Abby Husfeldt: Discussion Leader 11/22/10

11/22/10

1) Why is there not a universal copyright/regulations to follow? Why do you think some countries stricter?

**Some countries simply have more money to put into regulations.  Another reason, following the same aspect of money, would be that they have more money to put into the authorities to help enforce those rules.  It would seem to be better to have a universal copyright law.  Other countries probably have similar regulations to follow but again do not enforce the laws like other countries including America, who seem to have strict regulations.

2) Why do you think Sultan only does his pray practices once a day?  How long do you think he has had this thinking?

**I think it started at a younger age when he started to get into his business.  He is just not strict with his religion.  Many others do not attend church services every Sunday, etc.  Sultan believes he must work hard for his money instead of praying to his God for all that he has accomplished.  He had mentioned once that going to Mecca should not be for prayer, but should be attended to thank Allah.  I believe that this deals with his thinking towards regular prayers as well.

3) Do you think any of the arranged marriage regulations/ideas go too far?

**There are many different aspects that you could choose from including: the women not being present in the room while discussing the marriage proposal, rarely choice of marriage partner, women appearing cold and distant until they are married, and if a bride is unwilling is a good sign and indicates a pure heart.  The two aspects regarding the women’s feelings toward the marriage and husband seem odd.  To have a bride that is unwilling does not seem to have a good sign, at least not in America. Otherwise, arranged marriages usually do not take in consideration of the females interests so the aspect of the girls not being present seems “reasonable”. 

4) Which of the Taliban’s 16 rules do you think go too far? Which ones are silly/bizarre? Why?

**Prohibition against kite flying, playing drums,and British and American hairstyles seem silly.  These three rules seem to just be about what you can and can’t do for enjoyment or freewill.  One rule that seems to go too far would be for shaving one’s beard.  It seems harsh to have a rule that regulates how one should maintain their presence with one’s facial hair.  If it were simply just a rule to not shave it could have been a little more reasonable, however, it specifies that it should be the length of a clenched fist.  Another one that goes too far is the prohibition against female exposure and what it entitles.  It states that females who are not decently covered and accompanied with a close male relative is also implied and seems a bit over the edge.

Luke Anderson Graphic Organizer 11/22/10

Luke Anderson

Day 2

Graphic Organizer

Sultan must cross the border to visit his first wife.  This series of events is signifigant because it is a very dangerous road.  The Khyber Pass has guns on both sides and Sultan could have easily been killed.  Sultan visits his wife who is very lonely and the old couple has some much needed intimacy, and they talk about everything.  He fails to mention the fact that he had a lot of trouble crossing the border because he is a very humble and optimistic person.   

Melissa Stalowski: Vocabulary Builder 11/22/2010

1) Infidel (n): one who does not believe in a particular religion or has no religion (page 41)
2) Pariah (n): a member of the lowest social castes, an outcast (page 43)
3) Zenith (n): the highest point in the sky directly overhead (page 46)
4) Panzer (n): a German military tank (page 47)
5) Precipice (n): a vertical or overhanging rock face (page 48)
6) Chortle (v): to make a gleeful chuckling sound (page 52)
7) Egalitarian (adj): advocating full political, social, and economic equality for all people (page 58)
8) Superfluous (adj): excessive or unnecessary (page 63)
9) Lassitude (n): weariness (page 69)
10) Mutton (n): the flesh of a grown sheep (page 79)

Luke Anderson: Summarizer 11/19/10

            Normally I don’t read the foreword or prologue of most books, but for this one I did, and I’m glad I did because the background information in the foreword was both interesting and useful.  I found it interesting that the author stayed with a family in Kabul based solely on the fact that she met the owner of this bookstore named Sultan and liked him.  It was also very interesting that the author presented herself as just an observer of the families day to day activities and not necessarily someone who’s soul purpose is to write a book.  I found it odd that she chose to stay with an “upper middle class” family versus a normal family in Kabul.  To me this says that she clearly is interested in the ventures of this family alone and probably not the city or nation as a whole.  I think that it is disgusting that they think that it is normal and even honorable to marry your cousin.  At the beginning of the first chapter Sultan is looking for a new wife because his first wife is getting old.  He finds one, but he goes about asking for her hand in a weird way.  Normally a woman in the man’s family must ask, but Sultan goes to the house and makes a few proposals ‘for his friend’ allegedly.  Eventually he sends his aunt over and the girl’s family agrees that she will get married to Sultan.  The next chapter is about the entire life of Sultan: how he came to love books, how he met his first wife, the struggles he went through, like jail, and having his books burned.  The 3^rd chapter is about Sultan’s first wife Sharifa.  Most of the chapter is devoted to the gossip that Sharifa hears and all the so call scandalous experiences she has because apparently taking to a boy in a park is the same as adultery to these people. 

