An Analysis Of A Thousand Splendid Suns English Literature Essay

An Analysis Of A Thousand Splendid Suns English Literature Essay At the time, Mariam did not understand. She did not know what the word harami- bastard meant. Nor was she old enough to appreciate the injustice, to see that it is the creators of the harami who are culpable, not the harami, whos only sin is being born. Mariam did surmise, by the way Nana said the word, that it was an ugly, loathsome thing to be a harami, like an insect, like the scurrying cockroaches Nana was always cursing and sweeping out of the kolba. (P.) As I read this passage, it elucidated the faulty mother-daughter relationship held between Nana and Mariam. While I was reading this passage, I predicted that regardless of what happens, this relationship will end up in betrayal and fear. What mother or guardian would call her child a bastard, something completely out of their control and decision? Mariam neither chose nor decided that she would be an illegitimate baby or an accident. Nanas insecurity is evident as she tries to place the overbearing guilt and anger she has in her own daughter. Although Nana may love Mariam, her failure to communicate a caring facet of her personality will ultimately, in my opinion, cause the failure of a loving relationship. Youre afraid, Nana, she might have said. Youre afraid that I might find the happiness you never had. And you dont want me to be happy. You dont want a good life for me. Youre the one with the wretched heart. Pg. 27 (C.) Throughout our lives, we often fuel our hatred toward our parents or guardians because of ignorance, disappointment, or failed expectations. In our adolescence, we fail to see how much parents sacrifice for us. We say things we regret out of frustration and anger. Much like Mariam, I have also doubted my parents intentions, and how miserable they were making my life. As I matured I began to realize many things lost to my parents by making the choice to have children: freedom, commitment to jobs, time. It would seem absurd to have children, but the chance that they may give the unrivaled unconditional love found nowhere else is a worthy cause. When Mariam left Nanas side, it was not only a physical abandonment but also an emotional one. Nana may have been cold and callous, but the love and care she offered Mariam were unrivaled. You go on and cry, Mariam jo. Go on. There is no shame in it. But remember, my girl, what the Koran says, Blessed is He in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He Who has power over all things, Who created death and life that He may try you. The Koran speaks the truth, my girl. Behind every trial and every sorrow that He makes us shoulder, God has a reason. But Mariam could not hear comfort in Gods words. Not that day. Not then. All she could hear was Nana saying, Ill die if you go. Ill just die. All she could do was cry and cry and let her tears fall on the spotted, paper-thin skin of MullaFaiuzullahs hands. Pg. 36 (E.) Mariam undergoes an extreme change in this passage. This initial conflict acts as a foundation for a series of complications that ensue, progressively destroying the little security Mariam has after this tragic experience. Through each emotional trauma Mariam encounters, she grows stronger. Her persona depicts a strong, independent individual, evident from the beginning of the novel where she often questions authority and dreams of a bright future with war, poverty, and death hovering in silence in the area around her. Mariam had so openly walked into Jalils empty gifts with high hopes, leaving behind the only love she would ever receive in this world. Consequently, as reality set in, Mariams hope is crushed: she is unwanted, alone, and guilt-ridden.Hosseini seems to reflect upon the endless cycle of hope and crushed dreams, similar to that of real Afghan women oppressed by sexist regulations. Mariam thought of Jalil, of the empathetic, jovial way in which hed pushed his jewelry at her, the overpowering cheerfulness that left room for no response but meek gratitude. Nana had been right about Jalils gifts. They had been halfhearted tokens of penance; insincere, corrupt gestures meant more for his own appeasement than hers. This shawl, Mariam saw, was a true gift. Pg. 68 (Q.) Gifts are always meaningful to me whether it is for self-appeasement or gratitude. I do not comprehend why Mariam would think any less of Jalils gift than Rasheeds. While Jalil was bounded by guilt, Rasheed too was bounded by marriage and love. Both gifts through Mariams perspective would be insincere. Every gift has a reason, why would Jalils be an exception. The same way Jalil tried to buy Mariams forgiveness through these gifts, Rasheed was trying to buy her love. Although Rasheeds deed seems nobler, in my perspective they are relatively the same. Mariam seems to be in denial about Jalils character and role as a father. As portrayed in the passage, she tries to exact her reasons to hate him by finding fault in his gifts and other things. Mariam lay on the couch, hands tucked between her knees, watched the whirlpool of snow twisting and spinning outside the window. She remembered Nana saying once that each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an aggrieved woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. As a reminder of how women life us suffer, shed say. How quietly we endure all that falls upon us. Pg. 82 (P.) Throughout the book, Nanas stringent words seem emphatic as the novels universal theme. Mariams life begins to be the perfect definition of endurance, and the reader eventually sees how she grows to be the spitting image of Nana. In the passage, Mariam immediately recollects experiences with Nana following her death. The way Hosseini chose to particularly note female struggles and prejudice foreshadows the imminent future of abuse Mariam soon ensues. Another clue of foreshadowing is seen in the repercussions of Nanas words, especially endurance, which impacts Mariam greatly as she often associates Nana with it. It was Gods fault, for taunting her as He had. For not granting her what He had granted so many other women. For dangling before her, tantalizingly, what He knew would have her thegreatest happiness, then pulling it away. Pg. 84 (E.) Mariam, in her state of weakness, seems to need some reassurance that there is reason or fault behind her miscarriage. She feels the unbarring need to justify why her happiness had so easily been stripped