Imagine a group of people, then imagine them taking over and terrorizing people. Very ironclad laws prevent many activities and consequences are really unreasonable. That's what people in the Middle East go through to the group called the Taliban, both in real life and in the novel Under the Persimmon Tree, by Suzanne Fisher Staples. In the novel a girl named Najmah, goes to Peshawar, escaping the life before that was ruined by the Taliban.The novel Under the Persimmon Tree, portrayed the Taliban as a cruel, strict group of people, while in reality, it is basically the same. The author chose to show the Taliban's rule to impact the novel's characters and conflicts. In the novel, the Taliban is portrayed as a harsh group of people. They do many reckless things. Firstly, Taliban take men, they “slaughter men like goats, slitting them open and leaving their blood to soak into the ground” (Staples 12). The Taliban does reckless deeds and feel no remorse. In addition, the Taliban enforces strict laws. They are also really specific such as “men should have beards that you …show more content…
First of all, Najmah had to become “S-H-A-H-E-E-D” (Staples 193) because she had to hide from the organization. That is because she is a girl and growing up as a girl is difficult. If she got caught, she could possibly face severe consequences which might lead to death. She also mostly hid from them. Then, due to the Taliban's turmoils against America, Najmah's “mother lies on the ground, with her legs splayed at odd angles” (67). This caused Najmah to lose her family and house. She has nowhere to go and becomes a refugee along with millions of others who are searching for a new home. Najmah has no choice but to leave the country. Because of Taliban beliefs, Najmah finally gets a quality education because as a girl, it is hard to go to school. She describes it as her teacher “teaches in English, so it is doubly difficult.”
The novel Swallows of Kabul by Yasmine Khadar shows how Kabul is under the control of the Taliban’s and how they treat the people of Kabul. This novel illustrates the Islamic culture, and how Kabul has been affected by the invasion of Taliban’s. This book shows the different perspective from different characters; it shows both female and male versions of what it was like to live in Kabul at that time. This book also goes into depth about how women had no voice, and were treated unfairly with little or barely any respect. This novel is very meaningful and it basically paints you a picture of life in Kabul while the Taliban’s are in charge.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live as an Afghan girl under the rule of the Taliban? This question is answered in the book My Forbidden Face. Latifa, a young Afghan girl, discusses her struggles throughout the book. Latifa faces several different problems while being under the rule of the Taliban. She handles these problems with the best of her ability.
Rumors spread to Najmah that “woman wearing henna on their fingertips had their fingers chopped off”(Staples 12). When Najmah heard the clink of bangles under a woman’s burqa and the click of her heels on the pavement, the sound created an unsettling sensation within her. Suddenly, Najmah recalled how the “Taliban would whip women whose shoes made a sound on paving stones (Staples 180).” She wanted to warn the woman, for her mother had told her that “women risk their lives by hiding their jewelry” (Staples 180). As for Nusrat, notwithstanding the fact that she just moved to Pakistan not long ago, she was extremely vigilant and prudent when the Taliban was around. One time, a servant of Nusrat’s disappeared. Nusrat sent someone to search for her and discovered that “she had been badly beaten and was held without charges” (Staples 99). From this incident, the unfair treatment towards women helped Nusrat to learn more about the Taliban’s rules in Pakistan. Given the facts above, it is very apparent that Taliban’s cruelty toward women is depicted precisely and vividly through the different stories of two
The Taliban regime was infamous for its treatment of women. Windows had to be painted black so men could not look into the windows of houses and see the women inside. Women were unable to work. Under Taliban rule, women were not allowed to be educated, unable to go to school or university. 9 out of 10 Afghan women are illiterate. Unfortunately, Meena was unwillingly cast into the role of teacher to young girls who wanted to learn how to read. Because she had been to university, girls flocked to...
Different events occur when the Taliban gains power. Their invasion on women's rights shows a theme throughout the novel.
The Taliban or “students” is a political-religious group founded in Kandahar, Afghanistan. They controlled 90% of Afghanistan from 1996-2001, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The group formed after the ten year war in Afghanistan in anticipation of composing a new society based from Islamic Law. Most of the members in
The Taliban also require all women to wear a chadri (a veil that covers the woman's head, face, shoulders, and arms). In addition to veiling, which Lerner's book talks about, it is mandatory that women are accompanied by a man at all times when they are out in public. Also, women cannot wear brightly colored clothing or make-up under their chadri. In further attempt to keep women out of the public eye it is forbidden that women work. This is almost like what Mintz talks about in her book where in the 1950's women are not supposed to hold jobs or get a college education. In the 1950's it is for more of a social reason rather than law, but the same idea applies. Men frown upon the thought that their wives are more educated than them or that their wives have a job. Women are supposed to stay home and keep house.
