Blog Response #8
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.
I learned that they can really take a beating and they were a lot smarter than you think. Also they would work real hard and if not working hard enough you would be executed. What shocked me was how big Auschwitz was. I knew it was huge but didnt no it was as big as they said. Seemed strange that they would just throw the babies in the ditch and burn em up. I couldnt believe that his dad lasted that long, because i figured he would get weak early. When his dad just kept saying Eli and got bashed in the head for it. I think the book was interesting throughout the book and the ending is very interesting. I felt bad for all the girls, because they would just die right off the bus. But the guys just had to stay as strong as they could.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised that the dad lasted right up to the very end. I thought he would die during the selection process. This book shows what people will do the survive in a nightmare.
DeleteI would agree with you I did not think his father would have lasted as long as he did but I think if he would not of had Elie he would not of lasted near as long Elie gave him something to fight for. I could not also believe they killed most the women and babies right away and how they did not keep their works somewhat healthy so they could keep working. I would also agree that the ones that survived like Elie was one tough person.
DeleteI think having eachother was the main reason Elie got through it because if he was alone he probably would have given up
Deletei agree i didn't think that Elie's dad would last that long ether and i was surprised when he actually passed. the Jews are actually a lot stronger then you would think from there kind and soft nature.
DeleteI also agree, When I first read this book I didn't think his dad would live as long as he did. If it wasn't for his dad i think he wouldn't have made it through to the very end
DeleteBoi Diesel, I would have to agree with you, i didnt read the book but when i had some what learned about the Holocaust that what really stood out and surprised me was how big Auschwitz was.
DeleteAfter reading Night I have learned several new things about the Jewish caulter such as how family and religion are such a big thing and how import it is to the people. For example when it was supposed to be a day of fasting when they were in the concentration camps and they were malnourished they still though about fasting for a day when they were already on the edge of dying of lack of food. I was really shocked by the fact how strong Elie was during the whole book and how much he matured and acted like he was twice his age like when he was whipped and when him and his father on the train car in the freezing cold and he protected his father from the 2 men that were gonna throw his father off and leave him for dead. The thing that seemed strange to me is that how ignorant and curl the other Jews in the concentration camps where to each other other like I would think they would all want to stick together and not be every man for them self because if they would stick together and watch out for each other they would be stronger. My feelings about the book are that is very good book, from it diction of imagery the other makes you feel like you are right there in his shoes and he also does a very good job telling and giving you historical continent.
ReplyDeleteI think the Jews thought in order to survive, it was every man for himself. In order to even have a chance of escaping, you have to only worry about yourself and surviving by yourself. If you care for someone else, it will end up getting you injured or dead.
DeleteI agree that shocked me to how strong Elie was throughout the book. I think he does give good description throughout the book of whats going on.
Deleteamazing how much we can learn from a book about other cultures and how other people live and what they go through
DeleteSounds like they do a good job describing what they had to go through when they were in the camps.
DeleteThroughout this book I have learned even more about how unforgiving the Germans were to the Jews. I cant believe that the Germans could just march around killing off thousands of humans just because their leader said to. It's strange that they chose to blindly follow someone, rather than follow moral instinct and save the Jews. When the little boy hung for 30 minutes, awaiting his death I couldn't believe that no one, guard or Jew would take the innocent boy out of his misery. This book gave me an even deeper education on the Holocaust and how severe it truly was.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that the Germans were some roughness people during this time and I could not believe how much like liked to watched the suffering and not just put some of the out of their misery like that boy that hung for 30 minutes like you would think they would have shoot him or did something to put him out of his misery. I would also agree this book is an eye open and gave a much deeper understanding of what happened in the camps during the Holocaust.
DeleteThis book really opened up my eyes. The part that was crazy is when they made the Jews run 15 miles. When I was reading that it was crazy because I couldn't do that now and they did it when the were skin and bones in the middle of winter
DeleteI agree that the camps were very cruel that all the jews could think about was saving themselves and feared being tortured if they tried to help the boy. I am willing to bet that some of the guards felt bad for the jews at some point.
DeleteThat sounds horrible for the little boy. My book was not near as graphic as night. The hardest part for me to read about was when I read that the Taliban would carry around the heads of police men after they were killed.
DeleteIt was crazy for the boy to be left suffering for so long. The SS apparently seemed hesitant to hang the boy which made me think they still had some sort of morals somewhere.
DeleteThat sounds terrible. It's hard to think that humans are capable of this type of behavior.
DeleteThat sounds terrible. Its so hard to believe that people would do that just because they were told to. It sounds like they didn't even feel bad that they killed thousands of innocent people who did nothing wrong.
DeleteWow that sounds bad i can't believe people did this
DeleteAfter reading Night I was stunned by what had happened over in Auschwitz I didn't know what happened in detail until I read this book by Elie who had went through it first hand. I realized that their culture was so important to them. I was shocked by how many people really died in the camps and their little rations of food. I found it strange that they killed the younger kids because they would grow up and benefit others. I couldn't believe that they didn't even give some people a chance to live, the Germans killed them right away when they arrived. I learned how cruel the holocaust really was and couldn't imagine the pain the Jews had to suffer.
