The Kite Runner goes hand in hand with the theme in Macbeth: not all things are as they seem. This novel is about an Afghanistan boy named Amir and his friend Hassan. Hassan is Amir’s servant’s son, they always play together, but when guests come over Amir completely forgets about Hassan. They have the annual kite competition and Amir wins; Hassan goes to catch the losing kite for Amir. After awhile Amir searches for Hassan and sees him in an alley, trapped by bullies. Amir runs away instead of helping his so called “friend.” I believe that the author’s message throughout the first few pages is to allude at the irony between Amir and his dad, and to turn your stomach with the heart-wrenching betrayal. The author uses a slight play of irony …show more content…
in the beginning of the book. NEED TO FIX INTRO SENTENCE. Amir’s father in the beginning of the novel says: “I see how they push him around, take his toys from him, give him a shove here, a whack there. And, you know, he never fights back. Never. He just… drops his head and…” (Hosseini 22). Amir’s dad is disappointed in his child for his lack of violence. He wishes that sometimes Amir could just show the quarrelsome characteristic that he shows. The irony in the book is when Amir sees Hassan beset by the bullies. This is Amir’s opportunity to prove himself to his dad. It’s the my-dad-will-finally-appreciate-me-as-his-son moment, but Amir fails to seize it. The opportunity is sitting there on a golden plate but Amir didn’t take it. He could have gone in and fought the bullies; after he could have told his dad he got in a fight. That is exactly what his dad wanted and yet Amir didn’t do it. It is ironic how throughout his whole life Amir hopes for a moment to seize his dad’s appreciation, but once he gets the chance he does not take it. The author intends to cast irony in the book through the quest for appreciation from Amir’s dad. The author’s intent in the chapter where Hassan get’s bullied is to make the readers feel disgusted with betrayal and for them to reflect on times they have betrayed someone.
While Amir is watching Hassan getting beat up he remembers hearing someone say: “Did you know Hassan and you fed from the same breast” (Hosseini 73). Even after this recollection Amir still does nothing to help Hassan. He just sits there, paralyzed in a fear of getting hurt. He sits there while his friend gets raped, and the only thing that Amir does is hurt him even more. The only reason Hassan is in this situation is because when he was asked to give the kite up he stated: “Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite” (Hosseini 72). Hassan could have gotten away unharmed if he would have given up the kite, but instead he stayed loyal to his friend and kept it. Because of Amir, Hassan is in this horrendous situation. After reading this part of the novel readers have compassion for Hassan and antipathy for Amir. The author intended this; he is purposeful in making your stomach turn. He wants you to feel the pain that Hassan felt, and the worst part of it all is that Hassan does not know Amir could have saved him. Hassan doesn’t know that Amir could have saved him from the raping, saved him from the humiliation, and saved him from the eternal pain. Amir stood fifteen steps away from Hassan and yet he stayed there without helping. He had the potential to be
Hassan’s superhero but he stood there as still as a pillar. After reading this I had to set the book down and personally think about all the times I have betrayed someone. I felt sick to my stomach due to the unspeakable actions of Amir. What Amir did was worse than what the bullies did. After reading this I thought about people who may betray me, or people who aren’t my real friends. I believe this is the author’s intent; to make the readers stop and realize the vile actions of Amir, and for them to feel queasy due to the betrayal. The Kite Runner uses vivid descriptions to make it feel as if you are there. The author has many messages throughout the novel. He uses memories and side-stories to show off the themes. Two of the most prevalent messages the author gives are, irony and betrayal. I think I deserve a 9.5/10 on this journal. I put lots of work into this and used new forms of grammar I learned in class. Although I worked as hard on this journal as the others, this journal was harder to portray my point which is why I believe a nine and a half is a suitable grade.
Creative Section Prompt: Write a scene where an “unlovable” character is involved in a surprising or unexpected hobby or appreciation for something.
In the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer wrote about Christopher McCandless, a nature lover in search for independence, in a mysterious and hopeful experience. Even though Krakauer tells us McCandless was going to die from the beginning, he still gave him a chance for survival. As a reader I wanted McCandless to survive. In Into the Wild, Krakauer gave McCandless a unique perspective. He was a smart and unique person that wanted to be completely free from society. Krakauer included comments from people that said McCandless was crazy, and his death was his own mistake. However, Krakauer is able to make him seem like a brave person. The connections between other hikers and himself helped in the explanation of McCandless’s rational actions. Krakauer is able to make McCandless look like a normal person, but unique from this generation. In order for Krakauer to make Christopher McCandless not look like a crazy person, but a special person, I will analyze the persuading style that Krakauer used in Into the Wild that made us believe McCandless was a regular young adult.
Hosseini’s purpose of writing the Kite Runner was to teach the readers the different ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The main character, Amir, is a Pashtun and Pashtuns are Sunni Muslims, then there are Hazara’s that the Pashtuns do not get along with. Hazara’s are not welcomed by the Pashtuns because they are different social classes.
Anticipation is prevalent throughout The Road, which is set by the narrative pace, creating a tense and suspenseful feeling and tone.
