Change In Najmah's Life

(AGG)“And how can a girl named Star and a boy named Light not go back to their land in the shadow of a mountain named to honor their ancestors’ hearts? for there is great value to lives lived in a village called Golestan, which means ‘beautiful garden”(Staples 270). (BS-1) Nur and Baba-jan were taken away by the Taliban’s which have affected Najmah in many ways. (BS-2)The loss of Mada-jan and Habib have caused Najmah to think differently and to disconnect herself from the world. (BS-3)Najmah decides to go back to Golestan for her family. (TS) Najmah determines that her life is supposed to be made in Golestan.
(MIP-1) Najmah was affected by the loss of Nur and Baba-Jan to the Taliban. (SIP-A) In the beginning of the book Najmah was immature
and very dependent on others. (STEWE-1) Najmah gets to do the easy stuff but she still will get afraid very easily. “Usually Mada-jan fetches the wood, leaving me to make naan inside our mud-brick house, because she knows I'm afraid. But Habib, who will arrive in just a few days, keeps her off-balance when she walks along the steep, narrow paths. My father worries that she'll tumble down to the bottom of the hill, and so he has asked me to put aside my fear to help my mother. I feel proud that I can do it, even though I am afraid”(Staples 6-7). Even though Najmah feels honored that Baba-jan has asked her to help out with mother she is still nervous and afraid to help her mother while being alone and independent. (STEWE-2) Nur tends to tease Najmah a lot and sometimes he teases her about leopards but since Najmah is immature she believes even though she never seen one and they don't exist in Golestan. “Nur was only teasing,’ I mutter under my breathe. ‘Nur was only teasing.’ But I really am convinced a large animal with long, pointed teeth is waiting to pounce on me. I am terribly afraid of leopards, although I have never seen one in my life”(Staples 6). Clearly Najmah is being very immature if she is scared about the leopard killing her while she knows that Nur is teasing her that she has never seen one. (SIP-B) Now that Baba-jan and Nur are gone she has matured and become independent. (STEWE-1) When Baba-jan was taken away he asked Najmah to take care of her pregnant mother. “I awaken the morning of the next day and decide have to do something or we survey will die, even if the Taliban do not come back. I don't want to leave my mother alone with her time so near, but I have no choice. I arise long before first light. Mada-Jan. Still lies silently on her cot, staring and weeping. I do not event think of leopards as I go to the woodpile and return carrying several day’s worth of wood”(Staples 37). Without a doubt Najmah is saddened from the Taliban’s taking away Baba-jan and Nur but she has taken advantage of this and has started to mature and show she can be independent and help others. (STEWE-2) Najmah knows what she has to do to protect Mada-jan, Habib, and their land. “Then I hear someone moving outside, and my heart leaps into my mouth. I am certain the Pashtun talib have returned to steal the animals. I get up and walk silently on the balls of my feet to the wall at the end of the house, where I’ve left Baba-jan’s large, curved knife that I use to cut wheat and grass”(Staples 57). Clearly since Najmah’s first instinct was to go to the knife she has shown that she has matured and fulfilled the wish of Baba-jan by protecting them. (CS) Najmah has mentally changed after Nur and Baba-jan were taken, both positively and negatively. (MIP-2) Najmah has been affected by the loss of her mother and baby brother but she didn't just lose them she also lost herself. (SIP-A) Najmah loses her connection to the world after she loses Mada-jan and Habib.
(STEWE-1) Najmah goes right into shock after she finds them completely dead. “I sit in the dirt beside them quietly, not crying, not thinking, not even, aware that I am breathing and it occurs to me that I might be dead, too”(Staples 83). Without a doubt I the deaths have made her feel disconnected. (STEWE-2) By showing she has has disconnected herself to world she won't talk to anybody or trust anybody. “I try to smile at her. She is very kind, but I still do not want to be touched and I do not yet want to talk about my family”(Staples 206). At this point she has met Nusrat but she doesn't even trust her and by showing this she won't tell her what happened in the loss of her family members. (SIP-B) Najmah finds hope and strength again by deciding to make plan to find her brother and father. (STEWE-1) Throughout the whole book Najmah relies on the stars, here she looks at them and prays for guidance. “And so I lie awake the rest of the night thinking about my plan, staring at the stars, and praying for guidance”(Staples 131). Clearly she’s trying to come up with a master plan to find her father and brother again. (STEWE-2) When Najmah meets Nusrat at first she doesn’t trust her but she made a plan to find Nur and Baba-jan so she realizes she's out of choices and decides that she will have to tell her eventually. “But I need to know what happened to your family so I can help you find them”(Staples 197-198). Now that Nusrat will help find Nur and Bab-jan it Najmah’s plan will likely soon be finalized and will become a lot more easier. (CS) Now that Najmah has her plan down and almost ready to go she now almost full strength once again. (MIP-3) Najmah decides to go back to Golestan for her family.(SIP-A) Najmah was asked to keep their land by her dad right before he was taken away, clearly she knows that if she doesn't go back her uncle or someone will take her family’s lands.
(STEWE-1) Najmah’s uncle is a horrible person and wants her parents land. “I hate him for thinking my mother and I would run away, so that he might steal our land”(Staples 59). Clearly the uncle is not here to help because he just wants their precious land. (STEWE-2) When Baba-jan was taken away he wished for Najmah to keep the land. “It was our father's last wish that we should keep our farm from the hands of the Taliban or Uncle. It is where our fathers bore them made their lives, and it is our duty to make our life there and the lives of our children and children's children”(Staples 256). Clearly going back to their land in Golestan is the right choice not just because her father asked her to but the land has been used by generations of her family. (SIP-B) Nur returns and now that Najmah has a male she can claim the land. (STEWE-1) When nur return obviously Najmah’s first wonder was if Baba-jan is alive or not even though she has a feeling on what the answer will be. “Baba-jan is dead,” he says softly, his voice cracking. I knew he would say these words before they formed in his mouth”(Staples 253). In Nur’s return Najmah finds out that Baba-jan is gone but at the same time she feels relieved that she won’t have to go on with
her plan.(STEWE-2) Nusrat did make a begging offer to Najmah and Nur on coming back to America with her but Nur and Najmah now they belong on their land in Golestan. “And how can a girl named star and a boy named Light not go back to their land in the shadow of a mountain named to honor their ancestor’s hearts? For there is great value to lives lived in a village called Golestan, which means ‘beautiful garden’” (Staples 270). Without a doubt the right choice for Najmah and Nur will be to go back home so they can serve their ancestors. (CS) Now that Najmah has meet up with Nur, she decides to go back home to Golestan while Nusrat goes back to America. (RTS) Najmah’s mental state has changed because of the loved ones that are gone or are missing from her life.
(BS-3) Najmah decides to return to Golestan to honor her family. (BS-2) Najmah has mentally changed after losing her mother and baby brother to a bombing raid. (BS-1) Najmah was affected in many ways after Nur and Baba-Jan were taken away by the Taliban’s. (R)“After you leave home, you may find yourself feeling homesick, even if you have a new home that has nicer wallpaper and a more efficient dishwasher than the home in which you grew up”(Snicket
1).