ReplyDeleteI agree the holocaust was really horrible and i cant believe people would do that to others because of a religion.
DeleteI agree the Holocaust was awful but it really shows how strong the Jewish people are and what their culture means to them.
DeleteSpencer, I totally agree with you. I really didn't really know actually what happened in detail at the Auschwitz concentration camp, but after reading this book, i have alot of knowledge of what happened now
DeleteNice Spencer i was also shocked about the events that happened in Auschwitz. I also was surprised with all the deaths. Yep very cruel.
Deletei agree there was a lot of messed up stuff in this book
DeleteAfter reading a long way gone i am kind of shocked at how they live. I dont see how anyone can survive in a world like that of constantly running and killing. I think it is really sad that people have to live through that because most of them did nothing wrong yet they all have to pay for a few peoples mistakes. I also noticed that they are a really caring culture in general. They stuck together and got through it by helping each other and feeding strangers.
ReplyDeleteIt's always sad when innocent people get hurt and get blamed for other people's decisions. At least they helped each other and got through it together so they weren't completely alone.
DeleteI agree that the terrorist think that they have a reason to kill just because one person did something wrong. All it takes is for a group of prople to give others hope and realize that killing is not the answer to whatever problems the terrorists have.
DeleteIt definitely was a harsh time they had to go through. It does surprise me also that they had the will power to get through the madness. It also leaves me curious as to how life was before this happened. Everyone was so kind to each other but now it was hard to trust anyone.
DeleteI also agree that people who were super caring were just getting killed and threatened for no reason. Even innocent children were dying and being put to fight in the war.
Deletei agree this book is different ad this explains their culture is from ours and how their civil war is different from ours.
DeleteI agree. If I was living in this country, I don't think I would be able to last for not even at least a week out there with all the shooting and killing.
DeleteI agree with you that people were killed for no reason was not ok just because they were who they were. Their culture is way different than today's for us. I dont think i would even last if i lived there.
DeleteI also agree. I don`t understand how these kids couldn`t have started some up rising of their own to revolt against the Rebels who were capturing them and turning the kids into ruthless killers. Because they`re kind of pretty much all in a group with each other already they just would`ve needed a leader that was just as fearless as his soldiers are.
Deletei read Night i know exactly what you are talking about. they are starving and they have to so much work in the camps.
DeleteAfter reading the book "Night" i learned that Jewish people pray a lot even before they went to the camps, i didn't realized how much of their days they spent praying to god about everything. And when they get in the camp at the beginning they would pray so much. after a while they slowed down and just fought for survival. Even through all they had to endure a lot of them didn't lose faith and continued to pray through the hard times really speaks o how strong their religion is and how even if you try and kill it off it will never die because the people wont let it.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason why they prayed so many times is because they don't really want to die or get sick. So that is why they prayed a lot.
DeleteI wanted to read this book, but in the end I was happy with my book. After all the journals I read, this book sounded very interesting. I am glad that you learned something from your book and that you enjoyed it.
DeleteI agree that they had a strong religion and didn't loose faith in god. They took a lot of beating and blows and did everything they could to stay alive.
Deletei also read this book and i can totally agree with this blog
DeleteI think if they are that into their religion and they have been praying all their life that they should keep doing it no matter what situation that they are.
DeleteI also believe that he kept his faith
DeleteAfter reading the book Night i learned a lot about the Jewish culture such as how important their religion and family is to them. The one day in the concentration camp they waited until everyone had gotten their food and all prayed before they ate. Some things that shocked me are how someone could do that to other human beings. Some strange things that stuck out to me were the way they just burned babies and beat the jews like it was nothing. Some things i couldn't believe that happened were they way they made them march and the way they were treated. Also the way that they treated them on the trains and during the winter. I learned how cruel the Holocaust really was.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this book truly showed just how cruel the Holocaust was. A lot of these things we learned about just made the book more sad in my opinion.
DeleteI agree with you too, I was a little confused when they first prayed and waited for everybody to get their food. In their situation, i would have started eating right away because of how hungry i would be. But it showed how much they believe in their religion to wait for everybody to pray then eat.
DeleteI agree it was shocking how the Germans treated the Jews by beating them, starving them, and killing them for no apparent reason. It was also surprising to me how faithful they were in their religion through the darkest time of their lives.
Deletei agree with your journal quite a bit i also agree with what jessi said about it making the book more sad knowing it really happened and Elle had to witness all of it
DeleteAfter reading your passage i think it really shows how close the Jews are to their religion and how they follow their religion very closely.
DeleteIn Night, a lot of things didn't really surprise me. Most of the book just made me more upset about the events of the Holocaust. Although, I didn't realize that they would actually have doctors there to help them. I figured if they were injured enough to see a doctor, the Nazis would just kill them. It also shocked me how many people they packed into the train carts. I've seen the train carts at the museum and how small they were. They had to have been packed in there really tight. I didn't think so many people would have died on the train, but at least they weren't stuck with the bodies. It also surprised me how often they moved so many of them. They traveled in big groups, which I didn't think would happen. A lot of the events in this book hit you in the heart and sadden you. I wish the country could have done more sooner to save some of the lives lost in this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the background information we already know about the Holocaust, there were some things that didn't surprise me either but made me mad and sad too. The doctors also surprised me, I thought they would have just killed the men who needed a doctor.
DeleteI was really wanting to read Night and get a more in-depth look at the holocaust, but i got to learn about a different culture and i really appreciate the opportunity to learn about a different culture.
DeleteI also wasn't surprised about some of the things that were mentioned in the book. I feel like all of us that read Night were able to get more information and detail into what the Holocaust was really like.
DeleteI read Night and i learned a lot about not only the holocaust, but also about Jewish religion. The Jews always said Kaddish after someone dies and its a social norm for them to pray before they eat and think about the dead as they were dying themselves. I also learned a lot about the culture of the Nazi Germans and how they see and treat Jews. Obviously everything that happened to the Jews shocked me because it was so bad, but some things they did to them was so horrible that i had to put the book down for the day and stop reading. I couldn't believe how they treated some of the Jews for no reason. They were beaten just for sitting there doing absolutely nothing. Elie was whipped just because he looked in a room with a his group leader in it. I couldnt believe how they treated all of the Jews. Even if i was a German i dont know if i could have killed so many people like they did.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I don't know how the Germans could treat another group of people so cruelly simply because they did not share the same culture. It almost makes a person ashamed to have German ancestry, because they were so brutal and shameful in their actions.
DeleteI also learned a lot about the holocaust just by reading this book. The Germans treated the Jews like they were animals and not humans. I couldn't believe that they would whip Elie 25 times. I was stunned that they killed as many people as they did.
Deletewhen I read this book it showed me what A human's postlesional to commit horrific acts against one where.
DeleteIn Night, a whole bunch of things happened that I did not see coming. I learn how the jews where treated in concentration camp, like for example babies where thrown into the fire because they were useless and womans that was a stay home mother was shot to death along with sisters or grandmas, and men where test for what they could be used for, for example working in factories, digging holes, and/or construction. So, the jews where treated not very kindly back then. One thing that shocked me was that men could move around from camp to camp for working reasons. I actually kind of enjoyed reading this book because it taught me actually how the jews were treated and how they could survive the holocaust time period. I totally recommend everyone to read this book if you like to read about the holocaust because it is a true story how a young man survive.
ReplyDeleteso i really did not want to read night, but when i saw all the things that you guys put in the blog post. i get more and more interested about it. i like that it gives you such a in depth look into the holistic. it pretty cool, not for the holistic victimizes though.
Deletewhen I was reading the book night I was worried about the main character Elie and his father. I struggled reading the book because of the intense images Elie paints in your mind.
DeleteUpon completing the novel, Night, I was surprised at how much religion is a part of the Jewish culture. What I found the most shocking was how the Germans were so horrible to the Jews. I mean they are still human beings and no one deserves to be treated that way. I found it shocking how desperate the Jews became. For example, when the son attacked and killed his father for his father's bread ration in the cattlecar. I thought it was very strange that Elie and his father did not remain in the hospital at Buna. Elie was in no shape to travel after surgery, and his father was in no shape to travel as his health was not well. At least this way they would have been together under better conditions, and if they were to be killed, then they would have died together. I could not believe the callous way in which the Germans treated the babies--using them for target practice. Some of them must have had children, also. How could they treat a baby like that?
ReplyDeleteOh my god I had no idea that the Germans used babies as targets to target practice. Babies are small innocent people that is horrible. I have no idea how the Germans justified there actions and committed these terrible crimes. I think I would have had a hard time getting through night because of all the unspeakable things that took place.
DeleteI agree That really made me tear up.
DeleteUpon reading this book i have learned how different their culture is compared to the others in this world. Their culture is drastically different because they do not let women have the rights like we do and they also don`t believe in everyone having an education as ours does. It really shocked me when they said that women can leave the house or go anywhere without being accompanied by their husband or a male sort of figure. What really seemed strange to me was that the Taliban would just kill innocent people for no reason and use the dead bodies to rot and try to scare people with leaving them just lay in the street or wherever they had killed them. i honestly did not like this book because it was too difficult to try and get me pulled into it, also this book had an okay story line telling about Malala’s struggles and her ups and down with fighting for her rights of an education and even fighting for her life after being shot.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to see that learned something from your book. I know you did not want to read this book but you pushed through and did it. I hope you enjoyed it. It sounds like it was pretty interesting book full of background about the events happening.
DeleteIn A Thousand Splendid Suns Lila and Maruim also had to deal with the Sharia law. They could not leave there house without there husband Rasheed. When Lilia left on multiple occasions to visit her daughter in the orphanage the Taliban beat her over and over. In the book I read the Taliban murdered people to set an example as well. For me it was really hard to read the parts of the book with the Taliban because there where so horrible.
