...John Carlo B. Cortina May 8, 2014 ------------------------------------------------- Sociology of Education Kite Runner Review Paper The movie “The Kite Runner” was based on one of the best novels written by an Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. The movie tells the story about the freindship Amir, the son of a wealthy afghan businessman, and Hassan, the son of his father’s servant. When the Afghan Monarchy fell through the Russians until the rise of the Talibans, Amir and his father Baba went to California to avoid the conflict in their motherland. It was hard for them to migrate to a country they are not much familiar with. Leaving their wealth was another challenge for them. It took them years to adapt to another kind of lifestyle they are not used to. After years staying in California, Amir decided to go back to his homeland in Afghanistan despite the threat to his life in saving the son of his friend Hassan. Many sad events occurred in the movie. The director of the movie is brilliant. If it weren’t for the information I got from the movie, I would never know that the movie was actually filmed in China. In short, the story of the movie is good and so the actors. The movie tells us so much about the history of the people in Afghanistan....
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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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...Fathers take on great responsibility sometimes joy and pain as well. Fathers are not always blood. Take Rahim Kahn in The Kite runner; he played a father figure to Amir, Rahim was more sensitive to Amir. He listen to Amir poems and stories. Rahim praised him about how good his work was, Also Rahim always let Amir know that is Biological Father Baba loves him and will kill for him. Ali was not Hassan biological father but he raised Hassan as such. Ali taught Hassan how to serve like him, do things the way Ali does. And when came time for Ali to part ways, he and Hassan let as father and son. Some say it takes a village to raise a child, yes in so many ways. A village can consist of one or more people involved. It merly depends on the love,...
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...In the book The Kite Runner, original social status is proven to create barriers in life regarding the aspects of friendship, mindset, and adaptation to change as we observe Baba’s and Amir’s life journeys in order to discover how it affects these aspects. Amir’s friendship with his hazara servant’s son Hassan takes a sudden toll as he ultimately comes to believe that traditional and historical beliefs outweighed true friendship as he was a young child. The mindset of Baba does not adjust when he and Amir are forced to move to America, as he still believes he possesses the same amount of power as he did in Afghanistan. While living in America, Baba never fully adapts to the American culture and way of life as he continues to live and act the way he would when he was back home. Baba showed this through his attire, and gestures while out in public and at work. Through the many examples in the book, alongside of studied evidence, there is a clear correlation between original social status and barriers which are presented when it comes to friendship, mindset, and the adaptation to change. Being born a Poshtun boy into a wealthy family, Amir is expected to portray specific qualities of a man and society expects him to associate himself with a particular crowd as this factor influences his friendship with Hassan. Baba pressures Amir to portray qualities of a masculine man, such as being aggressive and violent, which is not in Amir’s nature. Baba motivates Amir by comparing him to...
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...Research Paper on “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini Introduction: The international best-selling novel, The Kite Runner was first published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, written by the Afghan-born American novelist and physician, Khaled Hosseini. He was born into a Shia family in Kabul, and later on in his life when the family moved to Paris because of his father’s occupation, Hosseini’s family was unable to return to Kabul due to the bloody Saur Revolution; hence they had to seek political asylum in the United States. Being as young as he was, roughly 11 years of age, the actions of his home country must have left an impression on him. It is such a great read because among many other themes such as betrayal, redemption, bullying, inhumanities of revolution, discrimination, loyalty, hypocrisy, horrors of rapes etc. the main focus of this story is of a man who is haunted by his past demons. We see in some of the opening lines of the novel, “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975… 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.” These opening lines gets the ball rolling on what is to come and to be expected from the story, of possibly an aged man who is looking back at the past and justifying how it has made him the way that he is to date. The setting vividly takes place in the disorderly country of Kabul, Afghanistan...
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...Chapter 1 Amir will narrate the whole book, except for Chapter 16, which is narrated by Rahim Khan. This first chapter is very cryptic if you haven't read the rest of the book, or at least read a summary of the plot. There, we've warned you. Amir tells us something happened in the winter of 1975 and this event made him what he is today. He gives us some scattered images: a crumbling mud wall, an alley, a frozen creek. Amir remembers a phone call last summer from his friend Rahim Khan. He feels like a past of "unatoned sins" is calling him up. So he takes a walk and looks at some kites, which remind him of someone named Hassan. During the walk, Amir sits on a park bench. He thinks of Baba and Ali, and Kabul, Afghanistan. The chapter ends where it began: "I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today" (1.3). Chapter 2 This chapter is a slideshow of Amir's early childhood. Fasten the seatbelts on your recliners! Amir and Hassan get into harmless mischief together as kids. Hassan often takes the blame if the two troublemakers get caught. Amir describes his childhood home, built by his father. It has rosebushes, marble floors, mosaic tiles, and gold-stitched tapestries. Oh, and a crystal chandelier. Baba, Amir's father, has a smoking room in the house but he doesn't let Amir hang out there. Go away, Amir. Some of Baba's cabinets have a few pictures: Amir's grandfather and King Nadir Shah and one of Amir's...
