...A thousand splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Music: Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah fade out in the background. Song ends play river flows in you by Yiruma in the background Host: Welcome back listeners, to literacy 98.3. That was hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. It’s time for our weekly review, as you all know this week we are exploring the theme oppression. This week’s book is A thousand splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, author of the bestseller the Kite runner. I have with me, Ms. Kathryn Stockett, Reclaimed author of one for the most insightful books, The Help. Welcome Kathryn, we happy to have you with us. Kathryn Stockett: Thank you for having me Host: Kathryn could you tell those who are listening, what oppression means to you, and if you don’t mind give us a summary of the book A thousand Splendid Suns Kathryn Stockett: Oppression to me means dominating somebody (or a group of people), through cruelty, or harshness. One is oppressive if he/she is the source of worry stress or trouble to others. A thousand splendid suns is at one an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith and the salvation to be found in love....
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...“A Thousand Splendid Suns” written by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini is an example of the portrayal of the lives of women in Afghanistan. The challenges and oppression in the lives of two Afghan women; Laila and Mariam are shown Throughout the novel, which provided or facilities on the relationship between both these women. This novel is a good representation of the cruelty experienced by the Afghan women in their everyday life. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a significant piece of text that bring the predicament of the women who have lived under the debilitating shadow of patriarchal oppression on women. Using the vales, the authors comprehension kills and the contributing factors to emphasize key aspects of of this essay. In countries...
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... From the present day to thousands of years in the past, there has been controversy with women in society. They are stereotyped, judged and looked down upon in many places and times in the world. Whether it be their clothing, manner, beliefs or actions they have been scrutinized and analyzed far more than their male companions. Yet women have still stood tall and strong in the face of opposition. Nothing is more evident than in the novels Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Though each book is written in a different era and continent from each other, both authors have taken a profound look into the lives of women who, in submission of the society they live in, persevere and carry on their lives no matter what. Though Hardy’s Victorian countryside and Hosseini’s war ridden Afghanistan have very different plot lines, both novels develop the theme of inner strength of women through the protagonist’s characteristics, the conflicts in the plot and setting. In 1891 Hardy wrote Tess of the d’Urbervilles. The novel received a public outcry and was criticized for its taboo topics and insight into a ruined woman’s private life. The passionate and intense Tess Durbeyfield, whom the novel is centralized around, faces more tragedy and injustice in her adolescent years than any women could bear and perseveres through out. Tess’s character, as well as the women around her, shows the true inner strength women possess. From the early days...
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...Links between Tess of the d’Urbervilles and A Thousand Splendid Suns Catherine Ralph * The abuse of an older man Rasheed and Alec they both force themselves upon Mariam and Tess when they’re only 15/16 years old. * Consequences of the above both Tess and Mariam are pregnant and both of their babies die (Tess’s from illness just after he’s born and Mariam has a miscarriage) * Both novels have a contrast of the ‘good’ and ‘evil’ characters Tess: Alec and Angel – ATSS: Rasheed and Alec. Laila marries Rasheed (evil) and also marries Tariq (good). Tess is Alec’s mistress (evil) and marries Angel (good). * The death of the ‘main’ character Tess kills Alec and then gets hanged Mariam kills Rasheed then gets executed. * The ‘good’ love interest fleeing to another country Tariq flees to Afghanistan and Angel flees to Brazil. * A major death in the family Tess’s father and Mariam’s mother. * Conflict Tess: between classes in the same county – ATSS: same ethnic group of people * Class society Tess: Angel (upper class) and Tess (lower class) – ATSS: Jalil (upper class) and Mariam/Nana (lower class). * ‘Men’s society’ Tess: Angel with the prostitute in London – ATSS: Rasheed had several wives Similarities/comparisons with A Thousand Splendid Suns and Tess of the d’Urbervilles * Women in society * strong male characters * the loss of a baby * the loss of a parent * rape * young female characters...
