Immigration and emotional impact

The kite runner-Immigration and emotional Impact
Immigrants flee countries of danger and violence all the time, in order to get to their goal of living in a safe place. To get to where they want to go they must go on an extremely dangerous venture. While you are on this venture you will feel many terrible emotions such as; fear, sorrow and anger. Amir and Baba left Kabul looking for safety and freedom in America. Amir, terrified for his life held on with the hope for a new beginning.

Amir was faced with many obstacles. Obstacles such as being held up at the border into Jalalabad with Baba risking his life to a Russian soldier for a woman's dignity. “Do you always have to be the hero? I thought, my heart fluttering. Can't you just let it go for once? but I knew he couldn't- it wasn't in his nature. The problem was, his nature was going to get us all killed." (Hosseini 122) Amir is terrified because his father could easily get him killed. He was also feeling very angry for his father who was risking his life for the dignity of another woman. Amir, during his trip to America had to be very brave. He was in a very dangerous situation and needed to be strong in order to survive.

Amir had to go in to a fuel tank to be taken to America. Amir's life was more at risk then rather than any other time during his journey. He had one of life's greatest gifts working against him, Oxygen. "You want to scream. You would if you could. But you have to breathe to scream. Panic" (Hosseini 128) Amir was surrounded by fear. He could not breathe, he could not see. Amir was not sure whether or not he was going to make it out alive. At this point there was no sadness or anger, but only fear.

Feelings of anguish, regret, anxiety and loss all due to one thing, Danger. Danger referring to life and death. Danger referring to loss of place. Finally danger for what is about to come ahead. Amir, terrified for his life held on with the hope for a new beginning, a good beginning.

The father-son relationship in Kabul

Baba and Amir had some kind of barer between them. Their characteristics were totally different. Baba sure was an admirable person but he wasn’t a great father to Amir. All Amir wanted was Baba’s attention and caring but Baba was too cold to Amir. You can tell Amir wanted Baba’s attention from following examples. When Baba’s friend came over to his house Amir asked Baba if he can sit with them but Baba said. “This is grown-ups time. Why don’t you go read one of those books of yours?” (2.5) as you can see from this line that Amir wants to join the conversation with Baba but Baba think he is too immature. There is another example, when Amir was having a kite fight. He heard the crowd yelling “Cut him! Cut him!” (7.69) and he wondered if Baba was cheering him with them. This shows how much he wants to make Baba proud on anything. After when he sees Baba smiling at him proudly when he won the kite fight.

Most different thing about these two is Baba is brave and he has to stand up for the people who are in trouble. On the other hand Amir can’t even stand up for his own friend, Hassan. This is the difference between Amir and Baba, Amir is very selfish and Baba is very generous. When Baba was trying to stop Russian soldier from raping the woman in the truck, Baba risked his life to stop that. But Amir tried to stop Baba from helping her because he thought he might actually die. Amir said. “Baba, sit down please, I think he really means to shoot you.” (10.122) But Baba refused to stop and said. “Haven’t I taught you anything?” (10.122) and he went on.

These examples show the differences between the two. Baba was wise, generous, and brave but Amir was selfish, not brave, and he was still in the process of learning. But I think that is how much Amir cared about Baba because he almost died trying to save the woman. So I think Baba should’ve been careful and thought about Amir as well.

Rahim Khan

Rahim Khan is an influential part of Amir’s life because he gives fatherly support and advice to him. He has always been there to help Amir and advise him. Amir considered Rahim Khan his first adult friend. So, obviously, Rahim played a large part in Amir’s life as a child. In fact, he has been in Amir’s life the whole time. “I am a baby in that photograph and Baba is holding me, looking tired and grim. I’m in his arms, but its Rahim Khan’s pinky my fingers are curled around,” (Hosseini, 5). Rahim Khan was also very supportive of Amir and his desires. “As always, it was Rahim Khan who rescued me. He held out his hand and favoured me with a smile that had nothing feigned about it. ‘May I have it, Amir jan? I would very much like to read it.’” (Hosseini, 31). Whenever Baba wasn’t there for Amir, Rahim Khan was.

Rahim Khan was genuinely supportive and helpful to Amir when he decided he wanted to be a writer. Rahim Khan never told him what he can and can’t do. He showed support to Amir by buying him a notebook for his stories. He was also a parental figure when he told Amir that he had to go get Sohrab to make up for what he did and to stand up for himself. “’And why you? I think we both know why it has to be you, don’t we?’” (Hosseini, 221). From these, you can infer that the main reason Amir returned to Kabul was because of Rahim Khan. He also probably took some responsibility for Amir pursuing writing. So, he was a very large influence on Amir.