Terrorists need everything to go their way, or they will kill or severely injure you if you don't obey. Although these extremist groups known as terrorist groups, are terrible they are happening, and many people are being abused because of it. The book I used in this essay is Under the Persimmon Tree, by Suzanne Fisher Staples. The book is about a family of four living in a small village. The mother is pregnant with a third child. The Taliban takes Baba-jan (father to the main character), and Nur (teenage boy, main character's brother) to fight, also they take all their remaining food, and supplies. Baba-jan is killed immediately after he was taken, along with all the other men in the village. Mada-jan (mother of the main character), and Habib
...ented in a purposeful, realistic manner, but it also shed some light on the real Afghani culture. Khaled Hosseini is a master at catching the reader’s attention right from the get-go, and in the end, leaving him wanting some more. From reading this story, I got to see Afghanistan from the female perspective, rather than the male perspective in Hosseini’s other book, The Kite Runner. It certainly was a joy to read; however, the story was slow at times, yet intense at others. Overall, I would recommend this book to other people, not just because it was a great story, but also because it gives the reader a certain sense of awareness for the violence that is really happening in Afghanistan right this second. To some, Afghanistan may seem like a country laden with war-torn violence and destruction, but to others, it is a country that shines in its own, true beauty.
When Baba-jan and Nur are taken away, Baba-jan tells Najmah to “take care of your mother” (14). After hearing this, Najmah takes on more responsibilities in her life, even though at first she doesn’t “grasp what his words mean” but she is “used to obeying” (14) so she tries to make sense of those words. Though she does not understand completely what his words mean, she does her best to understand what he means, despite having little idea of what that statement means. After the Taliban takes away half of her family, she understands why “everyone is frightened by the Taliban” (12). Everyone is afraid that the Taliban will come through their village and suffer the same fate that Baba-jan and Nur had faced. The Taliban not only creates conflict for characters in the book, but they also create a lot of conflict for people in the real world too. For example, "The Taliban were recently on the news the past week as they attacked a school near Peshawar" (Sam and Max). The Taliban is a major source of conflict everywhere they go. They have either harmed or killed people in every place they have been, causing conflict in both the novel and in real life, changing people’s lives
Honor, religion, and poetry are the most important parts of Afghanistan’s culture. Stereotypes are used to cover up all of the culture and goodness that once was and still can be seen all over the nation. Headlines all over the world focus on all the things that have created the war-torn country that it is today. Khaled Hosseini illustrates the goodness and cultures of Afghanistan before the Soviet take over. He also shows all that has happened to the country and the hope that remains. Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, uses the character Amir, conflicts between characters, and the theme of redemption in order to show Afghanistan’s downfall and the ability to rebuild.
In protest to this, Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl, refused to follow these rules, and even began a blog for the British Broadcasting Corporation, detailing her life under Taliban rule. In response to her protest, a gunman approached her, and shot her three times. This assassination attempt started a global movement in support of Yousafzai and her beliefs. Like Thoreau, Gandhi, King, and Yousafzai, one must realize when others are being oppressed and take action against those in power who oppress the people they rule. Otherwise, there will never be change, and the world will never see justice.
One aspect of the novel that highlights this struggle is its setting, as it takes place during four time periods, each at a different stage in Afghan history. Throughout these unstable decades, the country’s government went through continuous upheavals with each new government advocating different
Amir comes from a wealthy family and lives in a beautiful home in an affluent neighborhood in Kabul. Amir is also a Pashtun, a Sunni Muslim. Sunni’s were the majority and they were respected and valued as human beings. On the contrary, Hassan was the servant’s son. He was poor. Unlike Amir, he was a Hazara, a Shia Muslim. Shia’s were not respected. They were degraded by society. Although Amir and Hassan were identified differently, they were raised together and became close friends. Given the setting, Amir and Hassan’s relationship was not approved by everyone. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, society became worse and their friendship took a toll. Hassan was bullied and insulted for being a Hazara. Assef, the bully in the novel says “Afghanistan is the land of the Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here” (Hosseini, 40). Assef demonstrates the views of many people in Afghanistan. Those who were not Pashtuns were oppressed. Assef says that Hassan’s people “Pollute our homeland and dirty our blood” (40). Assef represents people like the Taliban. The Taliban were the fundamentalist who acted in violence. They had political movements that caused war. These views caused a division between both social classes and religions. People like Assef and the Taliban did not want the Hazaras to exist, so they turned to violence to try and get rid of them. The social milieu often led to negative events in
...ous and being there can raise concern. These political concerns relate closely with issues addressed in the film particularly with the war in Afghanistan and the threat of terrorism. The senior Taliban leader Ahamd Shah depicts an accurate image of what members of the Taliban are like, which means killing any American who comes into their country.