Monday, January 30, 2017
Blog Response #9
Upon completion of reading your novel, what have you learned about a different culture? What shocked you? What seemed strange to you? What couldn't you believe? Take time to give specific examples from your novel that share what you learned about history and a different culture. Share your feelings about what you read.
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One thing that i learned about other cultures is that people from Aphganastan don't have sex unless its for reproduction so when they get the urg they do it to little boys. I didnt believe it at first when nathan told me about it but when i read certain parts of the story like hassan getting raped i was very suprised and also very disturbed by it
ReplyDeletei can understand were they see sex for reproduction only, but then to go and rape little boys. THAT IS JUST WRONG!
DeleteIt is truly messed up that they do that to little boys in their culture, i could not live there.
DeleteThe part that i found very disturbing about it is that raping little boys is viewed as less sinful in there culture almost like a loophole for the no sex rules.
DeleteI learned that all Germans felt the same way about the jews during the concentration camp era. The SS officers treated them terrible, but also the people that lived in Germany treated them like garbage as well. A specific example is when they were being transported from one camp to another, German citizens threw bread into the wagon and made the jews literally kill each other for the ration of bread. It really disturbed me reading about all this stuff that happened during World War 2 and actually believing that this stuff is all true.
ReplyDeletewhile not all germans saw the jews as garbage most just chose to ignore what was happening and turned a blind eye to their suffering
Deleteyes that was really cruel of them to throw bread in the car like that just for the reaction and not just the reason to feed them.
DeleteI agree the Germans didn't treat the Jew very good, it like they don't see them as a human.
DeleteI dont udnerstand how Hitler could get so many people to agree with him that extremely
DeleteIn I am Malala I learned a few things about Pakistan's culture one of these things is that women are not treated nearly the way they are treated around here. Another thing is that the people of Pakistan's culture are very passionate about their religion. The last thing I was able to pick out about there culture is that men have the majority of the control in their culture and women are born to do house chores and to cook and clean around the house. The biggest thing that caught my eye that it wasn't uncommon for men to hit there wives if they disagreed upon something. Another thing that was odd to me is that men and women didn't marry out of love yet more out of social interest. Throughout this book I found my self comparing what it is like from where I am from and to how it is from where Malala is from. At some points in the story it was eye opening how good we have it and how some of us take the little things like having the privilege to go to school for granted.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised about the whole school thing too and many don't have the privilege to go.
DeleteI also realized how we take stuff for granted, where somewhere else they are fighting for and killing for.
DeleteIn "1000 splendid suns" the men also commonly hit their wives.
Deletesounds like an interesting book
DeleteWhat I learned was that the women had went through hell. I wasn't really shocked more like surprised as to how he treated the people that was forced to marry him. The strangest part was when the women called their spouse their "cousin" that was the strangest thing and it kinda surprised me. I couldn't believe the way the author switched from past to present it kinda confused me but once reading more into the chapter I understood. What I learned was that women had to cover their face with a Hijab, and how they couldn't travel anywhere unless accompanied by a man. How when women have children the boys matter the most because their the ones who carry down the last name as a generation type of thing. That is why Rasheed the character in "a thousand splendid suns" wanted another boy so badly so that he can keep the cultural generation last name going again. Overall "a thousand splendid suns" was a very great book, there was moments of reading when you getting into the good part and just don't want to stop reading because you want to get the rest of the information. My emotion stayed the same I was surprised and because of me being surprised it kept me on my toes and kept asking my self whats going to happen next.
ReplyDeleteim suprised you were suprised. i didnt have alot of interest in the book at all
DeleteI did not know that Afghanistan people only have sex for reproduction. Most cultures people use it for reproduction/recreation. But if they have an urge the use little boys, and rape them. I can't believe anyone would do that. But our culture thinks thats messed up and they think its normal. I felt bad for Hasson as i was reading the chapter when he got raped. I'm glad i live in the greatest country on earth, our culture today takes advantage of all the privileges we have.