Allison Thomas

Taliban's role in the novel

What is the Taliban? Webster’s dictionary defines the Taliban as “a fundamentalist Islamic militia”, which means they are basic Islamic band of soldiers. They claim to be a religious political movement, and do things because their god, Allah, would want them to. People in Afghanistan were originally very excited with the rise of the Taliban, because the Taliban initially wanted to bring back Islamic values and to make Afghanistan a better place. Soon though, the Taliban’s management slowly turned bad, and the conservative group became a problem for the Afghan people.

The Taliban plays a big role in the novel, “The Kite Runner”, as the story takes place in Afghanistan. This story begins in 1975 before the Taliban takes over the country. There is a boy named Assef; he is a Pashtun who idolizes Hitler, and is disgusted by Hazaras. He commits probably the most unforgiveable and unforgettable sin to Hassan as a child. His sinful acts as a child lead to his role as a member of the Taliban in his future. The things he does to people are horrible and vile. He feels no remorse, and does it because that’s what he thinks Allah wants him to do. “God says that every sinner must be punished in a manner befitting his sin. Those are not my words, nor the words of my brothers. Those are the words of GOD!” (Hosseini P. 270). The Taliban are largely looked down upon, yet people are fearful for their lives that they cannot say anything. Farid whispers to Amir, “And they call themselves Muslims.” (Hosseini P. 271). The Taliban think they are religious people doing good, because – as I said before – it’s what they think Allah wants them to do. Little do they know, it is the last thing He wants.

Kite Runner: Women's Influences- Homaira

Homaira, Rahim Khan's greatest love, was greatly mistreated and in the end separated from him. When he was eighteen, Rahim fell in love with his neighbours' servants' daughter. Her name was Homaira, and she was a Hazara. They would often meet in secret, sneaking away after midnight to ensure that no one would see them. They had many fantasies, and hopes that in the future, they would have a life together. Homaira was a beautiful girl, and such an influence on Rahim Khan that one day he told his father about his feelings. The outraged Khan family shipped off Homaira and her family to Hazarajat the next day! Now, although she is only in the story briefly, we learn a bit about women's roles here. Firstly, the culture makes it a long and difficult process for a man and a woman to be together, especially if the woman in question is a Hazara. Which brings me to my next point, Homaira gives us a unique insight on Hazara women. They get it twice as bad because not only are they women, but also Hazara's, and usually servants.

This means, that they are ordered around by men all their lives, are treated harshly, and basically cannot be with Pashtun men. This is illustrated in the quote, ''It was me and Homaira against the world...", (Rahim Khan, 8, 99). Rahim Khan's words tell us that the entire Afghan society is against Rahim and Homaira's union, simply because culture dictates it must be so. Another valid point that Homaira's role brings up, is that even though there are these injustices and unfair discriminations, as people grow up or are growing up, they "understand" them. Rahim Khan sees what happened as an adult, and says to Amir, "Probably for the best though...she would have suffered.", (Rahim Khan, 8, 99). He says this because now that he is mature, he sees that the union would only have brought pain and sorrow. Women in Afghanistan are mistreated and misvalued, none more so than Hazara women.

Scars as a Symbol in The Kite Runner

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, there are both emotional and physical scars experienced by many characters; the most significant scars in the novel symbolize courage and loyalty.

Hassan’s emotional scar was received in his effort to stand up for what he believed was right, as he was sexually assaulted. He was challenged by Assef in his attempt to bring back Amir’s kite for him. “A loyal Hazara. Loyal as a dog.” (77, Hosseini). Hassan made a courageous and loyal sacrifice to refrain from letting Amir down. He did not give Assef Amir’s kite, and in return, he was scarred for his whole life.

Baba’s over-worked and scraped knuckles symbolize the price he paid for the courageous and loyal act of bringing Amir, his son, to America. “...I’d seen the way he winced and rubbed his wrists on damp days... ‘Besides, I didn’t bring us here for me, did I?’” (137, Hosseini). Baba left his whole life in Afghanistan to assure his son of a great, new life where he could be successful.

Finally, there is Amir’s scar that represents his loyalty to Hassan and Sohrab. With his courageous act of fighting Assef to rescue Sohrab, Amir was beaten drastically and his upper lip was sliced in two. This scar symbolizes Amir’s bravery towards sacrificing his life for Sohrab.

