Week 1 Post A

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

porcelain: a strong vitreous, translucent ceramic material, biscuit-fired at a low temperature, the glaze then fired at a very high temperature.

chrysanthemums: a showy radiate flower head.

Appeals:

1. "It was this last piece that slipped from Mariam's fingers, that fell to the wooden floorboards of the kolba and shattered. When Nana saw the bowl, her face flushed red and her upper lip shivered, and her eyes, both the lazy one and the good, settled on Mariam in a flat, unblinking way, Nana looked so mad that Mariam feared the jinn would enter her mother's body again" (1). In this emotional appeal, Mariam's relationship with her mom is displayed. She doesn't seem to get along with her mom, since she is constantly criticized by her.
2. "Nana had been one of the housekeepers. Until her belly began to swell"(6). This logical appeal describes Mariam's situation. She was left to live with her mom in poverty, even though her dad is an extremely wealthy business man. Her mother was kicked out of her dad's house when she became pregnant with Mariam.
3. "Whenever Jalil talked like this, Mariam would listen with enchantment. She would admire Jalil for his vast and worldly knowledge. She would quiver with pride to have a father who knew such things"(5). This emotional appeal shows how Mariam views her father. Even though he never invites her to live with him, she admires him with great passion. She is always excited to see him and likes him better than Nana.

Quote:

"Rich man telling rich lies. He never took you to any tree. And don't let him charm you. He betrayed us, your beloved father. He cast us out. He cast us out of his big fancy house like we were nothing to him. He did it happily"(5). This quote shows that Mariam's parents don't get along and even though Mariam admires Jalil, he did "betray" Mariam and Nana.

Theme

A theme that is present so far in this novel, is the importance of family