I'm going to blog about this chapter from the context of helping the oppressor, based on the actions of the oppressed young girl. Mahabouba is an example of someone that can survive anything. Her acts are something that an oppressor should identify and become encouraged. In the world of survival, people tend to do whatever it takes to live, such as gaining wealth and power from abusing another person.
I want to share a few points of survival that Mahabouba overcame. She first had to deal with not being educated and given to an aunt that treated her like a servant, as a young girl. Then she was deceived into thinking she could find better work but was sold for money, she got no part of. She was beaten and raped by the man she was sold to to also suffer additional abuse from another woman. Mahabouba. Now, facing all of this oppression, abuse, and despair, things got worse before they got better for her. She was now a pregnant girl that had to run away from the abuse to protect herself and her unborn child. As she was running she even went back to her native village to have backs turned on her for being a pregnant runaway. Because of complications and not having proper medical treatment she lost her baby and caused crippling nerve damage to her body. Her only hope left seemingly was her uncle, to only be denounced and literally thrown to wild animals. While Mahabouba was crippled and in serious pain she was able to fight off hyenas from attacking her and possible devouring her. Once again she was only a fourteen year old girl. She later got the help she needed to continue to live while still suffering from bodily injuries.
I'm speaking to the man or woman that feels to choose to commit an act of slavery or abuse towards another human is not the only option you have to survive. No matter how hard things are for you we have the ability to survive if we choose to fight to live like Mahabouba. For the last time she was only fourteen years old at the time. 1Love!1Life!
Mahabouba overcame a lot of hardships at such a young age. All of the points that you made about Mahabouba overcoming these hardships looked so incredibly powerful when you put them all together in the same paragraph. I knew that she had overcome a lot, but when they are all next to each other like that, it really makes you look at how much she went through. I cannot imagine going through what she did right now, let alone at such a young age. She is an incredibly brave person and I know that I could never be as strong as someone who went through an experience such as Mahabouba. I agree with you when you say that there are so many other ways someone can make money to continue living. There is no reason one should commit an act of slavery in order to survive and make money. There are so many other ways without hurting other human beings and ruining their lives. I can only hope that Mahabouba's abuser, Jiad, realizes how much pain he has put on another human being. I can only hope that the people of Mahabouba's village realizes that they could have saved her life by excepting her even though she was pregnant and married. There are so many people in this story that could have interfered and helped Mahabouba before it got worse. But they didn't. They ignored the fact that she needed their help and turned their head so they didn't have to deal with her. This is a problem we still have in our world today. Too many people see others in pain and see others who NEED help. But instead of helping, they act like they didn't know and they turn the other way. This needs to change. One person could change someones life.
ReplyDeleteI actually admire Mahabouba. She was only 14, but she had suffered from homeless, being abused, being pregnant, and pain. However, she always thought for herself. She had a good plan for her future when she wanted to find to better job to earn more money, but she was so unlucky to be sold. She wanted a better life. She knew what she wanted, so she ran away from her owner to her hometown. Unfortunately, she got disease. She knew that she needed to find her uncle, but she failed. Anyways, she had a good thought about her life, but she was just unlucky. I really admire her, and I want to be a brave girl just like her.
ReplyDeleteMahabouba fought off hyenas with a stick. Reading this book has opened my eyes to situations that I could never imagine some being in. I love the fact you pointed out that she’s only 14 years old and has experienced so many terrible things like rape, exile, and now the fistula. When I was 14 I was worried about the neighborhood football or baseball game after school, and not my family or community giving up on me.
ReplyDeleteMahabouba I cannot even put into words because the things she went through and lived through it. As an Aunt myself, aunts are there to love, care, and to protect their nieces and nephews. I was so upset reading that her aunt would abuse her and sold her to a monster for money. then lie to her and tell her that she is going for a job is horrible. I just could not believe that I wanted to scream! I was happy she got away from it all though because that takes a strong person it runaway from something bad, they have to worry about be caught and hurt more then they already are or worse.
ReplyDeleteWell before today I didn’t know what fistulas was. When I read the article about what fistulas was it made me depressed and I felt so sad for Mahabouba when I read her story. But I also find her story inspiring how she found courage to fight off the hyenas and got away from the village. Even though she changes her life physically around this will always impact her life. Many people are not so lucky that this will impact their life in a positive way, by helping them get a job. Mahabouba also can help other people in her everyday life and they don’t have anything to hide.
ReplyDeleteMahabouba was/is courageous and certainly has that instinctual fight for survival that we are all born with. It is very sad that everyone around her abused, solicited, and abandoned her, including her family. It seems to me that once again this book points out that less developed, uneducated and impoverished countries are less sympathetic towards humans, including family members. To me Half the Sky makes the people of India, Nepal, Africa and every other poor country out to be a social dichotomy made-up of either savages or helpless victims and the missing component in either case is education.
ReplyDeleteI believe that she was a very strong woman. When I was fourteen years old that was the last thing on my mind let alone having a kid. To think about how much mental and also physical pain she was in breaks my heart, then to have her own village basically disown her and leave her to the hyenas. I don’t understand people who can just turn away from another human being or even hurt them. In the end I’m glad she got the help she could get and I love that she is better!
ReplyDeleteFourteen years old! I cannot even imagine!! Being abandoned by your own family on top of rape and fistula. I like this book because of the stories it tells and it does not hold back one bit. It sticks to the facts and is telling real stories of things that actually go on in our world today. It nice when you read the stories and they have a nice ending and the woman overcome their terrible obstacles. It shows that anything is possible and that there can be something better for you out there as long as you push and keep going. I like to think that I am a strong person, but after reading some of these stories, its made me redefine the word 'strong'. these things are happening to girls my age and younger, these could be my friends or family going through this, I just cant even imagine.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the stories in this book it has amazed me how strong these women are. They have overcome so many obstacles and pushed forward to improve their lives. In our latest chapter, Mahabouba is beaten and raped by her “husband” and becomes pregnant. Even though she knew how she would be treated she ran away to save her baby and herself. The courage it had to take is beyond my scope of understanding. When I think of what she had to endure in her young life my problems seem trivial.
ReplyDeleteAs I read these stories I think about the obstacles I have endured over the years, I think back to how I had to survive by any means necessary. Then I try and compare my trials to the ones we have been reading about and though it pales in comparison to what these young women have been thru, it inspires me to NEVER quit, never give up or in. To think family would literally throw you away??!! I cant imagine! I count my blessings more and more each day. In the beginning of this class I would cry from the readings, now I read them and gain strength to persevere.
ReplyDeleteIt is very inspiring to read your comments and see how the stories in this book have given you all courage, or in some way caused you to reflect on your life. Remember though, what Somaly Mam said in the video in class-- sometimes you can get overwhelmed with how much there is to help and instead not help anything. And this is despite our best intentions. What is something you could do locally to address the issues raised here? What might cause the abusers to act this way? I think Denaro hit on an excellent point there...
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