away. Accusations were haranguing in her head, until eventually she reached the conclusion that Allah had been responsible. The way Hosseini makes Mariam question her own religion truly illustrates the extent of the scenario, where she would go as far as to question her own faith. This passage also portrays the desperate nature of Mariam. She believes that salvation can be found in the baby that had slipped away; Rasheed would be satisfied and she would be granted the privilege of being a mother. Her tower of security crumbles with this as her security and confidence idles away along with the baby. I know youre still young, but I want you to understand and learn this now, he said. Marriage can wait, education cannot. Youre a very, very bright girl. Truly, you are. You can be anything you want, Laila. I know this about you. And I also know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated, Laila. No chance. Pg. 103 (R.) Hosseini provides excellent insight of a postmodern Afghan family with this passage. Although Laila is an adolescent at the time, her fathers beliefs prove to influence the many decisions throughout her life. As the plot progresses we see Laila mature into a strong, persevered woman with the bulwark of her fathers aspirations. Hosseini brilliantly initiates this flashback to contrast the solidity of sexist attitudes portrayed by Mariams life, to provide as a beacon of hope that one day soon education will be the deciding factor of power rather than gender. A child of the revolution and the Soviet invasion, this passage foreshadows a bright future by characterizing Laila through this dialogue. Hosseini furthers his purpose beyond the plot to inspire readers to purse a future of education. Even in modern society, sexism is still an overbearing factor that continues to assault the security of women everywhere. Despite the antediluvian setting in which A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place, Hosseini exemplifies how hope still exists not only from women amidst female oppression. Sometimes Laila wondered why Mammy had even bothered having her. People, she believed now, shouldnt be allowed to have new children if theyd already given away all their love to their old ones. It wasnt fair. A fit of anger claimed her. Laila went to her room, collapsed on her bed. When the worst of it all had passed, she went across the hallway to Mammys door and knocked. When she was younger, Laila used to sit for hours outside this door. She would tap on it and whisper Mammys name over and over, like a magic chant meant to break a spell: Mammy, Mammy, Mammy, MammyBut Mammy never opened the door. She didnt open it now. Laila turned the knob and walked in. Pg. 107 (E.) This passage displays a critical point in the novel. Much like Mariam, Lailas self-worth had constantly been depreciated by Mammy, who failed to live up to the motherly figure that she was to her sons. Although Laila was too young to understand, Mammy was disillusioned by the past, lingering in memories rather than reality. The more Mammy continues to grieve about her two sons, the further away she pushes Laila. The emotional trauma Laila underwent is evident from the passage. As Mammy becomes less and less of a motherly figure, Laila too becomes less and less of a daughterly figure. I felt that throughout Lailas adolescent, she had tried to earn the respect and love of her mother. When Mammy failed to provide the care and love to quench Lailas desire for attention, Laila simply gave up. With this, Laila and Babis relationship flourished in ways Mammy and Lailas could not. In Tariqs grimace, Laila learned that boys differed from girls in this regard. They didnt make a show of friendship. They felt no urge, no need, for this sort of talk. Laila imagined it had been this way for her brothers too. Boys, Laila came to see, treated friendship the way they treated the sun: its existence undisputed; its radiance best enjoyed, not beheld directly. Pg. 119 (C.) More than once have I been in the situation Laila places Tariq in. The awkward silence between two close friends that are not exactly in a legitimate relationship. Although Lailas realization is stereotypical and a double standard, it does shed some truth for certain circumstances. I do not feel the need to express or display the obvious. I find that some girls feel insecure about friendships and constantly need clarification on the status of the relationship while boys just categorize most simply as friends. Rather than get complicated and over dramatic, boys simply enjoy the friendship as it is without labeling and categorizing. I personally do not enjoy public displays of affection mostly because I find that the constant need to satiate a girls desire grows to be a near impossible task. Women have always had it hard in this country, Laila, but theyre probably more free now, under the communists, and have more rights than theyve ever had before, Babi said, always lowering his voice, aware of how intolerant Mammy was of even remotely positive talk of the communists. But its true, Babi said, its a good time to be a woman in Afghanistan. And you can take advantage of that, Laila. Of course, womens freedom- here, he shook his head ruefully-is also one of the reasons people out there took up arms in the first placeGod forbid that should happen!Babi liked to say sarcastically. Then he would sigh, and say, Laila, my love, the only enemy an Afghan cannot defeat is himself. Pg. 121 (C.) This passage poses a very controversial issue plaguing the world today, religious practice versus feminist struggles. As portrayed in the story, religion has often sparked many complications when poised against more new world thinkers. Babi exemplifies revolutionist ideas, the same ideas being fought over in many parts of the world. Religion has enormous influence upon societies even in the present. Sexism still pursues the daily lives of many women even in modernized societies like America. Variegated by perspective, remnants of sexism may still exist in fundamental readings such as the Bible. Sexism has grown to seem inescapable because of ignorance that has stemmed from years and years of male superiority. Well take care of her, Lailajan, one of the women said with an air of self-importance. Laila had been to funerals before where she had seen women like this, women who relished all things that had to do with death, official consolers who let no one trespass on their self-appointed dutiesSome days, Mammy