ReplyDeletein the book thousand splendid suns i found it strange that they married their first cousin and that they had to give up all rights and didn't even try to fight the change in laws. I also found it strange how they took little kids and trained them to fight in war and to blow themselves up.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds a lot like the taliban that is in Kite Runner
Deletei thought the same thing when i was reading mine.
Deletein my book they trained little kids to be soldiers and fight for there cause in the war
DeleteThat sounds really bad how they tought the young guys to fight wars by blowing up themselves.
Deletesomeone within their group has to think that it is wrong somehow
Deletemore like creepy
DeleteI learned that while no all Germans felt the same way about the jews during the concentration camp era most just stood by and did nothing. The SS officers treated them awfully, but also the people that lived in Germany treated them like they were some kind of animal as well. A specific example is when they were being transported from one camp to another, German citizens threw bread into the wagon and made the jews literally fought and killed each other for bread like a group of starving dogs. It really disturbed me reading stuff like that knowing that it really happened during World War 2. it is really hard to picture all the stuff that happened that we don't know about, it just makes me really sad.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about not wanting to picture anything that happened during World War to because it will just make me sick. Your right when you say that all Germans really just turned their heads and say nothing is going on, that's how they acted when all of this was going on.
Deletealot of the germans who did turn there heads couldnt really do anything to help becasue if they got caught helping a jewish person they would of been killed or put in a camp themselves
Deleteyes that is very disturbing to read about this stuff. I'm just truing to think of the other bad stuff they did but did not mention in the book.
DeleteYeah i'd say that not all germans were behind the genocide and some of them even helped the Jews.
DeleteWhat i learned about malalas culture is that it is very different that what we live in today. I thought the whole girls not getting an education was strange, i couldn't believe that the Taliban didn't approve. I was surprised to see Pakistan's reactions on 9/11.
ReplyDeleteFor me as a female, women treatment was the most shocking!
DeleteThat's hard to believe that the girls never got an education there.
DeleteOur book the Kite Runner also touched on 9/11 but our book just left how it affected them up to the imagination and skipped to 2 years later which I thought was strange
DeleteIn A Long Way Gone all schools are shut down due to the war but our book doesn't touch 9/11 even though the main character visits the twin towers and tells a short story about it
DeleteI thought it was very strange too! I think the Taliban did not approve because they wanted to pretty much brainwash the people. If they were uneducated, i think it would be easier.
DeleteTheir culture is very different from mine. Women are a hidden figure, the man is the head of the houses. Here a women can have children on her own, live on her own, and be successful, this in Malala's culture is sin, and an immediate response with delinquency. For me the act of killing girls and women for wanting to have knowledge is what most shocked me. I can't imagine living that way, wanting to get educated, and then not being able to, because there's fear that I'll get killed by an ignorant man. The only good thing is that they are really faithful to their religion, and they are very humble people, ready to welcome anyone who knocks their door. In our culture people are more conservative in regards to strangers, and doubtful of who they will give a hand. In there culture all they do is what the Quran says.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was also very strange to kill someone just because they wanted to get a good education. I can not imagine living in an environment like that neither.
Deleteit shocked me on how rasheed had more then one wife. its was so crazy to hear that. in there culture nothing really shocked me because i kind of already figured that is how it was in there culture. i felt kinda weird reading it because the way the relationships were was just screwed up. also the names were hard to remember and confusion. its also messed up on how they arried their first cousins and trained kids to kill.
ReplyDeletethe different culture is human just like us we are no different than they are. just because they look different or speak different they have feelings just like us. what was strange to me was how at the end the SS men just disappeared and no one was watching the prisoners. the prisoners were free the for a wile before they actually left, I couldn't believe they didn't they leave sooner. I feel that right as Elie was going to give up because he had nothing to live for anymore, then and there the us came threw and saved them.
ReplyDeleteI agree as soon as Elie was about to give up he was FREE at last. I cant even imagine how Elie must feel now. His father passed away and now he is left with no family.
DeleteI'm proud of Elie for surviving this horrible time because I know I wouldn't be able too.
