Choose one of the following themes and make it specific. Basically, ask the question, “What is the novel or Anzia saying about this theme?” For example, don’t simply tell me personhood is important. Tell me what Anzia or the novel is trying to tell us about personhood.
Themes: Personhood, Assimilation, Women’s Rights, Independence, Education, or a theme of your choosing.
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Person-hood:
ReplyDeleteAnzia is saying that simply wanting person hood gives you person hood. In the mind of sara, person hood means that you have your own thoughts answer to your own orders. it means doing what you want with your life and not what someone else wants, In short, person hood is the freedom to think.
And so it can be said that if you can have the thoughts of desire for person hood, you have already achieved it. But can disappear just as easily. It goes as soon as you become content with following someone else's desire for your life.
Education:
ReplyDeleteIn this novel Anzia really stresses the importance of education and how your chance at education can be based on ethnicity. Sara shows a burning desire for an education throughout the whole novel. Sara believes education is the key to all success for her life. Also you see subtle prejudices when she is in college. The other girls laugh at her when she asks questions and make fun of her behind her back because she is different and not as wealthy as them. When she go's to talk to some of the male professors they just laugh at her. Even through all this she keeps striving for an education. The author, Anzia, keeps stressing this theme of education to show how dificult it was for an immigrant to survive at the time.
Independence:
ReplyDeleteShe is saying that independence will get her to her goals in life. Her father was keeping all of her sister's back and now sara is determined to change the ways. Almost like assimilating, but Sara wanted to but independent since age 5 selling herring on the street. The way she was raised changed her and taught her differently. Now she learned that the new world has so many opportunities, especially for ladies, so it opens the doors for a great life. The only way sara can achieve this is by herself and with her own determination. It gives you the chance to be who you want and do what ever you want. It's sara's goal in life.