Thank you to the students who have sent me essays on The Kite Runner. I have
enjoyed reading them and I thought I would share some of the ideas from the
essays. It has been wonderful to note how many of you have really engaged with
the text and made insightful comments.
I have paraphrased some of your ideas below:

A common thread in the essays is Baba’s role as a cause of Amir’s weakness
of character. As he is such a dominant person he shapes people around him.
If Baba truly lived by his definition of moral courage he would have been
more open and this would have given Amir the strength to behave
differently. Many of you saw Baba’s pride and his lack of honesty as a cause
of Amir’s weaknesses. However, several of you have noted that Baba is a
product of his environment and that Hosseini is suggesting that it is time for
Afghanistan to move away from its past ways.

The ending was discussed in some essays. Is it a satisfying one? We know
that Hassan is dead, he has lost close friends, his family is gone and he is
childless. Is this a happy ending? However, if we look at things from another
perspective we see that he has saved Sohrab and brought him to America
and finally redeemed himself. Is it more true to life to have such an
ambiguous ending? What we do know is that the final scene in the book is a
reversal of Amir and Hassan’s kite flying days. Amir is now the kite runner
for Sohrab. He is a good man. He has atoned. He has redemption.
Analysis in Level 2 essays
Posted November 10, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, Year 12, Year 12 Essays | Tags: Level 2 essay, NCEA
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The greatest barrier to achievement at Level 2 remains the depth of analysis
required. Simplistic analysis such as “if the writer did not use these techniques the
film wouldn’t be as effective”, “if the ending was different, it wouldn’t be the
same story”, “the beginning helped to start the story” and “the ending helped to
close everything off” isn’t enough. These sort of simplistic comments do not meet
the requirements of a level 2 standard. When writing an essay at Level 2 you need
to analyse how particular elements contributed to the texts you studied as a
whole, and how and why particular effects were created. You need to move away
from summarising, describing, or just explaining what happened in your texts.
The primary purpose of an essay on a literary text is to provide an interpretation
of that text. In so doing, an essay needs to move beyond a description of
characters and events to an analysis of the different elements of the text.
This analysis should bear in mind that the world that is presented in the text may
well be fundamentally different from the world in which you live. Therefore, in
analysing the characters and events of a text, you will need to take an
“imaginative leap” into the moral and social framework of that text, imagining
how such characters and events would be judged from within that framework.
Have a look at the extended text assessment schedule from 2007 to understand
what you must do:
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Some specific evidence / Covers the topic fully and
Achievement with
Excellence
As for Achievement with
details linked to text.
with detail from the text.
Merit, plus
Covers the topic but
without perception or
insight.
Quotation and detail are
used to reinforce points.
Presents insightful
analysis.
Evidence of analysis:
shows engagement with
the text at a reader
level, and discusses
various elements of the
text with supporting
reference and some
detail.
Uses appropriate
Offers conclusions and
terminology with accuracy draws inferences about
and fluency.
the author’s purpose.
Shows appreciation of and
some insight into theme
and / or structure,
author’s craft and
purpose, as well as the
specifics of the topic.
Presents some inferences
based on personal
understanding.
Presents own position as
a reader of the text.
Clearly able to analyse
author’s craft / ideas.
Shows integrated insight
and, if appropriate,
reference beyond the
text.
Some maturity of thinking
and expression.
Presents convincing
analysis that offers
conclusions and draws
inferences about the
author’s purpose and
reader’s positioning, and
possibly goes beyond the
text in doing this.
‘No Achievement’ aspects may include:

rote-learned responses

disproportionate plot summary

lacks sufficient reference to text details / specifics

insufficiently linked to the topic

does not adequately address the topic

short (less than 250 words)

simplistic.
Judgement Statement
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
Achievement with
Excellence
Analyse specified
aspect(s) of extended
written text(s), using
supporting evidence.
Analyse specified aspect(s)
of extended written text(s)
convincingly, using
supporting evidence.
Analyse specified
aspect(s) of extended
written text(s)
convincingly and with
insight, using supporting
evidence.
A
M
E
What makes for a good essay at Level 2?
Posted November 10, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA | Tags: essay writing
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What makes for a good answer?

