GUILTY

GUILTY

~Blog Post #4~

Topic H

May 14, 2015

Elizabeth Erickson

One of the most evident underlying themes in The Swallows of Kabul was of guilt. This reminded me a lot of the novel Crime and Punishment which we read this year; specifically in terms of the shared sense of guilt between the characters Atiq and Raskolnikov. It is clear from the beginning of The Swallows of Kabul that Atiq struggles with the guilt that he subconsciously feels for being an all-around terrible guy, and treating his loving, sick wife in an abusive and disgusting way. This guilt eats away at him and drives him crazy, so that he reflects it onto the people around him (especially Mussarat) and by the end, is actually psychotic. We see a similar pattern in the story of Raskolnikov, who, after the murder of two women, is driven to (deeper) insanity by his own guilt. In addition to both of these characters being motivated by guilt, there is a similarity in another driving factor of their violent actions. In both novels it seems as if the characters are in need of an outlet; there is a desire for change that they feel should be met no matter what the change is, good or bad. This is a power-thirsty attitude that I believe drives these characters to perform violent acts on people that are "lesser" than them, as a method of taking out their feelings on people that are more accessible than the actual problem (like the Taliban). 

The Mood-Swings of Kabul

The Mood-Swings of Kabul

~Blog Post #3~

Topic B 

May 14, 2015

Elizabeth Erickson

The introduction of Zunaira and Mohsen's relationship in The Swallows of Kabul leaves an adorable, warm impression of the two, and especially of Zunaira's willingness to work as a team and be together through the hard times. Unfortunately, this is not an impression that was meant to last long. Zunaira goes through some major changes in her overall attitude toward Mohsen, after her panic attack that was fueled by the trip they took together outside. She switches from wanting to be with him through the tough times, to wanting nothing to do with him. In chapter 3 she leans into his touching her face, and says to him, "we're together so we can support each other. It's up to us, to us alone, to keep hope alive" (35). But chapter 10 comes along and her feelings have significantly changed, "I've told you a hundred times not to touch me... I don't ever want to see you again, Mohsen Ramat!" (129). The loving relationship we see in the beginning becomes an abusive, even fatal one, because of Zunaira's change of heart. Her "suffocating" in her Burqa became a problem that she had with him, not with the Taliban. I believe this is because Mohsen was an accessible outlet for her anger and resentment, whereas she had no power against the Taliban. It makes me sad that the environment and situation that these characters face turn them against each other, when the real problem is the real oppressor: the Taliban.

Burqa or Nah

Burqa or Nah

~Blog Post #2~

Topic A

May 14, 2015

Elizabeth Erickson

The first in-depth discussion about the Burqa that takes place in The Swallows of Kabul, mainly consists of Zunaira's insight as to why wearing one is degrading. She says, "I refuse to wear a Burqa...It cancels my face and takes away my identity and turns me into an object... If I put that damned veil on, I'm neither a human being nor an animal, I'm just an affront, a disgrace, a blemish that has to be hidden" (77-78).

I think Zunaira's resentment of the mandatory apparel tells a lot about her character; both her passionate belief in the significance of individuality, and her discontent at the Taliban are revealed through her ranting. It is clear by this point in the novel that Zunaira is a headstrong woman, and her emphasis on the pain that comes from the taking away of her individuality really shows how she feels about herself. She is confident in who she is as a person, and when the Taliban takes it away from her, she makes her disapproval evident. The Burqa as a new requirement also becomes a symbol for the changes that the Taliban made in Zunaira's life. Just like the other characters in the book, she misses the way life was before the Taliban, and one of the significant changes was the Burqa requirement for women. Her refusal to wear it, similar to the little actions of rebellion that Mohsen does, is a way for her to indirectly fight back at the Taliban.

Blog Post #4 

May 12, 2012

By: Michelle Deme

In the beginning of the year, we read a book called How to Read Literature like a Professor. The book detailed different symbols and themes that are common throughout many books. A theme in his book described religion. Throughout Swallows of Kabul, religious themes and motifs are scattered throughout to better describe characters. 

Many times, Atiq compared his boss to a serpent and to evil. He hinted that his boss was like the devil, interrupting and corrupting everything he touched. One can also argue that Musaratt was portrayed Christ-like in the novel, especially at the end. Beyond the fact that she is a selfless person, she also dies for her husband's happiness and prosperity. She is martyred, like Jesus, for crimes she is not guilty of. Even with her death, Atiq was more worried about being alone rather than feeling guilty for the fact that HE killed his wife pointlessly.

