mariam and Laila learn they can only rely one another because Rasheed no longer cares for either of them.

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Welcome to Laila's Land (ATSS 3)

The setting of the story has abruptly changed to a house down the street form Mariam and Rasheed, and the main character of this story is a nine-year-old girl, Laila. Laila lives with her mother and father, and has two brothers, but they are currently off at war fighting the Soviet invaders. I believe Laila is a very fortunate daughter because she lives with fairly liberal parent who allow her, a girl, to attend school. In fact her father believes education should be the most important pillar in her life. With education and the changes happening during the war between the communists and capitalists, Babi believes that Laila is destined for great things. He even confides to her “.., it’s a good time to be a woman in Afghanistan. And you can take advantage of that (121).” Not only does Babi believe Laila will lead a successful life, but so do her friends. They claim “By the time we’re twenty, Giti and I, we’ll have pushed out four, five kids each. But you, Laila, you’ll make us two dummies proud. You’re going to be somebody. I know one day I’ll pick up a newspaper and find your picture on the front page (149)."
Along with Laila’s ambitions and education, Tariq is another important part of her life. Tariq is two years older than Laila, and they have played together for as long as either of them can remember. As Tariq and Laila grow up they begin to have feelings for each other, romantic feelings. At first it’s just a just a flirtatious look here and there, but then the relationship grows to be more. The two are about to proclaim their love for one another when Tariq announces that his family is moving to Pakistan. Thinking it will be the last time they ever see each other, the two do the dirty deed right then and there on the living room carpet. Although Tariq moves to Pakistan, Laila soon realizes that in nine months she will have here own part of Tariq to savor forever.

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