Ibtisam’s mother. Sending her children to an
orphanage because she could not be locked in the house with them seemed so
cruel. Her sons were thin. They told her parents that in the winter it was so
cold that they could not sleep. That they were frequently beaten by other boys.
They told their parents of the neglect that they faced from the caretakers,
never having enough food. Still their mother insisted that they could not move
home. Not until their father pleaded and made “adequate” arrangement for her. I
can see how her mother felt to a certain degree. However, at the health and
well-being of her own children she chose herself. Throughout the book their
mother constantly harps at them to be safe. Ibtisam reflects on how she remembers
how her mother said to walk close to the wall, as to not be noticed. She also
remembers her mother yelling at them if they got too close to the windows as
soldiers were practicing outside. Yet, through all of this she sends them to an
orphanage as if they had no parents. And here they have two. Not just one but
two parents. Neither are sick. Both of good health and she pushed her small
children into the orphanage. Ibtisam reflects on how she would wet the bed. How
numerous children would wet the bed.
Her mother let them be neglected by her own
hand, so that she may have happiness. This I found shocking.
Whoa that is truly disturbing. Sometimes I forget that people like that exist.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds so sad to read. I almost want to apologize to you for having to read all of that sad stuff. Our book has sad aspects too, but yeah- I think that a lot of really great things can be learned out of empathy that can come out of sad books. I think it is important to read all sorts of things so people can better understand other perspectives and situations.
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