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More handpicked essays just for you.
The issue of gender inequality
Women in English literature
Women in English literature
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In times of cruel treatment and oppression women find courage in one another to persist. Mariam and Laila suffer as victims of patriarchal authority. Living under the unjust rule of the Taliban they are taught by society to suffer in silence. They are able to withstand this life by finding strength in one another in the toughest of times. Because of Rasheeds abuse the two develop a strong relationship that closely resembles a mother and daughter. Mariam realizes that like herself Laila is an outsider to society which became the foundation of their friendship. The impact of Mariam and Laila's relationship helped Mariam develop the courage to fight back against her abusive husband Rasheed. Mariam murdered Rasheed to protect Laila. But even though
In the Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett, Homer and Mother Maria both display straightforward, hardworking, and stubborn character traits. Firstly, Homer and Mother Maria both display a straightforward personality by being brutally honest about their opinions. For example, when Mother Maria asks Homer to build a chapel, Homer speaks his mind by telling her he does not want to build it. Mother Maria shows her straightforward behavior during Homer’s stay at the convent. One morning, when Homer sleeps in late, Mother to becomes extremely upset and is not afraid to show how she feels about him. Secondly, both Homer and Mother Maria display a hardworking spirit. Homer is a hardworking man because after finally agreeing to build the chapel,
In the beginning chapters of Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion, focuses more on the main character, Maria Weyth. Maria Wyeth is a woman who was raised in Nevada by her mother and father. Do to her degenerate gambling father, the whole family decides to move to New York. There transition from Nevada to New York was not only focused on Maria’s father’s gambling, but also was for Maria’s acting school. Maria’s parents encouraged her to pursue an acting career in New York. As they being to adapt to the city environment, Maria’s family begin to fade away. Maria’s mother then father pass away. In a relationship with film producer Carter Lang, Maria begins to tumble downwards. Kate, Maria’s 4 year-old daughter, does not live with Maria nor with
As her family is packing up to leave Kabul, a stray rocket hits her house, leaving her unconscious and her mother and father dead. Laila wakes up in Mariam and Rasheed’s house, and they take care of her as she heals from the explosion. While she’s staying in their home, Rasheed decides he wants to marry her. Mariam protests, but Rasheed doesn’t care what she thinks. Laila agrees to marry Rasheed because she is pregnant and can pass the baby off as his. When Laila tells Rasheed she is pregnant, he is overjoyed. He hopes for a boy, and during Laila’s pregnancy he treats her like a queen. When Laila delivers a baby girl, Rasheed is disgusted by the smells and sounds baby Aziza makes. Rasheed neglects Aziza and implies that the baby isn’t his. Laila decided that she was going to run away soon after baby Aziza was born. Laila, Mariam, and baby Aziza get to the train station and find a man that they think is willing to act as their relative but instead he tells the authorities. The women are taken to a police station, and then sent home. Rasheed punishes them by putting them in separate hot rooms without water or food for one day. He then threatens to kill them if they try to run away again. Laila gets pregnant again, and this time gives birth to the boy Rasheed has been hoping for. They name him Zalmai,
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry has many interesting characters. In my opinion, the most fascinating character is Ruth because of her many emotions and captivating personality. She goes through extreme emotions in the play such as happiness, sadness, anger, stress, and confusion. Ruth is very independent, firm, kind, witty, and loving.