Answers that show an understanding of the question
You will need to interpret the question; that is, work out what is required to
answer the question. No question can be answered satisfactorily until you have
worked out what the real question is.

Answers that answer the question
You need to answer the question directly; that is, to construct a focused, coherent
argument that systematically addresses each of the issues in the question and
advances in logical steps.

Answers that show originality and independence
The answers that impress markers most are not those that slavishly reproduce
what you have learnt in class, but those which show an ability to arrive
independently at ways of addressing the issues in the question, through making use
of your knowledge of the text, your wider reading, and your reasoning power.

Answers that are presented correctly
No matter how good an answer is in terms of its substance, it is never likely to
impress to its full extent so long as it contains errors of grammar, spelling, and
punctuation, is presented with faulty layout, ignores the conventions of the genre,
or is poorly handwritten. The more accurately your essay is presented, the fewer
impediments there will be to the marker’s ability to see what you have been trying
to say.
Brothers in The Kite Runner
Posted November 10, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
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Baba would buy us each three identical kites and spools of glass string. If I
changed my mind and asked for a bigger and fancier kite, Baba would buy it for
me – but then he’d buy it for Hassan too. Sometimes I wished he wouldn’t do that.
Wished he’d let me be the favourite.
Amir and Hassan grew up together, inseparable. However, Amir was sometimes
cruel to Hassan, eventually betraying him when he looked on as Hassan was raped.
Hassan had proven himself over and over again to Amir, defending him against
bullies, encouraging him when he felt down and also fitting the role of servant.
Hassan put up with Amir’s occasional cruel taunts and superior attitude. When he
watched Hassan’s rape, Amir could only compare Hassan’s look to that of a
sacrificial lamb.
Even though Amir was forgiven by Hassan he was never able to redeem himself
with his brother and friend. He did that through his heroic rescue of Hassan’s son,
Sohrab.
What to do at Level Two
Posted November 8, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner
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Naturally, the primary purpose of an essay on a literary text is to provide an
interpretation of that text. In so doing, an essay needs to move beyond a
description of characters and events to an analysis of the different elements of
the text.
This analysis should bear in mind that the world that is presented in the text may
well be fundamentally different from the world in which you live. Therefore, in
analysing the characters and events of a text, you will need to take an
“imaginative leap” into the moral and social framework of that text, imagining
how such characters and events would be judged from within that framework.
The following essay questions are designed to highlight these two different aspects
of interpreting texts: narrative vs. analysis and making judgements. All questions
would be suitable for The Kite Runner or To Kill a Mockingbird.
1. Analyse how ONE main character or individual changed to become more
(OR less) admirable.
2. Analyse how features of ONE important section made it particularly
effective.
3. Analyse how the writer presented a positive OR negative view of humanity
and / or society.
4. Analyse how ONE OR MORE symbols were used to present an important idea
or ideas.
5. Analyse how a text strengthened or changed your opinion of a particular
topic or issue.
6. Analyse how the resolution of a main conflict was important to the text as
a whole.
7. Analyse techniques used to show changes in a main character or individual
in a text you have studied AND why these changes were important to the
text as a whole.
The Opening Sequence
Posted November 6, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Shawshank Redemption | Tags: The Shawshank
Redemption
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A question that often comes up in the Visual Text section is on the opening of a
film. I have added the opening sequence of The Shawshank Redemption below for
those of you that would like to attempt the essay question below.
Analyse why you thought either the beginning OR the ending of the text was effective.

blank screen with major credits and Inkspots’ song over: ‘If I Didn’t Care’.

