Before and After Mar Dushmani
“Friend by Day, Enemy by Night” shares an in depth look into the lives of the Kohistanis who live in Thull, Pakistan. The author of the text, Lincoln Keiser, goes into great depth in explaining the life of these people before and after mar dushmani. Mar dushmani can be directly translated as “death enmity.” This social relationship between the Kohistanis causes for many problems. As a general principle death enmity allows men to retaliate whenever another man wrongs them, though the act of revenge itself should not exceed the original wrong. The example stated in the book is, “a blow should answer a blow and a death answer a death.” For such offenses as attacks on men through their wives, sisters, and daughters retaliation usually occurs in deadly violence. Killing the offender is considered the most appropriate response. Although violence usually takes place during retaliation, it is not the only way to handle it.
The rules don’t always require taking revenge. Enemies can peacefully settle mar dushmani in one of two ways. First, if the murderer feels desperate because he thinks he will be killed he can sue for peace, but even doing this causes certain risks. Asking for mercy requires the murderer to enter his enemy’s guestroom holding his dagger with a piece of white cloth tied to its blade. “If he enters before his enemy kills him, he then must crawl under one of the string beds in the room.” He calls out from there, “Kill me! I am at your mercy,” says Keiser. The man suing for peace is not asking to be killed, but instead formally requesting that he accept compensation instead of seeking revenge. If the wronged party refuses to accept the plea he must find a close relative to remove the enemy from his house. The other option the wronged party has it to choose to settle the case peacefully by accepting compensation. Men usually pay compensation for murder in money, a sum of about four to six thousand dollars. Sometimes land and more rarely women in marriage are given. If this is accepted peace usually follows, but their still remains a certain risk. If certain relatives of the wronged do not receive any compensation they may still want to carry out mar dushmani and retaliate. This would include friends or distant relative who feels upset but was not compensated. The...
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...ciety could buy and own a firearm. The wealth increased in Thull when herding diminished. The change to their economic system included cultivating potatoes as a cash crop, coupled with an increased number of fields significantly increased hard cash in the community. The supply of money expanded even further following large-scale timber exploitation.
Blood feuding and dushmani has only developed in the past few decades in Thull. It is stated that this has occurred because of economic change and political modernization, which both have been previously stated. As an American citizen I find it very difficult to understanding how such a society can actually work. This book is informative of a society and culture that most Americans probably have never heard of. I cannot even begin to imagine living in such a place. Worrying about your life everyday would have to be very frustrating especially not even knowing who your enemies are. I can understand why everybody carries a firearm because if you don’t your life is put at a much higher risk. Overall, this book gives great insight into another culture, but makes me appreciate the country I live in much more.
Alsana faces the expectation of fulfilling her proper role as the subservient, good muslim wife; however, she subverts this tradition by actively fighting against her husband Samad and, therefore, maintaining her sovereignty. When Alsana expresses her support for her husband’s motion during a PTA meeting, the other wives look “over to her with the piteous saddened smiles they reserved for subjugated Muslim women” (Smith 110). This perception fails to take into account the conflict that occurs under the surface of their seemingly traditional marriage. Before she finally expresses support for him, “Samad pressed Alsana’s hand. She kicked him in the ankle. He stamped on her toe. She pinched his flank. He bent back her little finger and grudgingly raised her right arm while deftly elbowing him in the crotch with her left” (Smith 110). Physical violence is the hallmark of the power struggle within Samad and Alsana’s marriage; it is the manner in which Alsana expresses her defiance to the proper role that it is assumed she should take in her marriage. This physical violence is so common, in fact, that as they violently fight in their garden, their twins calmly watch, placing bets on who will win (Smith 167). This normalization of the violence further highlights how innate it is to their
Violent Jihad as a struggle against one’s enemies has its root in [these] situations. When the Islamic religion spread over the region, Jihad became a religious tenet and assumed the form of a peaceful, internal struggle to strive for the good and reject the evil in one’s action. Violent, external conflict was never r...
Together, the improvements in agriculture, transportation, and communication changed the ways of economic, social, and political life. By the 1850s, farming had become a leading commercial activity. The standard of living for many farm families also improved. ?Undeveloped land dotted with scattered farms, primitive roads, and modest local markets was transformed into an engine of capitalist expansion, audacious investment, and global reach.? (Tindall, 432)
Additionally, the fact that Hester feels as if Rogers touch is scorching her through the letter is a glimpse into his true intentions – the fact that he seeks deliberate destruction of both her and Arthur for their wrongdoings. Finally, Hawthorne describes Roger’s destruction in the conclusion of the novel by stating, “Nothing was more remarkable than the change which took place almost immediately after Mr. Dimmesdale’s death …This unhappy man had made the very principle of his life to consist in the pursuit and systematic exercise of revenge…there was no more devil’s work on earth for him to do…” (Hawthorne 244). Through this quote, the reader can assume that because Roger’s need of revenge against Reverend Dimmesdale had come to utterly consume his life until he was the epitome of evil, once Arthur had died, Roger could no longer go on living, as his only will to live was taken from him unexpectedly. Furthermore, this quote perfectly represents the theme that even well-meaning secrets and deceptions can lead to destruction, because of Roger’s choice to hide behind a fake name and lie in order to destroy those that had wronged him. This ultimately corrupted his once pure soul, turning him into the human equivalent of the devil, and later taking his
When discussing the difference between groups of people and their agricultural and production habits, he writes, “if a people, while they retain their frugality, increase their industry, and improve their arts, their numbers must grow in proportion. Hence it is, that the cultivated fields of Europe are more peopled than the wilds of America, or the plains of Tartary” (Ferguson 232, Nabu Press 2010). Ferguson continues by discussing the factors that contribute to the growth of wealth, writing, “while arts improve, and riches increase; while the possessions of individuals, or their prospects of gain, come up to their opinion of what is required to settle a family, they enter on its cares with alacrity” (232-233). Not only is Ferguson making the claim that wealth and population are intrinsically tied to one another, as stated previously, he provides rough answers to the questions that...
