Under The Persimmon Tree Sparknotes

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Introduction: (AGG) The book Under the Persimmon Tree demonstrates how characters deal with the real life conflicts fought by Taliban women everyday. (BS-1) Staples creates conflicts for her characters through the Taliban dress code. (BS-2) Najmah and Nusrat both act differently to the Taliban’s code of law regarding traveling with a male relative. (BS-3) A conflict with society is created for Najmah because of the Taliban’s code of law. (TS) The author correctly demonstrates the unfair treatment of women in the Taliban through conflict in her book Under the Persimmon Tree. First Body Paragraph: (MIP-1) The Taliban had strict laws regarding the clothes worn by women, Staples correctly shows this through the characters in her …show more content…

(SIP-A) Nusrat, on one hand, follows the laws regarding women traveling alone. (STEWE-1) In order to protect themselves from the Taliban, Nusrat and Husna travel only with a male "Basharat poses as the brother or husband of Nusrat or Husna" (Staples 78). Since neither Nusrat nor Husna have a male relative with them, they travel with Basharat to insure that safety. How Nusrat deals with conflict, shows how scared she truly is over the Taliban’s laws. (STEWE-2) The punishments for the women who broke the Taliban’s law were great and costly. “Reportedly, women were shot to death… for attempting to leave Afghanistan without a male family member to accompany them” (“The Afghan Taliban Strikes Out”). Nusrat is truly frightened by the Taliban laws and follows them to avoid punishment, even though she might think that the laws are wrong. The laws regarding traveling help shown how Nusrat truly feels about the Taliban and their laws. (SIP-B) Najmah,on the other hand, alters her appearance so she can travel without a male and go against the Taliban’s rules. (STEWE-1) Najmah dresses as a boy despite the consequences she could face if she were caught by the Taliban. “I take advantage of being dressed as a boy to wander in the makeshift bazaar” (Staples 148). Najmah uses her appearance as an advantage to not bond with Khalida and Akhtar. This shows that Najmah values her …show more content…

(SIP-A) To protect herself from the Taliban, Najmah must become Shaheed. (STEWE-1) Khalida and Akhtar change Najmah into Shaheed to protect her from the Taliban’s laws against women. “If you speak,’ she says, her voice barely audible, ‘be sure to call me Khalid. Not Khalida. I shall call you Shaheed.’ I nod my head slightly. ‘It isn't safe for a woman or girl in a strange city” (Staples 90). Khalida demands that they call each other by male names to make them seem more believable as men. Women weren’t safe in strange cities because of the Taliban’s laws. “The whippings were extreme: the recovery period could be months, and sometimes the whippings were fatal” (“The Afghan Taliban Strikes Out”). In order to stay safe from these harsh punishments, Khalida and Najmah make sure to stay unsuspicious. (STEWE-2) Akhtar introduces Najmah as Shaheed to the malek so she will have more freedoms in the refugee camp. “‘This,’ he says, ‘is Shaheed, my oldest son’” (Staples 128). As a girl, Najmah wouldn't have been given as many rights in the refugee camp if she were a boy. She also wouldn't be safe with all the strange people around. So in order to protect her and give her more rights, Akhtar and Khalida change her into Shaheed. (SIP-B) Najmah slowly returns back to herself after seeking safety from the Taliban’s laws. (STEWE-1) Nusrat slowly begins to open up Najmah after meeting her. “But it's very

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