fade-up to night scene; long shot of two lights at the beginning of a drive;
lit building in background

camera tracks back to pick up dark shape of car; silhouette of driver lit by
dash lights; music track decreases in volume

camera tracks forward slightly and pans around to pick up driver in mediumside shot; he looks dishevelled, leans forward and reaches over to glove
compartment; Foley track becomes more prominent

close-up of hand retrieving bundle from compartment; camera follows as
bundle taken across to driver’s lap and opened to reveal a revolver and
loose bullets; hand moves to find and open a small bourbon bottle

cut to medium-front-on shot of driver swigging

soundtrack of courtroom scene becomes prominent; cut to front-on closemedium shot of character being asked a question about a murder in court;
piano music track in background

sequence of question-and-answer shots in day-lit courtroom

cut to medium-night shot of man backing through doorway; woman follows;
door is pushed closed and they embrace against it

cut to another medium shot; question-and-answer sequence in the
courtroom

cut to close-up of hands loading the revolver in the car

cut to medium-front shot of driver through windscreen

cut to sequence of question-and-answer shots in courtroom

cut to slow pan of jury

cut to close-medium question-and-answer sequence with characters
becoming more intense

cut to close-up of hands preparing revolver, cut to close-medium shot of
driver taking another swig

dash lights go out; courtroom voice-over becomes prominent; interior light
comes on as driver opens door

cut to close-up of foot emerging from car; soundtrack of things falling; glass
breaking; close-up of feet walking towards drive

cut to front-on full shot of driver walking unsteadily forward towards gate;
he walks into medium shot

cut back to courtroom sequence, cut to series of close-ups of the lovers
against the door; courtroom soundtrack still over

cut to sentencing scene in court; close-up of judge; cut to zoom in on Mr
Dufresne