said in a hoarse voice, I listen to that clock ticking in the hallway. Then I think of all the ticks, all the minutes, all the hours and days and weeks and months and years waiting for me. All of it without them. And I cant breathe then, like someones stepping on my heart, Laila. I get so weak. So weak I just want to collapse somewhere.' Pg. 124-129 (Q.) The way in which Hosseini illustrates this funeral perfectly describes the supercilious nature of people. I fail to understand why these women feel so inclined to only take part of Mammys life when they are invited to do so. Furthermore, why is it that Mammy continues to neglect Laila even in her time of weakness? As Hosseini described it, these women were official consolers who let no one trespass on their self-appointed duty. Laila had tried to be there during Mammys moments of weakness, only to be pushed further and further away from any chances of a legitimate relationship. While Mammy mourns for her sons, she is completely unaware that Laila is her child. She laments how horrid life will be without taking into account of her only remaining child. What truly bewilders me is why Mammy insists to be so unaware of her own childs palpable state of depression. Mammy was soon asleep, leaving Laila with dueling emotions: reassured that Mammy meant to live on, stung that she was not the reason. She would never leave her mark on Mammys heart the way her brothers had, because Mammys heart was like a pallid beach where Lailas footprints would forever wash away beneath the waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed. Pg. 130 (CL.) Hosseini further elaborates upon the complications developing between Mammy and Laila. The figurative language justly describes the anguish subjected to Laila. Despite Lailas efforts to leave an impression on Mammy, Mammy remains lost in the memories of her deceased sons. Laila had been devoid of a motherly figure throughout her childhood, and still so even after the sole attention of Mammy had passed on. The dueling emotions Laila feels signifies one of the first internal conflicts Laila undergoes. This internal conflict ultimately clarifies the abandonment that Mammy had so long initiated. Faced with the harsh reality, this passage elucidates Mammys insecurities. When stripped of her very pride and glory, Mammy returns to the safety of her memories, longing for the impossibility of seeing her sons again. With the passing of time, she would slowly tire of this exercise. She would find it increasingly exhausting to conjure up, to dust off, to resuscitate once again what was long dead. There would come a day, in fact, years later, when Laila would no longer bewail his loss. Or not as relentlessly; not nearly. There would come a day when the details of his face would begin to slip form memorys grip, when overhearing a mother on the street call after he child by Tariqs name would no longer cut her adrift. She would not miss him as she did now, when the ache of his absence was her unremitting companion- like the phantom pain of an amputee. Pg. 168 (E.) Hosseini uses a flash-forward technique to drastically contrast how much Laila truly misses Tariq. Tariqs departure alters Lailas progressive thoughts about the future and replaces them with dismal illusions. This event symbolically marks when the repercussions of war finally reach Laila, as her life is slowly but surely destroyed by violence and terror. Throughout the first half of the novel, Tariq had always acted as hope and the very reason why Laila bothered waking up every morning. As Tariq and Laila split paths, the hopes and aspirations slowly disipate into a struggle for survival. She realizes now that forgetting Tariq is inevitable and prolonging will leave her with regrets, but cannot bring her to do so. Mm. He smiled sadly.I cant believe Im leaving Kabul. I went to school here, got my first job here, became a father in this town. Its strange to think that Ill be sleeping beneath another citys skies soon. Its strange for me too. All day, this poem has been bouncing around in my head. Saib-e-Tabrizi wrote it back in the seventeenth century, I think. I used to know the whole poem, but all I can remember now is two lines: One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.' Pg. 172 (C.) As Babi departs, he cannot help but mention the most prominent and significant lines in this novel. Hosseini brilliantly initiates these lines from the poem Kabul as a resolution for Lailas childhood, a subplot in the novel. The two lines flawlessly capture the essence of nostalgia, a feeling most readers are familiar with. While reading this, I remembered departing from Taiwan with the same feeling of nostalgia illustrated in this passage. At first view, Taiwan was just a mundane rural country infested with people; however, the memories I shared with my family here cannot be denoted by words. An authors job is to successfully build a relationship with the reader as Hosseini successfully does. Hosseinis choice in using figurative language allows for more imagination and understanding rather than a blatant perception of nostalgia. Laila wasnt listening anymore. She was remembering the day the man from Panjshir had come to deliver the news of Ahmads and Noors deaths. She remembered Babi, white-faced, slumping on the couch, and Mammy, her hand flying to her mouth when she heard. Laili had watched Mammy come undone that day and it had scared her, but she hadnt felt any true sorrow. She hadnt understood the awfulness of her mothers loss. Now another stranger bringing news of another death. Now she was the one sitting on the chair. Was this her penalty, then, her punishment for being aloof to her own mothers suffering? Pg. 188 (E.) Laila had already felt the repercussions of war before when Tariq had left her. Now, however, as the war scene shifts towards Kabul, she feels the overwhelming influence war has upon her and those close to her. The news of Tariqs death stabbed at Lailas old wounds. Hosseini draws a clear line between death and abandonment with this passage. This passage clearly defines the relationship in which Tariq and Laila had shared, one that was far greater than any other relationship. Despite how the war had killed all of her family members, Lailas security, that had remained untouched for so long, had finally broken. It is evident that Tariq was more than a mere friend or brother. Tariq was an unrivaled lover that Laila knew could never be replaced. A love that had blossomed