DeleteI can't imagine living there with the Taliban and seeing all those dead bodies in the square. I don't get why the government didn't do more to stop them.
DeleteUpon reading The Kite Runner, I learned many things about the culture in Afghanistan. What really surprised me was how close Amir's family was to their servants. It was really surprising how they were treated like family, but later in the book I learned that they were family. Where Amir lived, they went into war and one day the Taliban came into town and everyone thought they were saved. The Taliban could do what ever they wanted when ever they wanted. If a member of the Taliban felt a civilian did something wrong or made them mad, they would take them to the street and kill them. This was incredible shocking to be and felt that was not right. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was a very good read that kept me interested the whole time.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really neat book. It's good to know that you enjoyed the read and learned about a new culture at the same time.
Deletethis sounds a little like my book except mine took place in Africa and everyone in villages were treated like family but rebels came by villages and if you didnt join them they would kill you.
DeleteAfter reading night it opened my eyes to what actually happened. Elie's story is simply amazing. From how he had to leave his house and go to the Getto then to Auschwitz, then to 2 camps after that. All within a year. When he got to Auschwitz and they split up women and children from the men and he didn't know if he was ever gonna see his mom and sister again
ReplyDeleteI agree Matt That was so sad
Deletewhat was were his feelings like during the time in his camps and when the nazis were taking over? did he ever try hiding or running away?
Deletei learned that in the book night all the jews keep with their religion and do not stop what they believe in. even though the reason they got put into work camps and death camps for them being jews they still stuck with what they followed their whole life. in the camps they said that god is doing this tomus because he is testing us for Satan. the fact that they are trying to take any good out of this is insane. these guys are all incredible for surviving and going trough any of this. i was really shocked about how when they left Auswitz they had to run 15 miles straight without any breaks. no one has gotten a proper meal or water to drink in the past how many months. some died and some lasted. one thing that really shocked me is that elie did this all on a hurt foot that was just cut open.
ReplyDeleteYes they were very strong
DeleteAfter reading Kite runner i got to experience the people of afghanistan and its culture. What shocked me most is that the children fly kites and try to cut eachothers string that is fused with glass. it is a strange competition compared to the other childhood activities. What i cant believe is that they have servants that are treated as lesser beings except amir who treated them like family. Who knew that by wearing american clothing meant that you are rich. But life was still difficult after all the wars that took place in afghanistan.
ReplyDeletesounds like an interesting book, how did you personally feel when reading? were there funny parts or suspenseful parts?
DeleteI did enjoy reading about the kite races. I agree that it was interesting to see that kids there play different games than kids here.
DeleteAfter completing A thousand Splendid Suns I had a lot more insight into how women are treated in Afghanistan and what people value there. Women are degraded and treated as property and are not as important to society as men. Lila had a baby girl first and Rasheed was cold and unaccepting towards her. Then Lila had a baby boy and Rasheed adored him and gave him everything he wanted. I was shocked at the fact that is was normal and like okay to beat your wife or make her eat pebbles or lock her in a hot room with now food or water for three days how can society except that and be okay with it. It was strange to me that everyone in the town was happy and overjoyed when the Taliban and Mujahideen took over the town when in reality it all they brought was bloodshed, death and heartbreak. This book opened my eyes to the fact that in a marriage love really didn't matter Marium got married of to a man who was way older than her and she had to live with a monster for countless years. This book had a great story line and when reading it at times it felt like I was standing in the corner watching the characters lives unfold. Overall I am really happy with this book and I am glad I got to read it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that even though this book has some heart-wrenching moments it was a great read, with characters that you want so badly to not give up and to keep fight. With enemies and death in both the inside and outside of their homes. The book was so well written that you never wanted to put it down.
DeleteI agree with both of you. The book at times was hard to follow because of the afghan words but it was written very well. The book made you want to keep reading.
DeleteThrough reading the book A Long Way Gone, it is clear to me that Ishmael and his people are a strong willed group of survivors. Even in the face of adversity, they do what's necessary to survive the rampage of the rebels. They may be running away but being able to survive life threatening encounters over and over again shows resilience and perseverance The one part that really shocked me about this book was the single fact that the rebels got away with almost all the atrocities they committed during their reign of terror and fear. It surprised me that people just sat by and watched as thousands of innocent natives were slaughtered or essentially no reason at all. It gets so bad, that when Ishmael is countered with a village unaffected by war yet, they immediately assume that he is one of the rebels. Natives can't even trust each other anymore. Like for example, Ishmael was walking a trail with one of his groups of fleeing boys when they were stopped by locals and threatened to kill them because the villagers thought they were the bad guys. All and all, I think the book did justice to what horrors took place there, and that those horrible memories will be preserved to teach others the way it has taught me.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the boys are a strong group of survivors, and did a lot to life. i was also shocked when the rebels got away with most of everything that they did.
Deletei agree they did a lot of running from village to village all over the entire country to find their parents and the army.