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...persevere is to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement and continue consistently. Hosseini demonstrates through the perseverance of Mariam and Laila, how the inner strength of Afghan women allows them to endure difficult situations including forced marriages, lack of educational opportunities and and Taliban restrictions. A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini is a story of two young afghan women, Laila and Mariam, who face and overcome many tragedies and live in a country ruined by political oppression and war. Both Mariam and Laila have endured so much heartache partially because they are women, but yet have managed to have pulled together the strength to persevere. To persevere is to maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement and continue consistently. Even though Mariam and Laila are years apart by age, and come from two different life styles, they are both forced to marry Rasheed, an older man who they don’t... A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini is a story of two young afghan women, Laila and Mariam, who face and overcome many tragedies and live in a country ruined by political oppression and war. Both Mariam and Laila have endured so much heartache partially because they are women, but yet have managed to have pulled together the strength to persevere. Even though Mariam and Laila are years apart by age, and come from two different life styles, they are both forced to marry Rasheed , an...
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...Journal Entry 2 A Thousand Splendid Suns In the novel,Hosseini suggest that women are viewed as second class citizen.The women are the victims of the power of men withholds in society.Women have high expectation of hope for the future, but once reality sets in, their hope is crushed and lost forever.The cycles of hope and hope being broke into million of tiny piece of glass, reveal that women suffer repeated over and over.Yet because they are women, they are needed to continuously find the strength to live on with the fact of life.This trend of the hope and oppression is uncovered throughout Mariam and Rasheed marriage.Mariam is trying to find some hope in her marriage that could maybe one day lead toward ideal picture of “true love” and contentment.She is now transformed from “illegitimate child” to “legitimate wife” in Afghan society. Mariam take pride in pleasing her husband by cooking traditional dishes and the role of a wife. The gift of burqa from Rasheed, show Mariam his strong desire keep her all to himself.Burqa is a symbol that clearly is used to separated women and used to control women’s human right for freedom.Rasheed views the “modern” women as devil candy, shameful toward both society and reputations of their families.The “modern“ women made Mariam aware of the domination force Rasheed has over her life with martial law.The news of Mariam’s Pregnancy offer her an opportunity to hopefully release all the shame of...
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...and Literature Tess of the D'Urbervilles Male Dominance Male Dominance in Tess of the D’urbervilles The Victorian era, as described by Professor of History and Women's & Gender Studies Nancy Reagin in her essay “Victorian Women: the Gender of Oppression”, witnessed the ideology of separate spheres in which society viewed men as independent and reasonable while viewing women as passive, dependent on men, emotional, and submissive. Men were given the governing role in which they would dominate society due to their ability to make rational decisions while women were expected to unquestionably fill the social roles that men decided for them, and those roles usually revolved around a woman’s duties as a mother and a wife. In marriage, a woman was expected to abide by the orders and views of her husband, and man and wife became one in terms of a woman’s rights, property, and identity. In Tess of the D’urbervilles, a book written in the Victorian Era, Hardy conveys this ideology of separate spheres in his portrayal of men and their dominance over women in society, primarily Tess. Their dominance is shown in how the men act as the masters of society, but it is also seen in how the women in Tess unquestionably view the men as the dominant gender. Often, the women are blindly influenced and act passively when interacting with male characters such as Alec and Angel. They are also seen to be very dependent on the men, and the men acknowledge that, for that is expected of a woman in that...
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...The Rise of Mariam’s Individuality Women in Afghanistan face adversity and oppression from their own biological relatives and husbands. In “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khalid Hosseini, the struggles of women are depicted vividly. It is a story of a young Afghan woman, Mariam, who faces and overcomes many tragedies in a country where women are not treated equally. At the age of fifteen, Mariam was forced to marriage with much older man Rasheed. Mariam has no authority over herself. Mariam is “nobody” in this male dominated society. Her childless marriage to Rasheed eventually forces her into a life of submission and misery until close to the end of her life. Mariam meaning of life changes after the death of Rasheed. She makes the ultimate sacrifice for Laila and the children as she is willing to take the blame for Rasheed murder. Mariam’s sacrifice is one the ultimate victory in her life. Mariam can be remember now from being nobody to somebody. It gave her a sense of authority and control over herself which she had lost many years ago. When growing up, Mariam was a strong girl who questions authority and dreams of bigger things in life. She grew up in a small shack outside the city of Herat. She was raised by Nana, her mother, who always called her “…a clumsy harami” (Hosseini 4). “Mariam was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance” (Hosseini 4). The term “harami”...
