Week 7 Post B

"Mariam heard of women who were killing themselves out of fear of bing raped, and of men who, in the name of honor, would kill their wives or daughters if they'd been raped by the militia."

I believe that fear is detrimental to any society whether that society and can cause unpredictability, hardships and even war. In fact, I believe that all wars in man's history were caused by fear. The British were afraid they would lose their colonies in America curring the Revolutionary war. Lincoln feared that the United States would lose their unity and fought to preserve it during the Civil War. Most recently, the United States feared terrorism and weapons of mass destruction and invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. Fear drove Mariam and Liala to kill their husband and fear changed the city that they lived in. In Mariam and Liala's case, the Taliban, who were once praised, staged public massacres which kept people off the streets and their whole economy suffered as a result.

Week 7 Post A

Definitions

Mewling(226)- To cry weakly; whimper.

Blithely(218)- Joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful:

Figurative Language

"And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hop, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin poisonous flowers began to sprout in the parched land of that field, Mariam uprooted them. She uprooted them and ditched them before they took hold"(229). This quote uses the flowers to symbolize Mariam's hopes and dreams. Because she doesn't want to be let down, she doesn't hope for any love or anything special in her life.

"Mariam could see their wings catching the phosphorescent blue of moonlight beaming through the clouds"(218). I felt that this was good description on Khaled Hosseini's part. It almost seems like poetry when reading this book. It adds and element that provides the reader something extra to think about.

"The baby's hand balled into a fist. It rose, fell, found a spastic path to her mouth. Around a mouthful of her own hand, the baby gave Mariam a grin, little bubbles of spittle shining on her lips"(217). I liked how Khaled Hosseini used appealing words to describe an unappealing, sloppy baby. It shows his creative side and shows that he put some effort into what he tries to convey to his reader.

Quote

"The streets became littered with bodies, glass, and crumpled chunks of metal. There was looting, murder, and, increasingly, rape, which was used to intimidate civilians and reward militiamen"(227).

Students at EHS have heard and dealt with tragic events such as shootings and suicides and constantly tell themselves, "I'm lucky it wasn't me." It's hard to see just how fortunate we are and Khaled Hosseini's knowledge of Kabul and the hardships that people experience there on an everyday basis provides a better prospective on our lives. Making the comparison from my life to the book gets me thinking about the whole world rather than complaining about the homework that is due the next day at school.

Theme

For the first time, the two seemingly separate plots come together and create an unusual tension and hatred between the two main characters. As they grow together, the reader learns that feelings of anxiety and disgust can quickly turn into hope and happiness.