as children, Lailas childhood had finally collapsed upon her. Why have you pinned your little heart to an old, ugly hag like me? Mariam would murmur into Azizas hair. Huh? I am nobody, dont you see? A dehati. What have I got to give you? But Aziza only muttered contentedly and dug her face in deeper. And when she did that, Mariam swooned. Her eyes watered. Her heart took flight. And she marveled at how, after all these years of rattling loose, she had found in this little creature the first true connection in her life of false, failed connections. Pg. 226 (CL.) Hosseinis use of dialogue in this passage truly makes for a heartaching moment in the novel. Never before has Mariam understood what unconditional love felt like. Mariam matured expecting the worse in people after having been surrounded by lies and deceit throughout her adolescence. Those she cared about were either guilt ridden or stripped away by the war. She was insecure, callous, and alone. When Aziza is introduced, Mariam finally realizes she is not alone, or rather; she does not have to be alone anymore. She tears down her walls that had so long prevented her from forming any true heartwarming relationships. Most of all, however, she learns how to forgive and forget, no longer grieving over what had happened by rather hoping for what has yet to happen. This passage clarifies very well the personality and persona of Mariam. Seasons had come and gone; presidents in Kabul had been inaugurated and murdered; an empire had been defeated; old wars had ended and new ones had broken out. But Mariam hardly noticed, hardly cared. She had passed these years in a distant corner of her mind. A dry, barren field, out beyond wish and lament, beyond dream and disillusionment. There, the future did not matter. And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin poisonous flowers began to sprout in the parched land of that field, Mariam uprooted them. She uprooted them and ditched them before they too hold. Pg. 229 (R.) Hosseini augments the distinction between marriage and true love. Mariam, although forced into marriage, had remained optimistic, hopeful, that perhaps what had been simply a coincidence would blossom into contentment and what she believes to be true love. As disappointment after disappointment occur, this dream shatters and dissolves into torment. A prospect of human nature that Hosseini seems to instill into the reader is how emotional pain cannot be simply mitigated or eradicated. Moreover, such pain, if continually nurtured, will embody a permanent scar in ones beliefs, aspirations, and ultimately personality as witnessed in Mariam. The connotation of the figurative language used to describe Mariams feeling reflect the anguish and insecurity subjected to her, for example, She had passed these years in a distant corner of her mind. A dry, barren field, out beyond wish and lament, beyond dream and disillusionment. Hosseini elegantly words this passage to truly allow the reader to relate to the callous state Mariam has slipped into as a result of an arranged marriage. Love and hope, once regarded greatly by her, are simply whisked away. The security she once had with her loved ones had devolved into a void of self-pity. It wasnt the fear of bleeding to death that made her drop the spoke, or even the idea that the act was damnable- which she suspected it was. Laila dropped the spoke because she could not accept what the Mujahideen readily had: that sometimes in war innocent life had to be taken. Her war was against Rasheed. The baby was blameless. And there had been enough killing already. Laila had seen enough killing of innocents caught in the crossfire of enemies. Pg. 253 (E.) Hosseini captures the true essence of developing Lailas character as the protagonist of the novel. When faced with the realities of war invading every aspect of her life, Laila is lost, confused, and much like Mariam, alone. She attempts to cope with all the problems that shortly ensue after losing her beloved parents, but only manages to avoid them. Thoughts, opinions, and ideas were all things Laila could escape with perseverance and determination, however, reality soon catches up with a tangible breathing being. The moment Laila makes the distinction between politics and her personal life is when she fully matures into an adult. Shortly after this realization, Laila makes a connection with the baby- much like herself, he was the result of being caught in the crossfire of enemies, where in this instance are her and Rasheed. Laila begins understanding the true value of human life, and how easily it is taken away. Clearly against the mindless violence, Laila chooses not to stoop down to the Mujahideens method of murder. Death from starvation suddenly became a distinct possibility. Some chose not to wait for it. Mariam heard of a neighborhood widow who had ground some dried bread, laced it with rat poison, and fed it to all seven of her children. She had saved the biggest portion of herself. Pg. 272 (C.) Poverty and world hunger are two critical issues plaguing many parts of the world. Hosseini distinctly provides an example of how torturous life is in indigenous third world countries, where death is a plausible option of starving. Things we take for granted such as food, shelter, and family are scarce and near extinct in war-torn places such as Afghanistan. Hosseini instills a powerful image into the reader by bringing children into the equation rather than adults. Children that have been deprived of education, friendship, and other fundamental things such as fun are not given the opportunity to live life to the fullest extent. The most compelling aspect of this, however, is how the widow had chosen to take the lives of seven children, all of which were too young to make an adequate decision, in addition to her. It isnt your fault. Do you hear me? Not you. Its those savages, those wahshis, who are to blame. They bring shame on me as a Pashtun. Theye disgraced the name of my people. And youre not alone, hamshira. We get mothers like you all the timeall the timemothers who come here that cant feed their children because the Taliban wont let them go out and make a living. So you dont blame youself. No one here blames you. I understand. He leaned forward. Hamshira I understand.' Pg. 283 (R.) Zaman, the orphanage director, is one of the few characters that understands and relates to Laila. Often times people fall into a deep state of disillusionment when reality has grown too real, per se. As reality hits a breaking point where fault is found in near everything and no one takes blame, people begin blaming themselves. Bystanders that are powerless to make a change find fault in themselves for not having enough money, enough control, or enough courage. It is an innate behavior to always want to help whether you do or do not have the ability to. Finding someone who understands this, however, is rare in war torn countries like Kabul. The world is not fair; power does not directly correlate with hard work and perseverance. People will blame others for events that are completely out of their control, while others will take the effort to actually take part in the resolution. Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed over her. She thought of her entry into this world, the harami child of a lowly villager, an unintended thing, a pitiable, regrettable accident. A weed. And yet she was leaving the world as a woman who had loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a guardian. A mother. A person of consequence at last. No. It was not so bad, Mariam thought, that she should die this way. Not so bad. This was a legitimate end to a life of illegitimate beginnings. Pg. 329 (R.) Mariam had throughout her life expected the worst in people and herself. Faith, hope, and trust had all withered along with each new chapter of her life. At these last moments of her life, Mariam finally begins to see the positive aspects of her life rather than the negative. People in general always bury themselves in a pit of self-pity when cornered, confused, and in their moment of weakness. They try to run away from realitys responsibilities through lies, rejection, and solitude. However, eventually, reality catches up to them and they realize the only person to blame is themselves for not taking a chance, the opportunity to love and trust again. Mariam took a leap of faith by extending her hands as a gesture of friendship toward Laila. Hosseini seems to have intended this passage to leave an everlasting mark on the reader: despite all of the things he or she was not able to complete, all the aspirations and motives he or she did try to achieve are what truly defines him or her as a person. Im sorry, Laila says, marveling at how every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on. Laila thinks of her own life and all that has happened to her, and she is astonished that she too has survived, that she is alive and sitting in this taxi listening to this mans story. Pg. 350 (E.) Laila beings to realize how narrow minded she had been thinking ever since the ripples of war had destroyed the very essence of Kabul. She sees how the repercussions of war have simply augmented the problems of everyone including her. No longer is she in her own circle of torment when she realizes almost everyone is struggling for survival, some worse off than her. The belief that there are still people alive and trying to reconstruct their lives gives Laila hope that is not directly stated by Hosseini. This taxi driver, a seemingly insignificant character, introduces Laila to hope for Kabul and most of all herself. Before Laila had only taken into account her own life rather than Kabul in general. Laila watches Mariam glue strands of yarn onto her dolls head. In a few years, this little girl will be a woman who will make small demands on life, who will never burden others, who will never let on that she too has had sorrows, disappointments, dreams that have been ridiculed. A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her. Already Laila sees something behind this young girls eyes, something deep in her core, that neither Rasheed nor the Taliban will be able to break. Something as hard and unyielding as a block of limestone. Something that, in the end, will be her undoing and Lailas salvation. Pg. 355 (E.) This scene follows shortly after the death of Mariam as Laila visits Mariams old home. Laila has a flashback and sees Mariam mature progressively, however, rather than seeing the negative, she notes all the positive aspects of her life. This passage is critical in the story as it is one of the few scenes marked by salvation and generosity; one where a character is defined by her personality and traits rather than her tragedies and losses. This passage acts as Lailas show of gratitude without a direct statement. The most prominent quality Laila seems to emphasize the most is Mariams unfaltering loyalty to those she loves and cares about. Hosseinis use of figurative language and imagery makes this passage graceful and justified as a reminiscent of Mariam and her sacrifice. The interpretations of this passage are endless, as the figurative language invokes a more abstract definition of Mariam rather than direct characterization. I hope you do not think that I am trying to buy your forgiveness. I hope you will credit me with knowing that your forgiveness is not for sale. It never was. I am merely giving you, if belatedly, what was rightfully yours all along. I was not a dutiful father to you in life. Perhaps in death I can be.Now all

Emerging crises of natural hazards management Essay

Procedure of large-scale urbanization is intricate and changing. So too are the study and management of natural hazards and disasters. Although the US experience is highlighted, the changes noted apply to many other countries. US also initiated International Association of Emergency Managers that certified emergency manager. Through this certification, new ways of thinking about hazards and disasters are emerging, whose long-run allegations are hard to foresee (Mitchell, 1993b). The competence of existing means for managing natural hazards and other types of environmental hazards is ever more being called into question in the United States and the global community. This is exemplified by a sampling of the issues that have lately emerged in professional and lay forums. formerly are problems that are posed by new kinds of hazard. These come in numerous varieties. several are amalgams of natural and technological hazards (Showalter and Myers, 1994). while a storm or a tsunami affects a chemicals manufacturing or storage provision it is not just the threat of high water and strong winds that is of concern; it is also the prospect that toxic materials might be disseminated all through surrounding areas. If an earthquake affects a nuclear reactor site, radioactive materials might be released. The flooding of old mines