1. Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
OR
2. Why do you suppose Ahmad (the father) punishes his youngest son, Kamal, more harshly than his other sons?
OR
3. Why do you suppose Ahmad is so strict with his family and yet drinks alcohol, has affairs, and jokes with his friends at night?
OR
4. Kamal does a comic imitation of his father after his father leaves, with his mother as an audience. Comment.
OR
2. Why do you suppose Ahmad (the father) punishes his youngest son, Kamal, more harshly than his other sons?
OR
3. Why do you suppose Ahmad is so strict with his family and yet drinks alcohol, has affairs, and jokes with his friends at night?
OR
4. Kamal does a comic imitation of his father after his father leaves, with his mother as an audience. Comment.
16 comments:
Yeena Sung
1.Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
“ There was no distinction in this between the secretary from al-Nahhasin School, the law student, and the pupil from Khalil Agha. No one dared looked directly at their father’s face.
Generally, when people talk about breakfast tables, it usually is a great place to show the bond and the warmth between family members. However, for Yasin, Fahmy, and Kamal, it was not so much of a pleasant place to be. They would sit right after the father sits on the principal seat. First is Yasin, then Fahmy and lastly, Kamal. Yasin would sit on his father’s right and Fahmy would sit on his left, then Kamal would sit on the opposite side of the father’s sit. I think this has to do with how higher the sons were. Just like how the Kings had their most loyal and highest servants right beside them. Since, Yasin and Fahmy are older than Kamal they would sit beside him. When it was Amina’s time to bring food, that brief moment was when their father would check upon his sons. He would ask Kamal if he washed his hands and even though he did, he would threaten him. The sons had to eat after when the father allowed them and said, “eat.” It was not a happy breakfast table, but a breakfast table that included anxiety and competity.
Savannah,
question #2,
Why do you suppose Ahmad (the father) punishes his youngest son, Kamal, more harshly than his other sons?:
"His quick mind spared him the need to be seriouse and diligent, although his superior achievment implied he was both."
I think Ahmad punishes Kamal more harshly then his other sons because Kamal is extremely smart which is stated in the quote above. Ahmad seems to feal the need to be the best at everything, the best friend, the best prayer and the best (in his eyes) husband. If Ahmad thought that Kamal was smarter then him he might feal threatened and from that fealing of his superiority being threatened would come anger, anger that he takes out on Kamal.
Emily Lee
1. Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
It is definitely not a happy place, because when they are eating, the three sons cannot even eat normally like other kids do. They have to wait until the father is done with his meal and then they get to eat all the left overs. They are just really scared that the father will say something or at least for kamal, he would call him "a son of bitch" and the least he does to him is kick and punch.That is definitely not a happy place to enjoy their meal.
Sang Eun
Question #4
Kamal imitated his father's gestures and behaviors when he left with his mother looking at him. Probably Kamal imitated comically of the father because he had been fearing of his father and couldn't dare to do such things in the presence of his father, but he left home and there was no one to scold Kamal. Kamal would have some unpleasant feelings about his father, because the father had been especially strict to him. Since the father left home for work, Kamal was given with chances to express his displeasure. Also, the mother doesn't dissuade her son from doing it. This is also because she understands his son's feelings about her husband.
Laura says...
Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place?
No, it is not. On page 19, when the scene at the breakfast table first begins, the book says, "Sitting with him, even for such a short period, was extremely taxing for them." That basically states that breakfast in the household is not an easy or enjoyable buisness for any of the family memebers.
However, I believe that Ahmad, the father, enjoys it. "He examined them with a critical eye until he could discover some failing, however trivial, in a son's appearance or a spot on his clothes." This sentence, also on page 19, describes that breakfast is the one time that Ahmad gets to see his sons. He spends the time making sure that they are in line and they are going about their lives in a way that pleases him. In chapter 3 we learned that Ahmad is a clean man who lives by routine and organization. He gets by very well this way, and takes breakfast to do what he thinks is best for his sons; bash into them the idea that living neatly and perfectly is the most rewarding. I believe he is really only doing what he thinks is best for them and taking advantage of their time together.
