...The Kite Runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini. The story takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US from around 1975 till present day. The Kite Runner is a strong and compelling novel that is about Amir and his childhood. He tells us about his childhood in Afghanistan and the many sins that he commits against his half-brother, Hassan who happens to be a Hazara boy, where Amir is a Pashtun. Throughout Hassan’s childhood, he has been the victim of discrimination and Amir, being too scared to stand up for him, allows this to happen. After leaving Afghanistan for the United States, Amir brought along with him guilt and cannot live with himself. He then returns to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab, to bring him back to the United States. In order for him to do this, Amir engaged Assef in a fight, who is the villan of the story, who admires Hitler for what he has done with the jews and wants to emulate evil germany. But instead of exterminating the jews, he targets innocent afghans. In the end, it is Sohrab who finally kills Assef with his slingshot. In my opinion, The Kite Runner is a moving story about the childhood that some people have to live through and I realize how lucky and privileged I am and how we should not take our lifestyles for granted. The Kite Runner is a novel that I would recommend to my friends to read as it is interesting and one of the few books that I would read more than...
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...Kite Runner: Redemption Amir’s Atonement When you do wrong, you are plagued with guilt. Guilt can be sinful; it stains your conscience and ruins your morals. Although these actions are wrongful, they can be atoned to through sacrifice or purification. People find piece of mind in doing something that makes up for the cause of guilt and this is especially eminent in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. Although there are many ways to advocate to wrongful doing, through the main character Amir’s actions sacrifice was proven to be the most liberating act. Throughout the book, the main character, Amir, seeks redemption for his “…past of unatoned sins” (Hosseini, p. 1). These feelings of guilt arise at the beginning of his life, when his mother, Baba’s love, dies giving birth to him. From that point on, Amir strives to redeem himself because he feels he is responsible for her death: “Because truth of it was, I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn’t I?” (p.20). It is this guilt that Amir carries throughout most of his childhood and for which he tries to atone to with Baba’s love and affection: “Maybe he’d call me Amir Jan like Rahim Khan did. And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother” (p. 60). Amir competes against Hassan for the approval...
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...Khaled Hosseini uses the kite symbol in The Kite Runner as a description of Amir and Baba’s relationship, Amir’s guilt, and Amir’s rejuvenation. The kite is one of the only things that connect Baba and Amir. Amir is not good at the things most children in Afghanistan are, like soccer, and he exceeds in school. Amir always feels as though Baba never respected or thought he is a good son. Amir feels guilty when he thinks about kite flying. It reminds him of his childhood memories with Hassan, the friend he betrayes for a kite, letting him get raped. After this, his recollections drift to betrayal and guilt. Rahim Khan, a lifelong friend, Baba and Amir are connected through the flying of kites. Kite flying is an essential aspect of Afghani culture. Amir and Baba both have extensive experience with flying kites. Amir says that...
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...The author of ‘The Kite Runner' Hosseini employs a variety of symbols and motifs to create a deeper meaning throughout the book. Symbolism is the practice of representing a theme or idea by using symbols to create a deeper meaning, this is evident with cleft lip which is a symbol of Amir's and Hassan's social disparity, kites a symbol of happiness and guilt and the slingshot which a direct reference to David and Goliath. While irony is a motif because it is a recurring theme presented throughout the novel. The story revolves around two loyal friends Amir and Hassan, who are desperate to win the local kite flying competition. But both boys’ lives change for good that same afternoon when something devastating happens to Hassan. After the Russians invade, Amir and his father are forced to flee to America and amidst the turmoil Amir’s knows he will return to Afghanistan to redeem himself. Hosseini uses the cleft lip as a symbol to create a deeper meaning in the Kite Runner because it symbolizes Hassan’s status in society. This is evident because Amir and...
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...This man flew into burning builds and crossed dangerous roads. Is this man truly brave? In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, several characters demonstrate profound bravery. In their course to redemption, the characters find that to obtain their redemption, they will need to overcome challenges. In these situations, the characters profess instantly actions of bravery. Amir, the protagonist,travels on a long, painful journey to find atonement for his childhood sins which lead to his acts of bravery. Baba, Amir’s father, works on redeeming his preceding sins by giving a helping hand to people in his life. These actions develop his character of bravery. In The Kite...