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...A deformity is the distortion or malformation of the body, including physical, mental and emotional concepts. In correlation, scarring is defined as an infliction on the body that leaves an imprint on the physical and psychological on a person’s well-being. Throughout The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the author displays the distress and strain on a few of the characters through various ways, counting physical, mental, and emotional agony. Ali, a notable character in the novel, suffers from physical deformities that Hosseini developed for his character. Ali, a Hazaran servant in house of Amir, suffers with congenital paralysis of his lower face. In fact, the story states “…Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him...
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...Role of Conflict and Power Paper Shaun Weems March 4, 2016. BSHS385 Andrea Winston The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel about power, justice, and both internal and external conflict. The feelings of jealousy and selfishness are continually shown by at least two of the main characters throughout the story. This is also a story of cultural power brought on by the influences of the Taliban within the Afghan society. Power is a constant theme throughout the novel and ties closely with the conflict in the characters. Amir, is the central character and is shaped both in character and intellect by power. He is privileged and wealthy, but also steeped in jealousy and cowardice. He is selfish and guilty of abhorrent behaviors. The one positive strength Amir has in his friendship with Hassan. Considered best friends this is a friendship that is generally one-sided with Hassan showing the loyalty and trust. There is an ongoing conflict for this friendship because Amir shares paternal heritage with Hassan. Hassan was born into servitude and thus Baba, the boys’ father, cannot lay claim to Hassan’s heritage. The Afghan traditions and culture pose a conflict for Baba regarding Hassan. Hassan for his part is loyal, forgiving, and an all- around pleasant person to be with. The two boys are drawn to each other naturally. Hassan is the family servant and never wavers in his loyalty to the family even with the knowledge that he should be considered part of it. At the...
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...The Kite Runner Practice Questions Explore the ways in which Hosseini portrays Ali: During the novel Ali is portrayed as a victim, First off, Baba has an affair with Ali's wife and fathers Hassan. Then, Amir forces Ali and Hassan to leave Baba's house. Finally, in the random violence now so common in war, Ali steps on a land mine and dies. However, like Hassan and Sohrab, Ali is a kind and good person. He has a beautiful voice and Amir and Hassan love to hear him sing. He remains faithful to Baba even though Baba dishonored Ali by sleeping with Sanaubar. Ali is also devout – his humble, constant faith perhaps influences Amir's own religious awakening later in the novel. Ali makes much fewer appearances in the novel compared to the other characters but his speeches are very important. Some of the main ones are: [...] Ali had congenital paralysis of his lower face muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him perpetually grim-faced. (2.20) But polio had left Ali with a twisted, atrophied right leg that was sallow skin over bone with little in between except a paper-thin layer of muscle. [...]. I watched him [Ali] swing his scraggy leg in a sweeping arc, watched his whole body tilt impossibly to the right every time he planted that foot. It seemed a minor miracle he didn't tip over with each step. [...]. Ali's face frightened some of the younger children in the neighborhood. [...]. Some had taken to calling him Babalu, or Boogeyman. (2.22) From these it...
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...Kite Runner vs. Poetry Key quotes: “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” – Baba says this to Rahim Khan as a comment on the behaviour of Amir. Through this he identifies Amir’s greatest flaw: cowardice. It is this trait that leaves him desperately craving Baba’s love, and ultimately leads to be letting Assef rape Hassan. It also foreshadows Amir’s return to Kabul in search of Sohrab; the test of Amir’s character also tests whether Baba’s statement is true. “Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended” – This sentence appears towards the start of chapter five and indicates the fall of the monarchy and the descent of Kabul (and indeed Afghanistan) into political instability. The peaceful world Amir knows, made possible by Baba’s wealth, turns into one full of violence and uncertainty. It ultimately leads to Baba and Amir fleeing the country. “There is a way to be good again” – Rahim Khan says this to Amir over the phone when trying to encourage him to come to Pakistan and in the dialogue this appears like an afterthought. It reveals that Rahim Khan knows the truth about what Amir did to Hassan. It also ties into the theme of redemption, allowing the reader to believe that by returning to the Middle East, Amir will be given the opportunity to break the cycle of guilt he is trapped in. “My body was broken—just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later—but...
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...THE KITE RUNNER One December 2001 I became what I am today at the age of twelve,on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.I remember the precise moment ,crouching behind a crumbing mud wall,peeking into the alley near the frozen creek.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. One day last summer,my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan.He asked me to come to see him.Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear,I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line.It was my past of unatoned sins.After I hung up ,I went for a walk along Spreckels Lake on the northern edge of Golden Gate Park.The early-afternoon sun sparkled on the water where dozens of miniature boats sailed,propelled by a crisp breeze.Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites,red with long blue tails,soaring in the sky.They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park,over the windmills,floating side by side like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco,the city I now call home.And suddenly Hassan’s voice whispered in my head:For you,a thousand times over.Hassan the harelipped kite runner. I sat on a park bench near a willow tree.I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up,almost as an afterthought .There is a way to be good again.I looked up at those twin kites...