DeleteI agree. By the time the war happens, even if the rebels haven't got to a village that hasn't been raided yet, they don't trust anyone that comes to their village. And when it comes to Ishmael trying to survive, if I was in his shoes, I would probably do the same thing if it meant surviving in a war.
Deletei agree, the culture differences are drastic from our culture to theirs and they different things thay have that we take advantage of is extreme.
DeleteUpon completion of reading the novel night, I have learned that the Jewish people are strong and have a strong belief in god. What shocked me was that they could survive such a harsh improper place to live, they were skinny and unhealthy and just days away from dying. What seemed strange to me was that the Nazi's actually threw live Children, infants, toddlers, and newborns into the fire alive!! What I couldn't believe was that Elie Lost his dad just a few days away from being found. The feelings I felt when I read this book is so much disbelief That people did such harsh terrible things to human beings.
ReplyDeletei agree there was so many things in this book that i couldnt actually believed happened
DeleteI agree in this book there is a lot of religion. Sometimes i think that what they believe is what they make them stronger to keep been alive.
DeleteIn I Am Malala i have learned that culture is very different to our culture here in the US. The way that there is fighting right in front of peoples homes and it can happen anytime. To me it just seems very weird. The thing that shocked me the most was that they were targeting and wanted to kill a 13 year old girl. The thing that seemed strange to me also was the fact that while all this was going on the government was doing nothing for the people almost as if they were in for what ever the Tali believed what needed to be done. I had learned that we people in the US should be very grateful for what we have and nothing run down to the point like the other counties in the world.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading A Thousand Splendid Suns I knew very little about Afghanistan's culture, but after reading this novel I have a new appreciation for where I come from and how I was raised. I was very shocked when Laila had sex with Tariq before they were married, because that is a big no-no in their country, which is another thing I find weird, because a man can get married and have multiple wives but women can never have sex unless it is with their husbands, which sometimes isn't consensual, like Mariam's first time she told Rasheed she wasn't ready for that and he raped her anyways and told her this is what husbands and wives do. I truly couldn't believe that Mariam killed Rasheed. In that moment I know she did it to protect Laila, the children, and herself, but i never expected that she would work up the nerve to actually do it. I also didn't really know what Afghanistan was like before I was alive, I thought it was always like how it is now i never imaged that they were influenced by western culture as much as we are, and I definitely never expected it even after it was banned by the Taliban. Like they would smuggle in the movie The Titanic and they relished in the love of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI agree some things were very weird to me about their culture because it is somewhat different to ours. I also did not know how it was over in Afghanistan before I was born. I thought their culture and beliefs would be similar to how it is here.
DeleteOK so i read the same book and i am surprised in all the things they do and get away with that are actually bad in thee culture because in the us we do not care if you get pregnant when you are not married and that the Taliban over those the government and somehow made life worse
DeleteSome of the cultural aspects were strange to me as well, I was honestly shocked with most of there beliefs and how the treat others.
DeleteAfter reading A Thousand Splendid Suns I learned how the afghan culture was like up until 2003. I was very shocked at all the rules and beliefs that they had. In certain parts of Afghanistan women were not able to go outside without being accompanied by men. Women had to wear a burqa which covered their whole face and touched the floor to where the women could trip on it. Back here at that time women were able to be themselves and have a job other than being a maid for the men. Women in the book could not just marry who they wanted or at least Mariam could not. I do not know how Mariam and Laila were able to follow the rules because they could not do anything but inside work. Before the Taliban took over they could at least walk outside to do yard work or take their kids to play. Overall the book was very well written. The author did a wonderful job of keeping you engaged in the book with all sorts of imagery. At parts it was very hard to put the book down.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the author did a fantastic job at capturing the culture of Afghanistan. I was shocked as well with many of the rules and beliefs, I could never imagine living in an environment like that.
DeleteI agree, the way women were treated there was so shocking and I can't imagine living like they had to.
Deleteone cultural thing i learned from the book night is how important family is in the Jewish community. Elie stuck with his father through the whole thing even when things got tough even when he wanted him to die. one thing that surprised me from learning how important family was to the Jewish people, there was a part in the book where this father and son were fighting over a piece of bread and the son killed his father over the bread. it was so shocking and crazy what these people were pushed to to be able to do things like this.
ReplyDeletei feel that in this book we learn a lot of things that we could not believe people are able to do when they have been struggling.
DeleteFamily is so important in hard times like these because you need love and support. In I Am Malala, her father refused to go overseas so he could protect his wife and sons. I think family was important to everyone in each book.
Deleteone culture thing that i learned that everyone in the country is fighting to survive or they will be killed. the things that shocked me was when the whole military and rebels joined together to take out the president. the whole book seemed strange because i am not used to this type of culture. the thing that stuck out to me the most was when ishamel and his friends have to work on a farm for three months and that is the hardest work the do.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely survival of the fittest in all of these books we read. I read A Thousand Splendid Suns which takes place in Afghanistan, that was a culture I was not used to. It really a eye opener to the rest of the world.
