Essay Questions

Why is Atiq Shaukat viewing his ailing life as a burden in his life?

The 'Swallows of Kabul' portrays the sad reality of the happenings in the Taliban nation. Atiq and other Taliban supporters do not see death as a big deal because people are executed daily. Public executions in Kabul are an everyday amusement activity, and people gather to see how others are stoned to death. Since Atiq is a jailer and the one tasked with taking culprits for execution, he does not mind even if his wife dies because he is used to seeing dead bodies in miserable conditions. Atiq sees his wife as a burden, and he regrets spending his time taking care of her. Therefore, Atiq thinks that remaining at home taking care of a sick wife is a waste of time, and he decides to take a prostitute to be publicly executed. People have already gathered to witness this entertainment exercise.

What is sarcastic about the character, Mohsen Ramat?

Ramat feels that the Taliban has instituted a lousy practice of public execution. However, the reader finds it ironic that Ramat is among the people who throw stones at the prostitute being executed. Ramat's thrown stone is the one that cracks the prostitute's head into two! According to Ramat, it is not right to kill people in public, but there is a dark force inside him that influences him to participate in such executions.

What is the primary intention of the oppressive Taliban government?

The Taliban government wants most people to remain illiterate so that they can easily be manipulated and controlled. Ramat's wife is a school teacher, and the Taliban are not happy about that. Of all the people, women are the most oppressed and mistreated by the Taliban. Women are not supposed to get educations, and they should always cover their faces and strictly not question men. Women prostitutes are executed publicly, but there is no single incident involving men.