Genre
Non-fiction
Setting and Context
Kabul, Afghanistan, present day
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is predominantly that of the mothers who disguise their daughters as boys.
Tone and Mood
Hopeless, resigned, bleak
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonists are the women of Kabul, antagonists are the Afghan government & Afghan men in general
Major Conflict
Conflict is mostly internal. Women are conflicted when they give birth to daughters but know they will have no freedom or proper childhood unless they are disguised as boys. Later there is conflict between the girls who were dressed as boys when they realize their freedoms will disappear now they have reached puberty.
Climax
No real climax. The facts are presented without a denouement or climax
Foreshadowing
Having a female child foreshadows a disdain, lack of respect and lack of freedom
Understatement
It is said that girls have fewer rights than boys which understates the issue. Girls and women have no rights at all.
Allusions
The author and some of the women she interviews allude to previous generations or previous governments in Afghanistan.
Imagery
N/A
Paradox
Although the practice is a secret, even when it is known that parents have dressed their daughters as sons, there is still respect and reverence afforded to them.
Parallelism
There is a parallel with the gender of the child and the freedoms given to them.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The Afghan people is a phrase used often but it actually refers predominantly to Afghan men.
Personification
N/A
