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Given the nature of the 2011 summer reading program, you had significant autonomy in selecting the books you would read. While you were responsible for completing a proposal, you were not given other assignments to complete over the summer. As indicated on your proposal form, you are required to write a letter to your 2011-12 Language Arts teacher that demonstrates your thoughtful reading of your book. We have chosen to break this down further into three focused "Power Paragraphs" for two reasons, one, to introduce you to the idea of a power paragraph, and two, to assist you in covering all aspects of the assignment.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

I chose //A Thousand Splendid Suns// by Khaled Hosseini because my mom recommended it to me. I enjoyed the book because it gave the perspective of how Afghan women are treated/viewed in their country, and how different our cultures are. A part that stood out to me was the Taliban's list of regulations the women must follow, including; "You will not laugh in public. If you do, you will be beaten. You will not paint your nails. If you do, you will lose a finger" (Hosseini 248). I’m glad my mom recommended it to me because it showed how truly blessed I am to have my freedom and rights.

Hosseini, Khaled.__A Thousand Splendid Suns.__ New York: Riverhead Books, 2007.

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

While reading //A thousand Splendid Suns// I was able to appreciate my freedoms and rights I have as a woman in America. In the book, the main characters were both married to one man who showed favoritism between them, enforced harsh rules, and beat them if they made a mistake. A part that shocked me was when Mariam's stepmom tells her that she has a suitor who is twenty years older than her, "What are you fifteen? That’s a good solid marrying age for a girl” (Hosseini 44). That’s why I appreciate that women in America have equal freedoms to men and are able to make their own choices in life.

Hosseini, Khaled.__A Thousand Splendid Suns.__ New York: Riverhead Books, 2007.

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **

Girls from the USA who want to learn more about how women are treated in different countries will benefit from reading //A Thousand Splendid Suns//. The book shows two different styles of how Afghan women are treated, traditional and modern. Mariam is treated traditionally because she is arranged to marry a man when she is fifteen and forced to cover her face in public with a burqa, Laila is treated more traditionally because she is allowed to go to school and is allowed to pick whom she marries. Over all the reader will be able to learn about the traditional and modern styles of how women are treated in Afghanistan and will benefit by having a better appreciation of how they’re treated in the USA.


 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **

// An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: //
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly establishes the focus on the prompt Good job getting to the prompt in all of your topic sentences
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence Good choice of support for your ideas
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your book (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format You have done well within the limits of this structure!
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning