Lecture 7
Thousand Splendid Suns different spin on female characters
Women bond against patriarchy
Absent mothers Fariba, nana (Maha from Pillars of Salt) questions instinct of
motherhood
He’s obsessed with making scenery of Afghanistan known
o Influenced by Persian poets because o his own roots as a Persian
Doesn’t portray idealistic view of either Western or Eastern values
Touches on dangers of communism
Terrorist is a US term
They were called terrorists only after they came into power
Afghanistan is very rich in oil -> that’s why USA waws interested in Afghanistan so
much
Aziza (“Cherished”) was not realy cherished
o Would Rasheed have been skeptical had Aziza been born a boy?
o Zalmai portrays some patriarchal values as his father
o Patriarchy doesn’t end with the death of Zalmai novel keeps it open that
Zalmai might turn against his mother when he ages and finds out
Memory and remembering novel about history, but current history looked at from a
fresh perspective
Narrative structure character focus depending on part of the book
How patriarchy and femininity are portrayed
Sex and sexuality
o Childbirth as a performance of sexuality
Research paper
o Read notes on Blackboard
o Find article about the theme even if it’s outside of WMH (peer-reviewed) just
for theory
o Article about the author doesn’t have to be a book
Bring articles to class
How is intro articulated? Components of intro? What makes it
successful?
Where is the theory placed in the article look up main theorists
How is textual evidence used? As paraphrase, direct quote,
reference?
o Combining analysis and evidence
Transitions between paragraph? Just words (like moreover,
however, etc.) How are questions added?