Letters from Afghanistan
Maricla Pannocchia
Top 10 Best Quotes
“There are families who marry their daughters off, or sell them to work as prostitutes, so they can buy things like a television.” I can‟t believe this. Grandpa seems to read my mind because he smiles, but it‟s a sad smile. He then whispers: “I can‟t comprehend either. How could we? But it‟s not for us to judge these people. We don‟t live their lives. We can‟t really know their struggles, nor completely understand their ways of life, their culture and traditions.”
“Some people are hens. Others are like eagles.”
“My life has always been so easy. Everything here is so simple. Problems are not really problems. I‟ve never felt cornered, hurt or threatened in my whole life. If someone would abuse me, or scare me, like a bully, I could always get the help of a parent or a teacher, or even the police. I admire Basya so much. I don‟t know how she can be so strong, then I realize she has no choice. The alternative is giving up, and she‟ll never give up.”
“My life has always been so easy. Everything here is so simple. Problems are not really problems. I‟ve never felt cornered, hurt or threatened in my whole life. If someone would abuse me, or scare me, like a bully, I could always get the help of a parent or a teacher, or even the police. I admire Basya so much. I don‟t know how she can be so strong, then I realize she has no choice. The alternative is giving up, and she‟ll never give up. She could stop her education like her friend Silsila”
“Most people think being brave means not being afraid. Remember: being brave is doing something and pushing on despite fear.”
“I’m scared every single day, but I know I will never give my education up.”
“I guess I was just a child and did my best to play, despite the worry and sorrow in my family. I remember the way Mama Jan used to put the burqa on, as it was really heavy, so heavy that she may collapse under its weight. And one day I asked her if she needed help because the burqa seemed to be very heavy. She looked at me with very sad eyes and murmured that yes, wearing it was very heavy. I didn’t understand the meaning of her words back then, but I do now.”
“I feel like being run over by a train: how couldn't I see, or care? I have much more than I need when it comes to material things as well as opportunities. I can basically do everything I want. Sure, my parents can still tell me where to go or what to do, but they don‟t impose their views on me. They will never marry me off. They will never forbid me to go to school. They will always do their best to make sure I‟ll be happy, healthy and safe. And what have I done to deserve all this? Absolutely nothing. It was a chance of luck, and that makes me responsible toward those who have not been as lucky as me.”
“I couldn’t see all the privileges and rights I’ve had just because I had the chance to be born a white girl in a lovely, nice family in America.”
“How do you explain a war?", he asks himself, "How can you try and make sense of something that doesn't make any sense?”
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Book Keywords:
basya, pannocchia, war, women, girls, coming-of-age, education, letters, from, human, rights, afghanistan, olivia, maricla, women-s-rights, young-adult, privilege