Laila--an originally young girl pregnant with her best friend’s child--became obliged to marry Rasheed once hm and Mariam nurse her back to health after a bomb injuries her and kills the rest of her family. Originally, Mariam and Laila did not understand each other, but after awhile Laila and Zalmai became the reason that Mariam found hope in the world. Through Rasheed’s wrath and lust, they helped each other through their abusive situations and found support in one another. The end of Mariam’s life resulted from Mariam’s love for Laila. She searched all her life for something that gave her life purpose, and she found it in Laila and her children. She described Laila and her children as flowers that bloomed in her life and brought back hope for a better ending. When she began to see the end for Laila, she took matters into her own hands for the first time in her life, stating that she “it occurred to her that this was the first time that she was deciding the course of her own life” (349). After murdering Rasheed, and saving Laila and her children, Mariam faces the inevitable consequences of death. She reminiscents her life, feeling very content with herself and what she has accomplished. She thought “of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable
The novel a “Thousand Splendid Suns” tells the tale of a oppressing story about two women by the name of Mariam and Lila who undergo tremendous difficulties firstly because they belong to the discriminated gender women. These two women are surrounded by war, domestic abuse, family losses and violence. Hosseini through the use of various imagery and symbolism unearths the plight of women. Novel the "A Thousand Splendid Suns" set against the backdrop of Afghanistan’s recent history it narrates the tale of two woman who were born decades apart but are pitted against each other and brought together through a series of extremely tragic events. Mariam, the illegitimate child of a wealthy businessman from Heart who lacked the courage to marry Nana, Mariam’s mother after having dishonored her. After the suicide of Nana, Jalil is compelled by circumstances to refuge to Mariam. Mariam resents to the limited place in her father's life. On her arrival in Jalil’s house she is exposed to the realities of life and she realizes that her father's place is her life has completely turned since his other wives considered her to be a burden then an asset. She is discriminated at every juncture. She is further tormented for her illegitimacy as coming under pressure from this wives, Jalil decides to get this 15 years old daughter Mariam married to a brutish widowed cobbler 30 years her senior. Pitted against the vagaries of life once again Mariam sees her condition being static. Her married life is filled with fear and her repeated miscarriages dishearten Rasheed and he feels that he shall never be able to father a son. Seeing his hopes being destroyed of fathering a son he subjects Mariam to regular and frequent cruel acts of physical punishment. He ...
Domestic violence can come in various forms such as physical, mental, and verbal abuse. In the novel the most vulnerable victims to go through this experience was the women and children. The mother, Beatrice, first- hand experience this abuse from her husband and endures it in silence. In this type of culture the women become part of their husbands, their identities in society are their husbands (Fwangyil, 262). Beatrice undergoes several miscarriages at the hands of her husband. For example, one evening the children witnessed their mother hanging over their father’s shoulders and “trickle[s] of blood, which trailed away” (Adichie, 33). Even through all the abuse and miscarriage’s, she continues to defend her husband to the end. Women during
...tiple times that they succeeded in getting Rasheed to stop. They were willing to fight back despite the consequences and the fact that they knew Rasheed could bring out so much more anger. Even after attempting to run away and being beaten so badly, they both still showed their bravery. They were on the edge of death, but they still fought every day to stay alive. Mariam shows amazing inner strength when a loved one is involved. Sadness and evil are two things that are very evident in their lives, enough to cause anyone to lose hope in humanity. But, Mariam and Laila are both able to stand up to violence in order to find their courage, inner strength, and even happiness in the end. Life in Afghanistan has always been hard for women, but just like Mariam, women are able to take on these obstacles and overcome them, helping to make the world a safer place for others.
