In today's advanced society we are confronted with a number of choices every day; what time will i get up at, what should i eat for breakfast, what cloths will i wear, what should i do today? Although to us these choices may seem trivial, they are a coveted freedom that we take for granted all too often now-a-days. Throughout history people have been being oppressed by other humans; their basic rights and liberties taken away and treated as if they were lesser beings than others. Just because we live in a more advanced society does not mean that this oppression has completely gone away; it is still present in Middle Eastern Countries of today, as portrayed in A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
The first part of Khaled's novel tells about a young girl, Mariam, who lives along with her mother until she passed and her biological father, Jalil, takes her in. Now, Mariam was born out of wedlock and Jalil needed to get rid of her. Lucky for Jalil, It was not only acceptable but encouraged to arrange marriages; so Mariam was set up to marry Rasheed. Mariam of course, had no say in the matter, and was forced into a miserable marriage that was based off of lies and pain. Because of her lack of basic rights Mariam was forced to spend her life with a man whom she had no interest in, and created a marriage that was poorly built because of her lack of freedom.
One important and largely discussed topic going around the US today is that of the legality of abortion. This topic is a driving force behind many elections, and is not just another political question; but a question of freedom. Should it be allowed to make it so women cannot get an abortion? Is this not limiting their basic freedoms? However, if we allow women to get abortions aren't we taking away the baby's right to live? I personally believe that women should be allowed to choose whether or not to keep the child; simply because the kids birth will have the largest effect on them. Having children can be socially and economically demanding, and not all women choose to become pregnant. In conclusion i believe that it should be up to the woman to decide on the future of the child, as it will be a burden upon her the most in the future.