Deletethe culture in along way gone is similar to ours in some ways. Such as there family values they all care about there families. they also enjoy music alot. one thing that shocked me was how a 15 year old boy did that many drugs joined the army and killed that many people. He even got shot how many times and it didnt phase him he just kept fighting and fighting
ReplyDeleteI agree our culture is similar to theirs
DeleteI agree how it is similar to our culture too. It also shocked me how 15 year old boys did all of those drugs and killed that many people.
DeleteI can see the similarities but their are also many differences in equality and poverty and things along those lines.
Deleteits amazing what drugs will do to you mabey in certain situations drug are ok
DeleteIts sad and amazing
DeleteThe book "Night" the Jews were humble people and didn't do anything wrong but for some reason Hitler just didn't like them at all. It shocked me that the Germans were able to do all those things and get away with it. I don't know how they were able to do those things to the Jews like they did. Putting them in cattle cars on trains and making them go days without eating and working them to death almost at the concentration camps. It is hard for me to believe that they would get beaten for nothing and get poor amounts of food that they would have to share sometimes and they never got a good full meal that would fill them up they only got a little bit a bread a a small ration of soup. I feel bad for all the Jews in this time period because they went through a lot and were killed by the thousands and were packed in to Barracks where they were forced to stay in.
ReplyDeleteI agree it also shocked me how they got away with hurting the Jews. I agree it was so wrong that they were beating them for no reason and not giving them the right amounts of food.
DeleteI also feel very bad for the people that had to deal with not being able to eat and got punished for everything they did.
DeleteWhat I learned about the culture of Sierra Leone was that they live in little wooden shacks and they are in poverty. What shocked me was that there is 11 year old boys that carry Ak's and are use to killing people. I couldn't believe that they mix gunpowder and cocaine and snort it. Things change real quick everything will be OK and then suddenly the person standing next to you is shot and is bleeding out.
ReplyDeleteIt really puts in perspective how different things change depending on the culture of different cultures. Sounds like an interesting book
DeleteEverything just becomes a routine after doing that many drugs. Glad the United States army doesn't give out drugs
DeleteIn the book "Night" I have learned a lot from there culture to ours. First, they hung innocent lives and got away with it. Today if we were to do that we sure in the hell wouldn't get away with it. We would be sent to prison. Second, they hardly got any food, water, and didn't get showered very often either. Third, pushing the Jews around and burning them was wrong. When Elie got whipped for watching someone having sex.. was strange to me. Things like that don't happen in todays culture. Back then and now are totally different. My feelings when reading this book were very heartbreaking. The things that happened in this book made me feel very sorry for these Jews cause they are taking innocent peoples lives away.
ReplyDeleteYour exactly right when you compared cultures to ours today. All the stuff they did, we would get sentenced to life in jail. The thing was that back during World War 2 nobody was going to stop the Germans from doing what they did.
DeleteThis sounds like a very good book! I also agree with how you couldn't get away with that kind of stuff now and days.
DeleteI agree with Greg you are right when you compared cultures to ours today and I agree now no one would be able to get away with this kind of thing.
DeleteThe Kite Runner wasn't very focused on culture but they did touch on the big ideas of the middle eastern culture. Manly in regards to marriage and the traditions surrounding it. Like when a man wants to to marry a woman he asks his father to talk to hers and arrange the marriage for one example. Waiting until marriage is also a huge idea represented in this book. Which has pushed many men to rape younger boys. But i would say the biggest thing I learned from the book is about the massive amounts of destruction caused by the war. and the fear that affected everyone in the area seemed to be extremely intense and never left for a minute
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "1000 splendid suns" I was shocked by how few rights the women had under the Taliban rule. The women were not allowed to go out without wearing a burqa or without being accompanied by a male relative. It was strange how restrictive Rasheed was of his wives and I was surprised by how often he beat them. I also learned a lot about the different political revolutions in Afghanistan, like when the communists were in power the women had a lot of rights but when the Mujaheddin and Taliban were in power and the women had almost no rights.
ReplyDeleteI agree and we do not realize how easy we have it in the United States then in other countries. I also learned the political revolutions and found it interesting.