Hassan’s emotional scar due to his assault, Baba’s work-worn and cut-up hands, and Amir’s sliced lip due to his fight with Assef are all representations of these characters’ most courageous and loyal experiences.

Amir Needs Farrid

Amir needed Farrid because he knew the real Afghanistan as opposed to the wealthy upper class one Amir had grown up to recognize. More importantly he knows the Afghanistan that he needs to drive Amir through, the one after the war. From the beginning of Amir’s journey to retrieve Sohrab, Farrid had accepted to drive Amir through dangerous spots like their final destination, Kabul, which is littered with Talaban and the homeless. He knows his way around the streets and he also knows how to stay out of trouble. “Don’t ever stare at them! Do you understand me? Never!” (Hosseini 260) He warns Amir of the Taliban and expresses how urgent it is for Amir to not hold their attention because they are always just looking for another stranger to shoot. Being the taxi driver, he was helpful when searching for Sohrab because he was the one who knew where each location was. He drove Amir to Ghazi Stadium, to the orphanage and even to his brother’s house where he was taken care of for the night and given food, all free of charge. Even if he did not accompany Amir when going to meet the mysterious man with the white shirt and sunglasses (later known to be Assef), he did involve himself by driving him to the hospital and after that, to the bank in order for Amir to obtain money to pay for being fixed. Both situations could have caused Farrid major problems. For one, he helped Amir escape and now Amir has people searching for him and secondly he took Amir to the bank so he could take out a large sum of money which Amir had to walk around with in his pockets. In conclusion Amir needed Farrid to drive him around, because with everything that had occurred since Amir last saw Afghanistan, his ‘home’ is now unrecognizable. “Swervning effortlessly around potholes in the middle of the broken road, Farrid was a man in his element.” (Hoseini 255) Farrid knows and has memorized the roads just as Amir knows and can recite several different poems.

The effects of either being a Pashtun or a Hazara

The bad relationship of the Pashtuns and the Hazaras has a huge effect on the relations of Baba and Ali and as well as the relations that are set around Amir and Hassan. This is shown as we see from Assef saying “Afghanistan is the land of the Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, not this flat-nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan (Afghan word). They dirty our blood.” This is when also Amir is belittled by Assef for merely the fact that he is hanging around with Hassan, a Hazara. This is something that makes Amir tell people that Hassan is nothing more than his servant for he believed then that he might be better respected by others. This truly hurt the relationship between Amir and Hassan. This showed that no matter how much of a friend Hassan was to Amir, he would still belittle Hassan so he would feel better about the belittlements of others towards himself. It’s not friendship that will get Amir to finally pay Hassan back for all the good he had done to Amir but it was up to Amir to finally stand up for himself so that he could finally overcome the difference of Pashtun and Hazara and stand up for Hassan. However it was more than the friendship Amir and Hassan shared but as well the one shared by Baba and Ali which had been slightly affected by the Pashtuns and Hazaras. This was less affected for Baba would still show openly show his friendship for Ali which was largely shown when Baba had cried the day Ali had stated his leaving to Baba. This was the ultimate sign of friendship for Baba never cried and he was upset with Amir whenever he cried. However there was still a slight affect for Baba and Ali as Baba would have to hire them as servants and just to be in that name is one feeling that no matter what is something that nobody likes the thought of. This is also less affected for Baba had provided for Ali and helped Ali more than any Pashtun would have for any other Hazara. The Pashtun/Hazara relationship has large and small effects on certain relationships however it is something that is to be overcome.



