She lowered her eyes to hide her overwhelming joy. She could not conceal the emotions rocking her soul. Her face seemed an extremely accurate mirror, registering everything that was inside her, no matter how small. She wanted so much to receive the happy news with a composure befitting her maternal role, but she was transported by joy. The features of her face laughingly expressed her childish delight. At the same time she felt ashamed, although she did not know why. She remained motionless for so long that Kamal's patience was exhausted. He pulled her by the hand, putting his entire weight into it until she yielded and rose. She stood for a little while in a strange confusion. Before she realized what she was doing the turned and asked, "Should I go, Mother?" p. 232
This passage is the climax to Amina's exile and it is affective because of the rhetoric stance the author takes: pathos. The passage effectively portrays both the excitement she got from a reunion with her beloved children and the shame she feels for herself. With descriptive word choice and illustrative detail the author is able to effectively lure the reader into the book as though the reader was actually Amina.
Through descriptive word choice, the reader is able to empathize with Amina because there has been a moment where we felt so happy that our inner child came out. Amina is decribed as being so happy that she couldn't conceal her inner child while trying to "receive the happy news with a composure befitting her maternal role." (232) Words such as "childish delight", "overwhelming joy", and laughingly protray the excitement she received from the news her children brought. After she is overjoyed from that moment of pardoning she quickly is blanketed with feelings of embarrassment and shamefulness. These feelings were so powerful that she "remained motionless" to the point where Kamal began to get impatient. Words such as "strange confusion", and ashamed illustrate how ashamed she was for being exiled. She then questions herself of being worthy to be by Ahmad's side by questioning her mother if she should go back.
Amina's inner child and shamefulness is described effectively with descriptive sentences. After reading the descriptive first half of the paragraph, the reader is able to imagine the feeling Amina was overcome by. The reader is able to picture Amina trying to hide a smile that occupies most of her face but then gives in to her inner child by jumping up and down. Then, suddenly this picture is flipped inside out with a feeling of shame by the illustrative second half of the paragraph. The reader then imagines Amina wide-eyed and stiff after realizing the shame she brought on herself for being exiled.
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I don't think it was "shameful" for her to return to Ahmad but because we're the readers, to us it's like saying,"Are you crazy, you want to give up your new-found freedom?". To us, the best thing could have happen was her banishment from the house because then she would have been free to do as she wished. The freedom was too much for her that she couldn't do anything but sit with her mother at home. She can't even be herself because she's so used to taking commands. So, yes you could be right that she still harbors her inner-child because she has gotten so used to being her husband's servant
ReplyDeleteand her mother's daughter that she hasn't had a moment to be Amina.
Nice work here! Don't forget to include your labels/tags.
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