Though it is common practice to “never judge a book by its cover”, oftentimes the cover will give a glimpse of what is to come. In literal terms, the cover of the book contains the title, perhaps one of the most important pieces of information about any literary work. Frequently the title will give an indication about the main character, or perhaps the leading metaphor. Thus is the case with Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid, a novel about a banker in Lahore, Pakistan who falls in love with his best friend’s wife, and plummets into a difficult lifestyle. The novel centers on the image of a moth flying around a flame; the closer it gets to what it desires, the more it is burned. Through the juxtaposition of the moth and Darashikoh Shezad, or Daru, as he is referred to, the reader is able to truly understand the situation that Daru has put himself in; the life he desperately wants will only ever harm him.
Though the image of the moth is scattered throughout the book, such as the times Daru sits in his room and plays moth badminton with himself (left hand against right hand) or when Manucci, Daru’s servant boy, leaves the door open and they get into the house, the most vivid and revealing example of the metaphor of the moth appears after Daru has gone to see his drug dealer to get hash for his friend. His friend mentions that he should try and sell this on a regular basis, as he knows that Daru is in a situation where he desperately needs money. Daru is defensive and gets angry but he is pleasured by the thought that the rich would rely on him. When he gets home he notices that Manucci is watching a candle on the mantelpiece, and he asks what he is watching. Manucci answers with “A moth in love, saab, (Hamid, 120)” The clear comparison ...
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...ill do anything for the love of Mumtaz and the comfortable way of lifestyle Ozi holds so securely. The change that Daru goes through in his spiraling descent is both mesmerizing and terrifying. And yet, though Daru’s change is horrifying and also piteous and he seems to be both a hero and an anti-hero, at the end of the book he is in the same place as the beginning. He has reached the candle, and in the absolute excitement and gluttony and terror of it all, he is engulfed. Though we seem to be left with no answer on the result of Daru’s trial, the leading metaphor entrusts us with an answer. Ozi and the wealthy are the flame, and they will continue to burn as brightly as before. Daru is the moth that has reached the flame, and we are well aware of the consequences of such an action.
Works Cited
Hamid, Mohsin. Moth Smoke. New York: Riverhead Trade, 2012. Print.
David W. Blight's book Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory and the American Civil War, is an intriguing look back into the Civil War era which is very heavily studied but misunderstood according to Blight. Blight focuses on how memory shapes history Blight feels, while the Civil War accomplished it goal of abolishing slavery, it fell short of its ultimate potential to pave the way for equality. Blight attempts to prove that the Civil War does little to bring equality to blacks. This book is a composite of twelve essays which are spilt into three parts. The Preludes describe blacks during the era before the Civil War and their struggle to over come slavery and describes the causes, course and consequences of the war. Problems in Civil War memory describes black history and deals with how during and after the war Americans seemed to forget the true meaning of the war which was race. And the postludes describes some for the leaders of black society and how they are attempting to keep the memory and the real meaning of the Civil War alive and explains the purpose of studying historical memory.
The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee conducted numerous frontal assaults against fortified positions occupied by the Union forces under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield and was unable to break through or to prevent Schofield from a planned, orderly withdrawal to Nashville.
The theme of “The Moths” is produced mainly by the character, conflict, and language of the story. The characterization brings to life the initial turmoil as Abuelita begins to nurse the girl not only physical, but also mentally into embracing her own hidden emotions. The conflict furthers shows the painful experiences the girl experiences so that this spiritual awakening may occur. Language is used to describe this process, giving a glimpse into her life style and uses colorful to portray the girl’s awakening and Abuelita’s ascent to heaven.
Eliezer Wiesel is a 14-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy from Sighet, Transylvania. Elie has one younger sister Tzipora, 2 older sisters Hilda and Bèa, and is the only son. His father is a prominent leader of the Jewish community. Ellie wants to study Jewish mysticism, but his father tells him he is too young. So he befriends Moche the beadle, a handyman, so he can be taught mysticism. Moche teaches him to ask God the right questions even though he will never receive the right answer. in 1944 Germans came to power an occupied Hungary, and soon controlled Sighet. At this point, the Germans begin their plan to get rid of the Jews. They moved Eli and his family into a ghetto. There were two gether does, small one large one. Eli and his family moved to the larger ghetto. They stayed in the ghetto for a while, until they were put on two trains and sent to Birkenau. when everyone was out of it rains, everyone was split into two groups, the men and the women. This was the last time le saw his mother and his sister Tzipora. Eli and his father were put into the same groups and that's when Ell...
...do anything for his mother. Darl sets the barn on fire, and it burns wildly. Jewel risks his life and runs into the burning barn to save his mother. Sparks rain down on him and on the coffin. Jewel makes it out of the barn with the coffin but his back is burned. Still he is willing to risk his life to fulfill the promise to Addie even as his brother Darl tries to break it.
In his first historical fiction novel, Khaled Hosseini tells the story of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner is the story of Amir, the young boy, and the path his life takes because of the decisions he makes when he is a young child. Forgiveness is woven throughout the book as it takes Amir to places he might not have gone if he hadn’t been able to forgive.
The experience of fatherhood begins at birth of the baby as it comes out to the world. The responsibility parenthood entails is realized when the mother is not fully healed yet or sadly has died in the tough delivery of the baby. Ideally, the child grows up to develop a close bond with their father, although this is not always the case. Sometimes it does not work that way in which in the other hand it may not be constantly full of love which fills the child with longing and pain. The relationship develop as the father prepares his son to understand his mistakes by helping him recognize right from wrong. In his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini illustrates the importance of a father and son relationship which in turn affects the plot of the novel. Baba and Amir gains the ability to be a father as they demonstrate their differences of being a father to their son. Although Baba and Amir differ in facing their problems, which parallel, the enforcement of the empathetic fatherly figure they both suffer hardships for their sons’ benefit.
Overall, Khaled Hosseini wrote a story, based on experiences from his own life and the history of Afghanistan from the turn of the 20th century until present day. He added the universal human theme of being good again, allowing this book and these characters to appeal to readers everywhere. He also crafted one of the most successful and popular novels in the Afghan American genre. Looking at the The Kite Runner from the outside in, or from the perspective of the author’s life and Afghanistan’s past, it is easy to see that Hosseini manages to open the eyes of the Western reader. A person on this side of the International Date Line is forced to reconsider their general perspective and beliefs about Muslims and Afghanistan after picking up The Kite Runner.
Christopher McCandless, also known as Alex Supertramp , died at age 24 1992, went hitchhiking up in the Alaskan Stampede Trail and survived for four months. After his death Jon Krakauer, the famous arthur of "Into Thin Air", went to do research about Chris in order to have a better understanding of Chris McCandless death. Some believed that it was wrong for Krakauer to glorify McCandless’ death and that it was Chris’s fault to go into the wild without sufficient respect for the wilderness. Others believed that his actions reflect the confidence in an individual testing his own strength of character by pushing himself to the limits of his ability. Although, it is correct that it was Chris’s fault for going into the wild unprepared, however,
Kite Runner depicts the story of Amir, a boy living in Afghanistan, and his journey throughout life. He experiences periods of happiness, sorrow, and confusion as he matures. Amir is shocked by atrocities and blessed by beneficial relationships both in his homeland and the United States. Reviewers have chosen sides and waged a war of words against one another over the notoriety of the book. Many critics of Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, argue that the novel would not have reached a lofty level of success if the U.S. had not had recent dealings with the Middle East, yet other critics accurately relate the novel’s success to its internal aspects.
One’s identity is influenced by many things. It’s something that one has a choice of what he wants to become. One has a personal choice as to what identity he possesses; for instance, he can choose what he likes, who he wishes to be friends with, and what he wears. After all, “Fashion is an expression of personal identity” (Latterell 11). Queen Latifah states, “All things start inside your soul and work outward” meaning that it is one’s choice as to what he lets work its way out (Latifah 34). People have even made personal choices that affect their identity by changing their name. Just as Firoozeh Dumas describes in The “F Word”, “Thus I started sixth grade with my new, easy name and life became infinitely simpler” (Dumas 86). People made fun of Dumas’ name, Firoozeh, and thus made her want to change her name to fit in; she changed her identity. An identity is mainly comprised of personal choice.
Khaled Hosseini was born in March 4th, 1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan and he is an Afghan-American novelist. He debuted in the year 2003 and released his book called “The Kite Runner”. The book opened to widespread critical acclaim and strong commercial success worldwide. And for this kind of novel he received Alex Award, Boeke Prize, ALA Notable Book and a lot of other prestigious awards. He has then authored several other books in his career. There was no turning back for Khaled Hosseini after his first breakthrough because he yet again produced a masterpiece in 2007 with the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. The book has been his most decent and productive authorship for which he received plenty of awards and international popularity in the world. His third and final notable work is «And the Mountains Echoed», which has received generally positive reviews from critics and readers. Khaled Hosseini is regarded as the most important American author of this time. He has been praised for his excellent writing skills in writing novels. He is very good in writing women’s issues and rights in Afghanistan.
Pressfield, Steven. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae. New York: Bantam, 1998. Print
Consequences come from choices individuals make, such as waking up in the morning at a specific time in order to avoid traffic. However, even if the decisions are not made by the individual, they still have to suffer the consequences of those decisions made by others. Take, for instance, the choice that someone makes to drink and drive while under the influence. If that person kills someone, then his decision impacts the lives of everyone involved and not just himself. A theme in Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger, is that people must accept the consequences of their actions because it influences the direction they go in life. This theme is developed through the character of Jeremiah, the conflict between Davy and the law, and the symbolism in the title of the novel.
The book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman draws attention to some very good points concerning globalization and the world economy today. Friedman emphasizes the status of America today in relation to the other countries of the world. As I looked at the things in which he warned about or highlighted, I realized the importance of this issue. He talks about a few aspects in which need to be kept competitive in order for America to retain their current standing in the world market.