...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...
Words: 1007 - Pages: 5
...understand that?” while Baba describes sin, this reveals a larger issue in the novel like when Baba and Amir ran into the Russian soldier in chapter 10. The kites in the story are a symbol for Amir’s happiness. It is also a symbol for Amir’s quilt. Flying kites is what he enjoys most as a child and it is the only way he connects with Baba, who was once at champion kite fighter. The kite has a different significance when Amir allows Hassan to be raped by Assef because Amir wanted to bring the blue kite back to Baba to gain his respect. The kite is a symbol of his betrayal to Hassan as well....
Words: 371 - Pages: 2
...The Kite Runner Final Essay AG Novel A literary work conveys a compelling story specific to its time and place. Additionally, a memorable one explores issues and themes (universal truths) that are important, and timeless, for all readers. Keep this in mind as you think about each essay prompt. A convincing essay will include direct citations from the novel, commentary and use of scholarly analysis. Visit the Gale Digital Library, accessible from the Venture website (password: venture) to search for support. Additionally, use MLA format for your essay and utilize correct citations. Questions taken, in part, from the Khaled Hosseini Foundation curriculum. 1. Writer and human rights activist Isabel Allende writes of The Kite Runner: “This is one of those unforgettable stories that stays with you for years. All the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel: love, honor, guilt, fear, redemption.” Which of these major themes resonates the most with you? Choose one to focus on and show how author Khaled Hosseini communicates this universal truth through characters, plot development and use of symbols. 2. In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. In a wellorganized essay, explain how a violent scene in The Kite Runner contributes to the meaning of the complete work. Apply the concept of an extended metaphor to discuss the political and social portrait of Afghanistan. 3. Leo Tolstoy once wrote...
Words: 663 - Pages: 3
...e Runner begins with our thus-far nameless protagonist explaining that the past cannot be forgotten. A single moment in time defined him and has been affecting him for the last twenty-six years. This moment was in 1975 when he was twelve years old and hid near a crumbling alleyway in his hometown of Kabul, Afghanistan. When the protagonist's friend, Rahim Khan, calls him out of the blue, he knows that his past sins are coming back to haunt him even in the new life he has built in San Francisco. He remembers Hassan, whom he calls "the harelipped kite runner," saying "For you, a thousand times over." Rahim's words also echo in his head, "There is a way to be good again." These two phrases will become focal points for the rest of the novel and our protagonist's story. Chapter Two The protagonist remembers sitting in trees with Hassan when they were boys and annoying the neighbors. Any mischief they perpetrated was the protagonist's idea, but even when Hassan's father, Ali, scolded Hassan, he never told on the protagonist. Hassan's father was a servant to the protagonist's father, Baba and lived in a small servant's house on his property. Baba's house was widely considered the most beautiful one in Kabul. There Baba held large dinner parties and entertained friends, including Rahim Khan, in his smoking room. Though the protagonist was often surrounded by adults, he never knew his mother because she died in childbirth. Hassan never knew his mother, either, because she eloped with...
Words: 4022 - Pages: 17
...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...
Words: 1568 - Pages: 7
...“There is a way to be good again.” (Hosseni 192) These words hold a powerful meaning to Amir, the main character of Khaled Hosseni’s novel The Kite Runner. This quote is essential to Amir whom struggles with the guilt of the self-centered choices he makes at the beginning of the novel. Hosseni incorporates the theme of betrayal throughout the book; this is done through the occurrence of Hassan’s rape and the discovery of Baba’s second child Hassan. In the book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseni uses foreshadowing and irony to demonstration the sin of betrayal. In the book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseni uses foreshadowing and irony in order to effectively communicate betrayal as a means of egocentric behavior which is a sin and leads to the unraveling...
Words: 832 - Pages: 4
...love. This event leads to two paths, one in which a person tries anything to redeem themselves and another where selfishness takes over. Likewise, Macbeth by William Shakespeare and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini use the main characters from their works to demonstrate that sometimes without a second thought, betrayal takes place. They also show how some characters use betrayal to their advantage while others redeem themselves, as well, how even those who stay loyal end up having to pay the same price. At the end however, how people react to the guilt that they encounter in the past is what makes them who they are in the future. Macbeth and The Kite Runner both show how the main characters betray those who respect as well as trust them. Macbeth's eyes are blinded by the power of the throne and he will do anything just to obtain it. Since no one expects Macbeth to betray anyone close to him, he takes this as an advantage and says to himself “a false face must hide what a false heart doth know.”(I, vii, 94-95) With this in mind, it is evident that Macbeth betrays Duncan, Banquo and the whole of Scotland. He uses his innocence and trust that he gained from others to hide what his true intentions are and ends up betraying many people just for the good of himself. Similarly, in The Kite Runner the main character Amir is troubled by the guilt that builds inside of him after he betrays his best friend- Hassan, his father- Baba and Hassan's father -Ali. All these characters are...
