The Kite RunnerEssay Preview: The Kite RunnerReport this essayThe Kite RunnerThe Kite Runner focuses on the life of Amir, a cowardly young boy part of the ruling caste of Pashtuns, and the son of a wealthy merchant residing in the outskirts of Kabul. At his side we see Hassan, his servant and best friend who is a member of the Hazara caste, a cultural group long persecuted in Afghanistan. As Amir tries to meet his father’s demands, we see the close relationship between the boys diminish, as ethnic and political tensions arise in Afghanistan. One day, a savage yet preventable attack is bestowed upon Hassan, an act that could have been prevented had Amir stepped in. Overcome with guilt and shame, Amir convinces his father to get rid of Hassan and his father, as he finds it almost impossible to confront them. Upon the beginning on the Soviet invasion, Amir and his father leave for America, leaving Hassan and his father behind. Years later, Amir is finally beginning to loose his feeling of guilt when he receives a call from an old friend residing in Pakistan. The dying wish of this friend requires Amir to go on a mission to Afghanistan, a mission which will finally allow him to face his demons and overcome his guilt once and for all.
This book was written by Khaled Hosseini, a 40 year old Afghan American writer. Born in Kabul, his family moved to France in 1976 where his father worked in a government position. Hosseini’s family was suppose to return to Afghanistan in 1980, but was weary about the Soviet invasion. Instead, they requested political asylum and moved to the United States. Hosseini completed medical school at the University of California in 1993 and has kept a job as an internist since. The Kite Runner is loosely based on his life and his direct experiences with Afghan culture.
Modern World Nations: AfghanistanModern World Nations: Afghanistan is an informational text that covers the different cultural, social, political and historical aspects of the nation. In the book, we learn of the different racial groups that reside in the country as well as the different conflicts that arise within them. Different languages are explored such as Dari (a language that derives from Farsi) and Pashtun, a native language exclusive to Afghanistan and western Pakistan. The book also shows an in-depth look into the politics of Afghanistan, discussing the fallen monarchy of the past and the pro-Islamic policies of the Taliban of more recent times. The book concludes by covering the last two decades, primarily the Soviet Invasion and the rule of the Taliban, along with the horrors and harsh conditions they afflicted on Afghanistan.
Jeffrey A. Gritzner, the chairman of the Department of Geography and the Asian studies program at the University of Montana, wrote this text. He is also an active member of the Association of American Geographers and has a great interest in world religions as well as global traditions and customs.
B. CRITICAL ANALYSISThe Kite RunnerThe writing style of The Kite Runner is truly amazing, as it makes the reader feel as if they are witnessing the events firsthand. Written in first person, the reader joins Amir on his many journeys throughout his childhood and adult life. This point of view is particularly effective in this novel since Amir often has personal thoughts that we may not be aware of normally. For example, Amir is very fond of writing and story telling, a hobby that his father looks down upon. As result, Amir keeps his hobby a secret and writes his stories privately. In my opinion, the first person perspective is especially effective when a novel wishes to focus on its main character in detail and tries to reveal more then we would normally know. It is also effective when reflecting on how Amir feels about a particular event or situation as we can directly observe his inner thoughts and reactions which give us a more clear reflection of his personality.
Another interesting technique used in this novel is the use of foreign words. In many conversations throughout the book, we see many of the characters speaking Farsi or using a Farsi word during a conversation or when referring to someone. In fact, Amir refers to his father as “Baba” throughout the entire novel (the equivalent of “dad” in Farsi). This technique is useful as it gives the reader a more realistic view on the story since all of the events are occurring in a foreign country where English is not the native language. Amir travels to a variety of places throughout the book and comes into contact with different ethnicities and cultures so it gives us a feeling of realism when we see the portrayal of accents or foreign words, since English is not the first language of many of the characters.
Modern World Nations: AfghanistanThis informational text is presented in a very clear-cut, direct manner. This is a positive attribute of such a book since it allows the reader to comprehend the facts without being sidetracked by colourful language or fancy terms. The author uses many statistics and graphs, along with maps and pictures to give the reader a true understanding of the cultural, geographical, and political aspects of Afghanistan. The book is written in a third-person perspective, the way most informational texts are since the author’s information in the book are not based on his first hand experiences.
D. BOOK REVIEW AND PERSONAL RESPONSE* Since my non-fiction is an informational text, I was not able to find a review for it. As result, I will be doing a personal response on 2 articles for the Kite Runner.
Article 1The author of this review explains the happy beginning of Amir’s childhood, one where he and his friend and servant Hassan live together in harmony despite racial and socioeconomic differences. He goes on further to say that the book is very straightforward, since there are few plot twists and little use of complex language. I agree with this statement and feel that in the case of the novel, direct language allows the reader to focus more on the horrendous and tragic events that occur to not only Amir and his close family, but also the Afghans as a people. The review goes on to say that the contrast of pre-Soviet Afghanistan and the post-Soviet Afghanistan is an important and dramatic change. I agree that this distinction is a very important part of the novel since it demonstrates the vast changes that can occur due to a damaging and dominating political rule. The review also explains how the power of racism
took over Amir’s life, and he ends the review with a quote of his that states emphatically: “There was no democracy, except the U.S.S.-Islamic world.” This is not surprising because it was the case in the 1990s that the U.S. State Department attempted to build the so-called Western Front in Afghanistan by creating groups of ethnic Afghans. Despite being a U.S. military and media presence in the country, the U.S.A. failed in this endeavor, even in this country when it tried to force a return of Taliban rule. The book, along with the interview and the book of the author, have left you in an unexpected place!
There are two versions of this book. One is a classic and the other is a very powerful one. There are many parts of the book that I know what to expect. First, I am very much of the opinion that the American-born Amir’s daughter is a special person and it is absolutely fascinating, even for someone like me who never knew Amir’s mother. I would love to understand why she is so kind and curious.Hassan Mehdi (The Complete Guide to Afghanistan and its People by Hassan Mehdi Ahmed, The Complete Guide to Afghanistan by Hishamuddin Hishamuddin, The Complete Guide to Afghanistan by Hassan Mehdis Ahmad, The Complete Guide to Afghanistan by Hassan Mehdhahmad, The Complete Guide to Afghanistan by Hassan Mehdhahmad). In particular, the review states that Amir’s father is a man of great intellect and courage. As I mentioned in my first review, I do not think Amir’s family is good, but rather that they are as well. Amir’s father is an outspoken, courageous man, with a strong emotional side, but he lives in fear for his own safety. Hassan Mehdi Ahmed (The Complete Guide to Afghanistan by Hassan Mehdi Ahmed) is an activist, writer, analyst and human rights attorney. A member of the National Committee Against Wartime Peace, Mehdi Ahmed was arrested during the 2003 war and interrogated by Wartime security forces. This resulted in an American release of Mehdi Ahmed and his wife Hina, who went on to make an enormous career out of fighting terrorism and other evil elements. Mehdi Ahmed had his son Hida as a teenager, and is now his wife. In his family, Amir’s father and son, you find a strong sense of family, of belonging, of caring for others and a strong sense of purpose. The book explains that, despite everything that he has achieved in the field, Hassan Mahmood (himself a senior scholar of Islam) still tries to do all he can to protect his family and their children so that they can survive in a free world where all people are treated equally. In his opinion, his family still feels strong and the world is becoming better, including the USA. That they live as well as the people they love should explain all the similarities that exist in my family. This means that the book does not just suggest that Hina’s father is a good person but also argues that he is an excellent person and that in a time of war she is a better human being than Hina because she is a good person but she is not a better person than her parents. However, I also believe that the most important aspect of the family is Hassan Mahmood, H