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Reflections of a Year of Reading Pakistani Literature

Books Read: I Am Malala The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, Maps For Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Word Count: 992

General Reflections: 

     Originally, South Korea was the country I was interested to read and learn about but, someone had already picked it. I was a bit devastated but I didn’t really fight for it. Pakistan was my second choice and it was a no-brainer decision because I was born there and no one had read Pakistani Literature. I was always taught and told of my traditions and culture by my parents but I wanted to see if what I was learning was true. I wasn’t surprised to find out that girls in Pakistan often could not attend school as I read I Am Malala because they were often told to stay home and help out their mothers while the boys could go seek out education. When reading The Maps of Lost Lovers I observed the same theme as Kaukab was taken out of school at a young age to become an aid for her mother. She was also married off young as in Islam it was encouraged. Over the next few months when reading I got to learn more about  and explore themes such as the lack of education females had in Pakistan, how religion’s influenced one’s actions, and immigrants chasing the American dream. 

What I’ve Learned About Life From Pakistani Literature: 

     In Yousafzai’s I Am Malala The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban I learned about the lack of human rights, specifically girls had in Swat, Pakistan when it came to education. This work of nonfiction made me aware of how the Taliban was an oppressive organization that enforced rules and restrictions upon all girls. I learned about the cruelty the Taliban had displayed on the people of Swat  as they destroyed schools by burning them, blowing them up, scaring girls, and threatening their safety. As a result, many girls stopped going to school however, at a scary time like that Malala protested against the Taliban by continuing to go to school. She eventually got shot but she became a revolutionary figure in campaigning in young girl’s right to education. Her story took the world by storm as she represented the young girls in third world countries who were suffering from a similar experience of being a human but not having the privilege to education, opportunities, equality, justice, and safety. 

In Aslam’s Maps For Lost Lovers I learned about the issues within the Muslim community and how religion impacts one’s decisions. This novel is centered around the murder of Jugnu and Chanda who are lovers living together without being married. In the small Pakistani community in a town of London the lovers relationship is highly frowned upon. The muslim members of the community raise concern and slander the relationship deeming it inappropriate. Chanda’s brothers label their sister as a disgrace and remark that her actions have brought utter shame upon their family name. The brothers murder the couple with the justification that their sister humiliated their honor and that she we was no longer “pure” and according to Islam she could not lived/have a relationship with an unmarried man. However, murder is not condemn in Islam in any form and neither is meddling in other peoples affairs as only Allah is the true judge of right or wrong at the end of the day. This book shows that often Muslims will interpret Islam wrong and do what they think is accepted by society.

     In Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist I learned about how it is like for an immigrant to experience living the American Dream. Changez is a young fortunate man that has come from Pakistan to attend Princeton University, a prestigious school. Upon going to Princeton, Changez gets a smooth ride to a plethora of opportunities at his foot. His American life is what he envisions to be as he is not lacking in any aspect when it comes to having a great education, high salary, falling in love, living well and being content with his work. However, soon Changez realizes that America wasn’t all great as he imagined it to be as he experiences the 9/11 attack. Changez faces forms of racisms such as being called an Arab when he is Pakistani, being detained at the airport, harassed by a police officer, and growing hostility towards him as a foreigner. This leads to Changez feeling happy to see America coming down to its feet when the Twin Towers crashed. Changez reminisces about Pakistan, remembers his parents and their shabby house as it reminds him of origin and where his root lies. Ultimately, he goes back to Pakistan. Although America provided Changez luxury and a great future ahead it did not provide him a feeling of home, belonging, or being welcomed as this idea was masked behind materialistic things and socioeconomic status. 

What I’ve Learned About Myself and Reading:

     I thought reading ten pages a night and looking for a quote was a huge hassle. However, it soon became a routine and slowly I adapted to it. Over the course of these past months I have learned that reading isn’t that bad and can be integrated into my daily life. I picked up some new vocabulary and dived deeper into understanding what I was actually reading which helped me become more interested in keeping up with the ten pages a day. I learned that I am extremely fortunate to have access to education and not fear going to school when comparing to girls like Malala and her friends. I was also particularly invested in reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist because I could relate to Changez on several occasions such as facing racism, being called Indian when I’m not, being judged because I am a person of color, but overall it was nice to read someone with a similar experience. I also felt extremely grateful to my parents as they are first generation immigrants that came to the United States to seek better opportunities and wanting their children to prosper all while keeping us educated on where we came from, our traditions, and values. 

