Welcome to AP Language and Comp 2011
Lots of reading, writing, and discussion to do...
Monday, February 21, 2011
Bookseller of Kabul
I find the Bookseller of Kabul interesting. I agree with Jordan, the opinion of the author is very forceful. I feel like the book is mainly focused around female rights in Afganistan and if the author had been a man the angle of the book would have been very different. Seierstad's view of Sultan Khan changes a lot throughout the book, at some points admiring him because of his intelligence and loyalty to books, and at others disparaging him because of his non-Western view of women's rights. I'm not a big fan of the author and she kind of irritates me.
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I agree with Sophie in that the author is clearly biased towards women. She constantly focuses on the plight that women are forced to deal with in Afghanistan. She critiques the women's situations so much as to almost put the culture of Afghanistan in a negative light. She does not remain impartial, but she attempts to persuade the reader with her opinion. Instead of just reporting, she seems to incorporate her view of the situation. Because she provides her opinion, I do not think she is a reliable narrator, just telling the story of the lives of these people as they really appear. I think she may embellish a little bit.
ReplyDeleteWithin the family, it seems like there are strongly defined hierarchal relationships. Seierstad brings light to the sexist features of male domination over there spouses; however, it is evident that influence is largely based on family structure. For example, the mother is controlling of her daughters. Also, Sultan holds complete control over his son. I think that Seierstad's descriptions lack sufficient emphasis on the role that the familial relationships play, and as a result the book places too much emphasis on sexism.
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