Quote Analysis
"Was it the same when I was born, or was it okay since I was the first? Sometimes I wish I did not pay such careful attention."
What is Amal referring to and how does she feel?
- She is referring to the way her parents are reacting to her mother having another daughter.
- She fears that maybe she was viewed in the same way when she was born.
"But I didn’t stop. I kept running, as if the farther I went, the farther I could leave my destiny behind."
Amal running away from the house is a metaphor for her running away from _________________
the situation with Jawad; she would like to avoid it, rather than face the consequences for talking back to him.
" “But it’s your family!” I bit my tongue. I shouldn’t have said anything, but how could she find time to go to Lahore for shopping trips and not have time to see her family who lived just ten minutes away?"
Amal says this reflection when she and Nasreen are talking about how Narseen rarely visits her family. In what way do you think Amal is projecting her own feelings and struggles onto Nasreen's situation?
- She would do anything to go back home, whereas Narseen has accepted that her life is different now. Amal can't understand it.
"Regret, I was learning, was the sharpest knife there was."
What type of literary device is this, and what does it mean?
- Metaphor
- Regret is painful, powerful, and long-lasting
"Fatima sat down next to me and I read to her. I was wrong to expect her to get restless; instead she hung on to every word."
What is happening and why is it such a big deal to Amal?"
- Amal is finally being seen as a teacher
- Fatima has found something she enjoys that she can improve at
"A glass perched on its edge trembled before
crashing onto the floor."
What type of figurative language is this, and what picture does it help to paint in your mind?
- personification (a glass cannot tramble)
- gives the image of a glass shaking and falling
" “Nonsense. You’re our guest here for a short while. Relax.” Guest? It was just an offhand remark.
They meant it kindly. But to call me a guest in the only place I ever belonged—the word cut like a jagged stone against my heart."
Who said the first sentence of this section, and why does it hurt Amal so badly?
- Her mother said the quote
- All she wanted was to go home and feel normal, but is now realizing how she is forever impacted by having to go away
"The designs on my palms would take hours to dry, but tomorrow the deep brown Seema painted on would transform into a brilliant orange. It would eventually fade away completely, but for a little while, when I was back at Jawad Sahib’s estate, these hands would remain colored with the memory of this night."
Amal literally had designs on her hands, but what else does she mean about how she will "remain colored with the memory of this night"?
- The henna will remind her of being home, and she will replay the day in her mind, since she enjoyed it so much and wishes she could remain back
" “No, it’s not fair. But that’s life.” There it was yet again, my father’s words: Life isn’t fair. Maybe it was true, but why was that a reason to just accept everything and go along with it?"
What are the characters literally talking about in this quote, and how else could the quote apply to the overall story?
- Literally discussing the rumor of a woman turning down marrying Jawad
- Could also apply to Amal and her situation (how she doesn't want to just accept it)
Transform this sentence into a simile, metaphor, or personification:
"Amal was nervous when she arrived at the house."
answers will vary