Kite Runner Knowledge Quotes

Although many people consider knowledge as an equivalent to power, sometimes it is what a person knows that can be their main source of guilt or is the reason to their downfall. Knowledge about certain situations can also generate reactions from people who want to ensure their survival, which in turn leads them to react solely on instinct and intuition. For example, in the novel ‘1984’, a person who knows too much about what is truly going on behind the scenes is a threat to society as whole, no matter what the intentions that person may have after acquiring that knowledge. In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’, it is what the main character failed to realize at first after letting his servant (who was also his best friend and brother) suffer on multiple

occasions, which becomes the main source of his guilt. In the novel ‘Station Eleven’, it is what the characters do upon hearing news of a massive flu epidemic which will determine whether or not they survive. It is how a person reacts or uses the knowledge they acquired that makes them powerful, because they may know something the rest of society does not.

In the novel ‘1984’, the government, which is also referred to as Big Brother, forces its citizen in oblivion. The government of this novel has altered history to their benefit, represses individuality, prohibits sexual activity, constantly watches its citizens through surveillance, and also forces citizens to turn others in if they are caught doing any of these acts. Those who follow these rules faithfully are seen as good, law abiding citizens, and those who do not are seen as criminals or rebels. Essentially, the government created a new norm for the citizens to follow, and those who do not conform are treated as criminals and are punished (physically tortured) accordingly. Any citizens who dares to uncover the lies that this government has forced upon it’s people are discarded and ostracized from the rest of society. And, one character who experiences this treatment first hand is Winston Smith. Winston was an insignificant official in the Party, the

political regime that ruled over Airstrip One (England), who had bad experiences with Big Brother. When he was just a boy, Big Brother took his family away and had them executed. After years of conforming to society, Winston began to develop a hate for Big Brother. Winston began to keep a journal simply to express his profound distastes for Big Brother, he would no longer accept the slogan that Big Brother fed to the citizens – “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell, Book 1, Chapter 1, Page 4). As he began to break free from this mental and physical slavery, he began learning about the true history of mankind and also began developing individual thought. He was completely aware that Big Brother controlled society simply because they controlled history, and he was tired of it – “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past” (Orwell, Book 3, Chapter2, Page 39). Once he gathered his thoughts, he realized that those who simply accepted the lies that Big Brother continued to support were just as bad, if not worse than Big Brother, but it was not their faults. This is seen further when Winston shared his thoughts with his sexual partner, Julia, and another man from his regime, O’Brien. Winston was punished severely for stating truth about Big Brother and was brainwashed, essentially becoming a robot for Big Brother. Although Winston suffered the fate of a criminal, it is what he tried to do with the knowledge that was revealed to him over time that makes him a hero.

In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’, Hassan and Amir are servant and master and also best friends. They both felt like the brother they never had to each other. Although Hassan was the servant to Amir, Hassan was always the one standing up for Amir and protecting him against bullies. Hassan was a mental and emotional support for Amir, he would often insist on hearing Amir’s stories, always tried to keep his spirits up, and was his only friend. Hassan had an

unwavering loyalty for Amir, thinking that he too had an unwavering loyalty to his servant and friend.

But, Amir disappointed Hassan on multiple occasions. Amir was very hesitant when it came to protecting or standing up for his servant and best friend, often trying to make excuses and justify why did not stand up for his friend. This is seen when Hassan is confronted in the alley way and is raped by Assef after running the last kite for Amir. While Amir was peeking into the alley instead of helping his dear friend from being raped, he heard Assef say things like – “And there’s nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey” and “It’s just a Hazara”. After running away in fear, Amir tried to convince himself that Assef was right, but he could not shake the overwhelming feeling of guilt that would continue to haunt him. Assef even questions Amir’s loyalty to Hassan by saying, “But before you sacrifice yourself for [Amir], think about this: Would he do the same for you? Have you ever wondered why he never includes you in games when he has guests? Why he only plays with you when no one else is around? I’ll tell you why, Hazara. Because to him, you’re nothing but an ugly pet. Don’t ever fool yourself and think you’re something more” (Hosseini, Page 77). In a way Assef was right, they were only friends when it was them two, Amir was too much of a coward to do the things Hassan did for him. But the guilt of betraying Hassan became something much different when

