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Abstract of conflict resolution and management
Abstract of conflict resolution and management
Abstract of conflict resolution and management
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In a lifetime, most everyone will face personal battles and guilt, such guilt as not doing homework and lying to your parents. The way people rid themselves of guilt and find peace is through redemption. Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner revolves around the themes of betrayal and redemption. The main character, Amir, goes on a journey to redeem himself for something he did many years before. Amir has lived with the guilt of betraying his best friend Hassan in the winter long ago. As most people Amir has trouble living with the guilt of turning his back on a friend. Amir must put himself in harm’s way to attempt to redeem himself for his wrong doings. Amir attempts to take on his guilt and redeem himself for the many years of sin by traveling …show more content…
back to Afghanistan to save Sohrab and then finally ending his redemption in the United States. When making a decision does one ever consider what will happen to the other people in his life due to this? Amir had one of the hardest decisions a young kid could ever have to make. Stand up for his friend and possible fall victim to the same assault or turn away and live a life filled with guilt. Amir chose to turn his back on a friend because he was a coward, and would one day have the opportunity to redeem himself for that decision. Amir is living in America and has a wife when a call from the past sends him on the journey he has been seeking for all these years. During the phone call Rahim Khan says something that will ruminate in Amir’s head for the countless months ahead. “Come there is a way to be good again, Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up…Away to be good again.”(192). Amir’s quest for redemption is fueled by one sentence. He is intrigued by the hint that Rahim Khan leaves him. Almost daring him to return to Afghanistan to fulfill his duty to the one he betrayed those many years ago. This is Amir’s first step on the long road to atonement, by him making this first step it shows he is finally ready to stand up and be the man his father has always wanted him to be. “You know, Rahim Khan said, “one time, when you weren’t around, your father and I were talking… I remember he said to me, ‘Rahim, a boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.’ I wonder, is that what you’ve become?” (221). This is the metaphorical kick in the behind that Amir has always needed and now that he has it he is on his way to redeem himself. To find and rescue Sohrab Amir makes the ever so dangerous trip back to his home country to find and save Sohrab. However, once he finds Sohrab he must slay the dragon that has haunted him since he was a child, Assef. "My body was broken - just how badly I wouldn't find out until later - but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed." (303). Even though Amir was inches from being beaten of his life he feels good because a burden has been lifted off his shoulders. Amir takes the beating he should have taken in the alley that one winter’s day with Hassan. Its significance is huge not only does he save Sohrab, but he is also taking the beating that all the hazarahs have had to face during Assef’s reign and he almost serves as a martyr. Amir atones for stranding Hassan in the alley as a child now as he saves Hassan’s son, Sohrab, and finally conquers his fear of his childhood nemesis Assef. Now that Amir has rescued Sohrab the final leg of the journey to redemption is for Amir to step up and be the father to Sohrab that Hassan cannot, and through these actions make up for all the wrong he has done to Hassan through being a father to Sohrab. Amir had lifted a weight off his shoulders by taking the beating from Assef, and continued his walk to redemption by adopting Sohrab and bringing him into his family.
“I looked at Hassan, showing those two missing teeth, sunlight slanting on his face. Baba’s other half. The unentitled, unprivileged half. The half who had inherited what had been pure and noble in Baba. The half that, maybe, in the most secret recesses of his heart, Baba had thought of as his true son… Then I realized something: That last thought had brought no sting with it… I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.” (359). When Amir looks at Sohrab he sees Hassan and by giving Sohrab an escape from the orphanages and certain death he feels as if he is making up for betraying Hassan and drastically changing the course of their lives. Amir’s guilt feels as if it has “packed up and slipped away” symbolizes that by making things right with Sohrab he has redeemed himself for his actions as a child. Before Amir can fully atone for his sins there is one last thing he must make right that started it all. “ “Do you want me to run that kite for you?” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed… I thought I saw him nod. “For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran. It was only a smile, nothing more… A tiny thing… But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.” (371). This was the final hump that Amir had to get over and he had done it. The melting of the snow symbolized that his walk to redemption was over that he can finally forget what happened in that alley on that cold day one winter in Kabul. It shows how redemption is possible even if it looks like an uphill battle your guilt can be
conquered. Amir’s road to redemption was a long and painful one however, he showed that he was able to leave his safety and security and travel to the country of unpredictability to atone for his sins that haunted him so tirelessly. He not only traveled back to Afghanistan, but he even was able to be unselfish for once in his life and think about Sohrab’s future and brought him back to America with him. Atonement is never easy, but with perseverance and unselfishness it is attainable.