cut to black; soundtrack of door slamming loudly
Visual Text Revision
Posted November 5, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption, Year 12
Essays | Tags: Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption, visual text
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This post is for Level Two students. I have added some film questions for you to
work on.
1. Explain how a director has established and developed a major character in
your studied visual text.
2. Discuss how a director has manipulated the viewer’s response to one of the
following: a relationship, a group of characters, an incident.
3. Describe how a film that you have studied has revealed aspects of human
nature or human society.
4. What did a film you have studied reveal to you about relationships between
people?
5. Describe how the film you studied caused you as a viewer to adopt an
opinion and/or develop a response to one of its main characters.
Visual Text Revision
Posted November 5, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption, Year 12
Essays | Tags: Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption, visual text
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This post is for Level Two students. I have added some film questions for you to
work on.
1. Explain how a director has established and developed a major character in
your studied visual text.
2. Discuss how a director has manipulated the viewer’s response to one of the
following: a relationship, a group of characters, an incident.
3. Describe how a film that you have studied has revealed aspects of human
nature or human society.
4. What did a film you have studied reveal to you about relationships between
people?
5. Describe how the film you studied caused you as a viewer to adopt an
opinion and/or develop a response to one of its main characters.
Visual Text Revision
Posted November 5, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption, Year 12
Essays | Tags: Schindler's List, The Shawshank Redemption, visual text
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This post is for Level Two students. I have added some film questions for you to
work on.
1. Explain how a director has established and developed a major character in
your studied visual text.
2. Discuss how a director has manipulated the viewer’s response to one of the
following: a relationship, a group of characters, an incident.
3. Describe how a film that you have studied has revealed aspects of human
nature or human society.
4. What did a film you have studied reveal to you about relationships between
people?
5. Describe how the film you studied caused you as a viewer to adopt an
opinion and/or develop a response to one of its main characters.
6.
Another Essay
7. Posted October 29, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
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8. Here is another essay. Be inspired and write one yourself!
9.
10. Analyse how the resolution of a main conflict was important to the
resolution to the text as a whole.
11. “It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, and how you can
bury it. Because the past claws it’s way out”.
12. In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseni we follow the story of
Amir, and his quest to make right a ‘past of unatoned sins’, which he simply
could not bury. As the story of Amir’s childhood unfolds, we realise that he
lives under the shadow of his guilt. Making right what he did so many years
ago is paramount if Amir is to live a free life, the resolution of his internal
conflict-his desperate need to atone, is essential to the novel.
13. Read the rest on the Year 12 page.
14.
New Kite Runner Essay
15. Posted October 28, 2008
Filed under: Essays, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (3)
16.
17. I have added an essay on The Kite Runner to the Year 12 page.
18. ‘Analyse how the resolution of a main conflict was important to the text
as a whole’.
19. In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini, the resolution of Hassan’s
rape and the conflict it created became an essential quest for Amir. Amir
needed to resolve this conflict by atoning for his mistakes so that he could
continue his life without his ever-present guilty conscience.
20. Read the rest on the Year 12 page.
Afghan women jailed
Posted August 19, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner | Tags: Afghan women, The Kite Runner
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In our discussions about Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner we talked about
life in Afghanistan for women. This recent article in The Independent makes for
sobering reading.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-afghan-women-jailed-for-being-victims-ofrape-900658.html?afid=af
The Kite Runner – The Final Chapter
Posted August 17, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
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In the final chapter Amir prays for Sohrab and this is important because it means
that he has embraced his faith in a meaningful way. Amir has navigated through
Baba’s views and that of the Mullahs to understand: “That Baba was wrong, there
is a God, there always has been …there has to be.” He prays that his “sins have not
caught up with him” again. He feels that “my hands are stained with Hassan’s
blood; I pray God doesn’t let them get stained with the blood of his boy too.”
