Here Comes the Sun

There are books. Then there are Armenian books. These are the kinds of books that capture you and captivate you and then crush your soul because the endings are just incredibly depressing. Khaled Hosseini’s works call to mind Armenian novels because they both end in a similar saddening demise with a concomitant happiness or inkling of hope remaining despite all that has occurred. The war torn, turbulent setting is similar to the settings of most Armenian novels. It is for this reason that I find solace in Khaled Hosseini’s works; he evokes scenes common in the Armenian narrative, allowing me to identify strongly with the plight of the novel’s protagonists. Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, a part of our summer reading, is my favorite piece of literature that we read in this year’s Advanced Placement English Language and Composition class. Having read the author’s other, possibly more acclaimed, novel, The Kite Runner, during the previous year, provided a smoother transition into this book. The setting was already familiar to us, but the perspective was completely changed. We were offered further contrasting perspectives within this novel alone. This was accomplished through the incredibly well-written, meticulous narratives of the two main protagonists, Mariam and Laila. This novel does an excellent job of raising awareness about the history and culture of Afghanistan without coming off as a monotonous historical novel. Its frequent usage of Afghan words even familiarized me with the languages used within the country. Without giving off too many details of the novel, I would like to end on a simple note: Tashakor*, Mr. Hosseini.

*Tashakor means ‘thanks’ in Afghan Farsi.

 

Wayfaring Stranger

                    

            I have no money. I am a wayfaring stranger. The streets are mine. Everywhere feels like home, but only one place truly is. For now, I will not go to that final abode of mine; it is an eternal conceit that knows no end. My calling to Armenia exceeds a thousand year period. In the end, there will be no end if I end up in Armenia. For now, I will look into the Golden State.
Though I was born and raised in California, my first seventeen years here have not exposed the intricacies of the state to me. Though I start off with no money, I will make a modest amount through hard work at an eclectic array of jobs. I will not pursue a career for the time being as that is too time consuming and restricting of an act. I will hitchhike to Santa Cruz where I know of a herd of vagabonds. They will take me into their ranks and we will sleep in the backs of Volkswagen camper vans. My pillow will be composed of dusty, reassuring paperback novels from overpriced used bookstores. Though a certain reassurance and tranquility may be found in solitude, which in turn can be found in nature, the feeling has come to scare me; therefore, I must not be alone. I do not wish to do much of any one thing. I do not want to speak too much, and neither do I want to think. I want to drive but not the entire time. For a while, I will find myself basking in the touristic galore of San Francisco, but I will soon end up in Big Sur, or back to Southern California near the Salton Sea. All these are a mystery to me.

Free the Five

“'Support them, not silence them,' Kerry tells China over 5 detained feminists”

By: Faith Karimi

Source: CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/11/china/china-kerry-women-activists/index.html

                March 8 is International Women’s Day, a day devoted to fortifying the bonds of women beyond borders and upholding their collective rights. However, a few days preceding this day, a group of five feminists was detained in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. The five women were all a part of China’s Women’s Rights Action Group and were planning on running a campaign for gender equality and an end to sexual harassment. The campaign involved passing out stickers with slogans that encouraged police to help in the fight against sexual harassment; their plans were not violent nor were they “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” as the initial charge of the arrests of Wei Tingting, Wu Rongrong, Li Tingting, Wang Man, and Zheng Churan state. “…police recommended Monday that prosecutors press charges of ‘assembling a crowd to disturb public order,’” (Karimi, 1). The women clearly had no such intents, but if prosecutors choose to go forth with these charges, the group of five potentially faces five years or more of prison time. The international community and Amnesty International have stood in solidarity with these five women, urging Chinese authorities to let them go, much to the displeasure of the Chinese government.

            This news is of utmost importance because there is no just reason that the women were detained. These five women with completely non-violent intentions were not a threat. Chinese authorities were most probably intimidated by their audacity to speak out about a serious issue in their country. The Chinese government also should not rebuke comments from American or other international leaders that urge them to “free the five” because China is clearly in the wrong in this situation.