Month: September 2008

Education Problems in Afghanistan

                 In the 21st century getting a higher education is a dream for women in Afghanistan, a dream that may not come true. Continuous war in some places and cultural issues are enormous challenges for Afghan women. Being an educated woman is a big achievement. After the fall of the Taliban, Afghan women wanted to continue their studies. Going to school after many years was an opportunity for them. We accepted going to school under the burqa, and sat in dusty classrooms with no windows. But, after daughters to get education.

The problem with women and education did not simply appear during the Taliban period.  Afghan women have experienced these problems for many years. More than 30 years of continues war in Afghanistan made the situation difficult. But beyond the real problems that prevent girls from going school is the cultural. Culturally in Afghanistan women shouldn’t get an education. They should just stay at home and take care around the house.  There are no female teachers in girls’ school, girls have to walk far to get to school. Afghan women affected by people limited awareness. In this country providing food is a priority. So I can strongly say these issues make education a dream for them.              

After the fall of the Taliban schools were reopened. Our dream seemed to come true. Everyone went to school. Asking in which grade you were in was the common question for all. We were happy, but this happiness for Afghan women lasted no more than two years. When the insecurity s s    tarted to create problems, like threatening the girl’s family, burning the schools, women lost their hopes. Afghanistan is experiencing the Taliban period once again, only it is worst than before. The Taliban didn’t rape little girls, but nowadays small girls are being raped on their way to school.  I hope the day of our dreams and wishes can come true.  For these dreams and wishes, we need security, awareness needs to be broader, and the poverty has to be addressed. There is some movement among the young who understand that without education we can do nothing except fighting. They are going to India, Europe and the U.S.A. to get education. there Maybe their planes help us to solve education problems in Afghanistan.

 

Araby

Wolayat Tabasum

Voices along the Way

September12, 2008

Title

James Joyce’s “Araby” is mostly about a young boy’s felling particularly about his sexual. He feels an attraction he speaks to his female interest to his mind.

His female interest likes the Araby that she thinks it must be a good Bazaar. His attraction feelings encourage him to go there.

When he feels he loves someone, and trying to do something for her. he He was talking to her in his mind, and went to the bazaar because the girl whom he feels he loves her liked the Araby, he has been encouraged to go there.

An important theme in “Araby” is …the boy finally, searching his feelings; he finds something out about himself. “He says, I saw myself as a creature and derided by vanity and his eyes burned with the anguish and anger”. And And, he finds himself under control of something, which is his sexual feeling.

The boy began himself as a creature when he seees the Mangan’s sister and thinks that she is waiting for them. He realizes that it’s his vanity that makes think like this. here Here narrator says, “every morning I lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door”. Something was encouraging him to do so. He pressed the palms of h is hands until they trembled, murmuring: O love! O love! And then, he starts talking to her in his mind. The boy’s female interest tells that she is not able to go the Bazaar, and then h e decides to go to the Araby. Finally, at the bazaar he saw himself as a creature.

This story is about a young boy learning about his emotional, his feelings. He was under control of his feelings, and he saw himself as a second man, and got angry for his vanity.

This story brought me back to when I was 15 years old. I was thinking the same as the boy in James Jyoces’s Araby story. It remembers me when I thought I fell in love with a young man. The same thing happened to me and I talked to him in my min; however, I was not able to see him a second time. I was shy; I hide from him. I never met him. I remembered very well one night I cooked a kind of food, because in my mind he told me that he liked this kind of food.

I did learn that a feeling even if is a young boy boy/girl’s, could have an important m eaning. It can change a life. This feeling will be showing the people’s face as a mirror that who they are.