From start to finish, one could see how much Mariam values Laila, Aziza, and their friendship. The first example is when Mariam vows to help Laila while they are in the hospital for Laila’s unborn child: “I’ll get you seen, Laila jo. I promise” (287). This simple promise is a deep portrayal of Mariam’s desire to help Laila find a doctor and deliver her baby. Additionally, one can see Mariam’s love for Laila when she protects her from Rasheed’s grip of death, “‘Rasheed.’ He looked up. Mariam swung. She hit him across the temple. The blow knocked him off Laila” (348). Rasheed was going to kill Laila, but Mariam steps in and knocks him off of her with a shovel to save her life. Mariam forms a tight-knit bond with Laila, and when Hosseini includes their relationship, one can see how Mariam values Laila enough to kill another man. The author also describes their relationship after Mariam and Laila discuss plans for leaving: “When they do, they’ll find you as guilty as me. Tariq too. I won’t have the two of you living on the run like fugitives.” … “Laila crawled to her and again put her head on Mariam’s lap. She remembered all the afternoons they’d spent together, braiding each other’s hair, Mariam listening patiently to her random thoughts and ordinary stories with an air of gratitude, with the expression of a person to whom a unique and coveted privilege had been extended” (358). The love Mariam has for
Hermia is a bold, strong-willed woman who has her own ideas of life, love, and marriage. In the Ancient Athenian time period, women were considered to be property, and their fathers or husbands controlled them. Women were treated unfairly as they were not allowed to have their own thoughts and opinions. Hermia is owned by her father, Egeus, and is supposed to obey his demand of marrying Demetrius instead of Lysander, the man she loves. Egeus tells Hermia that she has no choice, and if she defies his order, he could send her to her death. Hermia questions Theseus who agrees with Egeus: “I do entreat your Grace to pardon me. / I know not by what power I am made bold / Nor how it may concern my modesty / In such a presence here to plead my thoughts” (I.i.60-63). She explains to the Duke about her courage and determination and even questions her fate. Women were never daring enough to testify their beliefs as they would just obey any rules given.
Saint Maria Goretti recognized for being the youngest canonized saint in the Church and far more, captivated me with her admirable qualities. Maria Goretti was born into poverty to Luigi and Assunta Goretti; because of this her life was one with many hardships. At the age of six her family was forced to move to the west side (near Nettuno, about 40 miles south of Rome) in hopes of escaping the poverty that was gripping their area. The Goretti family traveled for two weeks across the rugged landscape of the Apennines until they finally saw the Roman Campagna. The sight of the Roman Campagna signified their nearness to the city. Upon their arrival to the city they were informed of the rich farmlands owned by Count Mazzoleni. They were told that
Hosseini’s decision to develop a novel with the story of two girls gives the reader to alternate experiences from two contrasting personalities. Both girls go through traumatising events and come out with a great deal of knowledge, love for each other, and strength. Khaled Hosseini, has allowed the reader to immerse themselves in a world that is known for violence, and see it though the eyes of two different characters. This novel also highlights the peace and tranquillity in Kabul before the Taliban or any other extremist group for that matter came into power.
Zalmai told Rasheed he wanted to talk to him in his room. Rasheed walked in asking him “what is it boy.” Zalmai responded “well there was a man that came yesterday and mom was kissing him.” Rasheed with an aggravated tone yelled “Do you know who the man was?” “His name is Tariq, I heard mom say it.” Zalmai whispered. Rasheed walked out to the front door and as he passed Laila he yelled “you are done!” Rasheed came back twenty minutes later with the Taliban and they stormed the house and Rasheed pointed at Laila and said “she is cheating on me with another man.” The Taliban grabbed her and threw her outside, then started to beat her with long wooden sticks. Mariam and Zalmai watched from inside. Zalmai screamed “no I never wanted this to happen!” Mariam just stood there terrified. Then Rasheed grabbed Mariam and threw her on the ground and started beating her himself. After every hit on her head he kept on saying “why didn't you tell me about Laila and Tariq!” In his head Mariam was as much of a liar as
The beginning of the novel opens with the introduction of Mariam, a young girl growing up in a small village in Afghanistan. She lived with her mother Nana, a bitter woman who verbally abused Mariam with phrases such as “clumsy little Harami" (pg 4) and "stupid girl" (pg 27.) These insults created an unhealthy mother and daughter relationship between Mariam and Nana. With each insult Nana unconsciously destroyed a bit of Mariam’s self esteem. Although their relationship seemed weak and abusive Nana did display her love for Mariam through various compliments, unsupportive ways and through her final suicide. This included Mariam’s act of pleasing...
Carlos Morton published The Many Deaths of Danny Rosales in 1983. The play presents itself in the middle of a case, trialing the Sheriff of Castroville for the murder of Danny Rosales. Throughout the trial, a number of witnesses are trialed to determine a viable story that concludes whether the Sheriff, Fred, killed Danny; one of which is Fred’s wife, Grace.