The Kite Runner is a book about a young boy, Amir, who faces many struggles as he grows up in Kabul and later moves to America to flee from the Taliban. His best friend and brother , Hassan, was a big part of his life, but also a big part of guilt he held onto for many years. The book describes Amir’s attempt to make up for the past and resolve his sins so he can clear his conscious. Amir is worthy of forgiveness because although he was selfish, he was very brave and faced his past.
Taylor Swift is once again under fire over the allegedly racist theme of her new music video for “Wildest Dreams.”
In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the narrator’s monotonous tone makes the reader experience a lack of emotion and feeling. The novel starts off describing Mersault’s current job and how he must go on leave in order to attend his mother’s funeral. He and his mother have been disconnected for some time as they had come to a mutual agreement with her staying in an elderly home. Mersault, the main protagonist, did not have the money or time to tend to his mother. The elderly home was the best option for the both of them. When he returns home from the funeral, Mersault gets caught up in external affairs he should not be in. He ends up writing a break up letter to Raymond’s girlfriend, which drives the rest of the story. Raymond beats his
The Kite Runner, is the first novel written by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan before the war in the city of Kabul, and then eventually in America. The novel relays the struggles of Amir (A young Shi’ boy), Hassan (a young Hazera servant boy) and Baba (Amir’s father) as they are growing up in an ever-changing Afghanistan. The young boys face difficult challenges most adults will never have to experience. Amir, Hassan, and even Baba must overcome cruelty in every aspect of their lives.
(2) The Kite Runner follows Amir on his odyssey to redeem himself for his hurtful actions. Through this journey, Khaled Hosseini delivers the message that sin and guilt can always be atoned for. At the beginning of The Kite Runner, young Amir wins a kite fighting tournament. He feels like he has finally redeemed himself for his father.
As a foreword, the story of The Kite Runner focuses on a man named Amir. In his childhood, he enjoyed a high-class life in Kabul, Afghanistan, living with his father Baba. They have two servants, Ali and his son Hassan. They are Hazaras, a lower class ethnic minority in Afghanistan. In one Winter of their childhood, Amir and Hassan participate in a kite-fighting tournament; the goal is to be the last kite flying. When a kite is cut, boys chase after it as a trophy. Amir wins the tournament, and Hassan flies to catch the losing kite. Later, following Hassan's path, Amir comes upon a neighbourhood bully named Assef about to rape Hassan who has the trophy, the blue kite. Amir does not interject, believing this will secure him the kite. Thus, Amir sets forth a chain of events he must redeem in his adulthood.
It is difficult to face anything in the world when you cannot even face your own reality. In his book The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses kites to bring out the major themes of the novel in order to create a truly captivating story of a young boy’s quest to redeem his past mistakes. Amir is the narrator and protagonist of the story and throughout the entire novel, he faces enormous guilt following the horrible incident that happened to his closest friend, Hassan. This incident grows on Amir and fuels his quest for redemption, struggling to do whatever it takes to make up for his mistakes. In Hosseini’s novel, kites highlight aspects of Afghanistan’s ethnic caste system and emphasizes the story’s major themes of guilt, redemption and freedom.
Betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness are all major themes in The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini. The novel also focuses around the theme of a broken relationship between father and son as well as facing difficult situations from ones past. Amir and Hassan are best friends with two completely different personalities. Each character in the novel faces their own hardships and eventually learns to overcome those difficulties. Beginning with betrayal then the characters have to make their way to gaining redemption and forgiveness from others, as well as their self, is carried on throughout the novel. It is a continuous story of the relationships between Amir and his father Baba and facing their challenges from the past every day of their present.
To conclude, Khaled Hosseini uses the theme of the loss of innocence and redemption in The Kite Runner to make the point that one can never really redeem oneself. Amir attempted to do so throughout the entire novel but failed although partial redemption may have been achieved. The pomegranate tree, the kites, and even Assef are all symbols of innocence that has been lost. Later on in The Kite Runner they also represent the pursuit of redemption. Also the historical aspect of education and children support that innocence is lost daily and can never really be restored.
Going Where the Wind Blows In Japanese philosophy, there are five elements which all symbolize certain aspects of the world and human nature according to the website Japanology: earth, water, fire, wind, and void. These elements may commonly be used in Japanese spiritual culture to characterize a person and this is also present in their works. The Japanese band Snowkel uses this philosophy in the song “Namikaze Satellite,” literally meaning “Wind Wave Satellite,” to tell a story a person reminiscing about the good memories they shared with their long lost friend. But even though they are both far away, the speaker is certain that they will meet again and will continue to strive towards that day they see each other again.
In the story ¨The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner¨ by Alan Sillitoe, our main character Smith is faced with a very real internal conflict. Having to decide between what the world expects of him and what he personally deems the best course of action, which eventually leads him to ease his own conscious. Engaging in his own individual form of protest despite the difficult situation he was presented with relays an universal life message that cannot be overlooked. By taking a one man stand against all that opposes him, our main character shows us that ultimately, it is only what you think of yourself that truly matters. For me, this style of protest began to take form three summers ago when I got a call around two o´clock on a lazy Saturday