Sohrab lives but he won’t speak. When he eventually says something he says “I
want my old life back” and tells Amir that he wishes he had been left to die. These
are the last words that Sohrab speaks for “almost a year.”
Sohrab comes to live with Amir and Soraya which General Taheri disapproves of
because Sohrab is Hazara. When Amir stands up to the General by saying: “You will
never again refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence. He has a name and it’s
Sohrab” the reader rejoices – at last Amir is showing how he has grown as a
character. However, it is still a difficult time for Amir – Sohrab is silent, the Twin
Towers are destroyed and the US bombs Afghanistan.
The novel ends with a return to kite fighting and a scene of role reversal where
Amir is the kite runner for Sohrab. With the hint of a smile on Sohrab’s face there
is a glimmer of hope for the future. Amir’s final words, “I ran” reverberate with
echoes of his betrayal as a 12 year old but he is no longer running away and
instead he is finally repaying Hassan’s loyalty by looking after Sohrab.
So after all the suffering it is all a bit of a relief to have a sign that Sohrab is being
rehabilitated. Obviously, it is also a relief that we have a moral resolution as Amir
has shown contrition for his actions and he has been able to make amends. He has
demonstrated compassion and kindness, he has suffered great pain but he has
found redemption. He has become “good again.”
Fin.
The Kite Runner – The Penultimate Chapter!
Posted August 17, 2008
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Nearly there. In this chapter Amir takes Sohrab to Islamabad but Sohrab runs away
to the mosque. Sohrab tells Amir that he feels dirty because of what Assef and the
others did to him. Amir tries to reassure Sohrab and tries to connect to him as he
did with Hassan. Soraya and Amir agree to adopt Sohrab but it isn’t an easy
process. It looks like Sohrab will have to stay in a Pakistani orphanage until the
adoption is complete. Sohrab feels that Amir has broken his promise and he is very
upset. Soraya phones to say that a humanitarian visa may be able to be arranged
and Amir goes to tell Sohrab only to find that he has attempted suicide. Again we
have blood in a literal and symbolic way. We worry that Sohrab is another victim of
Amir’s indiscretions. Sohrab’s suicide attempt reveals his total loss of faith in the
reliability and honesty of adults.
Chapter 23 – The Kite Runner
Posted August 16, 2008
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This chapter has similarities with Chapter 22 as the past and present once again
converge. Amir has serious injuries as a result of his fight with Assef and he is in
hospital. The injury to note is the one to his upper lip: “The impact had cut your
upper lip in two … clean down the middle … Like a harelip.” I am sure that you can
work out the significance of that! While he is in hospital he reads the letter from
Rahim Khan. This helps Amir to accept his own history and to understand why it is
important to atone for the past. He also comes to understand how Baba tried to
redeem himself by building the orphanage. Rahim Khan explains that true
redemption is what Baba wanted – “And that, I believe, is what true redemption is,
Amir jan, when guilt leads to good.”
The Kite Runner – Chapter 22
Posted August 13, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
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In this climatic chapter Amir meets the executioner from the previous chapter who
turns out to be Assef. When they meet Assef rips off Amir’s fake beard and
confronts him. It is the confrontation that Amir avoided as a child and of course
the cause of his guilt. Amir didn’t stand up to Assef when he was a boy and he left
Hassan to be raped. Amir now has the chance to redeem himself and save Sohrab.
Note that Hosseini uses the sacrificial lamb imagery that he used when describing
Hassan’s rape in this chapter.
Amir and Assef fight and it is described in a series of images and memories …
Assef’s brass knuckles “flashing in the afternoon light…blood from his split upper
lip staining the mauve carpet…Sohrab screaming…the knuckles shattering his jaw.”
It is a disturbing scene but the reader wants Assef to be held to account. He is the
arch-villain of the novel, a bully and a coward. Assef is a fan of Hitler and this
helps to associate the Taliban’s ‘ethnic cleansing’ with the Holocaust. He is an evil
man and this is emphasised by his paedophilia.
Just when it looks like Assef will win the fight, Sohrab fires a brass ball from his
slingshot and hits out Assef’s eye. Amir and Sohrab escape. In protecting Sohrab,
Amir also saves himself – “for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at
peace.”
The Kite Runner – Chapter 21
Posted August 12, 2008
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Amir returns to his old neighbourhood and at last he realises that he doesn’t want
to forget anymore. He is ready to face his past and try to redeem himself. In this
chapter there is more evidence of the brutality of the Taliban. The Afghan people
are so used to the Taliban and their cruel punishments that the scene of a young
man’s dead body hanging means that “hardly anyone seemed to notice.”
The chapter ends with the awful scene of a public execution – a stoning. Hosseini
