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symbolism as a literary tool essay
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People use many different objects or events to symbolize important moments in life. An example of this would be a wedding ring, it shows a couples love for one another. Authors can use symbols in their writing to express ideas, clarify meanings, and enlarge literal meaning. In Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner he uses a kite to symbolize tradition, differences in social classes, friendships and guilt to show how not standing up for others can negatively affect the rest of a person’s life.
Every country has their own traditions that the people living there enjoy. In Afghanistan, where The Kite Runner takes place, the community enjoys having kite flying competitions. In these competitions the person whose kite is last flying is the winner. While this is happening other community members are chasing down the kites that have been cut from their strings. As time progresses “There were not nearly as many kite tournaments as in the old days-no one felt safe outside for too long-but” (Hosseini 212). People do not feel safe outside anymore because of the Taliban. Therefore one of the many meanings behind a kite is tradition because it directly shows what that country does and it also shows how their country has gone downhill and can no longer do what they enjoy. With the Afghanistan community not able to do what they enjoy anymore relates to Amir. Amir cannot enjoy his life because he did not stand up for his best friend when he was in trouble. Using the kite as a symbol enlarges the importance of standing up for others.
The kite also symbolizes the differences in social classes. Hassan, a hazzara, is Baba and Amir’s slave. Hassan would make sure everything was good for Baba and Amir at the beginning of the day. “By the time I ...
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...nates and Hassan. Amir does this because he wants Hassan to throw some back at him to make him feel not as bad about witnessing the rape. Another time Amir’s guilt is shown is after his birthday party he receives a lot of gifts. Instead of keeping them he takes some and puts them in Hassan’s room so it looks like Hassan stole them. All of these situations show how tremendous the guilt was for Hassan just because he did not stand up for his friend. This is why the kite symbolizes guilt.
Symbols can be used in everyday life but they can also be used by authors. The kite in, Khaled Hosseini’s book The Kite Runner, symbolizes traditions, differences in social classes, friendship and guilt to show how standing up for others can negatively affect the rest of somebody’s life.
Works Cited
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003. Print.
Amir’s development through the novel comes with the symbols of the scar from a cleft lip and the kites. The scar on Hassan’s face serves as a point of jealousy for Amir when it came to his relationship with his father. Amir’s father had tried to care for Hassan without alerting people to Hassan’s illegitimacy and Ali’s infertility, but in doing so had alienated Amir, Baba’s known son. Hassan’s scar serves as symbol of redemption, as Amir receives his own scar from defending Sohrab and finally standing up for himself. Amir’s scar represents the end of the climax because Amir was finally able to atone for his sin. Another major symbol in the book are the kites. The kite fighting, running, and kites in general are symbols for Hassan and
Actions made in a moment of pain, anger or simple immaturity can take anyone to make mistakes that can change their lives completely. Everyone has something in the past that is shameful, embarrassing and regrettable that is kept present daily. Whether this event happened during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, this event could haunt and have shaped that person’s life into what he or she is today. In a similar way, in the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is shaped by a tragic and eventful past that has shaped Amir’s, Baba’s, and Hassan’s life. The four literary elements that will be used in this essay that Hosseini strategically uses in this book are: irony, simile, Metaphor, and personification.
In conclusion irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing contribute to the omnipresent theme of redemption throughout The Kite Runner. Khaled Hosseini ties together seemingly unimportant details of the story to create irony, and juxtaposes segments of his book to show redemption.
... Kites are symbolic in the novel as it helps to support the themes of guilt, redemption and freedom in the novel. In the beginning of the story, Amir overhears Baba telling Rahim Khan that if Amir could not stand up for himself, he would never be able to stand up to anything when he becomes a man. It takes Amir over twenty years to finally muster up enough courage to stand up for himself in front of Assef. Amir takes the beatings from Assef as his punishment for what happened to Hassan. He rescues Sohrab and bonds with him through kite fighting, similar to when he flew kites with Hassan. Kites represent the freedom from the worries and burdens that Amir, Hassan and Sohrab has. It brings together the two participants in kite fighting. It gets rid of the discrimination of the ethnic caste system, any cultural differences, and also emphasizes unity amongst difference.
The Kite Runner focuses on the relationship between two Afghan boys Amir and Hassan. Amir is a Pashtun and Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara and a Shi’a. Despite their ethnic and religious differences, Amir and Hassan grow to be friends, although Amir is troubled by Hassan, and his relationship with his companion, one year his junior, is complex. Amir and Hassan seem to have a "best friend" type relationship. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. There are many different facets that distinguish the relationship the boys possess. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the "sultans of Kabul" (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan has love for Amir. He loves him like a brother. Hassan is exceedingly loyal to Amir. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for their complicated relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan society places Hassan lower than Amir. Hassan is Amir's servant. The placement of Hassan in the Afghan society disenables Amir from becoming Hassan's true friend. Amir sees Hassan as lower than human. Amir ruins the chance for friendship between himself and Hassan because he is jealous of Hassan, he thinks of Hassan as a lower human, and because Amir possesses such extreme guilt for what he has done to Hassan. Amir is an unforgivable person overall.
In the Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses a variety of symbols to represent ideas, or abstract notions or conceptions about people, places, and things. A symbol, according to the Webster's Dictionary, is an object that stands for something in addition to its literal meaning. In the book, there is a continual breakdown of society and civilization on the island. During this breakdown, Golding uses symbolism to further explain the process. Some of the things he symbolizes in the novel are the island itself, the conch, the boys clothing, and the violence.
Symbols are often personalized, and the same symbol can have a different meaning to each character. Symbols can symbolize desires, emotions, or even an individual’s state of mind. In the short story “A Wall of Fire Rising” by Edwidge Danticat, the hot-air balloon is the main symbol. This symbol compels the reader to probe beyond the literal meaning of the balloon and uncover what it truly means to each character.
In my view The Kite Runner is an epic story with a personal history of what the people of Afghanistan had and have to endure in an ordinary every day life; a country that is divided between political powers and religiously idealistic views and beliefs which creates poverty, and violence within the people and their terrorist run country. The story line is more personal with the description of Afghanistan's culture and traditions, along with the lives of the people who live in Kabul. The story provides an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political chaos. Of course there are many things that are unsaid and under explained in this tragic novel which, in my observation, is an oversimplification. There is also a heavy use of emotional appeal, and an underlying message. This is a flag for propaganda.
Kite flying also serves as a social class symbol. The person who controls the kite would be the one commanding and the one who assists has to listen and follow. It makes sense that during the kite flying, Hassan (the hazara, considered lower class and servant) is the assisting Amir just like he does during the day (i.e. making Amir’s bed, breakfast, and ironing clothes) “, while Amir like always just commanding orders to Hassan. Hassan was very excited to for the competition but he never actually gets to fly the kite, the only act in which Hassan actually helps a little bit is during the “lift and dive” but he does not get to claim victory. After getting the rivals kite, Hassan always has to bring it back to Amir, because the kite “belongs” to him. His happiness is second-hand, exactly like his life style. To get rid of the guilt, Amir must become the kite runner, he must become the one assisting rather than commanding, he must willingly help someone with genuine feelings just like
... much more than themselves. Hassan's cleft lip, being a dominant feature, is representative of the societal separation between him and Amir, and Baba's secret love for him. Kites, featured heavily within the story, are a symbol of Amir's happiness, and are also his one connection with his father. Similarly, they are a reminder of Amir's guilt due to the fact that he betrayed his friend in his time of need. However, he is able to redeem himself when he rescues Sohrab from the same fate. The last symbol, the sacrificial lamb, represents something innocent, as well as the similarities between Hassan and Sohrab. All of this contributes to character and plot development within the context of the novel. The author is effectively able to take a simple image or object and use it to reflect many ideas, causing the reader to look beyond the surface to reveal its true meaning.
Red archetypally represents anger and pain while blue represents calm and peace. Since the red body of the kite is connected with the blue tail, it suggests that joy and pain are also connected. In fact, in order for a kite to fly properly it has to have both body and the tail; just like life needs both pain and joy. Another symbol that represents this concept of pain and joy coinciding with one another is kite fighting. Kite fighting tournaments are a popular activity in Afghanistan and is one of the things Amir likes best about winter, but it always leaves the participants in physical pain with deep cuts on their hands (Hosseini 50). Since the goal of kite fighting is to be the last kite in the sky, the child that won would have the deepest cuts from holding the glass-covered string the longest. In essence, the kid that received the most joy, from winning, also receives the most pain. Finally, the
During the story’s final scene Amir says, "I was twelve again." Now that Amir has forgiven himself and the act of kite fighting bring a feeling of euphoria unto Amir rather than one of pain. Alongside his change in heart, Amir’s memories no longer cause him great anguish. He begins to share his past with Sohrab: "Did I ever tell you your father was the best kite runner in Wazir Akbar Khan? Maybe all of Kabul? ... Watch, Sohrab. I'm going to show you one of your father's favorite tricks, the old lift-and-dive." In the ultimate moment of circularity, Amir runs the kite for Sohrab just as Hassan ran his last kite for him so many years prior, now like echoes through the past. These two pieces of time are perhaps the origin of the book’s title, which describes the action of Hassan and then
In both novels, Hosseini and Steinbeck use motifs to show the power society possesses to manipulate an individual. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini continually uses the motif of blood to symbolize the sin and corruption of humanity. During a kite tournament in Kabul, the two boys, Amir and Hassan, begin to chase the final kite. When Hassan is approached by a group of bullies, including Assef, Amir decides not to intervene in order to maintain his status and place in the world. While Assef and his friends beat and rape Hassan, Amir witnesses "tiny drops [that] fell from between [Hassan's] legs and stained the snow black" (Hosseini, 78). This is the beginning of Amir’s m...
Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.
...r image had occurred from the past with the reversal it entails. The kite is important in this situation because the reversal could not have taken place in any other scenario. Sohrab would not interact with the world nearly at all at this point, and the only way it could have paralleled would be with a kite battle. Amir had traded places with Hassan through Sohrab with the use of the kite.