no guns at my sons funeral analysis
Kelly Larocque
Dr. Mayurika Chakravorty
ENGL 2100B
Janurary 30, 2015
Analyzing Parallels in No Guns At My Sons Funeral
No Guns At My Sons Funeral written by Paro Anand is centralized about youth being recruited into militant fighting groups and gaining acceptance from militant leaders even if that comes at the ultimate cost. This novel focuses on a young man named Aftab and the trials he has with friends and family about secretly participating in a local terrorist group as a jihadist fighter in training. This paper with focus on the passage of the beetle found in chapter 5 where the beetle is attempting to get to the light paralleling Aftab trying to gain approval from militant leader Akram. The author uses this passage to foreshadow Aftab’s fate with his involvement in the militant group.
The author, Paro Anand writes about a group beetles that catch Aftab’s attention while he is lying in bed trying to sleep. These beetles are trying to get to the warmth of the light on the other side of the windowpane yet inevitably lead themselves into self inflicted death from flying into the glass. Anand goes on to explain that Aftab feels the same way as those beetles, he is trying to get to the “light” being Akram’s mission, but similarly to those beetles he has failed, feeling useless. (Anand, ch.5) This passage parallels the way Aftab wants to be included in Akram’s group yet doesn’t feel involved because he cant come up with any ideas to impress the leader unlike the other two members Javed and Imran.
Aftab continued to let his mind wander as he lies in bed. Again, there was a beetle that caught his attention, this time the beetle managed to find its way through the netting across the window, and squeezed its way through the hole, which the other beetles still “Battered themselves against the glass and wire mesh impotently”. (Anand, ch.5) this is where Aftab thought to himself that he would be different than all the rest he would make his way in the group and gain
Dr. Mayurika Chakravorty
ENGL 2100B
Janurary 30, 2015
Analyzing Parallels in No Guns At My Sons Funeral
No Guns At My Sons Funeral written by Paro Anand is centralized about youth being recruited into militant fighting groups and gaining acceptance from militant leaders even if that comes at the ultimate cost. This novel focuses on a young man named Aftab and the trials he has with friends and family about secretly participating in a local terrorist group as a jihadist fighter in training. This paper with focus on the passage of the beetle found in chapter 5 where the beetle is attempting to get to the light paralleling Aftab trying to gain approval from militant leader Akram. The author uses this passage to foreshadow Aftab’s fate with his involvement in the militant group.
The author, Paro Anand writes about a group beetles that catch Aftab’s attention while he is lying in bed trying to sleep. These beetles are trying to get to the warmth of the light on the other side of the windowpane yet inevitably lead themselves into self inflicted death from flying into the glass. Anand goes on to explain that Aftab feels the same way as those beetles, he is trying to get to the “light” being Akram’s mission, but similarly to those beetles he has failed, feeling useless. (Anand, ch.5) This passage parallels the way Aftab wants to be included in Akram’s group yet doesn’t feel involved because he cant come up with any ideas to impress the leader unlike the other two members Javed and Imran.
Aftab continued to let his mind wander as he lies in bed. Again, there was a beetle that caught his attention, this time the beetle managed to find its way through the netting across the window, and squeezed its way through the hole, which the other beetles still “Battered themselves against the glass and wire mesh impotently”. (Anand, ch.5) this is where Aftab thought to himself that he would be different than all the rest he would make his way in the group and gain
Cited: Anand, Paro. No Guns At My Sons Funeral. New Delhi: Roll Books, 2005. Kindle File.