an alley in Cairo
1. True or false: this is a very sad chapter so far. Why?
2. Explain why Yasin has one of the feelings (your choice) he has.
3. Yasin feels shame as he passes the grocery store because the man who runs it used to be his mother's lover, and yasin acted (without knowing it) as a go-between. Do you think he is justified in feeling shame about this part of his childhood?
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
5. Does Yasin act like his father in this chapter?
6. Notice something no one else has noticed about the reading so far.
2. Explain why Yasin has one of the feelings (your choice) he has.
3. Yasin feels shame as he passes the grocery store because the man who runs it used to be his mother's lover, and yasin acted (without knowing it) as a go-between. Do you think he is justified in feeling shame about this part of his childhood?
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
5. Does Yasin act like his father in this chapter?
6. Notice something no one else has noticed about the reading so far.
14 comments:
Sang Eun
1. True or false: this is a very sad chapter so far. Why?
It is true that this chapter is very sad so far because the chapter talks about Yasin visiting his mother after 11 years of not seeing her. Before he meets his mother, he is quite determined about what he is going say and what he is objective of. However, he meets her it becomes difficult for him to say things that he had in his mind. This means that he had missed his mother a lot so instead of being angry at her he can't do anything even though he objects about her remarriage later. It is very complicated because his mother doesn't understand his feelings that he objects her remarriage. She believes that there is nothing wrong for a divorced woman to get married again. However, Yasin thinks it becomes different story when that woman is his mother, because he doesn't want that to happen. So, for the first half of the chapter, Yasin and his mother had met each other with surprise and affection, but later on they are starting to have conflict. It is very pitiful of them to have conflict when they got to meet each other after such a long time.
1. True or false: this is a very sad chapter so far. Why?
True, this chapter is sad because of what Sang Eun said. The fact that Yasin could not return to his mother out of anger and shame for eleven years is, indeed, very sad. However, I don't think that the general tone of the chapter is a sad one. I think it's false that this is a sad chapter so far.
Yasin returns to his old neighborhood and as he walks by the memorie-triggers of his childhood he feels shame and maybe even regret. When he walked by the grocery store, "he could almost see a boy in the store looking up at the proprietor and saying, 'Mama invites you to come tonight.'" Then, he recalls the proprietor beating his mother, and he is soon haunted by many other terrible memories that form "a volcano of hatred and anger" inside him.
However, although this chapter seems sad during this part, it becomes victorious and proud. Yasin turns that fury around and makes it strength. He thinks, "I left here a boy and return a bull...with two horns! Don't we have the power to exterminate the poisonous vermin that keep on stinging us?"
Yasin continues on until page 116 in a sort of marvel of how his body remembers the place where he was a child. I believe that although this chapter has sad parts, its general feeling is one of triumph. It takes great courage to do what Yasin is doing and to face what we learn is one of his great fears. This is a chapter that seems abotu conquering difficulties and becoming a full man for Yasin. It's a chapter about healing and moving on, not a sad chapter about dwelling on the past.
Question #1
1. True or false: this is a very sad chapter so far. Why?
In this chapter, pages 111 to 116, Yasin visits his mother. After 11 years, he goes back to the place where his mother lives and sees his mother. I agree with Sang Eun that this chapter is sad. I think this is a sad chapter so far because when he meets his mother, his mother kisses him in his chest and she also cries. When his mother hugs him and cries, washes his clothes with her tears, he feels painful awkwardness also he feels motionless and dumb. But, I also think it's a happy chapter because it's when he meets his mother after 11 years and also she was happy that Yasin came to her house. She cries because it's been a long time since she saw her son.
So, I think it's both happy and sad but mostly sad in a good way.
2. Explain why Yasin has one of the feelings (your choice) he has.
One of the feelings Yasin experiences in this chapter is vexation. Vexation is the state of being annoyed, frustrated, or worried. This word is more centered towards being annoyed or frustrated in this chapter. Yasin is a man who has many feelings for his mother, but mostly frustration. A moment in the chapter where his frustration boiled up was when his mother made two comments to him. The first, "I thought you were over the sorrows of the past. God knows they weren't worth the anger you displayed, keeping you away from me for the eleven years." This angered Yasin because first of all she was not taking his anger against herself seriously. She viewed her actions as insignificant in the fact that they both should discard them. Of course, Yasin felt the exact opposite. Although he might be over acting, the anger for her saying this upsets him, getting the idea his feelings are insignificant to his mother.
The second quote, "What's wrong with a woman remarrying after she gets divorced." He thought to himself about the fact of anyone else marrying again, but his own mother, that was a different story. The fact that it wasn't a one time thing. She would marry get divorced, marry get divorced, and so on. This process continued for a while and she thought that this was also insignificant to her relationship with Yasin. In which it was causing great anger from him against her.
I think in both situations, it is Yasin's mother's thoughts of how her actions that have happened in the past are insignificant to her and she believes thats how Yasin should feel. While Yasin feels the exact opposite.
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
In someways my fealings and emotions take over and my heart reaches out to the mother. She's spent her whole life searching for her true love and each time is rejected. I'm not saying it's not her fault, she seems to be very stuborn and that was not appreciated in those times but it is a sad life story. Besides that she has also been separated from her only son for 11 years with this being his own wish. It's one thing to have your son taken away by force, at least you'll know he still thinks of you and loves you but i can't imagin the emotional pain he put her through when he deserted her for his father no matter how many reasons he had to back his actions up.