seems to have written the execution to echo a scene at the Colosseum in Ancient
Rome. There are the woman’s screams, the gasps from the crowd and the horrible
images of the beaten and bloodied corpses. And of course there is the chilling
figure of the man in the dark sunglasses in his white robe with his arms “spread
like those of Jesus on the cross.”
The Kite Runner – Chapter 20
Posted August 11, 2008
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The picture of Kabul created by Hosseini is devastating. The educated are now
beggars as are many of the women and children. The city is a wasteland and we
see that the Taliban are not just brutally violent but they are also corrupt. Amir
goes to the orphanage to find Sohrab but discovers that the director Zaman has
sold him to a member of the Taliban. Zaman is completely corrupt and he justifies
his actions by saying that if he didn’t sell the children they would be taken
anyway. The implied rape of these children makes the reader remember Hassan’s
rape by Assef.
Amir and Farid are told to go to the Ghazi stadium and look for the Talib official
who will be “wearing black sunglasses”.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 19
Posted August 10, 2008
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In chapter 19 Amir travels to Kabul with Farid, an ethnic Tajik to find Sohrab. Farid
doesn’t have much time for Amir at first because he sees him as privileged and
ignorant about the realities of life in Afghanistan. He tells Amir: “That’s the real
Afghanistan, Aga sahib. That’s the Afghanistan I know. You? You’ve always been a
tourist here, you just didn’t know it.” Hosseini gets the reader to compare Amir’s
cushioned and wealthy life with the way in which most Afghanis live. Amir can now
see what life in Afghanistan is really like. He starts to understand more about his
people when Farid’s family are so hospitable to him and then he discovers that
they have gone hungry to feed him. Amir learns that generosity is an important
part of the Afghan culture. It is experiences like this that help Amir reconnect to
Afghanistan and aid him on his journey to atone for his past.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 18
Posted August 7, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
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A turning point! Amir takes up Rahim Khan’s challenge which gives him the chance
of finding forgiveness. It is off to Kabul to bring back Sohrab. Amir has to not only
atone for his own sins but also for Baba’s failings – “We had both betrayed the
people who would have given their lives for us.”
The Kite Runner – Chapter 17
Posted August 4, 2008
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Chapter 17 is a tragic chapter for two reasons, as we learn of Hassan’s death and
that Hassan is also Baba’s son. Amir finds it hard to take in this news and becomes
angry. He is so guilty about what happened when they were children and he knows
now that he can’t make it up to Hassan personally. Amir finds it so hard to bear
that he not only betrayed his friend in the alley but that he betrayed his brother.
In this chapter we are presented with more evidence of the brutality of the
Taliban and how they targeted the Hazara in particular. Amir needs to redeem
himself by saving Hassan’s son. However, Amir is reluctant to return to Kabul and
he seems to have become what his father had feared he might: “a man who can’t
stand up to anything.” Rahim Khan pleads with Amir to “grant an old man his dying
wish.” Amir feels that Rahim Khan thinks too highly of him and it appears that he
still wants to take the easy way out. The announcement that Hassan was Baba’s
son changes the central relationships of the novel. The death of the innocent
Hassan is devastating and the moral argument of the novel that Amir needs to
make amends for his sin makes this a turning point in the novel. Amir’s response
will truly determine what sort of man he is.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 17
Posted July 31, 2008
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This chapter is the only one narrated by another character (Rahim Khan) and it
covers the events in Kabul since Amir has been gone. A great number of events
both political and domestic are covered. Rahim Khan has a different tone than
Amir as he is more philosophical about what has happened and he accepts the
past. When he talks about Hassan he speaks of him with affection and without
guilt.
We also learn about Sanaubar’s return and how hard her life has been. She has
paid a terrible price for being a ‘dishonourable’ woman. Sanaubar returns to a
traditional role and moral salvation and she is able to die peacefully.
Rahim Khan does not tell Amir why he had to come back urgently and there is still
more to be told.
The Pawshank Redemption
Posted July 30, 2008
Filed under: Humour | Tags: Humour
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The Kite Runner – Chapter 15
Posted July 27, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner | Tags: Taliban, The Kite Runner
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Amir arrives in Pakistan and he arrives to find “a thing made of skin and bones
pretending to be Rahim Khan.” Amir wants to take him to the U.S. to find “a good
doctor” as he is now Western in outlook and he thinks that there could be a cure
