ADVANCED ENGLISH

Literature Record Handout

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Title of work: A Thousand Splendid Suns Author: Khaled Hosseini A few facts about my author: Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and moved to the U.S. in 1980. His first novel, Kite Runner, was a best seller and published in 40 different countries. Setting(s): How does the setting impact the This book mainly takes place in Herat, novel? Afghanistan, and Gul Daman, a small In the middle east, women are village outside of Herat, and then Kabul. It automatically considered lesser than a also takes place in Murree, Pakistan. man. They arent allowed to show their face in public, and must obey all the man of the houses rules. If they disobey, they get punished, and there is no law to protect them. Also, the Taliban are in the area in this time. They make a big impact on the everyday lives of Afghanistans. Characters (For each character, identify defining traits, defining moments and function within the
piece.)

Mariam- As this book goes through the first couple of chapters, its found out that Mariam absolutely adores her father. She doesnt care much for her mother, because she believes that anything bad or unkind that comes out of her moms mouth about her dad is untrue. Eventually, her mom commits suicide, and Mariam runs to her dad to get the parental love. She finds that all along, her mom was telling the truth, and that her father is embarrassed by her. He sends her off to get married to an older, fat man, Rasheed. Things go well at first, but they take a turn for the worse. He is a short-tempered, narrow-minded man. They take in Laila, a victim of a bombing. Mariam takes care of her, until she is well. She eventually has her own son, and Laila has a daughter. They escape from Rasheed once Mariam kills him with a shovel. She faces a stoning in front of thousands of people. Mariam is a strong-willed woman that deserves a lot more than she received. She is a perfect example of the wives in the middle east- they have no way out of abuse unless the husband dies. Laila- Laila is Mariams neighbor. Their paths do not cross until a bomb hits her house, and kills her father, mother, and siblings. Before any of that happens, though, we see a relationship between Laila and a neighbor boy form. He goes off to war, and she never expects to see him again. In the mean time, while at Mariam and Rasheeds house, Rasheed decides that he will marry her. He now has two wives. Laila discovers she is pregnant, and Rasheed thinks it is his kid. It isnt. Its Tariqs. He returns from war, and they start their life together, after Rasheed is killed. They move

to Pakistan, but then move back to Kabul and start a school. Laila has been through so much, even though she is so young. She represents the turmoil children in the middle east have to go through. Theyre such a strong batch of young people, holding the key to the future. Tariq- Tariq is the neighbor boy that Laila falls in love with throughout her childhood/adult life. He and his family decide to leave Afghanistan when it becomes dangerous. He ends up in a refugee camp where his father dies. He is determined to get his mother out of the camp and accepts a job delivering a leather coat to another city. Unfortunately, the coat is lined with hashish and he is caught by Pakistani police. He is sentenced to seven years in prison, which is really a generous sentence for the times and then is released. He returns to find Laila married to Rasheed, and with a baby. Tariqs baby. Rasheed is killed by Mariam, and Tariq and Laila run off, to start a new life. They eventually return to Kabul, and build a school to help the neighborhood children. Now, Tariq has only one leg, the other was blown off in a landmining accident. He is more determined than any regular legged boy. His determination is the norm for a lot of young boys in Afghanistan. Rasheed- Rasheed, a raging drunk, lost his son to the currents of a river after he had just married. He never got over it. To fill the void, he got remarried to a young girl, Mariam. He could abuse her, make her feed him, rape her, and order her to do whatever he wanted- for she was his wife. When she got boring, because she could not become pregnant, he married the young girl that the couple took in under their wing. He raped her, but Mariam and Laila banded together to take the abuse of Rasheed together. He is eventually killed by Mariam, with a shovel to the back of his head, after a huge fight between him and Laila. He deserved to die. I feel no sympathy for him, he is a cocky, power-thirsty man in the middle east, where there are no laws prohibiting the abuse. Symbols and Motifs: Identify the symbols and motifs of the work and explain their purpose.
This should be a mix of evidence and commentary, or discuss the way the work is organized and how that organization impacts theme and tone.

Burqa- this infamous cloth is to hide a married womans face from everyone except her kids and husband. It symbolizes how men have had a control of the middle eastern culture since the beginning. If a married woman does not wear it, she is considered to be disobedient, and a husband is allowed to punish her to what he seems fitting. Some use the burqa as an actual religious symbol, but a lot of men take advantage of it, such as Rasheed. Shovel (used to kill Rasheed)- this regular garden tool packed a powerful punch into the society of the middle eastern world. It symbolizes the modernization of that part of the world- how women are becoming more and more a part of everyday activities they used to be restricted from. They are becoming powerful, and some men are accepting of it, some are not. Just as some prefer a shovel to dig, and some prefer a hoe. Legs- just like The Old Man and the Sea; there is a connection with an outer body part. Legs can help you move to a better life, or can keep you standing stock still, trapped in your mind. Tariq, a mangled boy, only has one leg. Yet he is the strongest male protagonist in this book, taking Laila and their children to lengths once thought impossible. His single leg provided the foundation to a fountain of knowledge to the children of Kabul- they had built a school.

