Peshawar

Saadat Hasan Manto is one of the greatest short story writers in Urdu literature who has produced twenty two collections of short stories dealing with different subjects such as partition, human life, social taboos, communal violence, so on and so forth. His stories revolving round the subject of partition of the subcontinent after independence in 1947 are more famous and more known than his other stories. Toba Tek Singh is one such story, a masterpiece, which is interwoven with the theme of partition and its emotional and psychological effects on the human psyche. Manto very realistically depicts the division of society into different sects after the partition in the name of the religion. Toba Tek Singh tells a story of migration of Hindus and Muslims to India and Pakistan respectively after partition in the name of religion. The paper attempts to critically analyze the story as a political satire and criticize the political regimes of both India and Pakistan which divided the nation both religiously and geographically. Key words: Partition, Religion, Division, Political Satire, India, Pakistan, Migration. Introduction Saadat Hasan Manto is one of the renowned and prolific short story writers in Urdu literature, whose stories move around the social, political and cultural happenings of pre, during and post partition of India. He was born on 11th May, 1912, in Sambrala at Punjab. Manto’s stories deal with the different subjects such as partition, man-woman relationship,…

(SIP-A) Before Najmah had a plan to go to Peshawar, he does not have control on what she does or has a say in. (STEWE-1) Najmah cannot speak here because she feels there is no hope because she just lost her baby brother and her mother. This is before she realizes there is still a chance that Nur and Baba-jan. “I try to communicate, but although the words form inside my head, tongue and lips will not cooperate” (Staples 88). (STEWE-2) This is before she made her plan to find her brother and…

(AGG) Experiences develop character in both positive and negative ways. Najmah will experience both in the story and it will cause change in her. (BS-1) Najmah’s father and brother are taken by the Taliban. (BS-2) Najmah’s mother and newborn baby brother are killed in a bombing. (BS-3) Najmah meets Nusrat in Peshawar and Nur returns to where Najmah is. (TS) There are several different experiences throughout the book that contribute to the development of Najmah’s character. (MIP-1) Najmah’s…

her “voice”. When Najmah uses her voice to ask for jobs it helps her take control of her life and also helps her build confidence to be able to use her voice. Najmah is making the smart decision of asking the large store keepers because usually large shops have open job spots. “I also think of asking the keepers of the larger shops whether I can earn money by sweeping or delivering things for them.” (STEWE-2) Najmah is able to use her silence to her advantage in some cases. Najmah uses her…

“I sit in the dirt beside them quietly, not crying, not thinking, not even aware that I am breathing, and it occurs to me that I might be dead, too”(Staples 83). She is silent for a long time after this point, not thinking about anything. (STEWE-2)There are some instances when Najmah tries to talk, but she can't. “ I cannot answer him, no matter how hard I try”(Staples 183). This is when Najmah jumps on the pear truck to get to Peshawar and she goes to a house to get help. A man sees her and…

Imagine a world where siblings and fathers were taken away and kids and mothers were bombed in the middle of a dangerous war and you have to travel on foot to get to safety! People wouldn’t know who to trust, what to do, and what decisions they would have to make. They would learn their own physical and emotional limits because they would have to be more independent. Well, in the book Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples, one girl, Najmah, has to live through all of these feelings…

is another person’s freedom fighter” (unknown). This quote is applicable to international relations in the most recent scenario where former president Ronald Reagan and his administration called the Afghan Mujahideen “freedom fighters” during the Cold War against the Soviet Union, yet two decades later, when a new generation of Afghans are fighting against a regime installed by foreign Western powers, the United States administration under George W. Bush labelled them “terrorists”. Just last…

This causes many of Afghans to flee from their homes and country to avoid war and confrontations. Baba and Amir are on their way to Peshawar so they could try to get to America. “It’s his price for letting us pass...That was when Baba stood up...Ask him where his shame is...There is no shame in war...Tell him he’s wrong war doesn’t negate decency. It demands it ...”. Baba standing up like shows he may be good but why risk his life and maybe others if he don’t know the outcome? Maybe Baba feels…

(AGG) Najmah is this young girl who got most of her family taken away from her, and she has learned to live with what she has, but what would you do if you had a life like hers? (BS-1) Najmah's shape changes from being a innocent child to being a mature child that has grown up before she was supposed to. After Baba-Jan and Nur leave with the Taliban, Najmah grows up to think and act like a adult. (BS-2) Najmah’s shape after becoming a boy and striving her way to her goal, which is that she has…

write to be a crime against their religion. Only a few people in the world have the nerve to stand up for their own personal rights. A young woman by the name of Malala Yousafzai is one of these very courageous people. Malala Yousafzai has her Call to Adventure. In the book “I am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai, once Malala was old enough, she started attending a school that her father founded. For one thing,When Malala heard on the news that the Taliban were bombing girls schools,…