The Kite Runner
and“A Poison Tree”Comparisons of
Literary Elements: Motif, Symbolism,
and Imagery
Katie Machinchick
English 10 (1)
Comparative Literature Presentation
10/22/13
Summary of The Kite Runner
In The Kite Runner, the main character,
Amir, is conflicted with his childhood
memories of being selfish; he ruined
what could have been a lifelong
friendship with his Hazara servants, Ali
and Hassan, by lying and being a coward.
After many secrets being exposed 26
years later, Amir has to find a way to
solve his internal conflict and rid his
guilt. He now has a mission to return to
his country to find Hassan’s son and
bring him back to the United States while
facing many hardships along the way.
Summary of “A Poison Tree”
In “A Poison Tree,” the speaker is
angry with a friend; after telling the
friend about this, the anger goes
away. When the speaker gets angry
with an enemy, he/she doesn’t tell
them and the wrath begins to grow to
it’s limit (the apple). Soon, the enemy
snuck into the speaker’s garden and
ends up dead under the tree which
held the apple.
Motif
• A conspicuous recurring element, such as a
type of incident, a device, a reference, or
verbal formula, which appears frequently in
works of literature (Wheeler 1).
Motif in The Kite Runner
• The author uses many motifs throughout the
novel: “I pray. I pray that my sins have not
caught up with me the way I’d always feared
they would” (Hosseini 347).
Motif in The Kite Runner
(continued)
• Hosseini describes the main character’s
internal conflict by using karma as a motif.
When it says, “...the way I’d always feared they
would,” the author wants to show that Amir
knew that someday his sins would catch up to
him. This develops the conflict because Amir
never forgave himself for being a bad friend to
Hassan when they were children, and he now
has to suffer the consequences.
Visual Representation of Motif in
The Kite Runner
• The graphic at the left
represents karma. In the
image is a yo-yo, which
automatically returns to
your hand when being
used. In the novel, Amir
was afraid of his bad
deeds coming back to him
later in his life.
Motif in “A Poison Tree”
• William Blake includes karma as one of the
motifs in the poem: “In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree” (15-16).
Motif in “A Poison Tree”
(continued)
• Blake includes the death of his enemy by using
the motif of karma. When it says, “... my foe
outstretched beneath the tree,” it represents
the enemy dead under the tree after trying to
sneak into the garden. This develops the
theme because this is the result of the
speaker’s wrath as he/she let it grow.
Visual Representation of Motif in
“A Poison Tree”
• The graphic at the left
represents karma. In the image
is a boomerang which can
result in good or bad depending
on how you use it because it
always returns to you. In the
poem, the enemy snuck into the
garden to steal and was left
dead.
Comparison of Motif in The Kite
Runner and A “Poison Tree”
• The common motif in both of the pieces of
literature is karma. In the quote in the novel,
the author shows how the character regrets
his past and is looking for a way out of bad
karma. In the quote in the poem, the author
shows how the enemy received the
consequence of death as a result of sneaking
into the speaker’s garden. Both characters
ended up making selfish actions resulting in
major consequences.
Symbolism
• Frequent use of words, places, characters, or
objects that mean something beyond what
they are on a literal level (Wheeler 1).
Symbolism in The Kite Runner
• The author included the fight scene to show
the result of the main character’s internal
conflict being resolved: “What was so funny
was that, for the first time since the winter of
1975, I felt at peace… My body was broken…
but I felt healed. Healed at last” (253).
Symbolism in The Kite Runner
(continued)
• The symbolism of the fight was meant to
represent the built up anger inside Amir. The
words “peace,” and “healed” show that the
result of his anger being released was a relief.
This develops the character because Amir felt
guilty in the beginning of the novel, and now
all of it was gone because he felt that he
deserved to be beaten up.
Visual Representation of Symbolism
in The Kite Runner
• The graphic at the left, is used
to symbolize relief after a
disaster. In the image, a
member of the American Red
Cross is providing help for
those who need it after a
tornado. This relates to how
Amir’s anger turned into
relief after he forgave himself.
Symbolism in “A Poison Tree”
• The author also uses the apple as a symbol of
the result of lack of communication: “And it
grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple
bright” (Blake 9-10).
Symbolism in “A Poison Tree”
(continued)
• The symbolism of the apple represents the
result of the wrath the speaker had towards
his/her enemy. The author uses the word
“grew” which shows that this symbol
developed throughout the poem. This
enhances the conflict because the apple was
what caused the enemy to sneak into the
garden which left him dead.
Visual Representation of Symbolism in
“A Poison Tree”
• The graphic at the left
represents the breaking point
of one’s anger. In the image,
there is a nuclear explosion that
would not only affect people,
but also the land around it. This
is like the apple in the poem
because it had reached its limit,
resulting in bad consequences.
Comparison of Symbolism in The
Kite Runner and A “Poison Tree”
• The common symbolism in both pieces of
literature is the result or bad consequences of
anger building up. In the quote in the novel, the
author shows how Amir felt relieved after
Assef hit him because his internal conflict was
resolved. In the quote in the poem, the author
shows how the speaker’s built up anger ended
in killing his enemy. Both characters held in
their feelings which had negative consequences
on them.
Imagery
• A common term of variable meaning,
imagery includes the “mental pictures” that
readers experience with a passage of
literature (Wheeler 1).
Imagery in The Kite Runner
• Hosseini also includes many examples of
imagery in the book describing the conditions
of Afghanistan during the war: “We found the
new orphanage… along the banks of the dried
up Kabul River. It was a flat, barracks-style
building with splintered walls and windows
boarded with planks of wood” (220).
Imagery in The Kite Runner
(continued)
• The author uses organic imagery to describe
what life was like when visiting Afghanistan
26 years later. Hosseini uses words like “flat,”
“splintered,” and “boarded” to show that the
country had been destroyed long since Amir
had been there. This enhances the conflict
because Amir needs to travel through the
hardships to find Sohrab.
Visual Representation Imagery in
The Kite Runner
• The graphic at the left is an
organic image, which represents
isolation. In the image, the
mannequin is standing alone, in a
darkened environment ,
symbolizing loneliness. This was
how Amir felt in the novel when
returning to his destroyed
country.
Imagery in “A Poison Tree”
• Blake introduces imagery in the second stanza
of the poem: “And I watered it in fears, Night
and morning with my tears: And I sunned it
with smiles, And soft deceitful wiles” (5-8).
Imagery in “A Poison Tree”
(continued)
• The author uses organic imagery to enhance
the representation of the anger growing. By
watering and sunning it, the anger soon
developed into a physical object. This
enhances the conflict because the result of this
wrath is the cause of the enemy’s death.
Visual Representation Imagery in
“A Poison Tree”
• The graphic at the left is an
organic image, which represents
anger. In the darkened image, the
flower is at its beginning stages
which can continue growing. The
spikes on the bud and the
grayscale color shows that this
image is a gloomy tone. This is
similar to the speaker’s anger
which was “sunned” and
“watered” as it needed until it
was fully developed.
Comparison of Imagery in The Kite
Runner and A “Poison Tree”
• The common use of imagery in both pieces of
literature was visual imagery. In the quote in
the novel, the author shows that Amir’s home
country had been destroyed during the
Afghanistan war. In the quote in the poem, the
author shows that the speaker’s wrath has
turned into a literal sense of growing. Both
authors use this element to enhance the
details and provoke a reaction from the
reader.
Conclusion
•After reading The Kite Runner and “A Poison
Tree” one can conclude that both pieces of
literature contain many common literary
elements such as motif, symbolism, and imagery.
•Authors usually write about common ideas
based on society and the human experience
because they enhance their story by showing a
clear theme while also addressing these
worldwide issues.
List of Works Cited
"A Poison Tree." The Breaking Time. N.p., 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.
<http://thebreakingtime.typepad.com/the_breaking_time/2012/11/poems-for-friday-a-poison-tree.html>.
"Aussie Boomerang." Photo Dictionary. Advameg, 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.photo-dictionary.com/phrase/3633/aussie-boomerang.html>.
Blake, William. "A Poison Tree." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175222>.
Felts, Jerry. An American Red Cross worker helps sort through clothes found in the rubble of a house after last month's
tornado outbreak. Al.com. Alabama Media Group, 26 May 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.al.com/42/index.ssf/2011/05/post_77.html>.
Grafton, Jim Bavosi. "Sun Flower Buds in Black and White." Imagekind. N.p., 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.imagekind.com/Sun-Flower-Buds-In-Black-And-White-art?IMID=652b2e31-de5a-4652-8aff0a17f65e5c08>.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print.
List of Works Cited
(continued)
"Nuclear Weapons: Explosion over Bikini Atoll." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 25 Sept. 2009. Web. 20
Oct. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/sep/06/nuclear-weapons-world-us-north-korearussia-iran>
"The Kite Runner." Marshall. Marshall University Libraries, 9 Sept. 2013. Web.14 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/kiterunner.asp>.
"Walking Wood." Visual Paradox. Brian S. Kissinger, 1999-2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.
<http://visualparadox.com/wallpapers/wallpaper_1024x768.asp?wallpaper=walkingwood#axzz2iII9zcTE>.
Wheeler, Kip L., Dr. "Literary Vocabulary." Dr. Wheeler's Website. N.p., 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
<http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html>.
"Wooden Yo-Yo." Bella Luna Toys. Bella Luna Toys, 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.bellalunatoys.com/wooden-yo-yo-toy.html>.