Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

ATSS Rasheed

Good Essays
761 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
ATSS Rasheed
Rasheed's Oppressive Behavior In the late 1800's and early 1900's in American history, women fought for the right to vote as part of the Women's Suffrage Movement. Great activists such as Susan B. Anthony stepped up for the equality of women in America. Women eventually did receive the right to vote in 1920 after years of hard work, making America one of the leaders of nations in the fight for gender equality. To this day however, that is hardly the case in many other countries. Women are more often then not treated as nothing more than a man's property, as shown with Rasheed of Afghanistan in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Young women are forced into marriages, out of need or family obligations as seen with Mariam and Laila who are given no other choice than to marry Rasheed. He treated the women with disrespect and abuse, treating them almost like animals whose only purpose was to serve and please him. Through Rasheed, the author Hosseini illustrates the struggle with oppression that the of women of Kabul are faced with. Despite Rasheed's devastating loss of his wife and son, his abusive and oppressive nature was inexcusable. Rasheed thought instead of letting Laila and Mariam be friends, he decides to pit them against each other and make them compete for him by being better wives. This understandably creates animosity, but the women get over their indifferences "they were not enemies any longer" (Hosseini 151) through their mutual dislike of their monstrously abusive husband. Rasheed treated Mariam and Laila like his property. Rasheed's entitlement led him to believe it was okay to beat women, but eventually Rasheed's "continual condescension and violence, his faultfinding and meanness" (Hosseini 210) helped Mariam to finally take charge of her life by killing him. Rasheed's selfishness drove him to do things that he is oblivious to. An example is Rasheed feeling as if he was doing Laila a favor by marrying her. "I'd say this is downright charitable of me." (Hoessini 133). Knowing Laila was in love with Tariq, referring to them as the Farsi version of a Romeo and Juliet before Laila's cruel twist of fate came to be in the form of a rocket. Rasheed still felt as if if he was being nice to Laila by marrying her, even during their marriage where he put her through a living hell. Rasheed in turn hurts Mariam with his proposal, as she compares it too "a blinding whack to the side of her head" (Hosseini 132), the older woman felt as if she was being replaced by Laila who could give Rasheed the son he wanted so badly. Rasheed was yearning for a son to replace his deceased one. He kept a picture of his son in his drawer hidden away "Mariam tried the bottom drawer of the dresser. It was there that she found a picture of the boy." (Hosseini 55) showing how he still cared about his deceased son. Rasheed felt wronged by not having a son to call his own . He felt as if it is more the work of something out of his control that killed his son instead of what it really was, his recklessness. Rasheed blamed bad fortune on the loss of his son when in reality it was just his drunken foolishness that caused his son's death. In turn, when Rasheed finally did have a son through Laila named Zalmai, he spoiled the young boy, and showed Zalmai the patience and love comparable to a "well that ran deep and never dried" (Hosseini 176), but Rasheed never treated his daughter Aziza the same way. To portray the oppression and suffering of an unfortunate number of women in countries and cities such as Kabul, Afghanistan, Hosseini utilizes Rasheed. Through the author we experience how Rasheed treats Mariam and Laila after the loss of his first wife and son with a selfish and abusive nature, which led to his wives' understandable resentment of him. Hosseini also includes Rasheed's selfishness, and his yearning to replace his son with another one given that it was his fault he was without his son to begin with. The oppression caused by Rasheed prevented his wives from ever having a life outside of being his wife, holding them back from accomplishing much of their own, illustrating the need for progression in gender equality in countries such as Afghanistan where the women have no voice. Rasheed himself had a tough life full of hardships, but his way of overcoming them through unending abuse rightfully caused his demise.