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.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, follows the maturation of Amir, a boy from Afghanistan, as he discovers what it means to stand up for what he believes in. His quest to redeem himself after betraying his friend and brother, Hassan, makes up the heart of the novel. For most of the book, Amir attempts to deal with his guilt by avoiding it and refusing to own up to his mistakes. Because of his past, Amir is incapable of moving forward. His entire life is shaped by his disloyalty to Hassan and his desire to please his father over helping his friends. Throughout the novel, his attempts to atone for his sins end in failure, as neither physical punishment nor rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from Assef prove to be enough for Amir to redeem himself. Only when he decides to take Sohrab to the United States and provide his nephew with a chance at happiness and prosperity that was denied to his half-brother does Amir take the necessary steps toward atonement and redemption. Khaled Hosseini uses a series of symbols to reinforce the message that atoning for one’s sins means making up for past mistakes, rather than simply relying on forgiveness from either the person one betrays or from a higher power.
The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, shows how lying and deceit is a counterproductive route when trying to live with a dreadful past, exhibited through the actions of Amir. Amir’s decision to withhold the truth and blatantly lie in several situations due to jealousy and his desire for Baba to be proud of him amounts to further pain and misery for himself and those he deceives. Because of Amir’s deceit towards Baba and Hassan, his guilt from his past manifests itself into deeply-rooted torment, not allowing him to live his life in peace. The guilt from Amir’s past is only alleviated when he redeems his sins by taking in Sohrab, contributing to the theme that the only way “to be good again” is through redemption, not shunning the past.
Redemption is gaining honor and self-forgiveness through a selfless act that reflects off of one’s regretful actions of their past. In the novel, The Kite Runner, Amir is the main character who goes through many life struggles and mistakes, then finds himself on a road to redemption. Amir and Hassan were best friends throughout their childhood and Hassan was the honorable, trusting best friend, the one to always take a stand for what he believed was right. Amir’s lack of courage caused him to stay silent in the worst of times, letting Hassan get tortured for the things he did not deserve. The themes of sacrifice, honor and redemption are carried out in many ways throughout this novel being shown through the actions of Hassan, Baba, and Amir.
Sometimes, no matter how big a mistake you make is, you can try to be forgiven, and make up for your mistakes by seeking redemption. No matter what someone does, if they truly want to be forgiven, they can, and will, seek redemption. And more often than not, they will succeed and they will be forgiven. The book, The Kite Runner, is about a kid named Amir, from Afghanistan, who was rich and privileged until having to move to America. And Amir stands by as Hassan is raped, which causes the guilt he has, and this is why he’s trying to strive for redemption.
Redemption of Guilt Guilt is a result of sin, and sin is a result of misaction. In the novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the protagonist, Amir, goes on a journey to redeem himself for his sins. When Amir was 12, he witnessed his best friend, Hassan, get raped in an alley. Instead of standing up for his friend, Amir ran away in selfishness and cowardice. The guilt of his choice plagues Amir for the rest of his life, until one day, he gets a call from an old uncle, who tells him that “there is a way to be good again.”
Over the course of the novel, Baba implies that he is not proud of Amir and the only reason he knows Amir is his son, is because he witnessed Amir 's birth. He states to Rahim Khan that he thinks Amir needs to stand up for himself more often. Countless times during the novel, Amir feels like he has to fight for his affection, that he has to earn Baba’s love. In order to prove himself worthy of affection and to redeem himself for not being a son Baba could be proud of, Amir yearns to win the kite runner competition. He reminisces on a memory, when all “I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption” (65). In the aftermath of Hassan’s rape, Amir got rid of Hassan so he would not have to face the cause of his guilt on a daily basis. Amir buries the secret of the rape deep within him, where he hopes that it will not come back to haunt him, which is not the case. “We had both sinned and betrayed. But Baba had found a way to create good out of his remorse. What had I done, other than take my guilt out on the very same people I had betrayed, and then try to forget it all? What had I done, other than become an insomniac? What had I ever done to right things?” (303). As mentioned earlier, Amir is not one who stands up for himself. In order for Amir to redeem himself for betraying Hassan, and not standing up for him earlier,
“There is a Way to be Good Again”: Past Actions and Redemption in Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. In The Kite Runner, Amir, Baba and Sanaubar’s past actions all negatively affect those that are close to them, yet it is not their past that defines them, rather it is how they decide to amend their wrongdoings that reflects more on their character. After Hassan’s rape, Amir spends the rest of his life trying to redeem himself for the betrayal of his loyal friend and does so after saving Hassan’s son Sohrab.
