...shows that sometimes you cannot fight alone in order to stand up for your beliefs. The death of their lost ones, the guilt, they got confidence from it to stand up for what they believe and for the people they love, their parents abandon them because people would talk and they will lose their respect and their name, the characters were betrayed by...
Words: 1265 - Pages: 6
...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...
Words: 1971 - Pages: 8
...Mrs. Gore 2 I’ve never been to Afghanistan or even thought much about Afghan people. After I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, I personally took this book to heart. This book took me through the unthinkable as if I were there. This adrenaline rushed science fiction made me think and feel for the women and children in the middle east. The reader will read the historical fiction of 9/11 when the horrific tragedy of the Twin Towers falling and how Afghans felt. This story is about two women who were told that they will have to endure to survive and now are actually having to do so. The reader will see two totally different life stories come together in the end. The war battles, mistreatment, cruelty, and unfairness of life are...
Words: 876 - Pages: 4
...List all the possible THEMES of your book. Write them in COMPLETE SENTENCES. Then give supporting evidence from the book that proves that these are messages the author intends. loyalty devotion discrimination of women inner strength of women pregnancy and children shame A Thousand Splendid Suns consist of many different themes. These themes consist of loyalty, discrimination of women, inner strength of women, pregnancy and children and shame. In this book, loyalty and devotion is expressed through the relationship between Laila and her father as well as the relationship between Mariam and Laila. Laila loves her father to death. She loves him to death and understands why he believes its so important that she becomes educated so she commits to that and finds a way to get an education. Laila and Miriam’s loyalty is shown to each other in the book by going forth with their confronting of the abusive husband they once shared as well as helping each other raise their kids even though they have to practically do it on their own. Discrimination of women is a major theme in this book. This is a result of the Afghanistan society that is surrounded by this book. This book takes place solely in Afghan during a harsh period of women discrimination. Men have complete power over their wives and in this book, the Taliban makes it law that men have complete power over their wives. These women experience heartbreaking attributes such as abuse, murder and humiliation which is completely...
Words: 631 - Pages: 3
...Victoria Bernhardt Period 7 Mrs. Buchanan English 2 Honors 1-25-2013 A Change In The Future The theme or message is the central idea or ideas explored by the literary works. In other words, it’s the message the author wants you to realize from the story. There are multiple themes in A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner, both written by Khaled Hosseini. Putting together these stories, I thought finding hope, and fighting for what you believe in as the themes. Hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope in A Thousand Splendid Suns is happening to very few people, considering the Taliban, the war, and the bombing of family and friends. You never know what is going to happen next or if there will ever be a tomorrow. For Laila, she has had a very rough life and even worse, having her parents blown up right in front of her. Not being loved your entire life by your own mother is something everyone wants to avoid, but Laila was one of the unfortunate. She only had attention from her dad and then she became alone from the bombing. She married at a youth life to a man who was three times her age who was very abusive to Laila and his other wife, Mariam. This life she had never wanted, but it happened, and she didn’t know what to do. When she was a teenager before marrying Rasheed, she met a boy named Tariq. She fell in love with him from day one even after he moved away with his family. She thought she would never see him again until...
Words: 969 - Pages: 4
...A Thousand Splendid Suns Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns Author: Khaled Hosseini Page Number: 367 Quote Page Number: 113 Author: Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat in Afghan government at that time and his mother taught History in Kabul. However, after the Soviet Invasion, Khaled and his family moved to the United States in the 1980s. In the US, he completed high school and went on to get his Medical Degree. He started writing while working published his fist book in 2004, which was The Kite Runner. Summary: A Thousand Splendid Suns is a story about two women and their lives in Afghanistan during the invasion of the Soviet of Afghanistan and the Taliban regime. It shows the suffering of Afghan citizens and their sacrifice in time of war. In this story, the two women named Mariam and Laila play an important role of a typical wife in Afghanistan who have to face torture and brutality from their husband and society. The story starts out by introducing Mariam, who is an unwanted teenager. In the story, she is forced to marry Rasheed, an abusive husband at age 15. Rasheed is a cruel man who breaks Mariam’s dreams and tortures her everyday. On the other hand, Laila is an attractive girl who lives just up the street from Mariam’s house. She is born to educated parents and enjoys the freedoms that Mariam is restricted from by Rasheed. She has a boyfriend named Tariq, but their plans to marry get destroyed...
Words: 590 - Pages: 3
...In Islamic, and Afghan culture, women are treated as tools with very specific and necessary uses, but nothing more. Women are considered inferior, and “not able to think like [men] can” almost as african slaves have been historically, and servants (Hosseini 324). Women are meant to make food, and pass down the family name by making their husband a proud father, and frequently never meeting arbitrary expectations such as flavor of food such as “rice being too greasy, or too dry” or being sterile (Hosseini 100). During the cold war, and the spread of communism, or communist ideas, in Europe, Asia, and the Middle-East, a group of islamic extremists gained in popularityand size. This group was the Taliban. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, the Taliban...
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
...The Power Within 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...
Words: 4291 - Pages: 18
...Alefa Chowdhury 12-09-13 7th Hour A Thousand Splendid Suns A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a story that is set place in modern-day Afghanistan. It is a story of two particular women who live under the control of a persecuting husband and the infamous rule of the Taliban. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini shifts the narrative perspective throughout the different sections. Overall, the story is told from an omniscient third person. The external character shows the reader world events as they happen and how it affects the main characters, Mariam and Laila, with a factual, unbiased perspective. As the story progressed, we switch to third person limited to understand Mariam and Laila’s individual struggles and experiences, yet we never know what any of the other characters are thinking unless it is said. By shifting narrative perspectives, Hosseini demonstrates how women help each other achieve a shared goal in a time of civil war and social inequality. And through these two women (Laila and Mariam), Hosseini creates a mind-blowing, adventure of regret, despair, tragedy, and more importantly, redemption. The book begins with separate perspectives of each woman, and how they consequently come together in the same household. Mariam, to start with, is actually a result of the shameful act that her father, Jalil Khan, a wealthy business man of Herat, committed when he impregnated one of his servants. As a result of this...