Mitchell Lawrence-Rafaelic

Family Secrets

A secret is something that is kept hidden from others or known only to oneself or to a few. In the novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini there were three major secrets that affected the character named Amir in a large way. Two of these secrets were kept by him and the third was a secret kept by his father Baba but if affected Amir when it was revealed.
The first secret that the reader is made aware of occurred when Amir watched his friend/servant Hassan getting raped by the town bully named Assef. Amir felt guilty for a very long time because he didn’t do anything to stop the rape from happening at the time and he never told anybody that he saw it happen. Amir felt it was his fault that this happened because he asked Hassan to retrieve his kite so that he could win the kite running race. It was more important for Amir to have the kite retrieved by Hassan rather than to protect his friend because the kite would be proof to his father that he won the kite race. Amir desperately wanted his dad’s approval. This secret caused Amir and Hassan’s friendship to end. Amir became an insomniac and quite anti-social because he couldn’t deal with all of the guilt about this secret.
The second secret that Amir keeps from everyone was how he framed Hassan for stealing his watch and a bit of his birthday money. Amir did this because he felt guilty for not helping Hassan when he got raped. He did this because he is a coward and just wanted Hassan and Ali out of his life so he could try and forget what he did. “... and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies” (pg 104). This affected not only Hassan and Amir’s relationship but also Baba’s relationship with Ali and Hassan. Ali and Hassan ended up quitting their jobs as Baba’s servants and moved out. Baba was upset because he lost a true family friend and a boy he treated like a son. This also affected Amir because his guilt about this situation made him more depressed. He also was sad to see his childhood friend have to leave.
The third secret in this novel involved a family friend named Rahim Khan. He had told Amir fifteen years after Baba died that Hassan was Amir’s half brother. This affected Amir largely because he found out that his father had kept something from him, something that would have affected his decision to help Hassan when he was getting raped. If Amir had known Hassan was his half brother he would have protected Hassan from the rapist. The kite race wouldn’t have mattered because Amir wouldn’t care to impress his dad because his dad was a liar. “How could he have lied to me all those years? To Hassan? He had sat me on his lap when I was little, looked me straight in the eyes, and said, There is only one sin. And that is theft....When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth...the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honor.”(pg 225)
Secrets are kept for reasons that are sometimes unclear. The secrets that were kept in this novel shaped the future of Amir the most.

The Father-son relationship in America

Baba and Amir are two very different people, which heavily affect their relationship just as Baba had said “If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son.” (Baba,3,23) this quote from Baba just show the extent of the differences between himself and Amir. The main differences between Amir and Baba is the amount of courage in them Baba has so much courage he will stand up for people he doesn't even know, while Amir couldn't even stand up for the closet person he has to a friend. The other trait that Baba and Amir have nothing in common in is the way they express their emotions, Baba will be open and talk about the things that are happening while Amir will keep it locked up inside him burning away at his soul.

Due to the major differences between Baba and Amir, Baba will try to force Amir into the thing Baba used to do as a kid, those never changed Amir. Baba continued to try to change Amir until a wise friend Rahim Khan told him “Children aren't colouring books. You don't get to fill them in with your favorite colours.” After this Baba had reduced but not completely stopped trying to change Amir.

Throughout the latter part of the book, when Baba and Amir arrive in America their relationship improves this is partly due to the fact that Baba has forgiven himself for having Hassan as his son, and that he is working hard on trying to give Amir a better life. America was very different for Baba and Amir, this passage explains the difference “For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his.” (Hosseini,11,129) this just proves how Baba has given up a lot in Afghanistan for Amir and he is still experiencing the loses.

When Amir and Baba are working together at the flea market the relationship between them is very good. Baba finally sees Amir as a true man that is honourable, after all the years Baba is finally truly proud of Amir.

Kites as a Symbol

Kites are shown as a symbol of happiness and betrayal over Amir’s life. It also has a loop of goods and bad things. A kite is the symbol of freedom and with freedom you can almost do anything. When Amir was little flying kite with Hassan was one of his favorite memories. It brought such happiness to Amir’s life when he was spending that time with Hassan; Hassan felt the same way about Amir. The kite was also a way for Amir and Baba to connect. A way for Baba to be proud of Amir, Or so Amir thought “We actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a troy made of tissue paper, glue. And bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us.”- Amir. Amir now realizes that the kite couldn’t actually bring them closer. The chasm wouldn’t disappear because of a kite. Amir had to realize that him and Baba had to close the chasm themselves.

The kite shows betrayal through Hassans rape. After Hassans assault Amir never wants to see a kite again. The kite reminds him of guilt and betrayal. Not only the betrayal of a friendship, but the betrayal of brotherhood. “There were 2 things I couldn’t stop looking at: One was the blue kite resting against the wall, the other was Hassans brown corduroy pants throw on the heap of bricks.”-Amir. Through this quote it shows that Amir had a choice to make. The love of Baba or the Friendship of Hassan.

Thus, the loop ends with Sorhab. When Amir teaches Sorhab to fly kites he feels no guilt when he sees kites because of the redemption he’s done with Sorhab. Amir feels like he has saved a little part of Hassan.

Therefore in conclusion, showing that the kite represents a good symbol of betrayal and happiness in Amirs life.

Differences Between Baba and Amir on Their Trip to Peshawar.

In the book The Kite Runner, Baba and Amir experience a dangerous journey from Kabul to Pakistan, but the book makes it seem like they endured it differently. Baba was more calm, and collected while Amir was scared and nervous. “You open your mouth. Open it so wide your jaws creak. You order your lungs to draw air, NOW, you need air, need it NOW. But your airways ignore you. They collapse, tighten, squeeze, and suddenly you are breathing through a drinking straw.” (Hosseini. Pg. 129) Amir was freaking out in the fuel tank, while Baba seemed quite calm when he turned on his wristwatch. All of the smells around Amir were disgusting; and he was so thankful to be out of the fuel truck because it was such a terrible thing to endure. Except when Baba got out, he was just happy, and it seemed like nothing was wrong.

Sitting in the back of a truck for hours until you reach Jalalabad already doesn’t sound nice, but getting carsick makes it even worse. When Amir got car sick, I thought that it wasn’t only because of the bumpy roads but also the stress that it gives you. Baba on the other hand seemed not scared at all considering he stood up for a woman he barely knew. “The basement was our home for the next week and, by the third night, I discovered the source of the scratching sounds. Rats.” (Hosseini. Pg. 126) In the basement, all Amir did was worry about the rats and the smell and the surroundings, but Baba just sat and waited, a little angry by now but still calm and collected. Over all, the differences between Baba and Amir on their trip to Peshawar were very different, Amir was worried and scared, while Baba held his composure, and was calm and collective.

Knock-knock. Who's there? The Taliban. The Taliban Wh--- SHIDIGDIGDIGDIGDIGDIGDIGDIGDIG

Throughout the latter section of the book, we can clearly identify that the Taliban have nearly complete control of Afghanistan, both in a mental and physical way. We can see through this quote said showing Assef talking to Amir that the Taliban are truly evil: ‘"Door to door we went, calling for the men and boys. We'd shoot them right there in front of their families. Let them see. Let them remember who they were, where they belonged." He was almost panting now. "Sometimes, we broke down their doors and went inside their homes. And... I'd... sweep the barrel of my machine gun and fire and fire until the smoke blinded me." .... "You don't know the meaning of the word liberating until you've done that, stood in a roomful of targets, let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, knowing you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing you're doing God's work. It's breathtaking."‘ (Hosseini, pg. 277)

This part comes after Amir learns that Assef is a Talib official. The Taliban obviously have immense power in Afghanistan, as Assef and the Taliban inspire fear and respect among the people of Afghanistan. We know this because we can see that they terrorize people on a regular basis to enforce their beliefs and their religion. The Afghani people and government do not fight back, or even attempt to resist in a minor form against the Taliban. As we can see from this quote the Taliban are very aggressive in their enforcement and use the most brutal forms of intimidation to terrorize the Hazaras. Having family killed in front of you can make a person very afraid. The Taliban effectively diminished any counterparts by using these methods, and are clearly the most powerful political movement in Afghanistan at that point in time.
Another example of the Taliban’s power is their ability to get what they want by bribing poor people. “There is a Talib official. He visits once every month or two. He brings cash with him, not a lot, but better than nothing at all. Usually he’ll take a girl. But not always.” ...”What choice do I have?” (Hosseini, pg. 255-256)

Assef and the Taliban inspire fear and respect among the people of Afghanistan. Zaman, who is the owner of the orphanage, explains that the Taliban official (Assef) comes and buys a child every so often. Zaman has no choice but to sell one child because in doing so, he possibly saves 10. He earns money to spend for food when he sells one child. If he does not sell the child, then Zaman risks having all the children killed or captured by the Taliban, and being killed himself.

It is truly an unfair cycle that the Taliban bring into the Afghan lifestyle. They force the children out of their childhood and into orphanages, causing them to have little food and clothing, and further leading to the selling of a child to a dangerous person. This whole cycle creates a terrible situation for not just Shi’a, but for the whole of Afghanistan, as they have no choice but to support the Taliban in their malevolent conquests in order to survive.

Immigration

Starting anew in America proved to have many challenges that Amir and Baba had to over come such as the loss of social status, riches, people, and also the challenge of adapting to a new culture. Baba and Amir's life had been one of luxury in Kabul, filled with wealth and the respected position in society that comes with it. To other immigrants from Kabul, the immigration might not have been as hard as it was on Baba and Amir, but because they went from a high social status to a very low one, Amir and Baba had that much farther to fall. Baba and Amir lost many friends and other relationships in moving to America, and again, going from an abundant amount of friends to almost none definitely would have made life harder to adapt to in America.