Theme: What is the major theme in the work? Find examples that illustrate the theme. Girl Power- One of my favorite themes in the novel is that of girl power. The two protagonist women, Mariam and Laila struggle throughout, fighting inner demons, and even each other in the beginning. But they band together, and learn about themselves as well as life. Rasheed, a misogynistic man with anger management problems decides that, even after marrying Mariam, he wants an additional wife on his belt. Laila. However she was pregnant with another man's baby, and since "leaving was no longer an option" (Hosseini 195) she had to deal with her secret. Rasheed found out though, and tried to kill Laila. Mariam puts her dislikes for Laila aside and kills Rasheed, saving Laila and her only child. This bonds the women more than any regular household adhesive could ever do. However, the consequences of Mariam's actions come back to bite her. She is sentenced to death by stoning in an arena for the murder of Rasheed. Laila escapes with Tariq to Pakistan, determined to make Mariam's death not in vain. Without a doubt, Hosseini's novel puts women in a good light, and inspires readers to reach their full potential, no matter their gender Diction: Discuss the use of diction in the work. Give some specific examples (actual diction) of
how the author skillfully chooses words to convey various tones.

Iftar (page 71)- in English it simply means sunset but in parsletongue it has a much more elaborate, beautiful meaning; when the sun dipped in the west. Hamshira (page 323)- it translates to sister. The word Hamshira is far more beautiful when said in Persian, though. It really shows the beauty of a sisterhood. Dil (page 6)- Jalil didnt have the dil either.. in this context, one can assume it means gall, or guts. Their words are really not that different from ours. Syntax: What is unique about the authors syntax? To answer this, give some specific examples
of the authors use of punctuation, grammar, usage, and/or sentence fluency. How does the authors syntax impact the novels tone and theme?

"She kept her vigils for the Mujahideen and waited for her parade. Waited for her sons' enemies to fall" (Hosseini 144). He uses a combination of figurative language and raw description to paint a picture for the reader. His sentence fluency is beautiful. He will write a full sentence, then a fragment sentence after to emphasize. Khaled Hosseini has syntax like no other. He uses a combination of figurative language and raw description to paint a picture for the reader. His sentence fluency is beautiful. He will write a full sentence, then a fragment sentence after to emphasize. This is a very recognizable style choice. He also uses compound sentences, usually with three parts. "He put down his pencil, laced his fingers together, and leaned forward the way parents do when they want to convey something to a toddler" (Hosseini 237).Using things in three always makes them more memorable, its why phrases like "I came, I saw, I conquered" are famous. He also asks questions in threes. "What were their names? Where did he work? How old was he?" (Hosseini 237). It's small quirks like these that make Khaled's writing recognizable to a

reader. Identify the time period and/or literary era (Romantic, Victorian, Modern, etc.) of the
work. This may involve a little bit of research. Then point out a few of the ways in which this novel is representative of that time period and/or literary era.

This book takes place in a modern era- it is after WWII. Though the war had ended, there were still many bridges to overcome in Afghanistan. From the Taliban, to random bombings in their towns, the people grew physically weak, but mentally strong. What five quotations from this book had the most impact on you? These
quotes do not need to be dialogue. Please provide a brief explanation as to why these quotes are so important. Also, dont forget page numbers.

1. Like a compass needle that points north, a mans accusing finger always finds a woman (4). This quote makes me mad, because its true. Behind every scorned woman is a man who made her that way. Husbands blame women for any problems in the household, because they are the caretakers and should know everything and never have a problem. It is like blaming the government for everything. Some things cannot be helped, some people simply shouldn't be blamed for everything. 2. "Marriage can wait, education cannot" (50). I agree with this completely. Years ago, women married by the age of 20, now they marry at the age of 30, typically. This is because women now can pursue things that earlier generations could only dream of. Careers, education, travel, freedom. Marriage is not something I want to ignore completely, however while I'm young still, I want to enjoy it, not do dishes and be a slave to my household. 3. "Behind every trial and sorrow that He makes us shoulder, God has a reason"(204). I know a lot of people that say things like this. I think it's balderdash, for lack of a better word. People say "God always has a plan" as if that makes things alright. It doesn't. You can't expect everything to fall into place, you just have to hope and rely on yourself, not God, not anyone else. Yourself. 4. "Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting" (15). Nobody likes to be a sitting duck. Its the times when you are waiting, that you dwell on the bad. It's not when you're fighting, or running, or simply bush, it is when you are waiting, that you are alone to be tortured by your own thoughts and acts. 5. "I will follow you to the ends of the world" (364). This made me cry. It made me think of the movie Dear John. I'm afraid of loving somebody and losing them, just like in the movie, and in this book. But, isn't everyone? Aren't we all afraid of loving and losing? Isn't that the reason for the dramatic Twilight movies? The universal note in this quote makes me feel connected to millions of people I've never even met.