Obaidiqbal's Weblog

14th literary letter

obaidiqbal — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:40:46 +0000

14th literary letter of the year
Grade: A
Title: Anne Frank
I am reading Anne Frank’s diary this month. It is a very educational and interesting novel based on a Jewish girl’s story who died as a result of holocaust in World War 2. Her story got recognition because of the diary she wrote every day. I have been reading this novel since two weeks now. I am finding it very interesting and full of historic events and their detail. Moreover it demonstrates an exact image of the reaction of the people to the dark holocaust. One of my class fellow read this book and she suggested it to me. I think, I am finding it more interesting than she did.
The girl’s emotions and feelings are added to the story which makes it more colorful. In her diary she was written about her daily life, her feelings, and her experiences. She is very happy and normal girl in the beginning, but with the passage of time, the Nazi soldiers and holocaust starts to affect her life miserably. The Jews including her were treated very cruelly. The methods of torture kept changing and getting worse day by day. She has lost her family and she is arrested by the Nazi soldiers. Along with other Jews, she is being treated worse than animals. Her personality is completely changed. It is very excruciating to read about the girl who was habitual of luxurious life and now she is treated worse than animals. I will be finishing the book within a week.
I think Anne Frank’s Diary is most enduring document of the Twentieth century. Along with all the information it was a very dark and sad side of it too. Stories like these are very touchy and emotional. I feel disgusted by the Nazi soldiers and Adolf Hitler, who did so many inhumane and evil things to Jews. I will suggest this book to anyone who is interested in biographies and history.
Thank you
Obaid

13th literary letter

obaidiqbal — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:05:05 +0000

13th literary letter
Grade D
Title: Hickory Dickory Death
I just the book I was reading from almost a month now. It is written by Agatha Chiristie a famous writer. Unfortunately I didn’t like the book. It a small novel but it took so long for me to read it. I was suggested this by another friend, and I choose this so that I could finish it in shorter period of time. I think it’s an old novel, written in a way that people of this age won’t fancy it. The name of the book sounds interesting as it rhymes with a nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock. I think this name was given to this novel because it’s a novel for Middle School students, the word “Death” is there because a women dies in this novel, moreover it rhymes with the word Dock.
This book is a detective fiction. The novel is full of mysteries, there are murders done and then the deduction of the murderer’s identity and his murdering past is portrayed. The main character has to find the murderer but it is full of complications. I found this novel similar to the novel I read in the beginning of the year named Obsessed.
I will not suggest this novel to anyone from my class because it is not a mature or interesting novel. There were times, when I had to read the chapters again to understand and follow up with the story being portrayed.
Thank you

12th Literary letter.

obaidiqbal — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:51:35 +0000

11th literary letter
Grade: A
Title: Kite Runner
I am writing this letter to share my experience, feelings, and emotions while I am reading the book named Kite Runner, written by Khalid Hussaini an Afghan-American well known author. I read another book Thousand Splendid Suns by the same author. I enjoyed reading it; therefore I choose to read another book by the same author. Moreover, some of my friends read the same book, and complimented and suggested it to me.
It’s not been long that I started this book, and I am very interested and enjoying it so far. I am noticing that this book is similar to Thousand Splendid Suns. The setting of both the books is very alike. Unlike his other book this story is about a boy, named Amir, who lives in peaceful Kabul, just enjoys his normal life while roaming, flying kite and just being a boy. He gradually noticed his fathers unbalanced love between him and his brother, his father seems critical and judgmental towards him and considers him less manly. He also is proud of Amir’s brother and feels embarrassed to have him as a son, he also considers Amir the reason of his mother’s death who died while giving birth to him. I can tell by now that the author is very attached to the city of Kabul. I like the way he describes the political situation changing over time and its impact on the people living there.
I have not gone far enough in reading the book, but the book is very interesting from the beginning. It sounds like a real story and makes me realize how good my life is compared to the people who lived in Kabul and suffered so much. I feel thankful to God for giving this life to me. For this purpose I will suggest my class to read it so that they also realize how lucky they are to have so comfortable lives.
Thank you.

10th literary letter

obaidiqbal — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:04:50 +0000

My 10th literary letter
Grade A-
The tenth book I am reading for my literary letter is named as who will cry when you die? Unfortunately I haven’t reached far in this book, as I managed to finish my last book recently. I will finish this book in the spring break; I will have ample amount of time to concentrate and read more in that time. This book is a nonfiction book, written by Robin S.Sharma. One of my mom’s friends lent this book to me to read.
I am enjoying reading it so far. As the name suggests, this book is a very inspiring and motivating. The book has inspiring tales which provide a step by step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance and joy. The book is a collaboration of very meaningful quotes, philosophical and cyclonical stories. They motivate the reader and can bring a lot of changes in one’s lives, but the reader has to work on the instructions. The author of this book is very famous for his seminars and community service. His books and seminars have bought a lot of positive changes to our society.
I want to add a quote from this book which really inspires me and is my favorite so far, “When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced, Live your life in such a way that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” According to me reading these books build up self esteem and are good anti stressing activities.
In conclusion, guides are always available for us, it’s up to us if we benefit from them or not. I will suggest and promote my friends to read these kinds of books too.