Words: 1744 - Pages: 7
...about how Hosseini opens 'The Kite Runner'? Hosseini conveys many emotions and themes to the reader in the first chapter of his novel ‘The Kite Runner’. One way the author gets messages across is through literary techniques. Firstly Hosseini alerts the reader that the novel will be a recollection of events and also that guilt and regret will be key themes. He does this by personifying the past, he says that it “claws it’s way back”. This powerful technique gives an alive, frightening image to the narrator’s past. Hosseini also conveys the idea that the first chapter is a still before the storm. He does this by saying that it is a “day last summer” and also previously mentioning “winter”. Also the “crisp breeze” suggests that change is in the air as cold breezes are commonly associated with the end of summer and the beginning of autumn and then Winter. This braces the reader and prepares them for what is to come. The narrator also sits on a bench “near a willow tree”. This is relevant as it conveys sadness. This is because the willow tree, or the weeping willow as it is often known, is usually a symbol for a character’s unhappiness. This gives the reader an idea of the state of mind of the narrator. Another interesting thing is that Hosseini suggests that Amir feels very guilty. He does this with the application of the simile “like a pair of eyes staring down on San Francisco”. This simile conveys Amirs guilt as he feels as though the kites are staring at him, judging him...
Words: 662 - Pages: 3
...IntroductionMany times since his death in 1883, Karl Marx’s ideas have been dismissed as irrelevant. But, many times since, interest in his ideas has resurfaced as each new generation which challenges the unequal, unjust and exploitative nature of the capitalist system looks for ideas and a method to change the world we live in.Marx’s ideas – a body of work collectively described as Marxism – was added to by his closest collaborator Frederick Engels after Marx’s death and subsequently added to and enriched by the writings and living experience of Lenin and Trotsky who led the 1917 October Russian Revolution.For any person looking to change the world in a socialist direction the ideas of Marxism are a vital, even indispensable, tool and weapon to assist the working class in its struggle to change society.Most people who describe themselves as socialists will have at one stage or another looked at Marxist ideas and, unfortunately, some have chosen to ignore the rich experience and understanding that Marxist ideas add to an understanding of the capitalist world and how to change it.However, Marx’s ideas are once again becoming fashionable; even amongst people Marx would have regarded as his political opponents. Having been voted the thinker of the Millennium in a BBC poll in 2000, Marx has now been taken up by university professors and City analysts alike as offering one of the most modern ways to understand globalised capitalism.But, for socialists who wish to permanently remove...
Words: 5021 - Pages: 21
...The Kite Runner is a Powerful Novel by Khaled Hosseini, it is the story of two young boys who both have opposite and different lives, but they are still friends and get along well together, Today I will be exploring and depicting the novel with a Betrayal point of view and will be looking towards where in the book you can find Betrayal, and how this theme is such a large part of the book. Betrayal is when you expose disloyalty or unfaithfulness. This can happen when someone has confidence or any type of trust in someone else, and this someone else exposes the disloyalty or unfaithfulness, and this is “Betrayal”. Now you might ask, “How does this relate to the book ?”, well the whole story of the Kite runner revolves around the main character...
Words: 333 - Pages: 2
...The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, explores the personal struggles and relationships of Amir, a wealthy young Pashtun boy in Afghanistan in the 1970’s. The story narrates the hardship of living in a socially divided, culture based environment with various sides of humanity. As the novel progresses, the relationship between Amir and his father, Baba, goes through multiple pivotal phases. These phases are the direct cause of the switch between the two main settings of Kabul, Afghanistan and Fremont, California. The change in setting helps portray the rollercoaster of Amir and Baba’s relationship over many years. It illustrates the story of Amir’s longing to be noticed and loved by Baba, Baba’s dissatisfaction with Amir, and their inability to relate to one another....