On the other hand Yasin has every right to feal the way he does. His mother disgraced him and was completely irresponcable in his childhood and these actions have followed him throughout his life. She should have recognized the ridicule she was putting him through by remarrying for what seems to be the fourth time. That said I think he should have approached this conversation from a different angle.
Yeena
1.True or false: this is a very sad chapter so far. Why?
“He turned toward her anxiously. Not knowing how to address her or how their meeting would turn out, but the woman spared him from having to form any plan. She rushed to him and put her arms around him.”
False, I believe that this chapter is a warming, happy chapter. It truly is very touching how a mother and a son have such a strong connection. It is Yasin’s first time to go to his mother’s house in eleven years and so, he gets ready for what he will say when he meets her. However, that wasn’t needed. As soon as Yasin saw his mother, he couldn’t let any words let out of his mouth. Instead, as if his mother knew this, she hugs him tightly and Yasin hugs her back too. They cry because they both are so happy that they met again and because they missed each other for such a long time. Especially for his mother, she saw Yasin grown as a man and she would’ve thought that she would ever meet him again. By this chapter, I truly realized that nothing is deeper than family. In addition, it shows that Yasin is not satisfied with him mother that she is going to get re- married because it’s not someone else but his mother. This shows that he cares a lot about his mother and this also shows the love between the mother and a son.
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
I definitely understand why he is so upset about his mother getting re-married. But I think he is being too hard on his mother. Because if you think about her situation, it is so true that she was alone and very lonely for such a long time. For Ahmad, he has a wife and he enjoys with many women every night, but Yasin's mother did not. Yasin went away from his mother for 11years and think about being left by your own son or daughter. It is not hard to deal with it. So Yasin needs to understand his mother's situation and not be too hard on it.
Sung Kun Kim
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
-I think that Yasin's emotion toward his mother is harsh but right. His mother had several divorces, marriages, and relationships with men. This gave him so much humilation since he was a child. Now it has past 11 years, but it is about to happen again. But this time, Yasin is a grown-up which makes it more uncomfortable for him. It would be a loss for his property and estate that he would get from his father and also his honor. So all of this is too hard for Yasin and makes him very angry which is understandable for anyone. So his feelings toward his mother is kind of harsh but understandable.
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?(agreeing with what savannah said about Yasin) I think that Yasin’s mother and himself were in the wrong with different parts of their actions. Of course his mother should not have done that and she deserves some type of consequence. Although this is true, she is still his mother and he should not disrespect her.
Ka Yeon Nam
Question 4
Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
When Yasin was growing up, he was going between his mother and her lover. When he was young, he was too little to know, but as he grew up, he was very upset and disgraced by his mother. He did not see his mother for 11 years, it was his wish. I think Yasin is too hard on his mother. Even though his mother was irrisponsible and hurt Tasin's feelings, she is still her son. She loves her but by him not wanting to see his mother for 11 years is very harsh. I think Yasin should respect his mother.
Answer to #3:
"He was sobbing with tears at the man's savage assault on his mother, which he re-created afresh with his current level of sophistication each time he thought about it, thus turning it into an ultimate manifestation of horror."
To some degree, Yasin does have reason to feel shame about this part of his childhood. As the go-between person in this love affair, he was the reason for the relationship. Then, to see how he treated her would have horrified him. He would have though it was his fault, his blame. But he must also realize that it was his mother's choice. However, it is very understandable that he would have such strong emotions about the man and the shop.
Heather Rhee
Q5
Answer
I think Yasin acted in a very different way from his father in this chapter.
Yasin went to his mother because he was very worried about her new marriage. In my opinion, if Ahmad, his father, had faced a same problem like this, he woundn't go and visit his mother to change her mind because he is a stren guy. People who has a stren personality are usually bad at showing some of there true feelings to others. For example, saying "I love you" to a lover can be a weak (?) thing to do according to their thinkings. Thus, visiting a mother to help her to change her mind can be a hard work for Ahmad.
Yasin didn't worried about his weakness. He was more worried about his mother and went to change her mind because he loved her.
Therefore, Yasin acted in a different way from his father
4. Do you think Yasin is too hard on his mother in general? In this half-chapter in particular?
I feel that Yasin was not too hard on his mother. His mother had disgraced him and neglected him as a child. He has remembered these offenses and will not let them go. Yasin has been scarred for life and there is nothing his mother can do now to fix it. She has married and remarried so many times that Yasin is very ashamed of her. I respect Yasin's harsh attitude toward his mother. He wasn't extremely harsh because in the chapter his mother runs up and embraces him and kisses him and he does not deny her that action. He even gives her a hug and kiss out of pity. But I do have to say that I also feel bad for the mother because she went through a hard time during Yasin's childhood and did not mean to ruin it for him. She was doing what she thought was best, but turned out to be a nightmare for Yasin.
1. True or false: this is a very sad chapter so far. Why?
Yasin saw is mother for the first time in a long time and his visit was fine at first. Then he came between his mother and her lover and it wasn't very good of him to what he did.
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