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Week 20 Blog

Undying Affinity 

Sara Naveed 

Pages Read: 1-40 

Word Count: 548

Summary 

Zarish is an aloof and carefree girl. She has two brothers, one named Zohaib and Zahaan who takes care of their real estate business with their father, Zia Munawwar. Zarish is spoiled as she enjoys the luxury of riding to university in a car with an AC, having a phone, wearing whatever she wants, and never having to worry about being denied anything. Zarish has a best friend named Haroon The two are like Tom and Jerry constantly bickering and fighting but inseparable. Zarish attends the first day of university which is just orientation so Zarish and her friends decide to go out for some ice cream. Zarish went dolled up to the ice cream shop and her friends mentioned that a few boys were eyeing them. Zarish checked out the boys and proclaimed that she was beautiful and that no man could reject her. Thus her friends dared her to make one of the guys fall in love her. Zarish ignored her friends and went up to get some salad when a guy from the group that was eyeing them dropped his plate on her top completely ruining it. He apologized to Zarish but she was furious, almost swearing at the guy, and after leaving the shop she splattered mud at him causing him to be caught off guard. The next day she goes to university and finds out the guy who ruined her top is her new teacher causing her to become extremely sorry for her behavior towards him. 

Critical Analysis

A quote I found interesting during this weeks reading was "I hate myself right now. I should not have done that. I wish I could meet him and apologize for my stupidity." (19) I picked this quote because it reminded me of the “7 Strategies” I learned about in ELA. This quote is “honesty and confession” because it is said by Zarish who made the mistake of behaving rudely with her the guy who accidentally ruined her top. She felt guilty when she found out that the same guy was her new teacher. Zarish suddenly feels really apologetic towards him because her actions were out of line even though he had apologized to her. 

Personal Response

I have started a new book as this marks my fourth book. So far this book is the easiest to read in terms of vocabulary, difficulty, and figurative language out of all of my books which makes it a bit boring to read honestly. I feel like I’m reading some teenage girls’ diary. I don’t like Zarish at all she seems like an affluent airhead who is ignorant in my opinion. Her age is not expressed but usually in Pakistan, first year of university is equivalent to eleventh grade in the United States. So I think she’s seventeen however, she just infuriates me because I have not met seventeen year olds that act obnoxious like her. Her group friends are like her as well so I don’t like them much either. They support her and stick with her because she’s popular. Maybe I don’t like Zarish because she’s the opposite of how I have grown up to be and the fact that she is in Pakistan where freedom is limited for girls is shocking to me how she gets to do what she wants. Comparing her to how Malala was brought up the difference are stark. Zarish is blessed with opportunities but prideful versus Malala was limited to her opportunities but she was humble.

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"That’s not true. I think it is the teacher’s responsibility to make the subject interesting. So, we shouldn’t blame the subject."

Sara Naveed, Undying Affinity (39)

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"No, Zarish. That’s not so easy. I have to look after the business. Dad can’t handle it any more. Plus, I’m the only heir."

Sara Naveed, Undying Affinity (29)

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"I hate myself right now. I should not have done that. I wish I could meet him and apologize for my stupidity."

Sara Naveed, Undying Affinity (19)

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"There was something Mr Zia wanted to confess to you."

Sara Naveed, Undying Affinity (2)

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"Given that you and I are now bound by a certain shared intimacy, I trust it is from the holder of your business cards."

Hohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (184)

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Week 19 Blog

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid 

Pages read: 131-181

Word count: 573

Summary 

Changez tells the stranger that the 9/11 attack made him realize where he came from and was an eye opener for him. His sense of identity, origin, and belonging became clear to him. Changez tells the stranger he was excellent at his work and his advisor truly liked him, so he handed him this huge opportunity to take on a project in Chile. During the project, Changez was a lost man. He couldn’t focus on work and his mind wandered off to Erica because he couldn't reach her at all. Changez kept on thinking of Pakistan, where his parents and brother lived. He thought of their shabby house and how he was living a good life in the United States when his parents were struggling. Changez finally tells his advisor that he can’t work anymore and that he will be going back to Pakistan. His advisor tells him to not go because he is one of the very few people that he’s been truly fond of. Before leaving, Changez visits the rehab center, and to his surprise, he finds out that Erica left and never came back. The nurse tells him that they think Erica is dead, which gives Changez another reason to leave the United States as soon as possible. 

