Assignment 2:Disscusion topic C

          The past of Laili a character in Khalid Houssini's novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is affected the most by her past which affect her both negatively and positively. Laili as a character is developed the most by her Babi who thought her that a women is just as good as m man and that an education is the most important possestion she will ever have, these ideas make her into a strong willed women whose spirit isn't easily broken. These attributes negatively affect her because she is basically the embodiment of what a women shouldn't be educated, independent, and strong willed, this is supported by the quote "Laili's life suddenly revolved around finding ways to see Aziza. Half the time, she never made it to the orphanage...the Taliban... (beat her with assortments clubs...tree branches, short whips, slaps, often fists... but for Laili, the reward if she made it... was worth it..."(Chapter 42, pages 285 & 286). This one quote sums up all the quality's that make her her, Laili is obviously determined to she her daughter Aziza and cunning enough to avoid detection from the Taliban, Although when they did find her they beat her which is a negative. A positive aspect of being who she is though is reviled at the end of the book Laili is able to take part in rebuilding Kabul by educating its youth. when she returns to Kabul ready to make a difference in the world, the novel quotes,"she started hearing Babi...You can be anything you want, Laili... and i...know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you...i want to go back...to Kabul... i want to be part of it all i want to do something. i want to contribute." (Chapter 51, pages 345 &346). Laili character traits cause her to do something positive in the rebuilding of Kabul, which is also a positive aspect of being who she is because its what she wanted. Laili's strong character is one which has both its pros and its cons, but they make her who she is.

Assignment 2:Discussion topic B

          Khalid Housini author of the novel "A Thousand Splendid Suns" uses the literary elements of point of view and imagery to describe the roles of gender. The most prominent division of the male and the female, other then in Rasheeds dwelling, would be Afghanistan once the Taliban took Kabul from the warlords. The Taliban use there point of view, which would be the laws of Allah (their Muslim deity), to rule some of these rules established by the Taliban would be "Attention women: You will stay inside...at all times...if...caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home...You will not... show your face. You will cover with burqa...Cosmetics... Jewelry are/is forbidden..."(Chapter 37, page 248). . an Afghan man on the other hand merly grow a beard "that's correct length is one clenched fist below the chin" while a Afghan women is striped of the identity, the burqa covers all of the body not even allowing the eyes of a women to be seen due to the mesh covering there eyes and they are not to were there jewelry or makeup which represents there own personal style. There also striped of freedom, body, and self worth for they are to never leave the house alone and if they do the are severely beaten losing there bodies and pride as a women. With the Establishment of the Taliban's point of view a women loses many of the attributes which make up not only a women  but humanity itself. Hossini also uses Imagery to show the differences in the day to day life of a man and a women by giving the reader a seance of the magnitude at which these women are being beaten. Throughout the book the most abrasive character would have to be Rasheed who both tourers his two wives Mariam and Laili and also beats them multiple times throughout the novel is described to the reader in a scene full of images. One of the most vivid of these beatings is the last one these two women receive from Rasheed, the novel quotes "He meant to suffocate her... Mariam grabbed a shovel... he was still on top of Laili, his eyes wide and crazy, his hands wrapped around her neck... he was going to kill her... Mariam raised the shovel high... (and) brought down the shovel..." (chapter45, page 311). A women in this society is punished to the highest degree possible of there crime while a man only an eye for an eye. this is shown in the quote for the reason the Rasheed means to kill laili is because she talked to another man other then Rasheed. Through the use of imagery the reader can feel all the years of mistreatment that have been brought to Mariam as she delivers the final crushing blow to her husband because she had been treated as a women and not an individual. Both point of view and imagery are used to describe the incredible gap between a man and a women in this society.