...ate cancer are the quality of life, medical care, and nutrition. I have learned that scientists are coming up with broader and unique treatments of this cancer. One other factor that I encountered while researching was that African American men were more likely to develop this cancer due to the lack of resources to help themselves.
Unfortunately, educating a whole population on the correct definitions of men and women is an arduous if not impossible task. Hence, there will always exist problems and conflicts between the sexes due to misinterpretation and misunderstanding between each other. It is imperative to all to comprehend that men and women are not only physically different, but psychologically different as well. And, the encapsulation of all these differences unavoidably leads to distinct power aspects and struggles.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. This cancer effects a gland only in males called the prostate. This gland can be found in below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The purpose of the prostate is to make a portion of the fluid that protects and nourishes sperm cells in semen. The urethra runs through the prostate and carries urine and semen out through the penis.
Hester’s shame and guilt make her unable to express herself freely because she feels trapped by having to wear the scarlet letter “A” on her chest. "Hester Prynne might have repaid them all with a bitter and disdainful smile. But under the leaden infliction which it was her doom to endure, she felt at moments as if she must need to shriek." (Hawthorne 52-53). She wants revenge on everyone that has judged her for her sinful mistakes. Hester is slowly being isolated from the world and she can not express her anger or hatred for the townspeople. Hester is forced to act kind to others to avoid confrontations, which shows that she is afraid of the guilt and she is actually trying to hide from it. Guilt is still the consequence that causes Hester to become isolated from the world around her. Dimmesdale is guilty for committing adultery with Hester, his secret lover. His greatest fear is that the townspeople will find out about his sin. Dimmesdale does not confess his sin to the public because he believes that a reverend must act holy and can never sin. Therefore, he suffers through the guilt of his sin that he has to live with. He endures pain from Roger Chillingworth who tortures him. While Hester endured the public shame of the scarlet letter “A” on her chest, Dimmesdale goes through a much more painful experience. Dimmesdale’s guilt is an internal struggle and is much
Prior to Islam, it was common for the nomadic tribes that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula to worship an extensive number of idols. Also, of these tribes had their own laws concerning marriage, hospitality, revenge etc. As tribes clashed, crimes were not always settled with the same punishments being the final outcome, as laws varied for each tribe (Dunn, 63). This uneven and inconsistent approach to justice caused tension to rise between the tribes, and more conflicts arose.
Bullying is a growing concern in a society where status and exercising power over another human being are increasingly important in developing one’s social circles. Dan Olweus (Norwegian researcher and founder of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program) defines it as an “aggressive behaviour that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power. Most often, it is repeated over time” (Violencepreventionworks.org). School victimization is an especially delicate matter that has only really been in the public eye for the past half century, as more and more researchers and psychologists pointed out its short- and long-term negative effects on targeted individuals. It has since been widely investigated and numerous programs have been developed in an effort to address and prevent the many forms of bullying that exist today. The negative effects of such an abusive behaviour are various and can greatly differ from individual to individual. However, there are three main consequences that can be associated with school bullying, which are: school avoidance, depression/anxiety and even suicidal attempts.
There are four different types of bullying. These are physical, verbal, indirect, and cyber bullying. Physical bullying includes any type of physical contact towards another person that is unwanted, such as hitting, kicking, pinching, punching, even spitting. Breaking others possessions or simply taking their belongings are also examples of physical bullying. When the parents physically abuse children, they often feel as if it is their fault they are being knocked around. If the child has no one to talk to, or no one to tell, the physical abuse can go on for years and cause multiple problems for the child, even in their adult years.
Have you ever been personally bullied by another person? Maybe you have not had your head forced into a locker, but verbally hurt? Bullying today can be quite serious. Bullying is when someone tries to hurt another person by hitting them or by simply hurting them with their words. Bullying is something that can have a huge impact on its victims. It might be something that lasts throughout their lives, or something that might cause them to take their lives. Bullies make small groups so that they can pick on other students who are small, fragile, and who can not defend themselves. Picking on someone should not be accepted because it can affect a person's well being in a drastic way. Bullying is believed to be a normal part of school life. However, when people begin to have that mentality they forget that bullying is psychologically and physically harmful to both the victim and the bully.
There are different forms of bullying, either form bullying is intimidating act which needs to be seriously addressed. Bullying forms include; physical bullying, social bullying and verbal bullying.
Knowing the types of ways an individual can be bullied is important. The common type of bullying is among children in school, which in most cases, happens physically: whereby the child is beaten, which Mary and her brother Ralph experienced while growing up. For example, Mary’s brother on several occasions went home from school with bruises which he got from being hit by his classmates. Physical bullying occurs when a student is trying to gain power over peers and to get such power, him or her results to hitting, which in return is detrimental to the victim. Physical bullying is the easiest type of bullying to be identified, thereby, making it a little bit easier to stop or control.