Amir found out that they were actually half brothers. Once Amir got the call from Rahim Khan, an old friend of his fathers, he could not pass up the opportunity to atone for his sins and finally return the favor to his brother. After hearing news that Hassan was killed, leaving his nephew orphaned, he could not bring himself to leave Sohrab (Hassan’s son) like how left Hassan in that alley way. After learning what he had to do to save Sohrab, he realized something – “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” (Hosseini, Page 1). Amir realized that he was looking into the alley for the past twenty-six years instead of going out and acting, he was done being a coward.

In the novel ‘Station Eleven’, very important information on certain situations is revealed to many characters throughout the novel, which in turn forced the characters to react and adapt accordingly. In this novel, one of the main characters the reader encounters quite often before the outbreak, Jeevan, was one of the first people who knew about the flu epidemic. One of Jeevan’s closest friends who just so happened to be a doctor who was dealing with these cases first hand notified Jeevan of the severity of the situation and warned him to make preparations. Due to the relationship these two had, Jeevan did not question his expertise and simply obeyed his orders. But Jeevan being the person he was tried to spread the news in hope that others would take heed of his warnings and react quickly to avoid being caught in the mix, one of those people being his girlfriend. Although the characters in this novel are not necessarily contributing to the evils or wrong doings of society, the fact that they were completely oblivious to the situation at hand and did not take the warning seriously led to their demise. Once Jeevan heard this news, he immediately began stocking up on food and water, thinking and planning to stay indoors for a long period of time due to the fact that his brother was stuck in a wheel chair. Jeevan’s reaction to this news was the right way to go about the situation, instead of reacting like the cashier who rang up his large order of food and water, thinking to herself that the news was not as dangerous as it truly was. This is one prime example of people not reacting correctly upon hearing very serious news, which ultimately lead to their demise. Another example of characters reacting accordingly to certain situations was essentially the remaining survivors of the outbreak. Once the survivors accepted that life from the moment of the outbreak was going to be completely

different than the life they knew, was when the remaining survivors could truly bounce back for the sake of mankind.

Once they accepted reality, they could truly move forward – “I stood looking over my damaged home and tried to forget the sweetness of life on Earth” (Mandel, Chapter 39). Now, although many people were searching for remnants of the old world throughout this novel, does not contradict these claims. The reason these characters were searching for proof of the old world was simply out of curiosity and educational purposes, the characters have already given up the ways of the old world and only referred to the old world as legend. “Because we are always looking for the former world, before all the traces of the former world are gone” (Mandel, Chapter 20), the characters accepted their past, but realized there was no turning back and continued to look to the

future.

Although the characters throughout these three novels are dealing with totally different situations, one thing links them all together, knowledge. After acquiring information from others, these characters are forced to make life threatening decisions, each of which for different reasons. In the novel ‘1984’, Winston acquires this information from uncovering the lies that the government that rules his world has fed the citizens, and is forced into an internal conflict on whether to use this knowledge or to simply live like a sheep and follow the rest of the herd. In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’, the knowledge of finding out that Hassan was his brother pushes Amir into a deeper feeling of guilt and regret. But, after learning that his nephew is left orphaned, it is what he learned about the true relationship between him and Hassan that forces him to go and save his nephew. In the novel ‘Station Eleven’, many people did not react accordingly upon hearing the news of a flu epidemic, which in turn led to many deaths. Those who took the warnings seriously outlasted the epidemic. Also, those who accept the reality of the

state of humanity after the outbreak begin to try and repair what was lost. Although many characters are interested in the past world, they do not cling onto it simply because life as they knew it was long gone. Ultimately, although many of these characters are faced with different situations, they are all given vital information. It is what these characters did with the knowledge they received that makes them who they are – heroes.