Topic C. C.Nguyen. Pd.1

In Khaled Hosseini's inspirational book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini displays connections between past events and present actions. He uses Rasheed’s negative past events to demonstrate how it has effected his future fate.

Rasheed is a bitter man who only cares mostly for his needs. He believes that he owns his wives and that he is allowed to stomp on anything. “Downstairs, the beating began.” (268) Rasheed beats everyone in his home who dares to disobey him because he is the only one with a say. He kept many secrets and lied to both Mariam and Laila. Throughout the entire story, he is abusing both women who solemnly try to take care of him. One who bares his child and the other who has always tries to please him. When Mariam looks into “Rasheed’s eyes she saw murder for them both.” (349) After all the beatings, screams, and mistreatment, Mariam realizes she cannot take it any longer and if she does not take a step forward, both women will die. She kills him with a shovel and tells Laila to move on.

Because of Rasheed’s negative actions his fate was a death blow. Thoughts lead on to purposes, purposes go forth in action, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny.

Topic A. C.Nguyen. Pd.1

In the inspiring book, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Hosseini demonstrates how social issues such as domestic abuse can influence others. The author uses foreshadowing and diction to show the negative effect on others because of physiological abuse.

Mariam’s mother insults her to make her feel horrible about her life and that she must suffer in order to obtain anything. She yells at her saying, “What a stupid girl you are!…You’ll have nothing. You are nothing!” (27) She is led to believe that her life is nothing without her mother and she is always going to live in a burdened, distress life. Nana’s mocking foreshadows how Mariam will look at her future.

Mariam had many miscarriages which caused her troubles in her home. With every lost child, Rasheed had begun to ignore Mariam more and become disgraceful of her. “Now nothing she did pleased him” (99). The diction used showcases how hard Mariam had tried to make up for her not being able to conceive even though it is not all her fault. She begins to dread her marriage and falls into much pain. Rasheed’s physiological abuse causes Mariam to believe that she is a failure and has caused nothing but burden.

In both situations, Mariam feels that she is a fraught to both people. One in which is her own mother who caused her to believe that she is worthless and the other in which her husband causes her to believe that she is a burden in his life. The self-esteem of a person can be very limited when their surroundings are negative which causes them to feel pessimistic.