Women Bondings

1. Women Bondings By: The Honey Badgers

2. Getting Together • “To tell troubles to others and to listen to the troubles of others makes them lighter to bear, and that is sometimes relief enough”(96).

3. Description: • This quote depicts the critical passage given to us based on their getting together because Samya in From Sleep Unbound has the most similarities to the women in the village. Which builds a relation between them in a male dominated society, it is the only place all women can come together and talk about their problems. So according to this quote when she goes back to the village to see the Sheikha, all women with troubles sit together telling each other their plights. It was a way of connecting to each other and feeling each others sorrows.

4. Exchanges • “We’ll bring you eggs and vegetables everyday, just as we did for your sister-in-law, Sit Rachida, when she lived here with the Bey”(67). • “Here, these are for you. Have some sugared almonds.” They stepped backward, shaking their heads, simpering: No, No they’re yours” (67).

5. Description: • This passage from the book conveys their exchanges in the critical passage given because it shows their proper etiquettes. From how the book From Sleep Unbound is written the author doesn’t really say where the story takes place but by the hints given, it is mainly in Egypt. In Egypt they have do and don’ts when it comes to proper etiquette, according to http://www.vayama.com/etiquette/egypt/ traditional visitor etiquette is DO bring a gift to your hosts. Which Om el Kher and Zeinab does by bringing eggs and vegetables to Samya. In return Samya offers them sugared almonds even though Om el Kher and Zeinab declines, eventually in the end they did accept it. Proper etiquette for that is DO expect to be offered food repeatedly, even if you keep declining. Having proper etiquette in Egypt was part of their everyday life and exchanges happens to be one of the biggest most important manner being.

6. Economy • “The two women drew out the warm fresh bread and filled my arms with it, loading me down with bread”(83).

7. Description • This passage explains about how the economy works in the village through sharing. Om el Kher shows Samya this by giving her a lot of bread. This is also shown earlier in part two when Samya gives Om el Khersugar almonds the first time they meet. This is also an economy that is in spite of the recommendations of the male community because after Samya brings home the bread, Boutros tells her to get rid of the bread because it is “dirty” from the women in the village.

8. Relationships • “And then it was over. Ammal’s face eluded me as soon as the door was closed. The comfort she had brought disappeared with her presence”(91).

9. Description • This passage shows that women in the village make relationships with one another because Samya made a friendship with Ammal here. This is one of Samya’s closest relationships because she also says later that Ammal is like a daughter to her. Along with the friendship she makes with Ammal, she bonds with Om el Kher and some of the other women in the village. She has never made any real relationships with other women other than when she goes to the village, which is one of the main points the critical passage discusses.

10. Personal Choice • “They were nothing much, these little clay objects, but when Ammal spoke of them she seemed to open a whole new world. Ammal would be saved because she possessed a love that could be expressed”(105).

11. Description • This passage is an example of how women start to make their own decisions without the input of other men. Ammal makes clay figures that her family wants her to get rid of, but she disobeys them and continues to make them. This shows that Ammal is starting to go against what the society says, and make her own choices. This passage is also significant because it shows that Samya is making a difference to people in the village like Ammal by showing her that women don’t need to listen to men, and they have to make their own personal choices.