Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani
missing works cited
“Maha, sister, my life is like candy-floss; fluffy and full from the outside, empty like this damned hospital room from the inside. And they called the candy-floss ‘girls-curls.’ It was like my life. A girl’s life. A fluffy lie for half a piaster. Ya-la-la.” (Faqir, 19)
To many eyes, the women’s liberation movement in the Middle East is nothing more than a mere façade. The solidification of women’s rights in writing means very little when actually put into play, women still continue to be trampled on in all walks of life, behind closed doors and tinted windows. This is especially true of the three novels:
Pillars of Salt, A Woman of Five Seasons and A Balcony Over the Fakihani. In these stories, women have earned little or nothing of their God given rights and continue to remain silent behind the false protection and ordinance of the law. True, the circumstances surrounding the equality of women have improved compared to what they once were, but even the most simple of things which Western women take for granted are thorns in the sides of Middle Eastern women. The authors of these books do their best to expose the injustices put upon women that the public rarely sees, even in the light of modernity. It is in these novels that we see how little the women’s liberation movement has done for these “real” women, these women made of flesh and blood who are still largely insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe.
Rape as a Model of Society
One of the most obvious disguises of inequality is the rape of Nasra in the first novel Pillars of Salt. Rape is very much illegal and yet it happens and happens openly. Maha’s mind races when Nasra tells her that she has been raped, we can see how the society view women who have lost their virginity through rape, “My friend had lost her virginity, her honor, her life. She was nothing now. No longer a virgin, absolutely nothing. A piece of flesh. A cheap whore. (Faqir, 11) This sums up what society thinks of a woman who has dishonored herself and it seems that once this has happened, there is no hope or chance of one ever redeeming herself. This is the fate of Nasra and the fate of all women.
In a nation brimming with discrimination, violence and fear, a multitudinous number of hearts will become malevolent and unemotional. However, people will rebel. In the eye-opening novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini, the country of Afghanistan is exposed to possess cruel, treacherous and sexist law and people. The women are classified as something lower than human, and men have the jurisdiction over the women. At the same time, the most horrible treatment can bring out some of the best traits in victims, such as consideration, boldness, and protectiveness. Although, living in an inconsiderate world, women can still carry aspiration and benevolence. Mariam and Laila (the main characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns) are able to retain their consideration, boldness and protectiveness, as sufferers in their atrocious world.
Both el Saadawi and Al-Shaykh both show how perception and expression are both affected within the confines of politics, social opportunities, and male privilege depicted in their stories. Whether the reader is a follower of the feminist movement or not, it is very clear and easy to see that these women are not being treated with the respect that any human being deserves. The misogynistic stranglehold on society, especially in this part of the world, is excessive and avoidable in today’s world but it is very likely that the traditional, conservative ways of the past will continue to control and inhibit women from being able to be fully treated as equals for many years to come, perhaps even after this generation has
The Human Condition is an important part in aiding readers to understand literature. Literary critics often label a piece of writing as literature if it tries to describe aspects of the Human condition we see in ourselves. The Human Condition is any concern about human nature, human society or how we live our lives. In the literary works A Separate Peace and Hamlet one of the main central themes in the stories as well as an example of the human condition is loyalty. Throughout both stories different characters’ loyalty to others as well as their wants, needs or internal desires. Using reoccurring motifs of the human condition allow both pieces of literature to be much more relatable to the reader in addition to adding in crucial human qualities to make the piece feel real.
Experts say that bullying begins around middle school, where children are changing to young adults. In bullying there are three people involved the bully, the victim, and the bystander. The bystander also holds responsibility when bullying occurs, because they are present but never take part because they fear the intimidator. Often targets are considered to be “different” from others, and that consists of students having specials needs, being gay, bisexual, overweight, or most importantly students who are viewed as easy prey. When bullying is attempted it can ruin a student physically and emotionally influencing the capability of a pupil to learn. It is recorded that in the United States 160,000 teenagers skip school in order to avoid bullying, and one out of ten teens quits school because of continuous tormenting. In 2014 statistics in the U.S. showed that only 20-30 percent of students who are bullied tell an adult or the authorities. The only way bullying can be prevented is when schools make a great effort to create no tolerance programs, and effective rules. That will result...
Kahle, Antje. First Wave of Feminism in Politics and Literature. New York: GRIN Verlag, 2010. Print.
