Week 7 Post B

Overall, I thought this was a great book. It was very sad, but one of the most powerful books I have ever read. The ending I believe was extremely emotional. Not only does Mariam get put to death, having live an unfair life, but also Laila and Tariq, when they move to Herat discovera a package from Jalil. The package contains a Pinnochio tape, which is what Jalil had promised to take Mariam to see, but never did, her family inheritance and a note saying how sorry he is for marrying her off just to make himself look better. This is so depressing, because as the reader you wish Mariam had found a way to return to Herat, early in her marriage and everything would have been alright. But then you realize that if that was to happen, then the story would have been quite cheesy and the whole point of the story was to show the hard life that some unfortunate women if Afghanistan have to live.

I liked Khaled Hosseini's writing style, since it was very easy for me to follow along with and understand, yet the story was still strong and fascinating. I thought he did a great job writing this book, and thought it was neat how he described Mariam and Laila's lives separately before they lived together with Rasheed. That opened the door for the suprise when Laila gets married to Rasheed as well, so Mariam and Laila live together with Rasheed.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend this book to anyone looking for a fascinating book, but doesn't mind reading about tragedy.

Week 7 Post A

Vocab:

permeated: to pass into or through every part of.

rife: abundant, plentiful, or numerous.

Figurative Language:

1. "Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. You remember that, Mariam"(323). This is a quote that Mariam remembers Nana once told her. Nana uses a similie to say how men always blame their misfortunes or troubles on woman, which is true of Rasheed.
2. "His smile was patient"(324). This is a personification in which Mariam personifies the judges smile, to describe it as sympathetic.
3. "Only at dusk did the winds die down. And then if a night breeze blew, it did so timidly, as if to atone for the excesses of its daytime siblling"(326). Mariam personifies the wind, by saying that it is "timid" as in it blows lightly, not aggresively.

Quote:

"Though there had been moments of beauty in it, Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not help but wish for more of it"(328).

To me this quote struck me hard, because it makes you feel for Mariam a lot. She sacrificed her life for the well being of others, but the thing is she doesn't deserve to be punished at all for her actions, and her whole life was unfair.

Theme:

A final theme for this book is how unfair life can be. Clearly, this is shown by Mariam being sentenced to death, having live a completely "unfair" life.