Words: 1156 - Pages: 5
...‘The Kite Runner’, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel based on the life journey of a man named Amir. Although very dark, through the use of important themes the book is made strongly relatable to young people. Three of these include: degradation, the fragile relationship between a father and his son and the pursuit for redemption. The fragility of a father and his son’s relationship is shown through the strong characterisation of both males and the constant use of proleptic irony embedded throughout their relationship. The symbols of rape express the theme of degradation and class discrimination, whereas the pursuit for redemption is conveyed through the dramatic sequences of events that occur during the course of the novel. Hosseini heavily emphasises the Afghani class discrimination, with the ‘pure’ Pashtuns being the dominate race over the low class, minority group of Hazaras. This degradation makes it very difficult for anyone to marry into another class and the Hazaras are often victims of physical, emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of Pashtuns. Hosseini uses the act of rape since it carries a great deal of significance as it demonstrates a symbolic violation of the powerless by those who have power. In each instance of rape we see that the rapist is always in a position of greater power both socially and physically. For instance, Assef, a well-known bully, is rich and has a politically powerful father, while, Amir’s friend and later, found to be half-brother...
Words: 988 - Pages: 4
...well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara and the son of Amir's father's servant, Ali, spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. Amir’s father (who is generally referred to as Baba, "daddy", throughout the book) loves both the boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. Amir also fears his father blames him for his mother’s death during childbirth. However, he has a kind father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, who understands Amir better, and is supportive of his interest in writing stories. Assef, a notoriously mean and violent older boy with sadistic tendencies, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara, according to Assef an inferior race that should only live in Hazarajat. He prepares to attack Amir with his steel knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, threatening to shoot Assef in the eye with his slingshot. Assef and his henchmen back off, but Assef says he will take revenge. Hassan is a successful "kite runner" for Amir, knowing where the kite will land without even watching it. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Baba's praise. Hassan goes to run the last cut kite, a great trophy, for Amir saying "For you, a thousand times over." Unfortunately, Hassan runs into Assef and his two henchmen. Hassan refuses to give up Amir's kite, so Assef exacts his revenge, assaulting and raping him. Wondering why Hassan is taking so long, Amir searches for Hassan and hides...
Words: 7335 - Pages: 30
...The Kite Runner: Reader’s Notes Cindy Kang Theme | Literary Device | Character Development | Chapter | Quote | Insight | | Imagery/flashback | | 1 | “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 crumbling 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 see him. Standing in the kitchen with the receiver to my ear, I knew it wasn’t juts Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins.” (p. 1) | The introduction paragraph gives the reader an insight of the narrator’s haunting past. The narrator uses descriptive words (crumbing mud wall) and is evidently a gifted story teller. The structure of his writing easily grasps the attention of the audience. The tone of the story seems to be frightening and melancholy due to the author’s diction, syntax, and level of formality. The first page mostly consists of flashbacks more so by recalling them rather than reliving them. If flashbacks continue to recur, the past may symbolize an important theme throughout the story. | | Personification | | 1 | “Because the past claws its way out.”...
Words: 3498 - Pages: 14
...Culture of Pakistan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Part of a series on the Culture of Pakistan Pakistan Monument, Islamabad History[show] People[show] Languages[show] Traditions Mythology and folklore[show] Cuisine Festivals[show] Religion[show] Art[show] Literature[show] Music and performing arts[show] Media[show] Sport Monuments[show] Symbols[show] Culture portal Pakistan portal v t e This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This article is written like a personal reflection or opinion essay rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject. (March 2013) This article may contain original research. (March 2013) This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2012) The 17th century Badshahi Mosque built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Lahore The society and culture of Pakistan (Urdu: ثقافت پاکستان) comprises numerous diverse cultures and ethnic groups: the Punjabis, Kashmiris, Sindhis in east, Muhajirs, Makrani in the south; Baloch and Pashtun in the west; and the ancient Dardic, Wakhi, Baltistani and Burusho communities in the north. These Pakistani cultures have been greatly influenced by many of the surrounding countries' cultures, such as the Turkic peoples, Persian, Arab, and other South Asian ethnic groups of the Subcontinent, Central Asia and the Middle East. In ancient times, Pakistan was a major cultural hub.[citation needed] Many cultural practices...
Words: 5320 - Pages: 22