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini discusses the life of Amir and his quest for redemption. In his early childhood, Amir forms what appears to be a strong bond with Hassan, his servant; however, Amir betrays Hassan after only seven chapters of the story which begs the question: Why does Amir allow his friendship with Hassan to fail? After some analysis, a few possible reasons for this betrayal can be deduced, but what ultimately causes the destruction of this friendship is the imbalance of power. Similarly, brothers Salim and Jamal from The Slumdog Millionaire experience this uneven distribution of power as well. Salim holds power over Jamal simply because he is the older brother and that makes him feel more entitled to power. In…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout all these rulings, some women began to feel that society might not be the place for them. Under all that pressure, women’s rights groups enhanced their campaign and pushed hard for women’s rights. They were mainly focus on the need for women to vote. They stressed this because at the time women felt that voting was helpless. They supposed they lived in a society that needed them to only serve men and bear children. The women’s rights groups changed that though by pushing women to get jobs to support their families and nation and also vote for understanding politicians.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gender equality has long been an issue all over the world. Though the issue is not that nasty in current society, problems still exist. Woman status rises a lot to a much higher-level compared to before. Feminism develops and spreads out at a rapid rate and more and more women now a day express their thoughts of being independent. Christina Larsen and Leila Ahmed both talk about the changing of women status in modern society, but in two different countries. In her essay “The Startling Plight of China’s Leftover Ladies”, Larsen points out that Chinese women now have a higher social status than compare to the past. Ahmed, in her essay “Reinventing the Veil”, also mentions that Muslin women now advocate their independent status and have much more…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Amirs selfish actions although unforgivable are in ways not only his fault. When Amir “ran” from Hassans rape, it was not because he was just a “coward” Amir had been pushed away by his father and yearned for his affection so much that he thought, “Hassan was the price to pay.. to win Baba” and his affection, this is significant because it could be argued that if Amir had not had to win Babas affections the key scene of Hassans rape may have turned out differently and Amir may not have felt the guilt and need to commit his following selfish acts.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Women have sought out equality and its benefits for the longest of time. Their desire to own themselves and control the world’s perspective of women has been motivation throughout decades. Looking back as far as 1865, Women have always worked hard to care for the family even while they stood behind the man. Women used their skills to manage the home by bringing income in through making and selling clothing. There was a time when it was unacceptable for a woman’s shoulders to be bare in public, and unheard of to be seen with their belly visible. Sex without marriage was obscene as was the option of having sex with preventive methods. And they eventually won the battle of who can and cannot vote. Women struggled against men for and objective females for the right to enlist in the military. Abortion was brought to existence to protect women from birthing unwillingly. The world experienced several acts and rights to ensure women gained equality. Women tackled the world for women related changes drastically since 1865 and do not plan to back down. This paper defines that women have fought for equality in employment, fashion, voting, military choice, and even birth options; they achieved such rights through feminist acts like the women’s liberation movement and they will forever expect rightful equality.…