America was entirely different from Kabul in other perspectives as well, “the fruit was never sweet enough, the water never clean enough, and where were all the trees and open fields?” (Hosseini, 11, 133). The way America was set up and run, the difference in population, and the frequent use of technology was also something Baba and Amir had trouble grasping in their new life in America. The new culture was also something they had to adapt to, "He'd carve notches on our stick with his knife, one notch for each loaf of naan he'd pull for us from the tandoor's roaring flames. At the end of the month, my father paid him for the number of notches on the stick. That was it. No questions. No ID." (Hosseini,11, 136). In Kabul, the community was very closely knit and trusting, but in America Amir and Baba were treated much differently, this again could have had something to do with their new class/status in society that made adapting to American culture so much harder. Amir and Baba maintained some traditions from their own culture, but these traditions were used generally in the personal and private space of their home.

There were few gains in moving to America, a big one was their new found freedom and escape from the havoc taking place in Kabul at the time. The relationship between Baba and Amir was improved because both of them were able to bury there past, but the adjustment to a new country, the learning of a new language, the struggle of maintaining traditions, loss of social status, friends, and the emotional impact that went with it was a big price to pay.

A Republican Without Benefits

In the Kite Runner, it is evident that Baba is the lone Republican on a street filled with blue collar democrats, even though being a republican doesn’t help him as a low status American. When Amir and Baba arrived in America, Baba could not stand the current president, Jimmy Carter. Baba was unhappy with Carter because he felt that he wasn’t doing enough for the Afghan people. In the year 1980, Carter decided that they would boycott the summer Olympics in Moscow because of what they were doing in Afghanistan. Baba was appalled, saying “Brezhnev is massacring Afghans and all that peanut eater can say is I won’t come swim in your pool.” What he meant by that quote is that Carter wasn’t solving any problems by boycotting the games, and he believed that he should have taken forceful action towards the Russians. He believed that Carter did more for communism than the Russians. Baba was longing for a republican president, and got one in Ronald Reagan. President Reagan called the Shorawi “the Evil Empire.” Reagan took a hard-line stance that favored matching and exceeding the Soviet Union's strategic and global military capabilities. Even though Baba was impressed and even bought a picture of him, the Soviet Union was not so. That quote is now very famous and most people refer it to communist Russia. Ronald Reagan believed that Soviet communism was the focus of evil in the modern world. Baba really liked Reagan’s military stance, his economic stance: “Reaganomics”, did not benefit him as a lower income American. Reaganomics called for lower taxes for the higher income Americans, low income Americans taxes rose significantly. Since Baba was a gas station attendant, he would have most likely had to pay higher taxes with the republicans versus the democrats. In conclusion, Baba strongly believes in the ways of republicans; even though it doesn’t necessarily help him in America.

Taliban Power

The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist political group that controls and manipulates citizens of Afghanistan through fear. In the novel The Kite Runner the way of life that the characters live is enforced by the Taliban. They control the way people think and how they act, they create there own rules and if you go against them you and your family would be punished. They have helped Afghanistan to be split up into a country now divided by power and religion

There are many cases where characters from the book like Amir are affected by the Taliban’s actions. One instance is when Amir decides that he must return to Kabul to rescue Sohrab from the orphanage. When he returns he is told by Rahim Khan that “They don’t let you be human” referring to the Taliban and on top of that that the Taliban had taken Sohrab. This shows the supremacy that the Taliban have over people, they can go buy children and even though the man who runs the orphanage knows what is happening to the children once they are taken but he has no choice but to accept it. “A few weeks later the Taliban banned kite running.” Before Amir said this he thought the wars were over. As soon as the Taliban had gained the trust of the people they took away a part of the Afghan culture. One of the only things that brought happiness to people of that city was taken.

As you can see there are many ways that the Taliban control the people of Afghanistan. All the characters in this outrageously phenomenal book are affected by the Taliban in a negative way.

PS. Ms Kim is my favourite teacher of all time :)

Women's Roles

Soraya and Jamila Taheri represent the different roles of women in Afghanistan. When Amir arrived at their lafz, the ceremony of “giving word”, Soraya kept with tradition of not being present. When Soraya finally appeared, she was wearing a wine-coloured traditional Afghan dress with long sleeves and gold trimmings. According to tradition, Soraya’s family would have thrown the engagement party called the Shirini-khori, then an engagement period that would have lasted a few months, and finally, the wedding. “Soraya and I never went out alone together while preparations for the wedding proceeded…it was considered improper” (p. 169). But because Baba did not have long to live, they agreed they would go without the Shirini-khori.

Jamila Taheri, whom Amir called Khala Jamila, had once been famous in Kabul for her beautiful singing voice. Even though the general appreciated listening to music, he did not allow Jamila to sing in public. “He believed the performing of it is best left to those with lesser reputations” (p. 177). It had been one of the general’s conditions when they got married. Not only was she not allowed to sing in public, but she and the general slept in separate bedrooms.

Islamic Faith

v. more than half my blog is just quotes. just saying.

Islamic Faith

In the book Kite Runner, the Islamic beliefs of the characters play an important role in their personality and life style. Throughout the course of the book, Amir and Baba’s Islamic beliefs shaped their characteristics by reflecting upon their decisions. There is a long history of the Islamic beliefs. However, there are 6 basic beliefs that all Islam’s believe in; belief in one God (Allah), belief in the prophets, belief in the holy book, belief in angels, belief in the day of judgement and belief in the decrees or the predestination of God (Allah). There are 2 major types of believers of Islam, the Pashtuns and the Hazaras. “I read that my people, the Pashtuns, had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras. It said the Hazaras had tried to rise against the Pashtuns in the nineteenth century, but the Pashtuns had “quelled them with unspeakable violence.” The book said that my people killed the Hazaras and driven them from their lands, burned their homes, and sold their woman. The book said that a part of the reason Pashtuns had oppressed the Hazaras was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a.” (Hosseini, page 9-10). It shows that the Pashtuns had more power and were more highly looked upon. Baba and Amir are Pashtuns while Ali and Hassan are Hazaras, hence the fact that Ali and Hassan are their slaves. The Islam history and beliefs are all in the Koran, which is like a bible to the Islams.

Baba isn’t a very faithful Islam. Instead of following the beliefs of normal Islams, he makes up his own. An example of this is when he explains to Amir about his belief of sinning. “Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that?” “When you kill a man, you steal a life, you steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?” (Hosseini, page 19). Also, Baba doubts God’s existence. “If there’s a God out there, then I would hope he has more important things to attend to than my drinking scotch or eating pork.” (Hosseini, page 20). Baba’s Islamic faith doesn’t affect him much because he decides what to do. This doesn’t mean he’s a bad man. He builds orphanages and helps people around towns. “Baba always carried an extra handful of Afghani bills in his pocket just for them; I’d never seen him deny a peddler.” (Hosseini, page 259). I think this is just his act of kindness, not because of his religion. Amir’s Islamic faith affected him a little bit when he was younger. However, as he grew older, he abandoned his beliefs as he abandoned Kabul. If Amir had followed his beliefs, he wouldn’t have treated Hassan like a brother, even a friend. He would have saw Hassan as a Hazara slave, and treated him poorly. “We were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. I spent most of my first twelve years of my life playing with Hassan.” (Hosseini, page 27). Although Amir is very attached to Hassan even though he is a Shi’a, he only plays with him when it’s only the two of them alone. Also, Amir idolizes Baba and follows his footsteps. This pulls Amir away from his beliefs since Baba isn’t a very faithful Islam. Also, as Amir lived in America, he was drawn back from his religion. “Bowing my head to the ground, I recited half-forgotten verses from the Koran –verses the mullah had made us commit to memory in Kabul –and asked for kindness from a God I wasn’t sure existed.” (Hosseini, page 163). “I bow to the west. Then I remember I haven’t prayed for over fifteen years. I have long forgotten the words. But it doesn’t matter, I will utter those few words I still remember: La illaha il Allah, Muhammad u rasul ullah. There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger. I see now that Baba was wrong, there is a God, there always had been. I see Him here, in the eyes of the people in this corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, this is where those who have lost God will find Him, not the white masjid with its bright diamond lights and towering minarets. There is a God, there has to be, and now I will pray, I will pray that He forgive that I have neglected Him all of these years, forgive that I have betrayed, lied, sinned with impunity only to turn to Him now in my hour of need, I pray that He is as merciful, benevolent, and gracious as His book says He is. I bow to the west and kiss the ground and promise that I will do zakat, I will do namaz, I will fast during Ramadan and when Ramadan has passed I will go on fasting, I will commit to memory every last word of His holy book, and I will set on a pilgrimage to that sweltering city in the desert and bow before the Ka’hah too. I will do all of this and I will think and I will think of Him every day from this day on if He only grants me this one wish: My hands are stained with Hassan’s blood; I pray God doesn’t let them get stained with the blood of his boy too.” (Hosseini, page 363-364). This shows that Amir was not a very faithful Islam but he has converted his views now. His choice of belief had impacted him greatly and his sins have haunted him throughout his whole life.

Afghanistan's Society: Ryan Yake

The Kite Runner, teaches us, young Canadians that Afghanistan was not always what the media tells us these days, but that they had a culture, markets, and most people could live a happy and prosperous life, apart from the difference between the Pastun’s and the Hazara’s.

When Assef said, "We are the true Afghans," (Hosseini 40), he was referring to the Pashtun’s because Amir was friends with Hassan, who was his servant, but more importantly a Hazara. This shows the mentality that most of the Pashtun’s posses, excluding Amir and Baba, because they try to threat Amir and Hassan with the most love they can, and treat them as one of them. The thoughts that go through the head of Assef are what some people call, insane. This mentality he has about him being better than everyone is what ruins the society of towns, cities, provinces, and countries.

The defining factor for me was when Rahim Khan said “…They don’t let you be human,” (Hosseini 209). This let me realize how poorly the Afghans were being treated by the Taliban, but more directly the women Afghans. They basically had no rights, and were treated as scum, and as if they were way lower than the male Afghans. This brought to my attention in how a couple years, such a big place, can change in such a big way, and not for the better.

The news we hear are only a bit of the story, and by reading this novel, I have transformed from an uneducated person towards Afghan society, into an expert at the topic. I thought every part was just bombs, and poverty, but I was mistaken. There is diversity, culture, markets and much more which makes it a revolutionary country.

Poor Communication

Throughout this novel, there is a definite lack of communication between Baba and Amir, which impacts both of them. However, Amir is the one who is more negatively impacted. The most important thing in his life is to have Baba's love and approval. This causes him to miss out on opportunities in his life and never truly be happy.

During Amir's childhood, Baba's lack of affection greatly affected him. He felt empty inside. This emptiness made Amir even resent Baba at times and got to the point where Amir even wished he had a different father. Amir said, "when they left, I sat on my bed and wished Rahim Khan had been my father." (Hosseini, page 85). That is a very hateful thought for a twelve year-old boy to have. Rahim Khan had always been more supportive and proud of Amir, which is why Amir resented his father at times.

Baba's lack of affection and communication towards Amir causes him to have low self esteem. Amir feels like he will never be able to please Baba and win his love. Amir even said, "I always felt like Baba hated me a little." (Hosseini, page 19). This causes Amir to always be second guessing himself. He spent much of his life more concerned about what Baba thought, rather than doing what his heart told him to do.

This poor communication between the father and son made Amir jealous of Hassan. Baba appeared to have a better relationship with Hassan and this made Amir upset. As a result, he never wanted to be close friends with Hassan. This inner insecurity resulted in Amir trying to show off to Hassan, whether it be through knowledge (being able to read) or wealth (his family had money and Hassan's did not). Amir was even willing to watch Hassan be raped in an effort to win Baba's love.

If Baba and Amir had been able to communicate better, things may have turned out differently for Amir. He may have been closer with Hassan and he may have had many great memories with his father. Most importantly, however, Amir may have been happier throughout his entire life.

Womens Roles In The Kite Runner

I think Sanaubar “Hassan mother” was mistaked in the book for a bad women which is understand able because she is just another women in Afghanistan that is not treated with any respect just like every other women in Afghanistan. But also she did mess up by sleeping with another man who was Baba, while she had a husband and then ran away with a dancing troupe. But before she had ran away she had a child named “Hassan” that was not Ali son it was Baba’s. Sanaubar also seems to dislike Ali, her husband, and says she's seen "old donkeys better suited to be a husband then Ali". By her saying that it starts more conflict between Ali and her and that is probably one of the reasons why she ran away. Other reasons why she had runaway is because women were not allowed to do very much in Afghanistan because of the Taliban. The Taliban had taken over Kabul where Baba’s house was and where Ali and Sanaubar had lived because they would help around Baba’s house because they were servants for Baba. But something happens almost at the end of the book when Sanaubar returns to Baba's home to live with Hassan, his wife, and his kid “sohrab”. Also Rahim khan who was now the owner and keeper of the house needed Help around because after Baba and Amir had left Afghanistan to America because Hassan and Ali had left. Rahim Khan got sick so he got hassans family to help him. Another thing that had happened in the being of the book when Amir and Hassan are walking and the soldiers notice that Hassan is Sanaubar son and they start to harass him by saying the stuff that they have sexually done to her.

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