The story The Kite Runner is centered around learning “to be good again.” Both the movie and the book share the idea that the sins of the past must be paid for or atoned for in the present. In the book, Amir can be seen as a troubled young boy who is struggling with a tremendous amount of guilt. It is easy to blame Amir’s actions on his guilt and his father’s lack of love for him.
As a young boy he made the wrong decision in life by letting Hassan get raped, which led to his guilt. The guilt grew to the point where Hassan and Ali had to move out of Baba’s house and start a new life away from Amir. Hassan’s son Sohrab is a significant character who represents Amir’s hope for redemption. Sohrab led to Amir’s redemption by giving Amir the opportunity to do good for his past actions. On the quest for redemption, Amir achieves the redemption he desired through his fight with Assef.
The first point of view utilized in the book allows Amir to accurately relay his emotions and thoughts, including his reasons for trying to forget and run away from the past, and finally his reconciliation with himself. From the very beginning, Amir personally describes a past that he wishes to remove from his life: the death of his mother. He believes that his father “hated [him] a little” (p. 17) for “killing” (p. 17) his mom at childbirth. Amir reasons that his distant relationship between himself and Baba is due to the mother’s death and thus, wishes to cover his “sin” (p. 16) by trying to make his father “forget” (p. 93). Amir’s assumption of his father’s distance shows the high subjectivity of the narrative’s perspective. Amir’s inner conflict with his past is further revealed by his own words as the story progresses. During a kite competition, Amir and his very close “friend” (p. 98) and “servant” (p. 98), Hassan, manage to defeat dozens of other kite flyers and win the compe...
Amir’s redemption is a large part of the novel and is carried out almost entirely until the end of the story. He travels to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from the orphanage he was placed in after the death of his parents. He promises to find him a safe home with someone but after time passes he feels like this is not enough. He then speaks to his wife and decides to take Sohrab back to the United States with him and take care of his as if he was one of his own. Earlier in the novel when Baba is speaking Amir over hears his conversation as he is referring to him stating, “A boy who won 't stand up for himself becomes a man who can 't stand up to anything” (Hosseini, 22). Thus meaning that if he is able to stand up for himself as a young boy, when he is grown he will not be able to stand up for anything that is in his future. This is true throughout the story until he stands up for himself and Sorhab when he is arguing with his life long bully, Assef. Amir lacked the courage to defend himself in the novel until he finally took charge and went against
...achieves redemption and finally succeeds in overcoming his guilt. Hosseini uses this struggle to persuade those who feel extreme guilt for a wrongdoing to seek forgiveness and to help others in need. The author emphasizes that atoning one’s sins comes from reaching out to others. He expresses this when Amir offers to help Sohrab and he rids himself of guilt from his former relationship with Hassan. In addition, Hosseini writes to those who challenge the ideals of society in order to encourage them to create and follow their own values. The author uses Amir’s struggle in his relationship with Baba and his acceptance with Amir’s writing career to demonstrate this idea. Throughout his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini develops a main character that questions his decisions, yet conforms to societal ideals to represent his theme of redemption and self-acceptance.
In a lifetime, one will face an abundance of personal battles in their decision making. When bad decisions result negatively, people find peace mentally in redeeming themselves of their sin through redemption. In Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”, the main character, Amir, commits a sin and goes through great lengths to find redemption. Using metaphors, personification, and irony Hosseini expresses the theme of sin, suffering and redemption. Achieving redemption is a long journey people seek after suffering the consequences of sin.