Obaid

9th Literary letter

obaidiqbal — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:15:27 +0000

My 9th literary letter.
Grade A

I am reading a book named My precious children, My Plight, My life, My story. I have reached to almost end of the book. It’s a biography of an American woman, who converted to Islam and married to Saudi man. Moreover she left Sates for her husband and came to Saudi Arabia for him. The name of the woman is Maha Sabur. Her eldest daughter suggested this book to me, and she was kind enough to lend it to me as well.

I developed interest in this book even before I started reading this book, the main reasons behind this is that I fascinate reading biographies, not to mention that the lady lived in the same town as live in today. (Yanbu)

It’s an interesting real story; the way she was treated in her home country was so different compared to what happened to her in Saudi Arabia. I must say this lady is extremely strong from in side, as she adapted to a completely different and hard culture. She faced so much more that any normal woman possibly would in any culture.

As I mentioned that I haven’t finished reading the book yet, but I know through her daughter that this lady managed to escape Saudi Arabia and has gone to States for good and probably for ever. She is married to another African American man in States; there she is quite happy in her life and relived.

After analyzing I conclude and suggest everybody should try not to marry out side their own culture, because doing so requires a lot of compromises and one has to face several difficulties. Moreover it’s the children of these couples who suffer the most.
Thank you for reading my literary letter.

8th Litereary letter

obaidiqbal — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:38:17 +0000

The novel I am reading these days is Thousand Splendid Suns. It is written by an Afghan-American author, named Khalid Hussaini. I read another book written by the same author, and I enjoyed reading it. This book Thousand Splendid Suns was suggested to me by a teacher, and I got it from her library. This is a long novel, but I am enjoying reading it.
I have read more than half of the book so far. In the beginning a girl named Maryum is the main character and it tells about how she is raised and how her small family treats her, gradually she faces some unfortunate happenings. In the 2nd part of the book completely another new story of another girl named Laila starts, and then in the 3rd part maryum and Laila’s story is merged and their luck bring them together and the novel takes another mood. This technique made the book more interesting. Another specialty of the novel is that the time period the novel is referred to; it has given exact scenario of that particular time period, as if the author has suffered through similar problems as the characters in the novel did. Moreover it gives an ultimate and true idea of the tension between Afghanistan and Russia had, it is portrayed beautifully with exceptional details. Afghanistan and Pakistan has similar culture so this made this book more realistic and life like to me.
BY Obaid

8th Litereary letter

obaidiqbal — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:36:47 +0000

6th literray letter

obaidiqbal — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:42:34 +0000

You Can Win By Kalsh Kher
Grade A

The recent novel I read was You Can Win, Kalash Kher. He is an Indian, he has been involved in several noble fields and ran many seminars to help people and emotionally strengthen them. My aunt gave this book to me. The day I started reading it, since then I developed interest in it and finished it within fourteen days. After reading the novel and working his instructions, I found many positive changes in myself. Even after I have finished the book, I often read parts of it again, it gives me strength and I feel stronger.
This book is divided in sections, after each section there is a summary and instructions, once one feels that he has worked on the 1st section, and then he should move to the second one. Mr. Kher is also a psychologist so he has a good way of persuading people to agree on his view over practical life. An average person of this era is so busy in competing each other and some times feels exhausted and wants to give up. After reading this book, and working on the given instructions one can learn how to handle certain circumstances.

I will suggest this book to everyone. I am quite sure that all of us can benefit from this book.

6th literary letter

obaidiqbal — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:23:15 +0000

Literary Letter Grade given from me B*

This is my 6^th literary letter which I am writing for my English class. I am reading named Speak. It is written by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is not one of the lengthy novels. Its a typical teen age book. It is very interesting. It is full of every day incidents of many high school students. I think, most of the incidents she goes though are very familiar to us (High school students). At least I have encountered many similar problems, which Melinda does; she is the main character of the novel. As soon as I started reading this book, I developed interest in it and am enjoying it so far with no complains.

Melinda gets promoted to High school from Middle school. Her responses toward the problems she encounters are also similar like most of the teen age students. When new alien experiences come in her way, without any support of teachers, friends and parents she becomes very depressed. The circumstances make her rebel, loose interest in her own.

I am the point where she is feeling completely isolated and barely wants to do any thing. I think if this continues then she may further suffer and may end up in drastic results.

I will like to include that attitude of teachers, parents, and friends is directly proportional to the children’s behavior and their output. We reap what we sow. This is true for Melinda’s case too. I think she is just responding to what she is facing. We all should understand that our behaviors can affect others to great extent. We also should clear our misunderstandings, be nice to each other and expect the same from others.

Obaid

5th literary letter

obaidiqbal — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:19:50 +0000

5^th literary letter Grade B

Dear fellows and respecter teacher,

The last book I read is Robinson Crusoe by Denial Defoe. I read it in class and at my home. It’s a lengthy novel. My class and I were asked to read it for our Compare and contrast essay in English class. This novel is similar to the last novel I read Lord of the Flies. My experience of reading both of them is good, all though I am a little bored of reading similar two novels, as they both have similar settings and same concept of getting trapped on a deserted island. I found this book interesting, and exceptionally detailed. I had to finish this book in less time, therefore it was not that a joy.

This novel describes a story of a man, who gets stuck on an island. It tells how he survive on the island, his experiences and then how he get rescued and went back home. He makes shelter, does hunting to eat, and develops skills like basket weaving, bread making and pottery. He lives on the island in peace for years.

This book can be read by all ages and will treat them nicely. As most of the class has already read this, I will suggest the people who haven’t read it, to read it. It is a typical happy ending novel.

Thank you

have a nice break