can root surface collapses . Given the escalating variety of technological hazards, the potential for new or atypical combinations of natural and technological hazards are escalation upwards. Three classes of technological hazard pose fairly diverse sets of problems when combined with natural hazards: a. Unsuspected hazards entail substances or activities that were considered as harmless or benign until scientific proof or human experience showed otherwise (e. g. DDT, asbestos). b. indecently managed hazards entail failures of diverse kinds of hazard-control systems (e. g. nuclear facilities such as Wind scale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl; chemical plants such as Seveso, Basle,Bhopal; transportation systems such as the US space shuttle Challenger and super tankers such as the Exxon Valdez; storage and discarding sites for toxic materials such as Kyshtym, Times Beach, Love Canal, Minamata). C. Instrumental hazards are planned to cause harm and are intentionally employed towards that end; they comprise sabotage, arson, and warfare. Military industrial technologies fit in to this group (e. g. nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons such as defoliants and nerve agents; premeditated oil-spills and oilfield conflagrations). The UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, formed in 1992, has begun to examine a diverse but related set of problems that they call intricate emergencies. These consign to events such as those happening in the former Yugoslavia, Kurdistan, southern Sudan, Mozambique, and Somalia, where political conflicts, drought, famine, and other troubles are intertwined. Hazards of global environmental change comprise a separate but correlated class of events that are now making their approach onto the public policy agenda (Mitchell and Ericksen, 1992). It is extensively accepted that a build-up of greenhouse gases in the environment might set off climate changes and other consequences such as sea-level rise. Several of the industrial hazards are adequately well known to be classifiable as â€Å"routine† hazards, but others including most of the hazards connected with global ecological change are completely unprecedented in the human experience. They are best considered â€Å"surprises† (Mitchell, 1996). A next way in which natural hazards are varying grows out of the first. It is that there are now strong pressures to inflate the legal definition of natural disasters. In the history, only the victims or potential victims of measures activated by natural phenomena (somewhat erroneously labelled â€Å"acts of God†) were believed eligible for public support to upgrade awareness or provide relief. However, in current years there has been an instantly recognizable trend towards broadening the range of technological and social phenomenon that are entitled for aid. In the United States this began with natural gas shortages in the cold and snowy winter of 1977 and later integrated the community of Times Beach, Missouri – a disreputable case of contamination by the toxic chemical dioxin. More lately, the collapse of an old, disused, and dwindling Underground Railroad system was treated as a â€Å"natural† disaster while water from an adjacent canal inundated the basements of high-rise buildings in downtown Chicago. In the early nineties, civil unrest in Los Angeles also qualified for disaster status, as did the 9/11 in New York city. These events suggest that peculiarities between different kinds of disasters are waning in the public policy arena. Perhaps they imitate the growing impact of socio-technical hazards and the decline of natural phenomena in the extremely human-made environments of a rich country. Maybe they are correlated to further politicization of public decisions concerning disasters, or to the political influence of explicit interest groups that place a high premium on predictability and permanence (e. g. business corporations)? It is also probable that they are products of a broad shift in public attitudes towards risks of all kinds. Further type of change is distension of public dissatisfaction with hazard management agencies. Condemnation of disaster management in developing countries such as Bangladesh or the states of the African Sahel is not new. Mass media reports concerning the poor performance of national government organizations and international agencies are squad. Natural hazards and disasters can be unstable political issues in developed countries and a certain sum of controversy about governmental responses is the norm as anyone who has experiential the aftermath of Italian earthquakes, or Australian wildfires, or American hurricanes can attest to. But lately there has been a sharp acceleration of complaints concerning the effectiveness of hazard-management agencies in main developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and Russia. The US International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been a particular target. It has been indicted of providing insufficient and inappropriate relief to disaster victims. It has as well been criticized for supporting the occupation of hazardous lands by proffering low-cost insurance to rich investors; and it has drawn fire for offering too much effort to cleaning up after past disasters and too little attempt to reducing the prospects of future disasters. IAEM’s mishandling of relief in the wake of hurricane Andrew triggered a major investigation by the US Congress. Critics called for the nation’s armed forces to replace IAEM, and large numbers of military personnel have, actually, been deployed after recent disasters. The military is usually in charge of disaster management in third world nations because it is often the simply institution competent of providing aid during disasters and one of the few organizations that can be counted on to inflict government policies at other times. Although in the United States and other Western nations proposals for a larger military role in civilian affairs are frequently controversial. Advocates of civil authority and legal due procedure are concerned that increased military concern in disasters may signal an corrosion of citizen rights and responsibilities, while others point to the reduction in international tensions and the require for more cost-effective national institutions as grounds for making ingenious use of military expertise in new roles. Devoid of going into detail, it is useful to note that there is a widespread loss of faith in the capacity of national public agencies to combat natural and technological hazards in numerous other countries. The failures of Soviet agencies in connection with the Armenian earthquake (1988) as well as the Chernobyl nuclear power station fire (1986) have been well documented and they are supposed to have contributed to the crumple of the Soviet government. British civil defence agencies have also been forcefully criticized for insufficient preparedness and lack of attention to hazard improvement (Mitchell, 1989; Parker and Handmer, 1992). Partly as government agencies have come under attack, there has been a dogged effort to shift the burden of disaster management on private individuals and institutions. In countries such as the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, this began with a conformist revolution in politics led by people such as Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Helmut Kohl. In the perspective of hazard management, policy reforms usually took the form of insurance systems (flood insurance, earthquake insurance, crop insurance, etc. ), limitations on central government expenditure for disaster relief and recovery, an end to public funding for building in hazardous areas, and penalties for people who rebelliously build or rebuild in such places. Now there is an emerging body of evidence that such policies might not work as intended. For instance, insurance is not the panacea it was once announced to be. Many potential victims are uninsured or underinsured and those who have sufficient insurance often experience serious trouble securing reimbursements. Not all threats are covered by insurance, and major problems take place when hazards involve several perils (e. g. hurricanes bring floods, erosion, wind damage, landslides, and other events). Cut-backs in government financial support of social services have become common all through the developed world in current years, and spending on disasters is no exception. Consequently, policies that underline private responsibilities for hazard management may assist to widen the gap between richer and better-educated victims specifically; those who can afford to make supplies for their own security and the poor or disadvantaged groups that lack such a competence. Briefly, a hazard-protection system that relies mostly on market mechanisms might well be detrimental to broader public interests. British experience with the great storm of 15 October 1987 demonstrates several of these problems (Mitchell, James K. , Neal Devine, and Kathleen Jagger. 1989). Before the storm, local governments and private individuals in England had been expectant to be self-reliant and not to expect the national government to give recovery funds in the event of a disaster. But the storm, which recorded the highest wind speeds in 250 years, blew down some fifteen million trees and inflicted economic losses greater than any natural disaster in Britain since the end of the Second World War. In the course it exposed the limitations of local resources for managing with disasters and it obliged a major reversal of national policies that would have left local governments to ensure of natural disasters. If there is concern regarding the general efficiency of disaster management by the private sector, there is deep concern about the future of hazard insurance systems. Lack of insurance coverage and insufficient reimbursements are continuing problems, but the fundamental issue is that very large disasters might bankrupt the entire international insurance system. Insurance and reinsurance companies in Germany, Japan, and the United States are all extremely troubled by this prospect.

Community Health Assessment Essay

Riverside County is a vast geographical area in Southern California with a diverse population. It represents a melding area of different cultures, ideals and median income, resulting in a community full of variety. Geographically, Riverside County covers 7200 sq. stretches eastward from the Orange County border of Southern California to the border of Arizona. There is a variety of climate within the county, as it includes a section of the Cleveland National Forest including Mount San Jacinto Mountains with a peak of 10,800’ and the eastern portion of the county is made up of the arid Mojave and Colorado deserts. (Wikipedia) Population Economic Status Assessment The population of 2.3 million is made up of 46.5% Hispanics, 7% African Americans, 1.9% Native American’s 6.6% Asians and 38.5% whites. 27% of the population is made up of those under 18 years old, over 12% is over 65 and over 7% is under 5 years. Over 50% of the population is female. (Citydata) Healthcare challenges include a large population of Spanish speaking immigrants that often lack an understanding of resources available. There are over 54,000 people in the county enrolled in Low Income Health Plans but over 15% of the population, 620,000 people are uninsured. The county developed healthcare program for those individuals that do not qualify for Medi-Cal has 25,000 enrollees. In 2013 there were 33 reported non-business related bankruptcies filed, with a national average of 25% citing medical expenses directly as cause. Home sales peaked in 2008 in both median price and number of home sales. Following the recession, sale prices fell but has steadily risen since the end o f 2012, nearing the early high numbers. Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory Several types of crime present problems for the community. In 2005 there were 39 murders, 115 rapes, 416 robberies, 1577 assaults, 3829 burglaries, 8215 thefts and 3910 auto-thefts. Over 15,000 people are incarcerated in Riverside County. (Citydata)There is significant drug problems in the county increasing crime and resulting in family disruption. The manufacturing of  methamphetamines plagues the area especially in the rural areas and desert regions, which make it easier to perform unnoticed. Drug related crime is common in the inner city areas of the county including Riverside City, Jurupa Valley, Banning, Moreno valley and Perris. Air quality presents the primary environmental hazard due to smog and other pollutants that often exceed the state averages. Ozone 1 and 8 hour exposure, PM 2.5, PM 10, Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxide levels all exceed the US average significantly. In 2005, Riverside County had the second highest levels of PM 2.5 and Ozone 8 hour exposure in the st ate of California. Other environmental hazards include heat exposure in the arid regions during summer months and the poisonous plants found in the region. Poison Oak, Oleander, Stinging Nettles, Jimson Weed and mushrooms are all poisonous plants identified in Riverside County. (Citydata) Vectors contributing to possible disease transmission include ticks, fleas, rats and squirrels. Plague has been identified in isolated squirrels, Hanta virus has been confirmed in mice and rats. The county does battle a considerable West Nile Virus risk with mosquito larva populations in stagnant water sources. (Vector) 2011 had 30,611 live births, with 2.9% late or no prenatal care in Riverside County. (CDPH) Birth rates have remained steady over the last ten years averaging 10-12 per 1000 persons annually. Deaths have followed a slight decrease in tend over the last ten years, as have infant deaths. Population growth has grown sharply over the last ten years, almost doubling the state average. (Citydata) Disaster As sessment Tool Because of the population makeup of Riverside County, with near half of Hispanic descent and many having Spanish as their primary language, there is a high likelihood that disaster response in this community will require a large Spanish speaking component. Another group that will require special planning for disaster response is the disabled. Riverside County has over 20,000 sensory disabled individuals between the ages of 21-64, 39,000 mentally disabled in the same age group and 55,000 physically disabled also in this age group. Because of the large immigrant population and the large number of imprisoned or jailed individuals, there is a higher risk for TB transmission which could affect persons staying at shelters in close proximity to one another during a disaster. Riverside County has a robust  Emergency Response Plan which is detailed in the two part document found on the Riverside County Fire Department webpage. The arid desert regions present flash flood risks when sudden rainstorms deliver water levels above that which the soil can absorb. Because of the overall arid environment, wildfires are a seasonal risk and have plagued the county considerable in recent years. The county is dissected by the San Andreas fault line, resulting in a 4711% rate of earthquakes over the US average. Natural disasters over the last 60 years include 22 fires, 15 floods and 7 severe storms. (Geology) Many of the rural areas of the county are adjacent to areas of denser population, and house communities based around having horses and other livestock. Disaster management in these areas will require additional resources and cooperation to facilitate moving personal animals, including horses, goats and other medium size livestock, to safe areas. These areas, usually possessing a strong cohesiveness, will likely work well together in such situations. Significant preparations have been made for notification of disast er information, utilizing state level disaster comms down to the local HAM radio operators, as well as satellite communications and personal cell phone notifications. Cultural Assessment Tool The majority immigrants come from Mexico at 66%. Just under half of the population identify with a specific religion at 43%, and by far the majority report as Catholic at 66%. Additionally 5% associate as Mormons, leaving 29% as members of all other religious sects and denominations. In all of California, Latinas overwhelmingly make up the group of mothers seeking late prenatal care, with white and blacks following. In 2002 this number was 41,000 for Latinas, 15,000 for whites and 5,100 for blacks. Riverside County has a considerable Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual and Transgender population at 70,747 persons. By far the most dense makeup of this group is in Palm Springs where the LGBPT population is estimated at 40% of the cities entire makeup.

Obesity And Its Effects On Obesity Essay - 1446 Words

For those billions of you out there trying to beat the ever-growing mass of obesity, here s one for the books. So many products claim to help you lose weight, and I, being quite thin but curvy all of my life as a usual size 3-5, was recently looking in the mirror at a size 8. I didn t gain much weight at all during my two pregnancies; just the bare minimum 30 pounds. But, after my hysterectomy in 2005, at a mere 33 years old, I had found that the weight just kept coming, and spreading. Last year, I visited my sister in Copper Canyon, Texas, and as a workout freak, she had a bottle on her kitchen counter. As I perused the bottle - she began to rave. We had recently discussed my need to lose an extra 25 pounds or so, and she told me that I just had to try this. I did. I took her bottle home with me that day. I have to tell you that I have tried so many different pills. I have gotten all the infamous shakes, tremors, diarrhea, migraines, leg cramps, and even the occasional heart flutte r. So, as I picked up the bottle the next morning I have to tell you that I was scared. Who knows what will come of some of these products with all of their possible side effects and recalls and yes, even deaths. But, I trusted her (my sister, that is.) I tried it. First one, then a few days later, two. A few days later than that, I tried two twice a day. I am NOT one to discount the daily recommended dosage or to go overboard in any way. In fact, all my life I have been considered aShow MoreRelatedObesity And Its Effects On Obesity1637 Words   |  7 Pagesdestructive can effects of obesity be. First of all what is an obesity? Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual s ideal body weight. It is a very serious problem and is becoming very dangerous in today’s world. 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Foster, author of the article Primary Physicians’ Attitudes about Obesity and it’s Treatment ,this disease become epidemic in the society and not being solved as the patients’ fears to treat obesity is mainly due to their negative approaches towards this problemRead MoreObesity And Its Effects On Obesity1554 Words   |  7 Pages Obesity is a condition that is characterized by excess body weight due to the overconsumption of calories in relation to the calorie loss. There are however other associated causes of obesity that have been identified by the scholars and the variables involved in the trend of this condition have a significant correlation. 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