A True and Genuine Character

I am currently reading " A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini for my independent novel study. In this novel the protagonist is named Mariam. A name given to her by her father, Jalil, meaning in persian, "the tuberose...a lovely flower" (p.12). During the first chapters she's describing her childhood, a time where we can learn a lot about oneself. She is a girl who lives with her mother, Nana, in the outskirts of Gul Durman, Afghanistan, but she was born in the nearby province of Herat where her father lives. Every Thursday, she would long for because Jalil would come and spend time with her. Her father is a wealthy man, he owns a cinema; has three wives and nine other children. Mariam knows none of his other children nor his wives, she lived in a small village with Nana. Nana made Mariam's childhood a tough upbringing. Constantly Nana would call her names, tell her she is not good enough and that everything positive is a lie. This doesn't discourage Mariam to still have wonders of the better world, get lost in other people's stories of great feats and discoveries and to long to have an education in a proper school environment; something her mother finds unnecessary. Although she's spending more time with her mom than her dad, Mariam doesn't follow her mom's negativity. She is ambitious, respectful, smart and curious, but she doesn't get carried away or is gullible of all that she hears. Mariam reminds me of another character, Cinderella. They both have a strong love for their fathers, but receive a lot of criticism from the mom. Mariam is like Cinderella because they're strong, loving, ambitious, someone who longs for something better but doesn't complain. They apreciate and accept where they're at, but in a way don't accept because they dream and wonder of greater things. 

An irresistible love that I can bear no more

Waking to your face every morning,
You look lovely taped to my wall,
Lots think I'm creepy,
But on this special day,
To you I'd say:

Roses are red and so is your curly flowing mane,
On this Valentine's Day of 2011,
I sit here lonely in pain,
To be with you would feel like heaven

Oh, how flawless you are,
Kicking up the halfpipe,
Backside rodeo 540,
My glowing flying tomato

Born in the golden state,
It's meant to be that gold is all you win,
Therefore pick me and forget your mates,
Let's take your Lamborghini for a spin

I'm ready to tear down the 2D you,
And trade it in,
Now it's your queue,
Choose me and toss the others in the bin

My parents tell me I'm not too bright,
Longing for such older men with raging heat,
But you make my heart jump a beat,
Inside this feels oh so right,
So won't you be mine, Shaun White?

It's not what happens, it's what you do

Looking back, I used to be frightened and get upset when things didn't turn out the way they're suppose to. Later on though, I found out that the greatest challenge is not the situation itself but how you bear and react to it. It was a long awaited Friday afternoon. I trudged inside the house with my bag hunched over my back. I was ever so glad, until a few minutes after when my parents came into the room. They wore huge smiles. It was obvious what they wanted, but it wasn't fair. After a dreadful week at school and I'm left with this? My little brother Benjamin, was a menace. No one smart would be willing to spend a whole day, let alone one minute with him.

With soft leather cushioning my back, I flipped through the channels on the TV. In the distance, I heard my parents bid goodbye and eventually, the slam of the thick wood door. Tap, tap, tap. I whipped my head around, and starred deep into his beady wide eyes. I knew right then, that this was going to be a long night.

After just one hour, the cookie jar emptied out like it was sucked by a vacuum, colorful dots were sprawled out and purple blobs stained the carpets. I stood there in awe as I gazed upon the wreckage. How could such a little boy tear up a house like a devil? My fists were clenched as I stomped over to his lair where he was happily amused with his good friends Mario and Luigi. After I unleashed my frustration, his stare looked upon me without a blink until his eyes shut. Tears started to trickle down his face, I ran over and held him in my arms, my heart sunk like an anchor. After a round of "you are my sunshine" the drops stopped dripping.

Through the contagious howls, clicking of the buttons and the revving of the engine coming from the game a dreaded sound turned it all silent. Was someone outside? I was the only one who heard it first, Ben was lapping me, but my mind was occupied somewhere else. All of a sudden the doorbell rang and he jumped in excitement. I quickly tugged him back down and whispered to him "No, it's not Mom and Dad". There, I sat trembling. They weren't suppose to be home until eleven thirty, it was only nine, and why would they ring the doorbell? I turned the TV louder in paranoia to oust the sounds from the outdoors.

That plan was quickly defeated, when I overheard a loud bang coming from the back door. Terrified, I instructed Ben to go upstairs and stay there. As i walked over to the door, i listened carefully for the pitter patter skedaddling up the steps to ensure he was doing what I told him to do. It opened with a creak. A gust of wind blew right through me and chilled me to the bone. "Hello?". No response. "Who's there?". More silence.

My toes froze the moment they grazed the patio. As I creeped around the perimetres of the Russell terrain I couldn't help but to regret not grabbing a jacket. At every corner that bent and darkened, my heart thumped loudly like a fast paced pendulum swinging through my chest. I saw nothing, but the ordinary.

Relieved that whatever was making the sound outside has disappeared, I turned the knob to go back inside. At this moment I realised, I didn't lock the door. Taking strides as long as a giraffe's neck I scurried up the stairs and bursted into the room. "Ben?!". There he sat innocently and frightened, and I rushed over to give him a hug. His heart and love warmed up mine, which was just what i needed. For the rest of the night we played calmly.

My parents told me when they came home, that they found us encircled in each other's arms with peacefulness emerging from our faces. After that night, I came to conclusion that it's not Ben's fault or any others' and not even the events that happened, that affects greatly. It's how one deals with the situation and their decisions on what emotions to release. When I acted irrationally about babysitting Ben, it showed through later events; there was more frustration and tension. This is a challenge which sometimes I still have to overpower anger with optimism, or fright with confidence, within myself to bring out the light of day. Due to following my philosophy, I've created a priceless bond with Ben which is something I am greatly apreciative of.