After a bombing in Kabul left Laila injured and her parents dead, Mariam
and her husband Rasheed took her in. As she became better Rasheed had this
conversation with his wife.
"We need to legitimize this situation. People will
talk. It looks dishonorable, an unmarried young women living here. It's bad for
my reputation. And hers. And yours, I might add."
Mariam replied “Eighteen Years, and I never asked you for a thing.
Not one thing. I’m asking now”
Later after Mariam argued back with him
Rasheed replied, "It's not your decision. It's hers and mine."
In this passage Rasheed is telling Mariam
what is going to happen, and not really persuading her. The culture in Afghanistan
at this time is male dominated with women not even be allowed to leave the
house often. So this makes any discussions between spouses to be very one
sided. Rasheed here does try to use ethos to convince his wife of his decision.
Ethos is used because he is telling Mariam that if Laila is to stay with them
the whole family's reputation is threatened. Later in the passage he uses
pathos to make Mariam feel that this is the right thing to do for Laila.
Rasheed says that Laila can go, but will have to travel the streets alone, and
that a young girl like her won’t make it very far. By Rasheed saying these
thing Mariam unwilling agrees to the new marriage of the 14 year old Laila to
the 60 year old Rasheed.
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