A Thousand Splendid Suns Flashcards
Like a _____ ______ that points North, a mans accusing finger always ___ __ _______
Compass needle
Finds a woman
There is ____ ____, only one skill a woman like oh and me need in life, and they don’t teach it in school… Only one skill. ____ ____ ____: ____. _____.
Only one
And it’s this: tahamul. Endure.
Society has no chance of success if ___ _____ ___ ________, Laila, ___ ____
It’s women are uneducated
No chance
There isn’t a court in this godforsaken country that will ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ __ ____ ____ To Mariam ___, then to her and you last.
Hold me accountable for what I still do
First
Everybody wants ___ ___ ____ ___ ___ ____. But there is no Jack, Jack is not coming. Jack is dead.
Jack to rescue them from disaster
For one last time, Mariam ___ ___ ___ ___ ____
Does as she is told
God has made us differently, you women and us men. __ ___ ___ ____. You are not able to think like we can… this is why we require only ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ __
Our brains are different
One male witness but two female ones
How ___ we endure ____ ___ ____ upon us
Quietly
All that falls
What symbols are used in the novel?
Titanic, Pinocchio, dreams, burqa
What language features can you talk about
Structure, motif, metaphor, foreshadowing etc
who is the author of a thousand splendid suns
Khaled Hosseini
Describe the structure of the novel, and how this relates to the theme of the oppression of women
Four Parts:
Part one - character driven, although mariam doesnt have much control over her life, during this part, covering her early childhood, she has reasonable agency as a woman, and this shows through the plot being lead by the characters decisions as they are allowed to make decisions
Part two - plot driven, as mariam enters her marriage with Rasheed, and the violence in afghanistan causes Laila to lose choice their agency as women decreases and she becomes more oppressed. She, and the story, become more driven by the plot, as what is happening around her determines what happens to her, rather than her making her own decisons.
Part three - plot driven, as Laila also enters the marriage they are even more oppressed
Part 4 - character driven, the women get their freedom from Rasheed when Mariam kills him. Although she is sentenced to death and killed she is still love and does it to protect her “family” which is Laila. Laila gains her freedom with Tariq, and can drive her own life with her own decisions
Define patriarchy
A system of society where the male is in charge, highly evident in the families and marriages in this novel
Describe the key mother-daughter relationship in the novel
Laila is like a daughter to Mariam despite not being biological. Mariam was never able to have a child of her own, but once she grew to like and love her, Mariam loved Laila as her own, and treated Aziza as her grandchild.
What themes are in the novel
oppression of women, power of education, marriage vs true love, overcoming adversity and mans inhumanity to man
How is Pinocchio a symbol in this novel
It characterises Mariam and Jalil’s relationship, as Mariam was never really a “real” daughter like Pinocchio struggled with not being a real boy due to being made of wood. It acts as a symbol to Mariam’s development throughout the novel as she finally becomes a real person and a mother. This relates to the theme of overcoming adversity if you wanted to make it a motif.
How is Titanic used as a symbol in this novel
Because like country Afghanistan like the boat is destined to sink as it situation gets worse and worse. This is kinda an extended metaphor if you needed to make it one. Women want a man to come save them, but it is impossible in the world they live in.
How is dreams a symbol in this novel
The dream is when Laila dreams she is burying Aziza alive. It symbolises Afghan society because women are hidden and oppressed. Relates to the theme of oppression of women
How is the burqa a symbol
It is a symbol of oppression, when it is supposed to be a symbol of religious freedom. In this novel, it relates to the theme of oppression of women because they are forced to wear one, and under punishment if they don;t, making it a symbol of the oppression occuring in Afghanistan at the time.
What metaphors are used in the novel
Old man in the sea i forgot how and some others theres a sheet in my folder lol forgot to bring it home love that for me
What language features are used in ATSS that you could talk about
metaphor symbols foreshadowing structure irony motif dialogue
Give an example of a metaphore in ATSS
One of:
“To Jalil and his wives I was a pokeroot. A mugwort”
“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls” - (male head of each household is the moon on the roof while the suns are the women of Kabul, hidden from the outside world but nevertheless providing vital life-giving warmth to Afghan society.)
The Old Man and the Sea (the tale of an old fisherman who struggles for two days and nights to bring a giant marlin onto his boat but just as he attempts to bring the prize fish to shore it is torn apart by sharks. Kabul is the marlin, the beautiful prize torn apart by those who seek to win it)
The Titanic (the city like the ship is headed for certain disaster. People are attracted to the idea that someone will save them like Jack saves rose in the movie, but it never happens for the women of Kabul)
Tectonic Plates (Aziza is secretly taught about these under the Taliban rule in the orphanage and tells Laila all she has learnt. They are a metaphor for how around the world Afghanistan can look at relative peace under the Taliban, but deep down there are large cracks under the surface that could cause a massive earthquake at any second)
Rocket Flowers (When rebuilding Kabul rocket shells are used as pots for flowers, representing hope for a new Afghanistan, something beautiful growing out of the destruction and chaos of the war. These flowers are a symbol of hope, and flowers are mentioned as symbols of hope throughout the novel)
Finish the quote:
One could not count the ____ ____ ___ __ ___ ____ or the ___ ____ ____ ____ ____ behind her walls
moons that shimmer on her roofs
thousand splendid suns that hide
What four techniques can you use to be insightful
Pose a philosophical question
What does this teach us about humanity?
Discuss authors/directors intention and how do they challenge the audience?
Relate the novel or film to real life, other novels, or its genre.