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...desire for power. In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, it is questionable whether the characters and the society have displayed cruelty and inhumanity among other characters. Heartlessness of humanity is evident throughout the novel. By examining the corrupted values, abuse, and discrimination visible in the society of Afghanistan, it becomes apparent how evil humankind can be. Hosseini portrays the struggles of two young Afghan women, Laila and Mariam, in war riddled Afghanistan. Both women are years apart by age, but are forced to marry an older man, Rasheed, who they do not know. The women learn to co-exist as they endure Rasheed's mental and physical abuse. The women in Afghanistan have to face arranged or forced marriages, poor education and restrictions brought on by the Taliban. The lack of respect and freedom of Afghan women compels them to fight for their rights to halt the inequalities they face in society. Corrupted values are detrimental to society by the fact that it takes away one’s freedom and a chance to live. Marriage is the voluntary union of two people, who choose to be together and nobody else for the rest of their lives. In the case of Afghan women, they deal with forced under-age marriages. Freedom is a basic fundamental right that every person deserves to have. The opportunities to speak, believe, and pursue happiness without any restriction defines freedom of a person. Some Afghan women have been wed off at a very early age, some...
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...THE BOOK OF TEA by Kakuzo Okakura Originally published Dreamsmyth edition First printing Typography, book design and binding by William Adams Printed in the U.S.A. The Book of Tea . . . . . . . The Cup of Humanity The Schools of Tea Taoism and Zennism The Tea-Room Art Appreciation Flowers Tea-Masters Colophon The Book of Tea . The Cup of Humanity T and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of æstheticism—Teaism. Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life. The Philosophy of Tea is not mere æstheticism in the ordinary acceptance of the term, for it expresses conjointly with ethics and religion our whole point of view about man and nature. It is hygiene, for it enforces cleanliness; it is economics, for it shows comfort in simplicity rather than in the complex and costly; it is moral geometry, inasmuch as it defines our sense of proportion to the universe....
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...A ROOM OF ONES OWN [* This essay is based upon two papers read to the Arts Society at Newnharn and the Odtaa at Girton in October 1928. The papers were too long to be read in full, and have since been altered and expanded.] ONE But, you may say, we asked you to speak about women and fiction--what, has that got to do with a room of one's own? I will try to explain. When you asked me to speak about women and fiction I sat down on the banks of a river and began to wonder what the words meant. They might mean simply a few remarks about Fanny Burney; a few more about Jane Austen; a tribute to the Brontës and a sketch of Haworth Parsonage under snow; some witticisms if possible about Miss Mitford; a respectful allusion to George Eliot; a reference to Mrs Gaskell and one would have done. But at second sight the words seemed not so simple. The title women and fiction might mean, and you may have meant it to mean, women and what they are like, or it might mean women and the fiction that they write; or it might mean women and the fiction that is written about them, or it might mean that somehow all three are inextricably mixed together and you want me to consider them in that light. But when I began to consider the subject in this last way, which seemed the most interesting, I soon saw that it had one fatal drawback. I should never be able to come to a conclusion. I should never be able to fulfil what is, I understand, the first duty of a lecturer to hand you after an hour's discourse a...