Words: 1591 - Pages: 7
...A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Staged in pre-Taliban Afghanistan, A Thousand Splendid Suns is the story of two women and the tales of their intertwined lives. It shows how few rights they had before the Taliban came in to power and how they were stripped from them under Taliban control. Hosseini shows many examples of how these women were abused and seen as 2nd class citizens. I decided to read this book for the required assignment due to many different reasons. One of reasons I selected this book are the current conflicts going on right now in that area of the world. Another reason was that I wanted to learn a little more about that culture. I also got a positive review about the book from my cousin who read the book in his free time and loaned me the book to read. The main reason I read the book was to see how women in Afghanistan are treated before and during the Taliban control. I knew from what I had previously learned in your class on how greatly discriminated Muslim women are treated. I also knew how strict the Muslim religion is, but I wanted to read about it, even if it was fictional. My cousin had told me about the two women in the novel before but never told me specifics on how the girls were treated. I just had to read for myself to find out. A Thousand Splendid Suns was written by Khaled Hosseini, an American writer and physician who originally came from Afghanistan. This is his second book, he first wrote The Kite Runner which was a U.S...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...Ahmed Abdullah Mrs. Fox ENG 3U-05 23rd of February, 2015 Mariam’s Loss of Innocence “A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a novel written by a famous and beloved author among the universe known as Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini tells a fictionalized account of a breathtaking story that is set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s three previous decades starting from the soviet invasion to the reign of Taliban that puts violence, fear, hope, and faith of Afghanistan in intimate human terms. This story, however gives us new insight into the country’s beautiful culture and the historic events that occurred in the past three decades. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” begins with the life of Mariam who is a young girl growing up with a single, harsh and bitter mother known as “Nana” in the small village outside Herat. Hosseini is showing us how Mariam is starting to lose her innocence as she grows up. Mariam remembers her mother calling her a “clumsy little harami” [4] when she was at the age of five. Mariam can easily realize that this word meant to be ugly, loathsome and de meaningful through the way of her mother saying and pronouncing it, but it was not Mariam’s fault. On the other hand, her father Jalil never calls her a harami. In fact, Jalil treats her in a totally opposite way by giving her weekly gifts and telling her stories to hide his true nature revealed later in the story when he rejects Mariam wins. Nana tells different stories according to her point of view by telling...
Words: 1028 - Pages: 5
...A Thousand Splendid Suns Parents should always be there and care for their kids, no matter what. For example, in the book (36) the author states, “Mariam caught a glimpse of what was beneath the tree: the straight-backed chair, overturned. The rope dropping from a high branch. Nana dangling at the end of it.” Nana should have just supported Mariam if she wanted to go, because that way if she gets hurt and does not want to be with Jalil anymore, she has somewhere to go home to. Mariam just wanted to see her father, that she does not get to see everyday. Nana was thinking that Mariam wanted to abandon her and was making her feel bad about herself, saying that Jalil does not want her, and he is not going to take her in. Then she continues...
Words: 256 - Pages: 2
...To 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...
Words: 1355 - Pages: 6
...him, as he had grown up with the sport while living in Afghanistan. He was motivated to write a 25-page short story about two boys who fly kites in Kabul.[8] Hosseini submitted copies to Esquire and The New Yorker, both of which rejected it.[9] He rediscovered the manuscript in his garage in March 2001 and began to expand it to novel format at the suggestion of a friend.[8][9] According to Hosseini, the narrative became "much darker" than he originally intended.[8] His editor, Cindy Spiegel, "helped him rework the last third of his manuscript", something she describes as relatively common for a first novel.[9] As with Hosseini's subsequent novels, The Kite Runner covers a multigenerational period and focuses on the relationship between parents and their children.[2] The latter was unintentional; Hosseini developed an interest in the theme while in the process of writing.[2] He later divulged that he frequently came up with pieces of the plot by drawing pictures of it.[7] For example, he did not decide to make Amir and Hassan brothers until after he had "doodled it".[7] Like Amir, the protagonist of the novel, Hosseini was born in Afghanistan and left the country as a youth, not returning until 2003.[10] Thus, he was frequently questioned about the extent of the autobiographical aspects of the book.[9] In response, he said, "When I say some of it is me, then people look unsatisfied. The parallels are pretty obvious, but ... I left a few things ambiguous because I wanted to drive...
Words: 465 - Pages: 2
...anything can happen. Because of fate, what happens in as little as one day can alter your entire life path. There are many instances of this happening in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. These instances include; the day Mariam left to the kolba to go see Jalil, the day Tariq decided to move, and the day that Laila’s parents were killed in the bomb blast. Mariam leaving the kolba was the most notable instance in the novel where one decision set off a whole chain of events that affected the course of her life. Because she left to go see Jalil and stayed, and slept on the street the whole night, her mother committed suicide. “"I'll die if you go.The jinn will come, and I'll have one of my fits. You'll see, I'll swallow my tongue and die. Don't leave me, Mariam jo. Please stay. I'll die if you go." Chap 5. Although Mariam didn’t take that threat literally it ended up happening. She...
Words: 752 - Pages: 4