Critical Analysis

A quote I found interesting in this weeks reading was "but right now you're the hardest person for her to see.You're the one who upsets her the most. Because you're the most real, and you make her lose her balance." (133) This line in the novel describes Erica’s and Changez’s relationship extremely well. It puts it in words so well as Erica is shown to be spiraling at the end of the story unlike the beginning she where she was thriving. In the beginning Changez was timid and shy when he met Erica but she freed him by teaching him how to live life. As she was doing so  he fell in love with her but she started to lose herself and how to live life. Thus, now Changez offsets her because he’s so genuine with his feelings towards her and she’s afraid to let someone in her life ever since what happened to Chris. 

Personal Response

My book is coming to an end soon. During this weeks reading I found out Erica had gone to a rehabilitation center because mentally she wasn’t in a good place. I honestly expected this because she showed many signs and symptoms that she was struggling with her mental health. She couldn’t go further with her relationship with Changez or any man because she was instantly reminded of her dead boyfriend Chris. She never healed from his death and her deterioration at the end of the book showed it. However, I was shocked to find out that one day she walked out of the rehabilitation center and never came back. Changez found out from the nurses that it was suspected that Erica jumped off a cliff and died but her remains were never found. At this point in the story as a reader I’m dejected so I can’t imagine how Changez must’ve felt but instead he felt guilty. He thought he could’ve saved Erica and become a good man to her but he realized his opponent was intangible, in this case her dead boyfriend and that he could never compare to him. I was super sad when I read this part of the story it felt so tragic. 

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"For some months I continued to email her, until her account became inactive; thereafter I limited myself to a single letter each year, sent on the anniversary of her disappearance, but it was always returned to me unopened."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (175)

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"Are you trying to tell me she killed herself?"

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (163)

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"If you have ever, sir, been through the breakup of a romantic relationship that involved great love, you will perhaps understand what I experienced."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (158)

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"You seem very unlike your colleagues. You appear somewhat lost."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (146)

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"But right now you're the hardest person for her to see. You're the one who upsets her the most. Because you're the most real, and you make her lose her balance."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (133)

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Week 18 Blog

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Mohsin Hamid 

Pages read: 81-131

Word count: 461

Summary

Changez tells the story of him falling in love with Erica to the stranger. He talks about how it started out when he met her the summer after he graduated when all the Princetonians decided to holiday in Greece. Erica was a fellow Princeton student herself and extremely attractive catching Changez’s eye immediately. Changez tells the stranger that one day during the holiday, Erica had woken up early to eat breakfast and engaged in conversation with him talking about how he gave off the feeling of home to her. Erica confessed to Changez she couldn’t be alone and that was evident to him as she was always surrounded by people when he saw her. They had exchanged a meaningful conversation that day that would lead them to developing a relationship later on. Work wise Changez had been assigned a project in Manila where he had flown in first class seats and had all the privileges one could dream of unlike where he came from. During his stay in Manila he learned of the collapse of the Twin Towers which had brought a smile to his face not because he hated America or anything. After all Changez had been attending a prestigious university, making lucrative money, and in love with an American woman. He smiled due to symbolism of someone bringing America down to their knees as some part of him enjoyed America falling apart which he did not know why and knew would not be acceptable to his colleges and so he hid his emotions well. 

Critical Analysis

A quote I found interesting while reading this week is "You're preoccupied. Something's eating at you. If I had to guess, I'd say it's your Pakistani side. You're worried about what's going on in the world." (120) When I read this quote I was instantly reminded of reading in between the lines which is a unit I learned about in ELA. This quote reminded of the strategy “Predicting Outcomes Using Foreshadowing”. Based on the fact that 9/11 took place, I predict that, later on, Changez will go back to Pakistan because he will face discrimination and hostility.

Personal Response

This book is very short so I feel it’s a bit fast paste because it does not go in sufficient detail about the 9/11 attack however, I have not read that far yet. Majority of the book so far I’ve read is about Erica which I enjoy reading. I feel like it also shows me that Changez really loved Erica because he constantly texted, emailed, and called Erica while he was in Manila. While reading this book I feel like I’m reading personal journal entries of Changez’s life in the United States  instead because of the switch between 1st person to 2nd and vice versa.

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"This is where I came from, this was my provenance, and it smacked of lowliness."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (124)

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"You're preoccupied. Something's eating at you. If I had to guess, I'd say it's your Pakistani side. You're worried about what's going on in the world."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (120)

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"You're a kind person."

Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (106)