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...Кафедра іноземної філології Literary and Social Concerns in the Novels of William Thackeray and Charles Dickens CONTENTS |INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………… |3 | |PART 1. A review of literary and social concerns in the novels of William Thackeray and Charles Dickens………………………………………………… | | |1.1. Social concerns as a mirror of current literature in the XIX century…. |4 | |1.2. Social and literary problems in “Vanity Fair” by William Thackeray... |4 | |1.3. Art, veracity and moral purpose in “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens |5 | |Conclusion ……….…………………………………………………………….. |7 | |PART 2. Approaches and manners of the social problems transmission………. |10 | |2.1. The problem of poverty and social inequalty in society. The authors’ approach to this |11 | |problem............................................................................... ...
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...The Origins of the Chinese Empire, to 220 C.E. these cities, built by rulers to move troops and supplies, were traveled by traders transporting such items as metal tools and utensils, lacquered wood plates and boxes, silk, pottery, gems, salt, and lumber. A money economy emerged, using copper coins called cash, with center holes for stringing them together for counting and carrying. China's towns and cities were likewise linked into a large economic system . Trade between China and distant lands A metal bell from the Zhou era. was difficult and dangerous, but by the era's end commerce was conducted by sea with Southeast Asia and by land routes crossing Central Asia. The Central Asian Connection Central Asia, a vast expanse to China's north and west where the climate was too dry for farming (Map 2), was home mainly to pastoral nomads who grazed herds on its plateaus and plains. Skilled on horseback, the nomads occasionally attacked Chinese settlements to carry off goods and supplies, but they also spread commerce and useful knowledge. Some nomads, for example, exchanged their Central Asian nomads connect China with other cultures Nomads and Chinese adopt horse riding and crossbows from each other Iron tools and weapons spread to China, enhancing farming and warfare hides, wool, and horses for Chinese silk, pottery, metalware, and wood products and then traded these items with other societies across Central Asia. Over time, connections with the...
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... Geography: Physical Characteristics The Hawaiian Islands occupy a place in the great expanse of the Pacific “between the nineteenth and twenty third degrees north latitude, and the one hundred and fifty fourth degrees of longitude west of Greenwich. They are two thousand one hundred miles southwest from San Francisco, and about the same distance from Tahiti. The group consists of ten islands*, including two that are little more than barren rocks. The farthest are about three hundred miles from each other, measuring from their extreme boundaries, and their aggregate area is a little more than six thousand one hundred square miles. Of the eight principal islands all are habitable, although the small islands of Niihau and Kahoolawe are used almost exclusively as cattle-ranges. The most of the shores of the several islands are fringed with coral, but their origins seem to indisputably show in the numerous creates of extinct volcanoes scattered throughout the group, and in the mighty fires still blazing from the mountain-heights of Hawaii. By far the largest part of the area of the islands is mountainous; but from the interior elevations, some of them reaching altitude of from ten to fourteen thousand feet, flow many small streams of sweet water, widening into fertile valleys as they reach the coast, while here and there between them alluvial plateaus have been left by the upland wash. With rare exceptions the mountain-sides are covered with vegetation, some of sturdy...
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...Dynasty. Grand Canal: The 1,100-mile waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire. Zhao Kuangyin: Founder of Song dynasty; originally a general following fall of Tang; took title of Taizu; failed to overcome northern Liao dynasty that remained independent. Li Bo: Most famous poet of the Tang era; blended images of the mundane world with philosophical musings. 2) tributary state: A country that pays tribute in money or goods to a more powerful nation Pagoda: Buddhist temples with many-storied towers; this was adapted from the Chinese 3) The dynasties returned the Middle Kingdom back to its old glory. a) Under the Tang and Song dynasties the emperor ruled over a splendid court filled with aristocratic families. The two main classes of society were the gentry, wealthy landowners, which valued scholarship more than physical labor, and the peasantry, who worked the land and lived off of what they produced. Then the merchants had a lower status in society. Merchants had such a low status in society because according to Confucianism their riches came from the labors of others. a) China painting involves the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black or colored ink; oils not used. Chinese poets addressed themes such as "identity and modernity" which dominated. Some other themes were "language and meaning" Ch 13 Section 2 1) Kublai Khan: Mongolian emperor of China and grandson...
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