Summary Of Under The Persimmon Tree

(AGG) Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental illness that 7.8 percent of all Americans will experience once in their lifetime (Post). (BS-1) Post-traumatic stress disorder is accurately portrayed in the book Under the Persimmon Tree. (BS-2) The author uses these facts about post-traumatic stress disorder to create more authentic characterization and scenarios. (BS-3) This book shows just how real and dangerous life at war is, and that actual people deal with it every day, and will do so even after the war has ended. (TS) The author of Under the Persimmon Tree uses real world details as well as fictional elements to help readers better understand post-traumatic stress disorder and realize that these issues seen on the news involving

(SIP-A) Nusrat, who was called Elaine at the time, used a coping mechanism of trying to fix others to deal with the fact that her sister was dying and there was nothing she could do about it. (STEWE-1) She subconsciously reacted to being unable to help Margaret by attempting to help other people and animals. “Often her mother would come out to the back yard to find Elaine making a splint out of popsicle sticks, applying them to the leg of Pal, the family's tolerant cat, and winding gauze around the whole mess” (Staples 53). (STEWE-2) Once she grew up and started to accept Margaret’s death, Nusrat still always put others first. She moved to a new country so her husband could be with his family, yet she did not stay with the family. She lived on her own so she could run a school for refugees and give them a better future through education they would otherwise never have gotten. Under a tree in her yard “Nusrat conducts her Persimmon Tree School, founded to teach the children of the Shahnawaz refugee camp” (Staples 50). (STEWE-3) Nusrat always helped those people who came to her school who needed help. She fed them every day and offered shelter and clothing. Nusrat met someone who was very sick and decided she “will take her to the doctor and he will give her some medicine. We’ll buy her a shawl and some

Najmah’s personal experience with PTSD because of the war can be directly related to what is going on today. She was one of many suffering from PTSD as a result of a war, also known as a mass case. The most recent mass cases today are people experiencing the effects of the U.S.’s war with Iraq from 2003-2011 and Afghanistan from 2001 to now (Scott). Najmah, if she were a real person, would be part of the group affected by the war in Afghanistan. Accordingly, there are thousands of others with stories extremely similar to hers who are going through this right now. The book puts a face on what is seen on the news and usually regarded as distant and not right now or right here. Other characters show signs of the effects of war, including PTSD, as well. Nur had changed significantly since Najmah last saw him and was most likely emotionally as well as physically scarred because of how much death and violence he witnessed and was a part of. The author described his appearance “as if he has never eaten in his life. He is very thin. His neck is all sinew, like a goat’s, and his ears stick out from under the turban; his hands and feet and shoulders are larger than I remember; and he is much taller than I am, although we were almost even just a short time ago” (Staples 252). Even background characters give readers a glimpse into what life