but Rahim Khan is prepared to accept God’s will. Amir learns about the terrible
things that the Taliban has done and Rahim Khan also tells Amir about Hassan and
he gives him a chance to “be good again.” Amir can’t ignore Rahim Khan’s dying
wishes.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 14
Posted July 23, 2008
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This chapter links to the first chapter because it covers Rahim Khan’s telephone
call from Pakistan. At this point in the novel Amir realises that Rahim Khan knows
what happened to Hassan. When Amir decides to go to Pakistan this is important as
he has a chance to find salvation, a chance “to be good again.” We know that Amir
is moving into the last part of his moral quest – his redemption.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 13
Posted July 19, 2008
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The “giving word” ceremony takes place
at Soraya’s parents’ house. Amir is happy when Baba tells him that this is the
happiest day of his life. A great deal of this chapter is about the customs and
culture surrounding Afghan ceremonies. Hosseini explains the significance of these
ceremonies. Note that Soraya’s character allows Hosseini to discuss the role of
women in Afghan society. Her treatment from the Afghan community highlights the
double standards applies to men and women in that community.
Soraya decides that she and Amir will move in with Baba so that she can dedicate
herself to his care in his final days. Baba dies and many people mourn his death.
When the mourners offer Amir their sympathies, he realises that much of who he is
has been defined by Baba and the marks he made on people’s lives. Amir knows
that he must know find his own path and he is scared.
“How much of who I was, what I was, had been defined by Baba and the marks he
had left on people’s lives. My whole life, I had been ‘Baba’s son’. Now he was
gone. Baba couldn’t show me the way anymore; I’d have to find it on my own.”
Amir attends San Jose State University where he studies English and Soraya
continues teaching studies, a decision that her father constantly criticises. In 1988
Amir learns that his book is going to be published. Soraya and Amir are elated and
Amir wishes that Baba could have seen what he has achieved. Amir reflects on his
success and he wonders whether he deserves it.
Amir and Soraya begin trying to have a child but they have no luck. Amir’s guilt
about Hassan resurfaces and he feels that maybe they can’t have children because
“perhaps something, someone, somewhere, has decided to deny me fatherhood for
the things I had done.” As he lies in bed he feels “the emptiness in Soraya’s
womb” and it “sleeps between (them) like a newborn child.”
Chapter 13 is really at the mid-point of the novel. This chapter is important for
Amir because he crosses from adolescence to adulthood. In a very short time he is
married, Baba dies and his first novel is published. Amir meets Soraya and he
discovers the ‘tenderness of a woman’. We see that Hassan is never far from his
mind, which foreshadows that he will someday atone for what he has done to him
as Amir will never really be a man until he shows moral courage.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 12
Posted July 19, 2008
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Amir continues to develop his relationship with Soraya. Baba tells Amir to be
careful as General Taheri is a proud Pashtun and he will defend his ‘honour’ and
the ‘chastity’ of his daughter.
Much of this chapter is set at the flea market and it shows the Afghan immigrants
have set up a small version of their society in America. We are told Taheri is
“Pashtun to the root” and that protocol surrounding women in Pahtun society must
be followed so as not to disgrace Pashtun men. Note that Soraya’s loss of virginity
has destroyed her chances at a respectable marriage.
Baba has cancer and it is terminal and although he is very ill he helps to arrange
Amir’s marriage to Soraya. Soraya tells Amir about her past and gives him the
chance to pull out of the marriage. He is bothered by her loss of virginity but
realises “How could I, of all people, chastise someone for the past.” Amir envies
Soraya because her secret is out and his betrayal still eats away at him just as
Baba’s cancer is consuming him. Amir thinks Soraya’s courage is “one of many
ways” that she is better than him.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 11
Posted July 17, 2008
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Baba and Amir are in America but Baba has difficulty in adjusting to life there.
Baba’s political views cause tension. Baba still responds with violence when angry
and there is a nasty incident with the elderly Vietnamese couple in the grocery
store. He works long hours at a petrol station and won’t take any help. Baba
refuses food stamps as this is an insult to his pride.
Amir is relieved to be in America as it is a place “with no ghosts, no memories, and
no sins.” When he graduates from high school Baba tells him that he is proud and
takes him out for a celebration. Typically, Baba buys drinks for all the patrons in
the bar. He buys Amir a car but then he adds “I wish Hassan had been with us
today.” Baba wants Amir to study medicine but Amir decides to study English as he
“didn’t want to sacrifice myself to Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I