DeleteI couldn't agree more Cory. The way Rasheed beat his wives was outrageous and the fact that he would beat them all of the time for the most little reasons.
DeleteI agree with you. Its very cruel and inhumane. I think women should be free to do whatever they want too but they don't have one say in that in Afghanistan.
DeleteIn the book The Thousand Splendid Suns was very eye opening to me. Their culture is soo much different then the United States. The women don't get to have as much freedom as we do. If the women do something wrong then they would get a beating, and in the United States if anyone does that then it would be classified as abuse. The book always kept me wanting to read it because I wanted to know what was going to happen next in the book. Plus some of the women had to wear a burqa to hide their faces and we don't have to do that here. I am thankful for what we have here in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be happy if it was in the United States. I don't know what I would do if we had those laws. It would be complicated.
Deleteeven though I'm not a woman I am very thankful as well for what we have here in the U.S. If we held women's standards at the same level here it would be hell on earth for all ladies.
DeleteThe book really did open my eyes as well. Just think about getting married at this age and not being able to follow your dreams instead you have to take the abuse from your 50 year old husband that you dont even like, we have it really easy here.
DeleteA Long Way Gone taught me a lot about the culture of people who live in third world countries and and how much different their lives are. They live in villages scattered around the southern part of the country. They do not obey by the rules there and the rebellion kind of shows that. They are taught not to feel emotions but to just get vengeance on anyone who has done then wrong. The book becomes extremely violent after Ishmael becomes a soldier, and it really shows how much he changes after that life is over. I'm very surprised he made it out alive.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how they are taught
DeleteI agree, Ishmael changed a lot from the beginning to the end of the book.
DeleteIn the novel "Night" there are many examples of how their culture was very different than ours. Back then people were being burned alive and those who were doing the burning got away with it. Young children were also getting hung and had to starve to death. Today's culture is very different from past culture. Today we feed the homeless and help everyone we can. If we were to do any of these horrible things we would get sent to jail or prison. Today people get sent to jail for pretty much anything. This book was very interesting and made think about how lucky I am to have the life I have. I felt very bad for those going through this harsh time.
ReplyDeleteReading A Thousand Splendid Suns really shocked me how well we have it here in the U.S. It really showed the priority of gender equality in the U.S. For example when the girls are walking the street in America they don't need to cover their face or anything along those lines, where as in A Thousand Splendid Suns they are forced to wear a burqa where it covers the whole body other than the eyes. Also the way they get chosen to be wives is terrible because their is no freedom in that situation also. The wives get beaten by their husband that they never even wanted. Then some wives decide they want to run from the husband they never wanted but that is illegal too because women can't travel without men either. It just shows the respect that other countries to other people and I don't know how I would react if I was in this situation.
ReplyDeleteNow that I read this, I never thought of how great we have it here. I mean, look around... There's lots of many great rights we have in the US compared to other countries that they don't have/get.
DeleteI found it shocking that the people of Afghanistan can get married at the ages that Mariam and Laila. I knew a little about the culture of other places of the world. I feel I learned about the women's rights/laws they must follow. The consequences were very harsh in being beaten if not followed. I really thought that the way the characters were going back and forth by chapters was strange. I cannot believe how the men treat women in this book. Rasheed constantly was physically fighting Laila in the book. The laws were kind of crazy too about how they beat the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Ryan. I didn't know how far other countries let abuse happen. It was interesting to read about how they handled these situations.
DeleteThis book has really opened my eyes towards how different places like Afghanistan are when it comes to culture. The women over in the middle east completely go through hell and we don't even realize it. The Taliban would beat women if they weren't wearing a burqa which absolutely shocked me. The men in general hold their women to too high of a standard. The fact that they just beat up their wives whenever makes me furious. I have learned that we have it pretty darn good here in the United States. I bless the women over in the middle east and I'm going to pray that no matter what hardships they face, they will get through it.
ReplyDeleteWe do have it really good here in the Unitied States, and I don't think other people think about what they're doing when they complain about the simplest things.
DeleteI think we take a lot of things for granted in the United States also. We have it so much better than others!
DeleteIn the book “A Thousand Splendid Suns” several cultural differences occurred. To begin with, in Afghanistan men are seen as the providers of the family. Women are suppose to stay at home and take care of the children while the man of the family goes out to work and put a shelter over the family's head, and food on the table. Even after the Taliban took over, Men still had the say in everything. Men could get an education, have a job, speak freely without getting punished, and abuse the wife and children for speaking against him. In both the US and Hinduism, women aren’t secluded. Women can have children on her own and be successful with a job on her own. The book showed a lot of abuse towards the two main female characters, Mariam and Laila. Rasheed abused both wives for speaking against him while in the United States you can’t do such an act without it being classified as abuse. Next, Rasheed marries Mariam but also ends up marrying Laila. In our culture, Polygamy is illegal while in Afghanistan it’s a normal thing to have more than one wife/husband. Also, in the book Rasheed was disappointed when he found out Laila was having a girl. In our religion back in the old days, I remember my grandma telling me that it was a curse if you had a girl over and over again. The boy can carry on the inheritance of the family while the girl cannot. I realized that was true when Laila had another child who was a boy that Rasheed spoiled. In the US women are allowed to be free. In Afghanistan and other Islamic countries, they are forced to wear a Burqa covering majority of their body leaving the eye part open.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird that they think it's bad to not have a son.
DeleteDoes the family name really matter that much?
In the book 'A Long Way Gone' what I learned about the culture of Sierra Leone was that they listend to a lot of music, they lived in small shacks in villages, and they do not obey the rules. The thing that shocked me the most was that at age 15 they were smoking marijuana and doing cocaine while in the war. Something that I couldn't believe was how Ishmael told the story of getting shot three times in his leg and how it didn't really bother him and he just kept on moving with the bullets still in his leg.
ReplyDeleteIn "A Thousand Splendid Suns" the culture did not surprise me because I already knew what it would be like. Some of the differences between their culture and ours is the role of the man as opposed to women. The men are the dominant ones and the women have to listen to what they're told.
ReplyDeleteThis is especially relevant in the middle when the Taliban are in charge and women are not allowed to do simple things such as laugh in public or show skin.
In the novel "I Am Malala", the culture kind of scares me. I find it weird that the government would let that type of violence happen in their country. It said that the government supposedly does not like it, but they have not done much to stop it. Even the police officers are not doing anything.The Taliban is scary to me and i have learned to thank God I live here in the US, because I would hate living in such a cruel place ESPECIALLY as a girl. I have also learned a lot about the culture. I have learned that woman have no rights and that education is not a top priority. I have learned a lot more, it gave me a better understanding of why the US is fighting over there other than the terrorist attacks.
ReplyDeleteFrom the book night I learned that the Germans treated the Jewish terrible and the look at them as if they had no use in this world and the was shocking to me that a human could look at another human and think that there nothing and they have no feelings and they don't belong on this earth. It was also really shocking to me that at the beginning of the book when he first arrived at the camp he talked about how the SS officers would just kill people even innocent children, some Jewish kids during this time didn't get to live past the age of 2 and that's just a horrible thing to think about.
ReplyDeletethe kite runner tout me something about their culture that i couldn't believe was that the taliban will go to orphanages and steal certian children to either become fighters or for sex slaves
ReplyDeleteTheres nothing that really shocked me about what happens in A long way gone because i pretty used to war type scenarios, i read a lot of books about war and watched a lot of movies or TV shows about war and so the context of the book doesn't really shock me that much but the culture difference between american's and people from the rest of the world. the way the live in poverty and have to fight to survive everyday. while I've known about the kind of stuff i didn't expect to read it in such detail or such emotion. that really shocked me
ReplyDeleteIn the book A Long Way Gone the main thing that surprised me was that these kids were about 12 and 13 years old and were doing drugs everyday as if it were something normal to do. In the book they said drugs and killing became an everyday thing to them and it doing these things were "as easy as drinking water." I was surprised and couldn't believe the kids changed into people like that. Just knowing and thinking about what these kids had to go through and all the life changing things they had witnessed at such a young age is absolutely terrible.
ReplyDelete