A House For Us, By Etidal Osman

In the short story “A House for Us,” by Etidal Osman, the children’s conflicts reflect issues of newly independent countries by demonstrating problems such as, lack of knowledge and social issues. When the narrator and Rami disagree about the marbles the author writes, “Every time, we fight over a lone, lead-toned marble, its grayness a lustrous, silvery gleam” (Osman 152). The quote illustrates the children’s conflict over who should get the lead colored marble. This conflict contains a lack of knowledge on the kids’ parts because they do not understand how to share and adapt. Rather than solving the problem, the narrator and Rami argue about it. This type of scenario happens to newly independent countries because they are starting a new journey all alone. No one is …show more content…
Osman writes about the children not speaking to each other when the text says, “You gazed at me, astonished, seeking to understand. Your almond-shaped eyes, wide in silent distress yet tearless, gave off a brownish flash” (Osman 153). The quote is explaining the tension between the children, but also shows readers that it is silent. The narrator and Rami are not speaking, just simply exchanging powerful facial expressions. Newly independent countries face the issue of not knowing their fellow citizens as well as they should. When the country was not independent, someone else told the people what to do, which meant less communication between citizens. When a country first becomes independent, it will have to learn to freely communicate with new people in order to flourish and grow powerful. The narrator and Rami need to communicate their feelings so that problems a=can be resolved. No one is a mind reader; therefore, it is imperative that people obtain good communication and social skills. Simple issues in the children’s conflict, such as lack of knowledge and poor social skills .are shared with newly independent