DeleteI am reading a thousand splendid suns. i have learned a lot about the afghan culture. the men can have multiple wives they can beat there wives. women cant go anywhere out side or in the cities with out a man. unless they are going to the bath house or the food place i do not really know what its called. so rasheed the main man in this book is married to mariam and then they find Laila in a pile of rubble and he pretty much marries her too. and he beets them almost every day. so when they try to escape they get cought and rasheed swears that if they ever do it agin he with hurt everyone that Laila loves.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree, there was a lot learned about the culture, even down to the words used. I now know that Kolba is a house just because of the subtle culture influences within the book.
Deletethis sounds really good, and it's ridiculous how much culture changes throughout our world and countries.
DeleteI read A Thousand Splendid Suns, and something about the culture I learned was the way women were treated. It was very much, women stay home, clean and take care of the children. They do not work or leave the home without a male family member, and the male members are dominant over the females regarding status and even eating meals. One thing that really shocked me was how Rasheed could abuse Laila and Mariam and feel no guilt, or regret for hurting them. To him it was okay to abuse them because they were not to disobey him. One thing I couldn't believe was that the Taliban could come up with these rules and no one within the country fought to stop them. Women always having to be wearing a burka, no dancing, no jewelry, no leaving home without a male, they even did public executions and no one tried rebelling against them. If a group of people came in to the United States with harsh rules, there will be people rebelling against them, I do not know how the people of Afghanistan could accepted that way of life.
ReplyDeleteI really learned a decent amount about the culture of Afghanistan, as well as a few teachings of Islam. The thing that I found interesting was every time they had to pray, they had to face towards the Mecca, which in the case of the characters and due to their location, they had to pray towards the west. A thing that shocked me was how much their culture revolved around the Koran in nomadic areas of the country, and how the Taliban made the rest of Afghanistan conform to these ideals. What was also fairly shocking was how outdated their ideals were as well. They prevented women from attaining jobs, and they treated them like second hand citizens in comparison to men. When they Taliban ran Afghanistan, they truly fostered a backwards society, unlike or modern and progressive society that is commonplace in Western civilization.
ReplyDeleteI read the book Thousand Splendid Suns. In this book i have learn that their cultural made them be very specific about following rules, Man is allow to marry more than one wife. and the only person who's in charge at the house is the man. The thing that shocked me was that the only person who is in charge is the man and that he can beat the women up whenever he want to. Something that i could not believe was that the men is always beating the women and they could not do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading A Long Way Gone i learned that many people had to change their life styles to protect themselves along with their family. Many of them lost all of what they had and joined the war to get revenge on what they lost. What shocked me the most was when Ishmael joined the army at such a young age and fought for many months. i was also shocked that he changed so much from being a young child playing and caring about others to wanting to kill as many rebel soldiers he could. what seemed strange to me was that the rebel army got away with most of what they did, and that the war started back up in freetown once he lived there with his uncle. i couldn't believe that once he got chosen to go to a rehabilitation center those chose him to go and talk about children involved in war all over the world, along that they actually chose kids to go back to a rehabilitation center in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI agree but keep in mind that it was really either kill or be killed. Plus Ishmael watched his family pretty much get murdered right before he was going to be reunited with them so that can not be an easy thing to have to live with.
DeleteAfter the completion of my read, Night. I learned so much about Nazi Germany and the Jewish religion. I learned a lot about how the Jews were poorly treated and how the Nazis did everything they were told. the Nazi population seemed as if brainwashed through the whole book, there were parts where they would go out of their way just to make sure the Jews were suffering. they didn't even feed the Jews if they looked like they were going to die. i learned about how the Jews were stripped from their homes and lost everything and when ever they felt like they were hopeless, they would pray. I really couldn't believe what I was reading, there were so many dark and twisted parts that Elie shared that made me personally uncomfortable. it made me sick when I read the part about the babies in the beginning, also the part when they couldn't keep anything, if you snuck a spoon into the camp, you were risking your life if you got caught. all in all, the book was very sad and had many unbelievable parts, i strongly recommend this if you are interested in Auschwitz or anything about the holocaust.
ReplyDeleteI have reasently completed the book night and I am having a tuff time thinking about the suffering that the Jewish people went threw during the holocaust. All the survivors are extortionary strong, not only physically but mentally in order to stay sane during their tine in the concentration camps. the germens were committed to destroying the Jew's Identities to the point of Elie seeing his own reflection as a living corps.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the book A Thousand Splendid Suns, I learned a lot about the culture in Afghanistan. One of things that shocked me was how women had absolutely no control, everything was controlled by the men. They could beat the women, do whatever they want and the women couldn't do anything about it. Women were required to stay home, cook, clean, and tend to the children as the men worked. It is a very male dominated culture.
ReplyDeleteIn I am Malala, girls did not have very much control either. They could not even go outside with out another man.
