Shabanu essay
In Humanities, we wrote an essay about the book we just read, Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind. We chose a topic based on the book, such as women’s rights. I chose how Shabanu had a bad father.
Think of how you would feel if your father never cared about how you felt, and everything he did was based on what was best for him. Bad parenting is guaranteed to leave a mark on the child. In the book Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples, a twelve year old girl, Shabanu, had a difficult life growing up, especially because of her father. Dadi was a terrible father because he did things behind people’s backs, he broke promises and worst of all, he beat his daughter, Shabanu.
Dadi did things behind people’s backs. He wrestles and bets with others, without telling his family, and that’s just one example. On page 101, Dadi’s cover got blown, “They remind me of Kalu and Tipu… All at once I realize it’s Dadi!” Dadi was wrestling to get money, but he didn’t tell anyone that he was doing it, not even his wife. Therefore he must have thought that it was bad. If that’s not enough to convince someone, he also broke some pretty big promises.
Dadi broke promises. He promised not to sell Guluband, but he made a deal with Wardak to sell him, along with many other camels. Dadi then bought back a bit of Shabanu’s love by getting her the dog, Sher Dil. On page 62, Shabanu screamed, “‘You promised!’ I shrieked. ‘Liar. You lied!’ Wardak has untethered the male camels, and Guluband is just getting to his feet.” Shabanu was devastated by Dadi because he just sold all his male camels to a possible terrorist group. But none of that even is comparable to the worst thing that he did. He beat Shabanu.
Most of all, Dadi was a horrid father because he beat Shabanu. Dadi beat Shabanu multiple times, including when she didn’t tell him that she was of age, even though he found out three days later. On page 240, Shabanu thought, “I refuse to cry out, and Dadi in his fury is like Tipu, bloodlust in his eyes. He can beat me to death if he likes.” Dadi started beating Shabanu just because she didn’t tell him that she was of age. Shabanu had earlier heard Dadi yell, “I’ll throttle her!” and she ran away in fear. This only scratches the surface on what horrible things Dadi has done to Shabanu and his family.
Dadi is a father that no one would want to have to care for them for their entire lives. Who would want a father that did things behind people’s back, broke important promises and beat their children? Dadi didn’t even let Shabanu get any choice of who she married, and whom she was assigned to was a 55 year old man. How would you feel if you had to grow up in fear of your father? Would you run away? Or would you be trapped like Shabanu?