This rug was made in India in the seventeenth century, and Palace Walk is set in Egypt in the early 1900's. However, it was produced by an Islamic people and its style would have been familiar to the characters in Palace Walk. It is referred to as "Sun Rosette." The inner circle contains writing featuring elaborate calligraphy.
In this reading, things go wrong in a big way for Amina and Kamal. Although no one really did anything wrong, and so no one deserves blame, weigh the relative errors of judgment made by the family members, especially those of Amina, Kamal, and Yasin. How much does each error deserve to be excused?
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Honestly, I think judging the amount of error to be excused is quite difficult in this chapter because they all seem very innocent. With that aside I will now lay it out. First I think that the most amount of error to be excused is from is Amina for these reasons. Amina has been kept in the house for a very long time with no exceptions at all. She is treated horribly by her husband and the opportunity to leave her house would be an amazing thing for her. I think the next amount of error to be excused is from Kamal, basically because he made simple errors that most kids his age would make, meaning he was less accountable for them. I think the least amount of error to be excused from is Yasin, mainly because he is an adult and should know better than to goad his mother into doing something she has rarely ever done. He made t sound like it would be much easier a time than what they experienced, and he should know since he walks in the streets a lot.
This is Hunter.
There are so many errors in judgement made by the family members, and I'm mainly going to focus on Amina and Kamal. I believe Amina's error of leaving the house deserves to be excused. This is because she is locked up all the time in the house, and finally when she goes outside, it ends in disaster. However, I believe the error she made about not going to the Police Station to fill out a report should not be excused because she was hit by a car! I mean, seriously, she really needs to be treated...and if "The bones of my shoulder must be smashed," that means she broke her shoulders which is extremely severe so she should have definately taken the chance to go to the Police Station.
A judgement error Kamal made that does not deserve to be excused is taking his mother out in the first place. He should have really known better, and he did...but he should have known something bad would happen. Of course he would of never expected that she would have gotten hit by a car, but anything can happen.
Lastly, I didn't notice any big judgement errors by Yasin that shouldn't be excused.
I found these chapters wicked interesting and really enjoyed reading this section of the book.
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I think that the error should be acused on the family as a whole because they are the ones who pushed her into leaving in the first place. If I had to choose the error I would have to choose Kahmal because he was the one who brought her down and let her fall.
Even though he's young and she ennded up being ok at the end of the chapter she states that her shoulder must be broken. He musthave known better but also Yasin for pressuring her into leaving. I think amina is the least because she just was peer pressured into leaving the house.
THis was my favorite chapter so far....
Yasin clearly doesn't understand the wrath of his father to the extent his mother does. And while loves his mother and suggests she leave the house because he wants her to have a good time, he should have listened to her fist instincts and not pushed her any further.
Kamal should have listened to his mother when she said she wanted to go home. She talked about how tire she was, and all he wanted was more time out with her. This, like the other mistakes, is understandable, given Kamal is only a young boy, and doesn't get much time alone with his mother.
Amina's only real mistake was continuing to leave the house despite her fear and feeling of doing something wrong. Although she really wasn't doing anything literally wrong, she knows that if her husband found her doing what she was doing he would be furious to the point of danger with her.
Still, this is a woman who hasn't left her house since she was married, except in a carriage with her husband, shut out from the world until she reaches her mother's house. Her mistake, if it is even severe enough to call a mistake, was also understandable.
Sorry, that was 'tired' in my last comment, second section, line three.
And I also forgot to say, this is Rosamund...
i think that amnia does not deserve any of the blame. she left the house once and she gets hit by a car, if she was allowed to leave more often then she would be prepared for the outside. i think that kamal is at fault for what he did but he is young so a little of itis excused.
i also think that yasin is to blame for getting amina to leave the house. i agree with rosamund, he should have trusted that amina knew his father better.
I personally think that they do not deserve ant punishment and that they did not do anything wrong. Amina should definetley be excused because she has been kept in the house for many years and has never done anything for herself. She is constantly doing things for her family and especially her husband and does not get anything from him. She deserved to go out and it was not even her idea in the first place.
I think that Kamaml she be excused because he is just a boy and the youngest and should not be blame for anything. He wanted his mother to have fun and that is it.
Yasin maybe should not be excused so easily. He brought upp the topic first about having fun and leaving the house. These are not bad things but I think that he put his mother in a bad position and persuaded her to do something that eventually was harmful and he should have saw that and kept his mouth shut.
In our culture, Amina's "expedition" seems like such a triumph for the entire family, but the wrong is much bigger for her family which makes me wonder why the whole family encourages it. The family has been under the dictatorship of their all-powerful father, and this expedition is almost liberating for the whole family. Amina is taking a first step for the family, which is interesting because she has not taken this opportunity any other time, such as when Fahmy wants to get engaged to Maryam. Why does this change so suddenly for Amina? The last conversation with her husband that is highlighted shows him quite angry at her for something she is just reporting. Is this a final straw for her? I'm very curious how this simple act will impact the family's relationship with their father - I believe it will impact them greatly.
This is Alison Remmers!!
I believe no one really did anything wrong except disobey the father. Yasin suggested the idea of his mother going to the mosque without telling the father because she had never been allowed out and he had always wanted to go see the mosque. Kamal took his mother to the mosque because he wanted to guide her and he wanted to be there with her. Amina went to the mosque without telling her husband and she had not been allowed to leave her house since she married Ahmad. I believe each error should be excused but mostly Amina's decision because it is hard for her not not leave her house ever and Yasin and Kamal convinced her it was a good idea. The fact that the car ran over her also seems like a punishment enough. I am worried to find out what Ahmad is going to say about this.
