Expectations For Women Flashcards
“Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.”
-simile of a compass needle emphasises the lack of doubt in this
-repetition of always cements the statement
-introduces theme of injustice and the manner in which women are blamed
“She could feel his hand working at his belt, at the drawstring of her trousers. He rolled ontop of her, wriggled and shifted and she let out a whimper. The pain was sudden and shocking”
-raw description of her rape creates discomfort that emulates her own through sensory language
-lack of care for Mariam shown through verbs “rolled” “wriggled”
-expectations of what women should be for
-loss of innocence
- “sudden and shocking”- sibilance shows the sinister nature
“Their coupling was still an exercise in tolerating pain”
-metaphor for sex
-painful experience but she must endure it as she is expected to
“Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated.”
-Babi seems to go against traditional expectations of women
“The reputation of a girl, especially one as pretty as you is a delicate thing laila. Like a mynah bird in your hands. Slacken your grip and away it flies”
-fariba installs the traditional expectations into laila
-metaphor of the bird shows how precious and easily ruined a girls reputation can be.
“The sharp smell of his hairspray…the rough pads of his tobacco stained fingers when he slid the ring on her”
-sensory language mimics the descriptions used for Mariams wedding( discomforting senses)
-shows the continuing cycle that cannot be escaped due to the expectations of women
-sibilance
“She was shaking even before his fingers worked her shirt buttons, tugged at the drawstrings of her trousers”
-sensory language mimics Mariams first time with Rasheed again showing the unbreakable cycle of abuse due to expectations of women.
-sensory language fits into style of realism, shows that this is not just cycle in the book but in real life too
“If she were a car she would be a Volga.., you on the other hand would be a Benz. A brand new first class shiny Benz”
-simile of cars shows Rasheed’s objectification of the girls and the comparison of them.
“Rasheed began nailing boards across the window”
- microcosm for the lack of freedoms of women
“There were no curtains between the beds.. there was a sink nearby cracked and dry and stained surgical gloves.”
- negative description of women’s hospitals shows the lack of care and resources given to
Women