DeleteI learned a lot about Pakistani culture when reading I am Malala. First of all women would have to always have a male relative where ever they go. Second of all it was frowned upon for girls to go to school. By the end of the book Malala was being threatened for going to school and speaking out about her right to go to school. The thing that surprised me the most was when Fazlullah took over the radio. Even after he started congratulating girls for leaving school on the radio, people would still bring him gifts.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the book, I Am Malala, I learned more about the culture and how women were treated. I knew they didn't have as many rights, but I didn't know the extent of it. When a child is born as a boy, they are celebrated and have many parties; while the girls are left forgotten. Boys can go to school all the way until they graduate, while girls have to drop out after a early age. Even while women are married, they cannot go outside unless they are occupied by a husband or a man related to her. What also surprised me was the way the government handled everything. When the Taliban came over, the government did nothing. They never stepped in until the Taliban started killing hundreds of people. And then the army blamed the people of Swat for the Taliban and the lost of their troops. Also what shocked me was the way people worship horrible people. Some loved Osama Bin Laden and Fazlullah and didn't care that they killed people.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can tell about this culture, it's very different from the culture of the United States. They worship different religions, their economy is way different from ours. Their economy is not as good as ours, they don't have the technology that we have, they don't have many vehicles, they have to walk to their destination, and during the battle scenes, the weapons they used were really old, especially for the time that this novel takes place in, compared to what we had for weapons at that time. The only thing that shocked me and that i couldn't believe was that they used children as soldiers in their wars.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, I learned a lot about the Afghanistan culture. Their culture is very different from here in America. Everything I read about in this book shocked me. Women had almost no choice, unless they had a really nice family or found a good husband. Most of the girls were given to someone to marry at young ages like 14 years old. Imagine your dad giving you away to some 40-year-old abusive man at only 14. Men were the superior and women had to follow everything a man said otherwise they would be severely punished. Women were forced to wear burqas to cover their face and they are not allowed to wear makeup. In the book, Rasheed tells Mariam a story about men taking women into his shop, with their whole face exposed and he expresses how that is not ok. He also talks about the women looking him in the eye which he takes as them basically cheating on their husband. The men see women as useless and nothing more than property to do household work for them. When Laila became part of the family, Rasheed was so nice and excited about the baby. But after Laila took home a baby girl, Rasheed was not happy and hated the baby for always crying. But when Laila had a baby boy, Rasheed treated him as a king, as the most important person in the house and he got everything he wanted even if they didn’t have the money to afford it. They went broke because Rasheed had to borrow so much money to pay for all of his gifts.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like it does a really good job showing the culture of Afghanistan. I can't imagine living somewhere where women are treated like that.
Deletein a long way gone i learned that our cultures are really different. They had 2 civil wars within a decade where we haven't had one since the 1800. they also have a large technological difference and also weapons have a large difference between the countries. the main character was shocked when he visited N.Y. and saw the difference.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised about how violent it was.They also had no cars and walked for miles day and night without taking a break. I can barely walk a mile without my feet hurting.
DeleteAfter reading Night i was shocked that people say that the united sates should've gotten involved sooner and put an end to all of the things that were happening to the Jews but what i don't think they realize is how well the Germans kept the holocaust a secret. Even while the cams were close to the front lines they moved the jews to a different camp all in one night to keep that secret from the russians and the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteI do think the United States should have got involved sooner but we were late in world wars. The Germans did keep it quiet though, even they knew they were doing evil that would that would make world powers attack Germany and destroy everything they built.
DeleteI learned a lot about culture in The Kite Runner. A lot of the things shocked me such as how the servants lived on the land of their masters and were treated like family. This may not be the case for all of them, but this book showed a better side of it. I also learned how people of different religions were treated in these countries. How Hassan was bullied, raped, and beaten because of it. It also shocked me how the Taliban came in and took over the country. And how it switched from a country that was decently well off to one where people were starving and being shot in the streets. This book really brought into the light about what people have to deal with in other parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteThe treatment of people is way different than here, for worse or better.
DeleteI think this book hit a lot of interesting topics that we don't see or face on a daily basis in the US. It really did shine light on stuff that we need to be more aware of.
DeleteKite Runner was a boring book up until chapter 7 or 8. Even in the boring chapters you learn a lot about how life is learned in Kabul and how different it is from the United States. Life is tougher over there and there is more respect shown to each other because they each know their struggle. Some people are the opposite, the struggle turned them against everybody and they just focused on getting theirs. Over here we have a good government with no terrorists organizations going to terrorize towns on a regular basis. The book shows how lucky we are to live in America.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the book did start off slow but after that it picked up and really did get to learn these peoples everyday struggles.