I think all of these people have a blame. First of all, as all the people have said, Yasin is responsible because he told and convinced Amina into going out of the house. But at the same time, Amina has a responsibility too because she was the one who mentioned that she wanted to go to the shrine. If she has not said that, since she is the mother, then this whole incident will not have happened. I also think that Kamal needs to take responsibility because he was the one who made Amina stay longer near his school and the shrine which made Amina tired.(I know Rosamund already said this) In the book on page 171 it says "She suddenly swerved off the sidewalk. I couldn't keep from hitting her." This shows how tired Amina was because Kamal has made her walk longer. So I think all the characters need to take some responsibility in what happened.
I agree with Alison about disobeying with the father. The society is not only male based but the father is just mean to all of them in my oppinion...he doesn't give them enough freedom. Outside the house he is a good man it just doesn't make sence that he gives them such strict rules and if they don't do EXACTLY as he says they will be sorry!!
BTW this is DANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)
Amina's error of judgement comes from wanting to get out of a house that she has been imprisoned in for years. She just wants to see the streets, and to see the mosque. I think her "error" is the most innocent. She just wants some freedom- and not to go shopping, or see people but to go to a mosque! This is certainly an innocent want! Kamal's error of judgement is when he tries to keep his mother out longer. He doesn't want the fun to end, not realizing the anxiety that being out so long is creating for his mother. He also wants candies/pastries and his mother has money for them. He is being slightly selfish, but again in an innocent childish way. I think that Yasin committed the greatest error in that he got his mother's hopes up, for this, because he wanted to be able to have some freedom. But, he also wanted the best for his mother, and I think he was one of the only ones who realized what was wrong with their society. I think that Amina's "error" should definately be excused. Kamal's should be excused because of his age and Yasin....maybe he should be excused, maybe he shouldn't.
I really don't think any of them should be blamed for making some "bad" decisiions. This is there ONE DAY OFF in.....well....how many years??? TOOOOOO MANY....they have the right to have a free day or two and to make some stupid desicions and have fun!!!!!!!
Now im not saying if your whole family jumped off a cliff would yo ujump too.....but you know what i mean by responsible freedom!!!!!!????!!!!!
I had this in mind but I completely forgot to write about this. I agree with Danny and Alison about them disobeying their father. I was trying to say, they all have the blame also because they all decided on one decision was to disobey their father. This was what led them to Amina getting hurt other than the reasons that I mentioned before.
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I agree with you turner in that..no one made any actually bad decisions..according to OUR culture. But for their culture, and way of life...they made some errors. That doesn't make them bad people at all. It just shows how restricting, and in my opinion just how sad their situation really is.
i think that amina shouldnt be blamed because it was an honest mistake that could happen to any of us. Also, Yasin pressured Amina into leaving...this makes it partially his fault.
Holla, it's rocco
I do not think Amina should be blamed. She has been locked in the house for so long because of Amahd and leaving once is not wrong. I think the main thing that's wrong is how they don't listen to Amahd. I don't think anyone should be in trouble for that they did, because I don't like Amahd and how he treats his family.
I think that Amina should be in the least amount of trouble. I don't know what Amahd thinks about all of this though. I think he will take it really seriously because she hasn't left the house in so long.
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It's interesting to think about how our own cultural views affect what we think of Amina and her family's views on life. When Amina is hit by the car, does this symbolize a punishment for Amina's wrong, or is it symbolizing the debilitating effects of her breakthrough into another world, outside of her house? The language describing her pleasure in the outside, and in the shrine all allude to drinking; "intoxication," and even more direct similes, such as "there was no way to quench her thirst," and she had "not drunk her fill." I find it interesting that this language is used when any member of the family is having a pleasurable moment. Maybe because Amina and her children get so few of these moments, when they do it creates an anxious need for more, because they may not get any again.
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I like what you say Jake. I think you brougth up a great topic. I think maybe Amina getting hit by a car does symbolize her punishment.
Anyway... Goodnight.
This is Sofia...
I feel that Yasin made an error in judgment by trying to persuade his mother to leave their house. Amina was uncomfortable with the idea, but Yasin really tempted her by mentioning her being able to visit the mosque of al-Husayn. For example, Yasin said to Amina about her leaving the house, "'All it would amount to is a brief excursion to have a look at a little of the district you've lived in for forty years but never seen.'" At the same time, though, I tend to agree with Yasin. Amina should have the right to leave her home when she pleases and to not feel restrained by her husband.
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I think Jake makes an excellent and interesting point about Amina "taking the first step" for her family. Since when did she become so daring?!
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I believe Amina and Kamal's excursion represents little wrong, until the very end of course. The two are simply going for a walk to meet the shrine of a religious savior. What could be less harmful? I think that what makes it so is how Amina in particular is made to feel about. A quarter of a century of suppression, of enslavement has weighed heavily upon her schema and now this simple act is turned into a horrendous migration! We see the phenomenon in other areas of Islamic culture as well. For example, the over-sexualization of simple acts like looking, sitting, taking between a boy and girl. How then can this event be measured in fault? I think to properly judge her fault, we might have to exaggerate it to fit the pattern of gross overestimation in Amina's society: she did a very terrible thing.
What about Yasin, who first suggested the visit, and Kamal, who's need for pastry caused the carriage accident? These people are at fault, but they have not been confined any where near as long or as drastically as Amina. Does that make these acts less bad? I guess I am proposing a sense of moral relativity in Islamic culture: relative for men and woman, for circumstance, for action, etc.
I wonder, though... Is Amina REALLY making a "step" in the right direction for her family? I almost feel as if what has befallen her should act as lesson for the rest of the family. Maybe what has happened will frighten the family from doing any such thing again for a while. Maybe Amina has inadvertently helped to slow the family's progress towards defying their fathers will and set it back a peg or two. The event will certainly have some repercussions and I am interested to find out what they are.
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