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...Khaled Hosseini – Biography Khaled Hosseini is an American novelist and physician of Afghan origin. He has lived in the United States since he was fifteen years old and is an American citizen. His 2003 debut novel, The Kite Runner, was an international bestseller, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide.[2] His second, A Thousand Splendid Suns, was released on May 22, 2007.[3] In 2008, the book was the bestselling novel in Britain (as of April 11, 2008), with more than 700,000 copies sold.[4] Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. In 1970, Hosseini and his family moved to Iran where his father worked for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Tehran. In 1973, Hosseini's family returned to Kabul, and Hosseini's youngest brother was born in July of that year. In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In September of 1980, Hosseini's family moved to San Jose, California. Hosseini graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's...
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...Kite Runner Essay (Make-Up) The Kite Runner is Khaled Hosseini’s first novel. Born in Kabul, Hosseini draws heavily on his own experiences to create the setting for the novel; the characters, however, are fictional. Hosseini’s plot shows historical realism, as the novel includes dates—for chronological accuracy, including the time of the changing regimes of Afghanistan. Amir’s happy childhood days fall under the peaceful and affluent era of King Zahir Shah’s reign, a time when Amir and his friend, Hassan, could themselves feel like kings of Kabul, carving their names into a tree. In 1973, Dawood Khan becomes the president of Afghanistan. This era is reflected in the novel when the local bully, Assef, harasses Amir with his brass knuckles and...
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...LIFE GOES ON BY: Fazila Asif Grade: 11 Teacher: Mr. Lane A touching tale of bravery and weakness, fathers and sons, friendships and betrayal, blood and tears. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini takes us on a heroic, epic tale from the final days of a cherished, peaceful absolutely stunning Afghanistan monarchy, to the horrific, disgusting, disturbing Taliban ruled Afghanistan of today. It exposes a better understanding of traditional ways and the isolation of religions throughout this once decent land. The kite runner is an utmost tragedy because a young boy by the name of Hassan is raped, seen, yet not helped; a father is accused of his son being a thief, innocent, yet driven out of his house due to his sons miserable past, a peaceful country destroyed and taken over, strong, yet scared to fight for what’s right. “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.” The kite runner is a tragedy because an illiterate, naïve, young boy is raped right before his friend Amir’s eyes who also happens to be his master, because of his race and appearance. Amir is also the partial reason of his rape, Amir stood is grief, watched him get tormented yet didn’t raise a voice or even a hand, didn’t call for help just watched his friend suffer. "I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan...
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...The Kite Runner by Khaled Hasseini The Kite Runner by Khaled Hasseini is an intriguing story of life in Afghanistan during a time period. Amir and his father, Baba are Pashtun’s living in a successful home in Kabul, Afghanistan while their servants, Hassan and his father, Ali whom are considered Hazaras lived in a mud hut on the same grounds of Baba’s property. Since being a Hazara was discriminated against in Afghanistan, Amir was bullied by Assef and his friends for hanging out with one. Later, a moment happened when Amir was twelve that changed everything and as he claims made him the man he is today. The discrimination of ethnic minorities in Kabul, Afghanistan shows disastrous events in the lives of two young boys. This story relates to past and present time Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, a Hazara is a persecuted ethnic group whom came from further East Asia. Their features are different from other Afghanistan’s because they have more of an Asian look and flat noses. Pashtuns, are a different ethnic minority and they are accepted. Pashtuns dislike Hazaras and cause many grief to them. Hazaras are sunni Muslim, as Pashtun’s are shia Muslim. They claim different features and speak different languages. Later, in the 1980’s when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, many fled to Pakistan. Later in the 1990’s, a group called Taliban’s began making severe changes in Afghanistan making living their more difficult...
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...Khaled Hosseini worked as a medical internist at Kaiser Hospital in Mountain View, California for several years before publishing The Kite Runner.[3][6][7] In 1999, he learned through a news report that the Taliban had banned kite flying in Afghanistan,[8] a restriction he found particularly cruel.[9] The news "struck a personal chord" for him, as he had grown up with the sport while living in Afghanistan. He was motivated to write a 25-page short story about two boys who fly kites in Kabul.[8] Hosseini submitted copies to Esquire and The New Yorker, both of which rejected it.[9] He rediscovered the manuscript in his garage in March 2001 and began to expand it to novel format at the suggestion of a friend.[8][9] According to Hosseini, the narrative became "much darker" than he originally intended.[8] His editor, Cindy Spiegel, "helped him rework the last third of his manuscript", something she describes as relatively common for a first novel.[9] As with Hosseini's subsequent novels, The Kite Runner covers a multigenerational period and focuses on the relationship between parents and their children.[2] The latter was unintentional; Hosseini developed an interest in the theme while in the process of writing.[2] He later divulged that he frequently came up with pieces of the plot by drawing pictures of it.[7] For example, he did not decide to make Amir and Hassan brothers until after he had "doodled it".[7] Like Amir, the protagonist of the novel, Hosseini was born in Afghanistan...
