Chapter 9: Nadira Needs A Reality Check!

"The both of us? I think"

Of course the both of you! The thing that bothers me is that even though all of the academic focus is on Aisha, does Nadira really think that her parents think she cant go to college? I mean, who does that?!? Is her self esteem really that low? This sentence popped out of the page for me, it is as if Ali Uncle is the only person who thinks of them as equals. He sees no difference between Aisha and Nadira. To him, they are merely two smart sisters who are scared for their parents, parents who set money aside for BOTH of their college education.

Chapter 7 & 8: Fear Is In The Air

"'I'm scared,' she whispers. 'I'm scared for Abba.' "
"It's as if Aisha is finally saying what we're both afraid to imagine:... Everything looks different to us now: the streets, the tar roofs, the park. I inch a little closer to Aisha. None of this is ours anymore, we realize, and for the rest of the ride we say nothing."

I chose these excerpts because they are almost summarizing the entire book so far. They are both terrified, but Aisha holds in in, while Nadira doesn't try as hard to hide it. Then it all becomes so real that Aisha has to face the facts of reality: she is scared.

I think that Aisha saying I'm scared has a much deeper meaning too though. To me she isn't just saying I'm scared, Aisha is telling Nadira that she can't be strong forever. I think it is almost a cry for help. It feels like Aisha is becoming overwhelmed with pressure and stress, and her admitting that she is scared to Nadira is like telling her that they have to work together, that Aisha knows Nadira can help.

Chapter 6: Ring of Fire

"The whole way to school I keep thinking about what Auntie said about Uncle and Taslima. Ma has always told me that uncle has a sour nature because he's borne too many losses. There was Partition, when half his family was killed, and then his twin sons who died of a fever back in Dhaka. And then there's Taslima, who's done all kinds of crazy things. One time she came home with two silver studs in her ear; another time she called Auntie up and said she and some friends had driven upstate to some college, and they were spending the weekend there. Nobody we know would ever to such a thing, much less talk to there parents that way. But that's Taslima-it's like she's got this ring of angry flames around her, daring you to touch her and be burned."

This paragraph really jumped out at me because of the severity of its content. When I read this paragraph, I mainly focused on the parts about Taslima. She is unafraid of being found out, and of the culture made her and her family outcasts; that I think one of the reasons her and her father are always at ends with each other, is because her father is slightly in aw of her boldness. I personally don't know what drives Tasmila to do such things, and neither, I think, does Nadira. I think she is so confused and awed by her cousins actions, that she doesn't stop to think about them. Nadira's little outburst gave her a taste of what she has been suffering through all of these years, and now that she has tasted power, I am afraid she will not be able to resist it. I think that Nadira wants to see herslelf in Taslima's light; burning bright with a sharp tongue and wild ideas.

Free Blog: What to do... What to do...

I'm not quite sure where the book is going character wise. I think that Nadira needs to break out of her comfort zone, and let her ideas fly. If she hides in her shell for much longer Aisha will take over her life. I think that Nadira is thinking of breaking out soon, because of her thoughts about her sister I don't think she can live much longer.

Chapter 5: FINALLY

"'In a couple of years,' he says, wagging is finger, 'we're going to start on you.'"

I really liked this quote because it shows that at least SOMEBODY believes that Nadira has the potential to go to college. To me, it seems like everybody is so focused on Aisha, that nobody even thinks Nadira will make it that far. I believe that Nadira has the same, if not more, potential and promise than Aisha. I feel like Aisha's skills are more practical, and so what if she aces every test, I bet half of it is memorizing. I think Nadira has more life skills, she is observant and perceptive, rather than school smart and good at kissing up to her parents.
Personally, I would rather be street smart than book smart; plus, just because Aisha is more book smart than Nadira doesn't mean that Nadira isn't book smart. I feel like thats what is wrong with this family. Aisha is more, so Nadira isn't at all. I don't like the way that works at all.

Response Post: Lyndsay

I really liked what Lyndsay said in her blog. I appreciate that she is trying to see everything from Nadira's point of view. She made a really good comment about what she thinks is going through Aisha's head. Lyndsay's post made me think about how Aisha has all of her success and Nadira's failures to boost her self esteem, and with that, she can push Nadira down even further. Personally I think Nadira should put her foot down and tell Aisha that she has had enough. The problem is that Nadira's self confidence is so low that she thinks that she should aspire to become more like Aisha. In my opinion Nadira is a much, much better person that Aisha in general. She might not have the same amount of brains, but she has so much more heart.

Blog Post # Two: The Story

"Every family has a story. Ours begins with water. My family lived in the part of the world where there is no difference between land and sea."

I chose this sentence because in a sense, it relates a lot to my life and in a sense, I wish my life related more to the sentence. I grew up on the water and can't live without it. My life has become so fused with the ocean that I can't imagine living in a world where water isn't always close by.
The other reason I chose this sentence was because of the depth of it. I have never thought about the world as a place with no boundaries. Never thought of it as a place where anything can come from anywhere.