Theme: Gender Flashcards
(3 cards)
Gender (Masculinity vs Femininity)
“It’s our lot in life, Mariam. Women like us. We endure. It’s all we have. Do you understand?” - Nana, Chapter 3
AO1 - Short, declarative sentences and rhetorical questions
AO2 - Nana desperately wants to warn Mariam of the
ate that awaits her beyond the Kolba but it is futile
because of the lack of worldly knowledge Mariam has
AO3 - The novel is grounded in realism, with the real-world attitudes and events in Afghanistan being the centre
point of the novel’s events
AO4 - Nelly Dean formulates a bond with Catherine
Earnshaw despite not being her mother, but both Mariam and Catherine Earnshaw’s excessive
pride doesn’t allow Nana or Nelly Dean to help then
and strengthen that bond
Gender (Masculinity vs Femininity)
“where I come from, a woman’s face is her husband’s business only. I want you to remember that. Do you understand?” - Rasheed, Chapter 10
AO1 - Callback to previous events and personification
AO2 - the face is interchangeable with the business of man,
highlighting the patriarchal marriage Mariam has been
forced into
AO3 - Rasheed embodies the toxic masculinity and patriarchal
society of Afghanistan
AO4 - Both Wuthering Heights and A Thousand Splendid
Suns have male villain to enhance the proto-feminist
undertones
Gender (Masculinity vs Femininity)
The Burqa
AO1 - Symbolism
AO2 - The burkha is given to Mariam by Rasheed so she
can cover herself up while she is in public [Chapter 11], as he
disdains women who wear revealing clothes (Displays man’s power over women in Afghanistan)
AO3 - A burqa is a loose outer garment worn primarily in public
spaces by some Muslim women. It covers the body and
face, usually incorporating a mesh panel through which
the wearer can see. In Afghanistan and the Muslim faith, a woman must
cover herself around other men other than her
husband because of the Koran’s emphasis on
modesty
AO4 - Compares to the dogs in Wuthering Heights which are an inherently male symbol
