Speech
I ask Miriam to join me in escaping Rasheed's oppressive control, demonstrating trust in Miriam, and hopefulness in escape. Who am I?
Laila
Laila considers abortion, but decide not to realizing it is due to her unrest with Rasheed. What kind of complexity might she be demonstrating?
-Being reflective
-Being thoughtful
-Being considerate
By bringing Laila a wedding band by selling Miriam's, I demonstrate a lack of compassion and caring. Who am I?
Rasheed
"You on the other hand would be a Benz."
Who is Rasheed talking about and why might this language illustrate certain unjust complexities about him?
Laila:
-His reference to her as a car could represent his comparison of wives or woman to materials
-His comparison of Laila to a Mercedes in contrast with Miriam being older could represent his value placed on youth, unjustly justifying his choice to marry Laila
I choose to trust the man with a wife and child to buy our tickets of escape. Who am I, and what complexity might I be demonstrating in this choice?
Laila:
-Underlying Trust
-Persisting Hopefulness
-Potential lack of judgement
I intervene, agreeing to Rasheed's wishes in order to protect the other women in the marriage. Who am I?
Lalia
"I won't be you servant, I won't"
Miriam insists she won't be Laila's servant in one of their first interactions. What might her insistency on not being a servant to Laila indicate about her relationship with Rasheed so far?
-She is fed up with his actions and demands
-She has had enough with obeying Rasheed's wishes, and will not obey this one
Rasheed chooses to punish Miriam if Laila betrays him in any way. What possible complexities might this choice illustrate in Rasheed?
-Evil cunning
-Manipulation
-Cruelty
In chapter 34, Laila admires Aziza, saying her father Tariq was handsome and perfect. What complexities or thoughts might be occurring with Laila at this time?
-A sense of longing/missing towards Tariq
-Discontent with Rasheed, trying to replace her sense of unrest in Rasheed with her contempt in Tariq
Rasheed states: "I haven't had a decent nights sleep in two months!" Demanding the baby is brought outside. What kind of complexities might he be revealing?
-Lack of empathy
-Lack of compassion
-Selfishness
-Unfatherhoodly traits
Why might Rasheed choose to give special treatment towards Zalmai over Aziza? What complexities might this reveal about Afghanistan during that time?
-Because of Afghanistan's value on women being so low, Rasheed places more importance on his relationship with Zalmai over Aziza
-Being another man in the house, Zalmai could be an heir to Rasheed in Rasheed's eyes, so he pampers Zamai because of that
Why might Zalmai act differently when around either his mother or father? What complexities might illustrate this action?
-Zalmai adapts to match the personality traits of whichever parent he is around
-His fathers gifts and special treatment he receives causes him to change and lean towards his father
-The position of power that a man has in the house in Afghanistan at the time causes Zalmai to alternate between the wisdom of his mother, and getting drawn towards the oppressiveness of his father
By only referring to Rasheed when speaking to her child as it's father, and not by his name, Rasheed, what might Laila be trying to invoke in her child?
-A sense of distance in relationship from Rasheed
-A sense of lack of power in Rasheed, by taking away his name
During Laila's second delivery, Miriam really starts to understand the sufferings and trauma Nana had to go through, then chooses to devote herself to helping Laila during the process. What might this action of devoted servanthood during the tough process represent in Miriam?
-In coming to terms with what Nana had to go through in childbirth, she wants to make the process as smooth as possible for Laila
-She wants to help Laila, as she has grown closer to her throughout their struggles with Rasheed
-In recognizing the lack of preparedness the hospital has for childbirth, she wants to help as best she can to make up for the lack of materials available
The Taliban enforces strict laws, similar to those that Rasheed implements towards Laila and Mariam. What might it represent that those two character types have similar ideals?
-Rasheed could be compared to the Taliban because of his unjust ways of leadership in his household
-Afghanistan as a whole creates a certain comfortability for men towards unjust treatment of women