    • 2680 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is difficult to imagine that several centuries ago, the plight of women in society was very different. In 18th century America, they had very limited rights of their own. The situation has somehow been reflective of what…

    • 1005 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before the turn of the century, women had virtually no rights and a very minimal role in society. Despite the protests of the suffragettes, women did not have the right to vote and were still subject to unhappy marriages and limited types of employment. However, the women’s movement took off in the early 1900s. This movement was sparked by women’s participation in WWI, by the changing society of the 20’s, and by the public movement of the person’s case.…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the beginning of the novel, Amir is a young selfish child who cares about himself and only himself, which is evident by the choices he makes. His obsession to please Baba, his father, causes him to betray his best friend, later known to be his half-brother, Hassan. Hassan was raped by Assef, the novel’s antagonist, because he was protecting the kite Amir yearned for to satisfy Baba. Amir later confesses, “Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (Hosseini 7). As a consequence, Amir lives with an abundant amount of guilt, in which he tries to avoid, but as the years crawl by, he is unable to find tranquility. His guilty conscious troubles…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Advancement of “Equal Rights” in Post-Revolutionary America In 1998, Rosemarie Zagarri wrote a persuasive review of the advancement of women’s rights in post-revolutionary America called, The Rights of Man and Woman in Post-Revolutionary America. Zagarri shows the struggle of early American women and their rise to equal rights with men by pointing out the dramatic relevance that gender or sex has on this topic. “Put simply, men’s rights involved liberties that allowed choices, while women’s rights consisted of benefits that imposed duties… rights became a gendered variable” (Zagarri 203). Rosemarie Zagarri shows that the post- revolutionary rights of men and women were based on separate principles such as equality of the sexes/ genders,…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over the course of American history, the waves of social revolution have repeatedly beaten back the injustices of man to form the society we inhabit today. Literature has proven to be a powerful tool to churn these waves of innovation, and it is in the significant literary pieces of a time that historians can identify the heart of important movements. One notable text is Susan B. Anthony’s “Women’s Right to Vote” written during the 19th century Women’s Suffrage movement. Utilizing her leadership position in this age of American feminism, Anthony wrote “Women’s Right to Vote” to expose the injustice women faced in being restricted from voting; in doing so, she demonstrated intellect and reason amid prejudices of female incompetency. Among her persuasive calls for justice, Anthony’s use of logical appeal is revealed in her reference to the United States’ Declaration of Independence, her perspective on legal pronouns, and her examination of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments.…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women were in weak position when they started to strive for the right to vote in the mid-1800s. "In 1848,the first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. After 2 days of discussion and debate, 68 women and 32 men sign a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlines grievances and sets the agenda for the women's rights movement." (Imbornoni, n.d.) From then on, this struggle lasted long over 72 years. The women's suffrage movement was of enormous political and social significance in the American history and greatly changed life for women in America. (Cooney, n.d.) The report will focus on the ways to launch the women's suffrage campaign, changes taking place in American women's life and the significance of the women's suffrage movement.…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American movement for women’s liberation and rights was undoubtedly the most progressive in the decades that followed the Second World War. The second wave of feminism that ensued in the 1960s and 70s redirected the goals and ambitions in the fight for gender equality in many aspects. This new wave of liberal reform allowed women to break free from the domestic sphere from the conservative restraints of the 1950s, which have traditionally limited a women’s access to the same political, economic, and educational rights as men. While the fight for women’s equality started to make real headway post World War II, the fight for women’s rights has existed long before then. This can be seen in the Antebellum reforms or the first wave of feminism from the early 19th century to the early 20th century.…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Why Is America Ever Great

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Only 100 years have passed where women were granted the right to vote because they were perceived as uneducated therefore unable to vote. Since long ago, women were perceived to be property of their husbands. They were to stay at home, cook, and take care of the children restricted of having an education and career. They were stripped of their political and property rights because of men who saw it unfit for women to have basic human rights. Women had to face the constant humiliation and condemnation that men brought on because they weren’t born as males.…

    • 1300 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mariam was living with her mother Nana out of the city. Nana was always sacrificing every little thing for Mirima but she never notice what her mom was doing for her. Until one day when Mariam decides to go looking for her had without caring for what Nana was going to say. Jalil, Mariam’s dad didn’t let Mariam into his house, Mariam was extremely upset and left home but before she went looking for her dad, Nana said to Mariam that if she leaves she was going to kill herself: “ The rope dropping from a high branch, Nana dangling at the end of it” ( Hosseini 36). That day Mariam realizes that Nana kill herself for her, she has just sacrifice her life for her daughter because her daughter was the love of her life. Over the years of not having Nana by her side and she being gone Mariam now knows how much Nana sacrifice. Nana went through many obstacles while having Mariam. She didn’t give Mariam away, Nana endure the shame and she was loving Mariam in her own way. When Mariam was seeing that Laila was sacrificing her life for her baby when she was giving birth Mariam thought “ruefully of Nana of the sacrifices that she too had made”( Husseini 287). Mariam now knew what mothers sacrifice for their…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Women, while granted primitive suffrage in a few areas, was not guaranteed suffrage in major areas except in a few short areas. “In twenty-five states women possess suffrage in school matters; in four…limited suffrage in local affairs; in one…municipal suffrage; in four states, they have full suffrage, local state and national” (Anthony). This, while seemingly a small step, was actually quite a large step towards universal female suffrage. Through consistent barrages of letters of inequalities to congress and local government from activists, “Women are becoming more and more interested in political questions and public affairs” (Anthony), which raises an important point. One can surmise from the previous statement by Susan B. Anthony in “The Status of Women, Past, Present, and Future,” that many women didn’t care about the agenda of these activists. Most women were content not having to deal with complicated real world problems outside of their own household. So in order for the gender to rise as a whole, these “literary domestics” also have to combat the people they’re trying to win for. Lucky for them, Susan B. Anthony, among others, have given all their energy and the best years of their lives to making this happen, for all the woman of the nation, “Until woman has obtained ‘that right protective of all…

    • 1766 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics