Expectation of the book

A Thousand Suns is surely a well-written book, but I am not really enjoying this kind of book because I enjoy science fiction novel more. The fact is that I have read half of the book years ago in mandarin, which I didn’t finish it. I did not quite get the deeper meaning of the book at that time.

Anyway, I will say the novel did reach my expectation because I get to learn about Afghanistan through a story in victims’ (Mariam and Laila’s perspectives) instead of just reading off a news article.

Moreover, I first expected that the book will be more about hopes at the beginning because the name and cover of the book. Sun is commonly seen as the symbol of hope and essence because almost many living things need it to survive; however, the fact is the protagonist (Mariam) met a turning point of her life, her journey of endurance.

Honestly, I didn’t really have an expectation before I read this book because I have no idea what I was about to read. So I am not really surprised to read a story about Afghanistan because the book cover was a woman in burqa, and only women from mid-west wore those (or those whom were Muslims).

The book actually turned out to be an interesting book to read, despite the fact that I am not living in that kind of society and country, which it usually turned out to be boring for most of the readers.

Reflection on the Word Cloud

I filled in the word cloud with symbols,themes, motif and big ideas of the book, such as burqa, religion causes the gender inequality, afghan women are not allowed to be educated, love, and etc. I have covered most of the themes, some big ideas and motifs in my word cloud.Not only that these are significant, but these elements helped creating the book's atmosphere and what made it such a good book.From reading this book, I learned a lot more about what happened in Afghanistan more than reading it off newspaper or magazine.

Referring back to the research I have done few week ago on the social history of Afghanistan, I have verified the plots that happened in the text are realistic and basing on facts. The fact is that I only know Afghanistan women are less respected than the men are and that is it; however, after I read this book and the websites I browsed, in which I found myself actually not knowing much about Afghanistan, until I read this book.

A Thousand Splendid Suns Nightwork (October 24th)

I define a source as a good source by making sure the author's name, published date (if available), citation or reference (citing where the information is from), neat and organized format and paragraphs, and reliable information (credibility). 

Confirmed Truth:

1.     Afghanistan has two main languages, which are Pashto and Dari. Dari was the most spoken language and Pashto the second.

Qazi, Abdullah. "A Look at the Languages Spoken in Afghanistan." Afghanistan Online. Abdullah Qazi, n.d. Web. 19 Oct 2013. <http://www.afghan-web.com/language/>.

2.     The honor of family is sacred and crucial because it helps the family to determine its position in the society. Each family matters are extremely privately and can’t be brought up easily. The women in the family are highly reversed in the family, but only receive respect once they become mothers.

Ali, Sharifah Enayat. "A Look at the Languages Spoken in   Afghanistan." Afghanistan. University of West Florida, n.d. Web. 19 Oct 2013.       <http://uwf.edu/atcdev/afghanistan/society/Lesson1Family.html>.

3.     The food in the daily life includes flat bread with meat stock, yogurt and dairy products such as butter, cream, and milk. Hot dishes usually contain onion, peas, beans, dried fruits, and nuts.

      Onsutti, A.Lessandro M.. "Afghanistan." Countries and Their cultures. A.Lessandro M. Onsutti, n.d. Web. 19 Oct 2013. <http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Afghanistan.html>.

 Gender inequality can be proved by the survey related to the domestic violence from the women aged 15-49 toward whether husbands beat or hit their wives in particular situations for particular reasons. It is a severe issue that will take times for Afghans to change.

      Kagan, Kimberly. "TAJIKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN." Institute for the Study of War. Institute for the Study of War. Web. 20 Oct 2013. <http://www.understandingwar.org/tajikistan-and-afghanistan

5.     The Soviet War in Afghanistan started in 1979 while Afghanistan allied with USA. The war continued for 9 years, which it ended in 1989.  

McCracken, Kevin. "THE CONVERSATION." The long road to gender equality in Afghanistan.       The Conversation Trust (UK), 7 Jan 2013. Web. 23 Oct 2013.   <http://theconversation.com/the-           long-road-to-gender-equality-in-afghanistan-11441>.

As the role of Mullah Faizullah

"No, no, Mariam jo..." 

“I have known your mother when she was a young girl. She had a rough youth. Now, your loved one has escaped from all worldly suffering that once was around her.It is not your fault. Your mother chooses the path, and that's her decision. There is nothing you can do to bring her back.”

“You will need to let the time carries the sorrow away and move on. Your mother will want you to live in that way. Our god will lead her to a better place where there’s no more suffering, and you should be happy for her. There is a reason why your mother is taken away. You may not see a reason right now, but it will come to you when you get older.”

“Now, you are at the age of 15, is the time you need to be independent. I will try to be there whenever you need me, but you see I am an old man and I will not always be able to stay beside you. I will pass away eventually. You need to be strong enable to live on your own.”

Introduction

Hello! My name is Kevin Au. I am from Taiwan. I like playing sports, such as badminton, frisbee, baseball, sailing, and also video gaming. My favorite online game is World of Tanks (W.o.T). I started playing this game at the beginning of this summer, which was pretty much the only game I played during this summer (it's so much fun!).

Anyway, I am going to talk about my goal for English class this year of 2014. Honestly, English is not my favorite course because my English isn't first language so the course itself sometimes can be hard to understand and frustrating. What I want to accomplish this year, especially for the following four months, I wish I can improve my writing skills and get a good mark on this course. I am looking forward to have a great time in this class.