Blog Post #3

May 6, 2015

By: Michelle Deme

A common motif throughout the novel is the idea of selflessness. Even though most characters are selfish, there is one that stands out to be selfless. Musaratt focuses all her attention on her husband. Even when she can barely stand up or walk, she tries to help Atiq. Her love for him is nonconventional. She doesn't love him in a sexual way but rather in a more compassionate way. Throughout the novel, Musaratt clearly cares for her husband more than herself.
This selfless attribute is even more prominent when she openly listened and supported her husbands liking of Zunaira. She was astonished that Atiq could actually love something. She even made a lunch for her husband's admiree. Her love for her husband was clear at thiat point. She would do anything to make him happy. Musaratt feels guilty for being sick and a burden upon her husband. So, she commits every last ounce of energy she has to support her husband's desires.

Blog Post #2

April 29, 2015 

by: Michelle Deme

In the beginning of the novel, Mohsen and Zunaira seem perfect. Mohsen actually treats her like a real human being. Their characters seem relatable and cute. However, by the end of chapter 8 their entire relationship changes. Mohsen and Zunaira laughed at the crazy old man. The Taliban heard Mohsen laugh and whisked him away to listen to a speaker called Mullah. He leaves poor Zunaira alone in the sun. Zunaira frustrated by the events then has a panic attack. The panic attack became the turning point for their relationship together.

Throughout chapter 9, there is clear dissent between the two. Zunaira shrinks away whenever Mohsen comes home. They take out each others anger for the Taliban on each other. If these few chapters prove anything, it is the strength of the Taliban. This oppressive group breaks apart a marriage that seems perfect on the outside. 

Meta-cognitive 2

May 12, 2015

By: Michelle Deme

I have been trying to focus more on my novels. I put literally all cellular devices away and focus all my brain power on the book. I also stopped listening to music when I read. I realized that I focus more when it is silent, and I am in a clam environment. If I don't understand the material, I re-read the paragraph. With focus, I am able to better participate in group discussions. It is also to find symbolism and motifs throughout the novel. 

Discussion Notes 

April

1) What are some new things that we learned about the characters?

-Nazeesh was once intelligent; but he did have a mental illness. Also he always threatneded that he would run away but he never does 

-Mula was a spiritual leader to the people

2)What do you think about the way Mullah Bashir portrays the West. 

-He kept on reiterating that the West would eventually fall. Mullah is the perfect example for being an epitome of the Taliban. Mullah said that if you believe in God you do not believe in the West. It's a hoax. He constantly used God as propaganda t fuel the people. Mullah stressed that they were called by god to take over the world.

3) Do you notice any similarities between Atiq and Zunaira

-They both have come to blame their spouses for their unhappiness.   

*At the end of chapter 8, Zunaira is completely physically and mentally done with Mohsen. She shortly has a panic attack.
*Hands are a common symbol throughout the novel
*Atiq and Mohsen have self control issues. Both take out issue on their wives.
*Atiq takes his anger out on the Taliban on everyone around him.

                                                  Meta-Cognitive Awareness 1
                                                           May, 12, 2014
                                                            by: Michelle Deme
When I read, I need to be in a serene environment, otherwise I will lose focus.  I need to better focus and clear my mind before I begin reading. It's not enough to put away distractions like my cell phone and computer. I also need to clear my jumbled thoughts and focus on the book's messages. Along with focusing, I have to work on calming down my frustration. I, too easily, become annoyed and give up on a complicated text.

Kill All Birds With One Stone

Kill All Birds with One Stone

~Blog Post #4~

Topic J

May 11, 2015

By: Madison Edwards

     While reading the The Swallows of Kabul, especially during the last few chapters, I often forgot about the title of the book. I became so caught up in the soaring emotions of each character that I forgot to keep the title in mind and reflect on how it related to the situation of women in the Middle East. Once I stopped and thought about it, I realized that The Swallows of Kabul is a beautifully poetic, yet tragic commentary on the situation of these women.

     After witnessing Zunaira take off her burqa, Atiq becomes aware of how he perceives women: “For him, women are only ghosts, voiceless, charmless ghosts, that pass practically unnoticed along the streets; flocks of inform swallows—blue, yellow, often faded, several seasons behind—that make a mournful sound when they come into the proximity of men” (144). This is the only point in the book where Khadra references the title. The mysterious "swallows of Kabul" are the women of Kabul. They are described as worn-out birds who float around Kabul without being noticed. They do not interact with anyone or anything. They exist solely to be taken advantage of. Swallows are small birds that exist all over the world. They often are called barn swallows: birds who make nests in barns, attics, windows, and other outer surfaces of buildings. Barn swallows have an annoying, shrill call. They are often unwelcome and unwanted by humans. This description perfectly describes how women are viewed in the Middle East.

Raskolnikov v. Atiq

The Swallows of Kabul

~Blog Post #4~

Topic H

May 11, 2015

By: Megan Teehan 

     In chapter 15, Atiq has completely lost his mind. He is wandering around the town clueless and delusional. Throughout the book, Atiq has been gradually changing and becoming more isolated. His friend and acquaintances have pointed it out, but Atiq denies this. So, when Zunaira runs away, it is not unusual to see Atiq out of his mind. At this point, Atiq is under the impression that each woman is Zunaira. The book calls this moment a frenzy and describes him as, “chasing women down and –O sacrilege!- lifting their veils above their heads” (194). The people in the town are terrified of this man and begin to throw bricks at him and beat him. Now of these actions seem to stop or affect Atiq because he continues to run after women and harassing them.

As I read this section, I was reminded of Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment. The heat and humidity in both of these books have foreshadowed that tensions were high and something would happen in this town, but that is not the only relationship these books have. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov is wandering through his town in frenzy. In fact, throughout the entire novel, Raskolnikov continues to have a battle inside him and slowly begins to lose his mind, just as Atiq did. Both men lose their sense at the end of the book and Atiq ends up being killed and Raskolnikov is thrown into jail. The love, passion, and emotion these characters feel make them crazy. 

Discussion Notes #4

Chapters 13-15 

~Discussion Notes #4~

11 May 2015

By: Megan Teehan 

Atiq compares Zunaira to a martyr and he compares Qassim to the devil. Why?

-Imagery
-Qassim is the devil because he embodied all the bad, but he was doing his job.
-Zunaira is not much like a martyr. Ironic that he calls Zunaira a martyr when his own wife is more of a martyr than Zunaira.
-Hypocritical when Atiq says Zunaira's husband deserves to die from being abusive when Atiq is abusive to Mussarat.

"We've already been killed, all of us. It happened so long ago, we've forgotten"-Zunaira
-Anger for the Taliban (#subtweet)
-Not only affected their lives, but ended their lives. No point in living.

Mussarat encourages Atiq to run away and says, "You of all men, love"
-Atiq isn't a man that loves, so it's weird that Mussarat says this.
-Mussarat knows she'll die, so she wants Atiq to be happy. Not understandable why she would be brutally murdered for Atiq. She is the Christ figure.
-Contrast of love because Mussarat really loves him, but Atiq doesn't have love for her. He has emotion, but is unsure of what it is.
-Mussarat shows what love really means to sacrifice her life for him.

"In love even beasts become divine" -Said Mussarat and Atiq thought about it at the end
-Atiq was a beast but is becoming divine.
-Relates to other parts of book, but most importantly life.
-Mussarat is described by this quote. Atiq has to overcome and handle Mussarat, but she becomes divine by sacrificing her life.

What if Zunaira know what was happening? What would she do?
-She would not carry through with the plan because she accepted her fate and was okay with it.

Atiq's dream interpretation
-His guilt was the cause. Subconscious. Very guilty.
-Didn't know how she died, but envisioned it.

Where did Zunaira go? What happened to him?
-He went insane. He was slowly going crazy throughout the book, but really lost it at the end.
-Wanted him to suffer more
-Escaping into desert?
-Predicted she would run away

Life and death have the same volume
War ruins children

Mussarat says that he can leave her and Atiq says that he has already thought about it. Rude!

Metacognitive 2

Swallows of Kabul
~Meta-Cognitive #2~

May 10, 2015

By: Elizabeth Erickson

Because I'm more focused on actively reading, it's much easier for me to notice important parts of the story that I might have skipped over otherwise, had I not understood them originally. It took me a while to realize my problem was being lazy when I came across a part that I didn't understand- now I know that often these were some of the most important parts. Obviously I'll continue to read with the acceptance of not understanding, because it has actually helped me to understand/analyze better.

Meta-Cognitive #2

Swallows of Kabul
~Meta-Cognitive #2~

May 8, 2015

By: Madison Edwards

           By working on my willingness to take risks, I have been able to form my own, unique opinion after each reading. My opinions and perspective on the events that happened in the book are really helpful to fall back on during small group discussion. If there is a lull in the discussion, I can bring up a thought or idea I had while reading. I also feel more like an independent reader now that I can make a solid opinion on my own.

            I still need to work on my tolerance for failure. I will still read some parts of the book and not fully understand what happened or what I am supposed to get out of reading a specific passage. But I have my discussion group, so they clarify subjects and events that I previously didn’t understand. This skill will continue to be valuable in discussion because, eventually, I will be able to participate more fully in conversations once I can more easily interpret a passage and formulate a take-away.

Heart Atiq

Heart Atiq

~Blog Post #3~

Topic B

May 6, 2015

By: Madison Edwards

     Although many important events occurred in chapters 10-12, one of the most significant was Atiq’s change in character. So far, Atiq has been a mostly flat character in this book. His daily actions are unchanging, and he lives constantly with a depressed attitude. Before his epiphany, Atiq blamed all of his sorrows on the closest living thing to him, and he often blamed his unhappiness on his sick wife. As a reader, I heard about Atiq not always “being this way,” but I did not witness it because the changing of his charcter occurred before the timeline of this book.

     Atiq’s major character development occurs when Zunaira takes off her burqa in jail. He describes Zunaira as being “like a dawn, gathering brightness in the heart of this poisonous, squalid, fatal dungeon” (144). He is shocked and in awe solely by the appearance of her face. Atiq hasn’t seen a woman’s face other than his wife’s in years, and he has forgotten how beautiful and uplifting they are. He had forgotten that women were humans too: that they were more than ghosts floating around without making a sound.

     Atiq’s entire attitude towards life changes after this event. “His eyes are sparkling,” and “he doesn’t believe that tranquility could reveal itself more plainly anywhere else than on that face” (147, 149). Now, Atiq has a zest for life. His epiphany was so shocking to him that he even tells Musarrat, his wife, about how wonderful Zunaira is. I predict that Atiq will now understand the importance of women in his life. I believe he will end up doing something courageous and possibly fatal in order to save Zunaira’s life.

Discussion Notes #3

Chapters 10-12

~Discussion Notes #3~

May 6, 2015

by Madison Edwards

Argument between Mohsen and Zunaira

• Not all Mohsen's fault
• Zunaira was being stubborn and immature
• Mohsen felt extreme remorse after hitting Zunaira
• He tried his best to communicate with her and poured out all his feelings

Why did Zunaira kill Mohsen?

• It was an accident
• She had a lot if anger and snapped
• She showed remorse after by praying in jail

Relationship between Atiq and Musarrat

• She still cares about him, but she doesn't love him romantically anymore
• She just wants him to be happy
• She wants to die having made him happy

Do you think Atiq and Zunaira will fall in love?

• We think he might stick up for her or do something heroic for her
• Either he will fall in love with Zunaira or Zunaira's presence will remind Atiq of Musarrat's importance to him
• We think someone is going to die

Other random notes

• Atiq's lack of memory serves to emphasize the fact that he really couldn't remember what a woman's face looks like
• Zunaira didn't talk to Mohsen for 10 days. 10 is a number of completion.

Meta-Cognitive 2

Swallows of Kabul

~Meta-Cognitive 2~

May 5, 2015

By: Megan Teehan 

      My reading skills have helped me during group discussions because I am able to contribute more. The reading skill that helped me the most was the distraction one. I am usually distracted when I read, so I started to put my phone or other distractions away while I read. By doing this, I was able to concentrate more on the story. With more knowledge about the story, I was able to make more hypothesis and provide more detail in our group discussions. I hope that I can continue to improve this skill. It has so far helped me to focus better and fully understand the information I am reading. It will be valuable because in college I will have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, so I need to use all the time I can get to study and learn. By putting away my distractions, I will be able to get all my work done within a good time frame. 

Swallows of Kabul

~Blog Post #3~

Topic B

May 5, 2015

By: Megan Teehan

   Up until this point, Atiq has been having a difficult time in his life. The Taliban has come and destroyed his town, he does not have the best job, and his wife is dying of an illness. This has caused Atiq to be “checked out” a lot of the time and he seems to be mechanical and distant. Each important person in his life has noticed these changes, and they are unaware on how to help Atiq. He has becoming a different person. He has turned into a mean man with no heart or personality. During this time, Atiq is just fine and he can no longer find happiness and peace.

  This all changed when Atiq saw the woman in her cell. Due to the culture, Atiq has not seen a woman, other than his wife, reveal her face. This was a special and rare moment for Atiq to see this woman without her burqa. Just by seeing her face, she was able to open up Atiq’s eyes and mind and allow him to be giddy again. Mussarat comments on Atiq’s new personality saying, “I’d like to kiss the feet of the woman who’s awakened such sensitivity in you in the course of a single night. She must be a saint” (151). Mussarat has been with Atiq for twenty years and she has not seen him this happy in a while. For her to notice the difference in her husband, it means the this jailed woman has done something to Atiq that will change him forever and has left a lasting impression.