Middle Eastern women need to stand up for their rights and get educated to reverse the notion that they are servants and properties of their men. Furthermore, they need to rise up to their potentials and prove beyond doubt that they are equal to men. This practice would lead the path for future generations to follow and protect the inalienable rights of women. Finally, these women need to break the cycle of oppression by addressing these deeply rooted beliefs, gaining the tools to fight back, and joining forces to make lifelong changes.
Approximately 17% of people are having depression in their lifetime (Gibbons, et al., 2012). It was found that “more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). It is the fourth in the rating of major public problems, and it is predicted to be illness number one in developed countries by year 2030 (Hollon and Sexton, 2012). In Scotland, the number of patients in ten years has been reduced by half, but the number of antidepressants prescribed has doubled (Stirling, 2013). According the Scottish NHS there are 420 thousand patients who are receiving depression treatment (Stirling, 2013). However this statistics might not reflect the size of the problem. According to...
Nothing has more of an effect to the controversial conversation of women’s liberation than literature. The subtle cues from Cosmopolitan emphasizing femininity: beauty, sensuality, appreciating the female body… Self-help guidebooks persisting the woman to let go and just be free for once. It is liberating for the woman to see such medias to act upon what they were thinking and to even go beyond that. Talks of
Lila Abu-Lughod’s article titled, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” takes a closer look at the problematic ethnocentric approach many have when trying to gain an understanding of another culture that may be foreign to that individual. In this analytical paper, Lughod looks at women in Islam, specifically the treatment of women and how it might be utilized as a justification for invading into a country and liberating its people. The country Lughod refers to in her article is Afghanistan, and Lughod points out the misunderstanding from the people to the Bush administration like First Lady Laura Bush who believed that intervention was necessary to free women from the captivity of their own homes. It is important to consider the role that different lenses play into all of this, especially when one’s lenses are being shaped by the media. Depictions of covered women secluded from society leave a permanent image in the minds of many, who would then later support the idea of liberation. This paper will discuss that the practice of using propaganda when referring to the lifestyle in the Middle East is not exclusive to the U.S; rather it has been utilized throughout history. Additionally, we will take a closer look on the importance of symbols, such as veils in this case; help to further emphasize the cause to liberate. Finally, we will analyze Lughod’s plea towards cultural relativism and away from liberal imperialism.
Deeb, Mary-Jane. Freedom House. Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa-Oman, 2010. http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=179 (accessed August 14, 2010)
Throughout the years, African Americans fought for their right to vote. They were determined to be equal as everyone else. Now years later, they are. Although there will always be racism in the world, now you could be punished for it. Unlike in the 1920’s when no one did anything about it. African Americans had no other desire than to be equal. It only took people who stood up for them to get a majority of African Americans and even Caucasian people to follow in their footsteps. Whether you’re a girl or boy, African American or Caucasian, short or tall, we all deserve to be treated equally.
Patrick, Donald L, et al. "Bullying and quality of life in youths perceived as gay, lesbian, or bisexual in Washington state 2010, American Journal of Public Health 103.7 (2013): Premier. Web. 2 April 2014
Being a teenager is difficult in it of itself. Some teens find it easy to take their frustrations out on other people. This is when teen violence arises. Bullying is one of the most popular forms of teen violence in today’s schools and can affect the victim emotionally, physically and mentally. To make themselves feel better, the bully will physically abuse their victim, or verbally abuse them by calling them names or starting rumors about them. According to Dan Olweus, author of “Bullying at School”, the typical victims of bullying are anxious, insecure, quiet and sensitive. They...
Women at Point Zero is a book written by Nawal El Saadawi where she focuses on the main character Firdaus and shares her story in a way that allows reader to get an idea of the patriarchal structures of Egyptian society. Her life story shows readers the obvious discontentment women have with the way society views them, and the glorification of things that go against normal societal structures. This book does an excellent job of portraying the patriarchal society and how women are dominated by men. However, it truly reinforces the stereotype that western culture has of Middle Eastern men as being animalistic beings ravaging defenseless women and the role of Islam.
Depression affects people all around the world and takes over many lives. It is a detectable disease. Most every case of depression is very personal, and usually has it’s own specifications and circumstance. By speaking with people who have depression in their families and being a sufferer of the disease myself, I’ve realized that it’s not the end of the world and there are ways to get help. Treatment for depression is relativity inexpensive but whatever the cost; it is more than made up for an increased productivity, efficiency, physical health, improved relationships, and enjoyment of life.