How would you like it if your father called you a "son of a bitch" at the breakfast table? What if it was the first thing he said to you all day? Well, Kamal, the youngest brother and son, has to go through that everyday. Ahmad shows his interest in the boy on page 20 when he asks, "Is that son of a bitch studying his lessons or not?" He asks Fahmy, and he knows who his father is asking about because "'son of a bitch' was the epithet their father reserved for Kamal." Breakfasts, let alone any meals, are not at all pleasant when fathers are cursing out their young sons.
Not to mention that the three brothers are so afraid of falling from their manners in their father's presence that they must fight over the remaining food once their father has left the table to finish preparing for his day. On page 21 this is best described with: "Therefore, no sooner has his father risen and departed than Kamal rolled up his sleeves and attacked the food like a madman." the boy shoves both hands into the dishes of food in an attemp to beat his brothers. Even so, "his endeaver seemed futile, given his brothers' energetic efforts." He winds up sneezing on the food so that his brothers cannot have any more to eat. So, Fahmy and Yasin go hungry, while Kamal is pushed around by them before getting his fill. They have to starve themselves while their father is in the room and gorge themselves once he's left. That's hardly the way one should eat breakfast. How can it ever be enjoyed?
In fact, it's stated on page 19, right at the beginning, "Their fear itself made them more nervous and prone to the very errors they were trying so hard to avoid. The meal, moreover, was consumed in an atmosphere that kept them from relishing or enjoying the food." So, no I don't think that the breakfast table, at which the father and his three sons sit, is a happy place.
Ka Yeon Nam
Qustion #1
Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
"They were forced to observe military discipline all the time."
The breakfast table for the family is not a happy place. The sons does not talk or look at each other because of their fear for their father. They have to wait until their father starts eating to start eating themselves. Also, before their mother brings out the food, they are afraid that their father will spot a failing of their appearance. Because their father treats his family so strictly and with no affliction, their breakfast table not a happy place.
Heather Rhee
2. Why do you suppose Ahmad (the father) punishes his youngest son, Kamal, more harshly than his other sons?
Answer
Eventhough Ahmad is harsh to all of his children, he punishes Kamal the most. Ahmad even use the epither "son of a bitch" when he calls Kamal.
Kamal is the youngest son in Amina's family and he is a schoolboy. He is very close with his two sisters and his mother and he is playfulness. However, his father, Ahmad, is very different from him. Ahmad is a strong hard working man who is good at controling himself. I think this is why Ahmad punishes Kamal the most. Kamal has a opposite personaility with his father and it will makes Ahmad to be upset because Ahmad is a man who tries to be perfect and he might want his son, Kamal to become like him.
Sung Kun Kim
1. Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
- The breakfast table is not a happy place for this family. There are several reasons but mainly it was because of the father. The three sons have to wait until their father tells them to eat even though the food is right in front of them. Also, the youngest son, Kamal is always threatened by the father for small things, such as washing hands. When eating, the sons don't even dare to watch their father's face directly. The breakfast table of this family lacks lots of things that is supposed to have. So it is not a happy place for them.
1.Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
Mahfouz makes it evident in just the first few paragraphs that for this family, the breakfast table is far from a happy place. Instead of a lively hub of light conversation to begin the day for this family, the ritual of breakfast is more like a funeral procession. All three children are terrified to look their father, or even each other in the eye. This kind of tension is everything but what normal should be in a family, "breakfast table" environment: it seems even the silence of the breakfast table speaks the loudest about the tension and oppression which takes place within this family.
1. Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Expain.
The breakfast for this family is definitely not a happy place. When Yasin, Kamal, and Fahmy and their father sits down for breakfast, they didn't talk to each other and also in the book it says that "no one dared to look directly at their father's face". Breakfast for most families are the opening of a new day, it's the time when the members of the family sits on a table and hopes that everyone has a good day. But, unlike the other families, Amina's are really different. The way that the author wrote they mood of the breakfast, it seemed like as if it was a military, no warmth, no happiness. I was strick, cold, and dreadful.
Christy Martin
#1. Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
"Their fear itself made them more nervous and prone to the very erroes they were trying so hard to avoid."