DeleteLife in Sierra Leone is different than in the U.S. They have tribes that speak different languages and kids walk miles to get different places. In the sierra leone civil war, there is a lot of unexpected death and worthless killing. I did not like that about the book. I learned that in order to live in the war, you have to grow up fast.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading The Kite Runner it was easy to see the difference between our culture and the main characters culture. In the Afgan's culture you basically have to ask permission to do just about anything like asking for someone's hand in marriage or kite running events. In our culture you don't really see people asking for someone's hand in marriage, its kind of a part of the past of our culture. Also, around here we just fly kites to fly kites we don't build them to try and take out other kites that are flying around us. Also in the Afgan's culture both the main characters lost their mom and someone was hired to come in and take care of them when they were babies. Here, today we don't do that, if something were to happen to the mother at birth and she passed away the father would take care of the child with help usually from family members. You don't see someone getting hired to take care of the child. What shocked me and was the strangest part of the book had to be the two rapes in the book. This is a very hard topic to read and talk about so it was strange to see it come up but it really shocked me when they did come up. I was able to see the reality of what doesn't happen here in the US and what happens in these other countries and to see what some people have to go though on a daily basis is crazy. My thoughts on the book is that its wasn't that bad but it was hard for me to read because it was a lot to take in at one time.
ReplyDeleteKite Runner really taught me a lot about Afghanistan. I learned how some of the families worked there to. I would not count Amirs family as a normal family in Afghanistan from the circumstances that they were in. I also learned that the servants lived on their masters land and were treated like family. The religion you have kinda changed the way you were treated in the country as well. I also learned about the Taliban an how they really changed the country and making it a scary place to be at. This book really taught me what people gt to deal with in other countries.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading A Thousand Splendid Suns i learned how hard it is for women and girls in Afghanistan to live. They have a very rough life with being married off at such a young age. They experience rape, emotional and physical abuse. When Mariam is living with Rasheed he tells her a story about men bringing their women into his shop. They had nothing covering there face and they looked at him and he said that it was disgusting and they were cheating on there husbands.They live such a different life that us here in America. Men there rule the country and women just had to sit there and take what ever they were told or happened. I feel so bad for all the women over there who go through this like the girls are only 14 when married off, that's not ok, they are still kids.
ReplyDeletesounds like a fantastic book i hope to someday read it
Deletethe one thing culture wise from here in the USA to Africa, it is a very free country and what i mean by that is the little to none government control and when they do try to control war breaks out and everyone including kids get involved and that would never happen here. one thing you would never see is a group of little boys running around with heavy guns and RPGS and smoking weed and snorting coke going to shoot up small towns. another thing that was absolutely crazy to me was the bizarre ways they killed people and how they would laugh and make games out of it seeing people struggle.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you with all these kid running around with guns is crazy stupid.
Deletei think that it is crazy the way these kids are getting treated
DeleteThe one thing that kept me surprised was Eliezer's faith. Through out the majority of the book he kept his faith, and kept pushing through everything that was happening to him. What is funny is that he still kept his faith when his father was dying, but in the wrong way. He prayed that he would not find his father. This really surprised me that he prayed about that, because he kept faith with God and his dad for the whole book and then he turn his back on both of them.
ReplyDeleteThey seem like they have a strong will and i want to read it.
DeleteAfter reading a long way gone i am kind of shocked at how they live. I dont see how anyone can survive in a world like that of constantly running and killing. I think it is really sad that people have to live through that because most of them did nothing wrong yet they all have to pay for a few peoples mistakes. I also noticed that they are a really caring culture in general. They stuck together and got through it by helping each other and feeding strangers
ReplyDeleteI found out about the different cultures and i just thought that learning about Africa and all the stuff that was going on over there was crazy and that i didn't believe how they were all fighting for there lives and i feel that we all need to realize how privileged we are to be living in america and i just think that it was terrible what the kid went threw in a long way gone and i am happy to see that he got to come to america and escape all the bad war and killings there. the thing that shocked me the most in the book was when he was in the army and he was starting to enjoy the drugs and killing and he was doing it without thinking. I believe that he was really just losing the hope that he had in him and he was losing his child hood on the daily. the feelings that i had for the book was a reckless roller coaster i felt happy sad mad and just felt bad for Ishmael.
ReplyDeleteOne thing i learned about the culture in sierra leone is they share plates when they eat which i think its low key cheeks. They will have like 6 people to a plate sometimes and they wont use utensils. You might say to me Parker they are poor and they cant afford enough plates. Well your wrong because they don't need money for plates. they live in the forest they could make millions of plates out of some nice spruce. Like I'm shocked that they take the time to build all of theses huts and stuff but wont spend an hour a day making like 5 more plates.
ReplyDeleteFrom this novel, I learned that the Germans were brutal, and willing to do anything they were told. I was shocked to see that there almost seemed to be some sort of remorse when a young boy was being hung. The SS officer didn't want to be the one to do it, which proved some feeling was there. I couldn't believe that they wouldn't just put him out of his misery and let him suffer like that. I feel so terrible for the people that had to see this happen with their own eyes.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot about how Sierra Leone`s culture is. I didn`t expect that there would be so many languages that people would have to try to know in order to communicate with someone. I also didn`t expect for the war to affect children as much as it did in the end. It is honestly so frustrating that the war still was going on though after Ishmael came back from New York. Almost as if it had deliberately seeked Ishmael out possibly.
ReplyDeleteI learned that jewish familys are very perticular about their religion and do not make exception.
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