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...“Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini is New York Times #1 bestseller. I loved reading this book. It discusses the sociological issues of Afghanistan. It involves, opposite religions, tells about family and friendship, the presence and how into the feelings of poor and rich, it also refers to the war of Afghanistan and all its troubles. The narrator of the book, who also is apart of the story, is named Amir. Amir grew up peacefully when he was little, as he grew older, the country’s revolution began and Russian forces invade Afghanistan. There are two different kinds of Muslims, Amir was one kind and his servant, and also his one and only best friend, like a brother, is another kind of Muslim. Conflict between to different sides of the religion separates these two brothers apart, so does war. Amir and his father were rich, and Hassan and his father were poor. Amir and Hassan share the same father, who is Amir’s father, but nobody knows until it came time for the father to die. Amir and Hassans friendship fell apart for the fact that Amir was rich, and the presence of Hassan at his side at all times other than a servant embarrassed him. Also during the war, Amir and his father get away to America while Hassan and his father stay back in their country and try and live. This book shows you the different kinds of people. How there are some that will fight for what they believe in, and others who will let it all go and run away from it no matter how much money they have spent...
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...The Kite Runner The Kite Runner is a great tale about betrayal and redemption, in the novel, the author uses diction to portray the theme through symbolism and through suspense, these elements help tell the tale of betrayal and redemption. In the first few chapters, Amir’s cowardice leads directly to the betrayal of Hassan. When is forced to stick up for the both of them, the cost is much higher then if Amir would of stuck up for both of them, leading to the rape of Hassan. Amir could of said something to Assef, telling him to leave them be, as Amir is pashtan and pashtans are a higher majority in Afghanistan, instead, Hassan being Hazara, the leading minority in their country, which are treated as servents and slaves, is forced to take action. Assef’s racism towards Hazaras is compared to Hitler and the jewish, showing immediately how his hate towards hassan is much greater then his hate towards Amir. When Hassan sticks up for them, the cost is much higher because of his racial minority. “Assef gritted his teeth “Put it down you motherless Hazara” (Hosseini 45) Amir’s cowardice is shown through fear as he thinks about his relationship with Hassan, thoughts of betrayal ponder his mind even before the rape. “But he’s not my friend! I almost blurted, He’s my servent!” (Hosseini 44) As Amir thinks of future encounters, He also fears for his safty, and Hassans, because he knows that Hassan will not always be able to save them with his slingshot. “Certin that Assef...
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...How does Hosseini tell the story in chapter one? In chapter one we are introduced to the narrator in first person however we are not told who. We are immediately aware something bad has happened in the winter of 1975 as Hosseini uses the weather to have an impact on the event in the first sentence and continues to describe what went on in the next few sentences. This stands out to the reader and comes across as the main event in the book, the thing the reader wants to find out. Hosseini seems to be using a double frame yet we don’t know what has happened but we know we are going to find out later on. Time is significant as it is used in the chapter heading and in the first sentence, as a reader we think Hosseini uses time to show his feelings and to tell the story through them. Hosseini quickly introduces us to a place: the ‘alley’, and uses a lot of strong verbs such as ‘crouching’ and ‘crumbling’ which also mirrors how he feels about what happened. The first paragraph of the chapter is to set the story which is in contrast to the second one where there is a flashback to ‘one day last summer’ another link to time. In the first paragraph Hosseini tells us about the past in Pakistan whereas in the second paragraph he mentions San Francisco so we know the story is going to change places. The story is in chronological order, even though it is told the date of the chapter is 2001, the story being told is in order and the story is kept in the past. The characters introduced in the...
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...societies. Oppression usually refers to a great power such as government applying control over a large group, such as the population of a country. The Youth Action Center of Canada identifies six main forms of oppression based on race, gender, class, sex, ability and age. Oppression can be categorised into four different groups, social oppression, institutionalised oppression, systematic oppression and internalized oppression. Kite runner: In the novel, Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini, many occasions are reflective of situations that occur in reality. Oppression is a prevalent theme throughout the novel, just as oppression is prevalent in society. Many oppression regimes have become adopted by society causing some forms of oppression to go unnoticed because it is accepted as a part of social structure. If people try to break out of the social code, they are usually silenced unless more people follow the lead of the rebels and change the inequality that is occurring. Many different people can be oppressed for different reasons and in Kite Runner, racism and ableism are two forms of oppression that are addressed. The novel shows how both of these ostracized people are being oppressed because of their race, or disability. People need to open their eyes and see the oppression that is going on in the world and recognize that they themselves may be victims of oppression, or that they are the oppressors. Society needs to become informed about this issue that seems to be accepted...
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