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...The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a beautifully written story about the life of one Afghani boy's struggle from riches to rags and finding the truth about people in general. The story is about two boys growing up in pre- Soviet and Taliban Afghanistan. Amir is a Sunni or the privileged class; Hassan is Shi'a, which is the lowest minority. Even still the two boys, grow up together as brothers. Until one horrible incident changes everything. The Kite Runner is a story about love, guilt, truth, and redemption. Amir grows up as the only son of a WEALTHY MAN in Kabul where life is rich and full of possibilities prior to the Soviet invasion. His father Baba is disappointed in the bookish, non-athletic child he must raise. Amirs' playmate Hassan, a Hazara servant seems to have more of Baba's respect than Amir. Baba's love for Hassan and his disappointment in his own son drive Amir to taunt and abandon Hassan, even though he loves him more deeply than even he himself knows. Amir, burdened by jealousy, can't come to his friend's aid when he brutally raped, not even on the most glorious day of their childhood when together they claim the kite-fighting title. When the Russian army invades, Amir and his father flee to the United States. Amir grows up poor and in a different land, but with the same Afghanistan culture. He marries, goes to college, while wondering what happened to his childhood friend, the one he betrayed. As time marches on, Amir loses his father and is summoned to Pakistan...
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...being proposed to, or being accepted to college, the life known previously is gone. In Kite Runner, Amir experiences quite a few moments where his life is changed. This changes his perspective, and angers him, reassures him, or makes him want to go back to his past. In particular, when Amir first overhears Rahim Khan and Baba talking about him, is told that he can redeem himself, and finds out that Hassan is his brother. One major moment is when Amir overhears Rahim Khan say to Baba “You need to let him find his way (Kite Runner 22).” Amir ends up going down the wrong path when he does not defend Hassan or himself. In fact, he pushes Hassan away...
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...Book:- Our book is A Thousan Splendid Suns, a 2007 novel written by an Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, after his bestselling 2003 debut, The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini has mentioned that the novel was a “mother-daughter story rather than to The Kite Runner, which was a “father-son story”. It uses some of the theme used in The Kite Runner but has its focus primarily on all the female characters and how they live in the Afghan soceity. On 22nd May 2007, the book was released and received favorable prepublication reviews which led it to become the number one on New York Times bestseller for around fifteen weeks. It sold over one million copies just during its first week. Characters:- Mariam, born in Heart, 1959. She was boren an ethnic...
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...Baba, on the other hand, admired Hassan’s bravery and backbone as Baba often see him stood up for him and Amir. As Amir learnt about this, he grew jealous of Hassan who is not only brave but full of athletic talent. One day, Amir and Hassan’s loyalties to each other were tested, but Amir however, did not pass as Amir, in secret, only stood and watch as Hassan, in an effort to retrieve a kite for Amir, was abused by thugs, who, earlier in the story, were scared off by Hassan after threatening the two friends. By that time both Amir and myself were convinced that their friendship was doomed. The Kite Runner contains themes ranging from a doomed friendship between two lifelong friends to the endeavor of earning fatherly love and...
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...The Kite Runner: Violence, Guilt, and No Happy Ending Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an honest yet disturbing, work of historical fiction told from the point of view of the protagonist, Amir. He describes his childhood living in Afghanistan with Hassan, a Hazara boy, who worked as a servant to Amir and his father, Baba. A main conflict of the story is the fact that Amir allows Assef, the antagonist, to do horrible things to Hassan with no attempt to intervene. This scene is very intense and upsetting. Although it could be considered as a representation of “real-world” situations that sadly occur in the Middle Eastern area, the situation is purely troubling. Amir commits an act of dreadful betrayal. Hassan and his father part their ways with Amir and Baba, who go to America to live in California. They live a typical American life, making a good amount of money and living in a safe area, but Amir’s thoughts are filled with guilt and remorse. Amir’s guilt lasts ridiculously long. He says, “That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years”(1). This quote from Amir represents that although he tried to forget his painful past, he could not. He did not have the will power to simply drop what occurred between him and Hassan from his thoughts. The fact that he has not resolved...
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