This breakfast table is not a joyful place to be at all. The children are scared out of their minds to look at each other or to even look at their own father. Ahmad calls his son foul names and threatens to cut his hands off if he doesn't wash them. This is not a very good example Ahmad is setting for his children. The children only respect their father in a sense that he is their elder and high above them, but they do not respect his attitude towards them. Ahmad has also bullied his children to only take small servings of food or they will receive a punishment. They have to wait till their father leaves the table to be able to satisfy their hunger needs. Even then they must fight each other for the left over food. This is not what you would call a warm happy family moment.
1.Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain.
No, I do not believe this is a setting in which breakfast is a happy place. On page 19 it says "Sitting with him, even for such a short period, was extremely taxing for them. They were forced to observe military discipline all the time." This quote shows that for the sons themselves, the atmosphere they were in was not for a true wanting but to be observed and put under pressure. This was one of the only times they saw their father so it was mandatory they impress him with their true discipline. Their father Ahmad, gave them such fear and anxiety that it was hard to even cherish their food or their time with their father. Even the way this father eats makes the breakfast table an uncomfortable environment. The father consumes his food so quickly, the fear the sons had rises even more. They then proceed to eat their food cautiously and in a well mannered way.
If the father was not at the breakfast table, the atmosphere would be completely different. On page 21, "...his father risen and departed than Kamal rolled up his sleeves and attacked the food like a madman." This shows as soon as the father is out of sight the fear is lost and comfort is found again.
-Brianna Malavenda
Answer to question #3:
"Indeed, he scorned light and even normal meals as a waste of time not befitting a man of his stature."
"They were forced to observe military discipline all the time."
While perhaps a good person at heart, Al-Sayyid is a proud, strong-willed man. He cannot let himself seem weak or foolish in front of his family, who might think of him as less. Therefore he believes that he must whip them into shape, in an unfortunately cruel manner. However, around his friends, he feels that he is among his equals, and therefore does not a act like a megalomaniac.
In addition, he justifies his indulgence in alcohol and adultery with self-importance. This is obviously an unhealthy relationship with his family.
1. Is the breakfast table (at which the father and his three sons sits) a happy place? Explain. The breakfast is definitely not a happy place, at lease for the three sons, especially Kamal. Although eating breakfast is the only time the sons see their father throughout their daily routines, it is not a time of rejoicing, it is stressful and military like. No one would look at each other because they did not want to be “overcome by a smile”. The boys were nervous the entire meal until their father left, because of this, they did not enjoy the food. Also, it was know for the father to “inspect” his sons before their mother brought out the food.
2. Why do you suppose Ahmad (the father) punishes his youngest son, Kamal, more harshly than his other sons? When I read and thought about this question before beginning the reading I figured that Ahmad punishes Kamal the most because he was the youngest and his father felt he needed the most discipline in order to be taught. However, after reading the chapter, to me it seems that Ahmad just generally dislikes Kamal as a person. Even when his father says “Have you washed you hands?” and Kamal replies yes and in fact has washed his hands, his father still finds another reason to have a problem with Kamal by saying “If you ever forget to wash them before eating, I’ll cut them off to spare you the trouble of looking after them.”
3. Why do you suppose Ahmad is so strict with his family and yet drinks alcohol, has affairs, and jokes with his friends at night? I think that Ahmad feels like he has a different status with his family then with his friends. With his family, he feels like he has to be “macho” and be “the man of the house” but with his friends he sees them as peers on his same level and lets loose.
4. Kamal does a comic imitation of his father after his father leaves, with his mother as an audience. Comment. After Kamal’s father leaves, Kamal runs into his fathers room and stood in front of the mirror. H e would look at himself “with care and pleasure” then he would tell his mother “The cologne, mina.” He would wipe his hands on his face, short pants, and jacket like putting the cologne on them as his father did. Lately, Kamal would smooth and twist the ends of his imaginary mustache.
2. Why do you suppose Ahmad (the father) punishes his youngest son, Kamal, more harshly than his other sons?
Perhaps Ahmad grew up seeing a the youngest son of different families and possibly in his own get unruly and never obey the father so he wants to put Kamal in line so he won't disobey Ahmad.
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