Melissa Stalowski: Discussion Leader 11/19/2010

1) What is involved in a typical Afghani proposal/How do Afghani proposals differ from typical American proposals?
A: In an Afghani propsal, a woman in the male's family is responsible for conveying the proposal and making sure that the bride is a suitable wife. It is typical for an Afghani man to propose to a cousin or extended family member. A bride price is paid as an exchange for marriage and the price is calculated by age, beauty, skill, and the status of the bride's family. A girl does not choose to accept or decline, but rather her parents decide. In America, we see proposals that are usually romantic and not a long, drawn-out process like the Afghani proposals are. In the present day, American men do not usually ask a woman's family's permission first. The couple usually tells the family the news after the engagement. An American bride commonly has the freedom to accept or decline the proposal.

2) Why was the Taliban so strict on the censorship of books, what types of books were banned, and why?
A: In Afghanistan, the Taliban required a religious police force to burn all books that portrayed living things. As Islamic extremists, they thought that any book besides the Koran was unnecessary and viewed them as heresy. Although we are not completely sure why the Taliban was so strict on the censorship of books, it is assumed that the Taliban did so out of fear that people would develop their own ideas and rebel against the force. The Taliban wanted to force their extreme Islamic beliefs upon others and not give people the opportunity to develop other beliefs.

3) What are the punishments for females in Afghanistan who commit crimes and how do they differ from punishments for similar offenses committed in the United States?
A: Women in Afghanistan face severe punishment for crimes that might seem petty to us. Some of the "crimes" that Afghani women are punished brutally for are considered normal teenage behavior in the United States. For example, Saliqa is brutally beaten, almost to the point of death, for sending and receiving notes to a boy her age and then meeting up with him at a park to talk. The Afghani women recognize that Saliqa made a mistake but they do not think she committed a serious crime. In the United States, sending notes to a boy and meeting him to talk would be considered typical teenage behavior. Another example is when Jamila has an affair with another man and it is implied that she is killed afterwards. If a married woman in the United States had an affair with a man who was not her husband or boyfriend, the relationship would most likely end but fatal punishment would not be issued.

4) What is a woman's worth in Afghanistan?
A:  In Afghanistan, women are viewed as a man's property. A woman is owned by either her father, brother, husband, or other male relative. She is measured of her worth by how capable she is in domestic life including cooking, cleaning, and being obedient. If an Afghani woman comes from a wealthy family, her worth is of higher value. Also, Afghani women are at a man's disposal. For example, when Sharifa ages, Sultan decides he wants a new and younger wife. Sharifa is then cast aside and lives alone with her daughter in Pakistan. She is expected to have a positive and accepting attitude towards the new marriage.

Vocabulary Builder by Heather Sandberg 11/19/2010

1. chit- a receipt, voucher, or similar document of an informal nature (p.4)
2. factions- a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, or organization (p. xvi)
3. alluding- to refer casually or indirectly (p.5)
4. sweetmeats- sweet delicacy prepared with sugar and honey as candies and cakes (p.7)
5. rankled- to continue to cause keen irritation or bitter resentment within the mind (p.7)
6. coiffures- a head covering; headdress (p.8)
7. bereft- deprived (p.10)
8. mullahs- a title of respect for a person who is learned in, teaches, or expounds the sacred law (p.11)
9. pyre- a pile or heap of wood or other combustible material (p.16)
10. bourgeois- a member of the middle class who is a shopkeeper or merchant (p. 16)

Abby Husfeldt: Graphic Organizer 11/19/10

In the first forty pages, a lot of what is being talked about or illustrated evolved around the family’s culture.  That is why the culture aspect is in the center circle with the other objects circling around it.  In order for the reader to understand the culture, the author goes into to describing different situations, which include the history of the country as a whole, women, government involvement with the country and specifically the family, and traditional roles of family members.  All four of these aspects ties into the culture of the family so you are able to understand their situation/story more clearly.