had damned myself.”
Amir and Baba start selling things at a flea market and it is there that Amir meets
Soraya. Amir remembers that there was some gossip about her. Baba tells Amir
that there had been a man once in her life and that things did not go well.
Although, Soraya is a decent person none of the Afghani men are interested in her.
Baba observes, “It may be unfair, but what happens in a single day, can change the
course of a whole lifetime.” Baba’s statement that what happens in a single day
can change the course of a whole lifetime is ironic, because that so true for Amir.
As we know this is also true for Baba as we will see later in the novel when his past
is revealed. The introduction of a love interest for Amir is interesting, because
Soraya is also “damaged goods,” just like Amir.
The symbolic significance of kites
Posted July 15, 2008
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We have discussed the symbolic use of kites in The Kite Runner and although to
many of you they reflected Amir’s use of cliche they are worth discussing. Kites
are popular today but they have ancient origins. It is believed that they date back
at least three thousand years and originally came from China. Kites are particularly
popular in Afghanistan as they symbolise national pride, history, independence,
personal pride and religion.
Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring up in
the sky. They danced high above the trees on the west end of the park, over the
windmills.
This description from the novel appears on page one. The kites represent the
relationship between Amir and Hassan, they float close to one another
occassionally bumping each other accidently or manipulated on purpose. As the
kite flyer and the kite runner they are a perfect team as each is an expert in their
own right.
Every winter, districts in Kabul held a kite-fighting tournament. If you were a boy
living in Kabul, the day of the tournament was undeniably the highlight of the
cold season … In Kabul, fighting kites was a little like going to war.
In Amir’s case this war takes a number of forms in the novel. There is the actual
kite-fighting battle, his internal conflict over not protecting Hassan, the battle to
win Baba’s attention and to earn his praise and finally the battle over whether to
get involved in rescuing Sohrab. Another interesting thing about kites are that they
are the only thing that Amir and Baba have in common. Their hopes, dreams and
personalities are very different but kites are “the one paper thin slice of
intersection between spheres of their existence.” Baba and Amir do eventually
come to understand one another but it takes a long time to get there.
The end of the novel was hard for many of you to believe in because of the use of
cliche and this was even more evident in your reactions to the film but remember
that in Afghanistan kite-flying and fighting only have one rule and that is winning.
This not only makes the fight scene between Assef and Amir more believable but it
also reminds us why Amir is so desperate to win. Remember, to bring home the
last fallen kite is a great honour. Amir betrayed Hassan to get it. Now Sohrab is
that last fallen kite and Amir needs to not only win against Assef, he must also
bring Sohrab home. It costs Amir and Sohrab a great deal but the final kite-flying
scene suggests that Amir by taking on Hassan’s role for Sohrab has finally
redeemed himself and has found goodness and redemption.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 10
Posted July 14, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: Afghanistan, Soviet occupation, The
Kite Runner
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It is now 1981 and the action focuses on Amir and Baba’s escape from Soviet
occupied Kabal. They secretly leave and hurriedly leave with other refugees in a
truck. Amir again embarrasses Baba by being carsick. In this part of the novel the
horrors of the Soviet occupation are suggested. We note that Amir still thinks of
Hassan and the thought that the friend he betrayed is still in the Soviet controlled
country makes him physically ill.
The scene where Baba intervenes when a Russian soldier threatens to rape one of
the refugees is a direct contrast to Amir and Hassan. Baba’s action is a testament
to courage and principles as he is willing to stand up and defend a woman he
doesn’t even know while Amir couldn’t defend the friend that he had grown up
with.
The reappearance of Kamal is a variation on the same theme. The reader notes
that it is ironic that Kamal, who participated in Hassan’s rape, has gone silent,
because he, too, was raped. Kamal’s did not rape Hassan but he allowed it to
happen. His rape appears to be a chilling example of natural justice. Kamal’s
reaction to the trauma he suffered is also significant as he has basically had a
breakdown. It makes the reader reflect on how Hassan must have felt after his
rape. The act of rape is about brutal domination and in this chapter it can be seen
as symbolic of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.
After Kamal dies in the petrol tanker his father kills himself in despair. He is
symbolic of the despair of many people in Afghanistan. Kamal’s father’s suicide is
also symbolic in that it represents the dying of the old life they all are leaving
behind. This can be seen when Baba gathers up the dirt of his homeland to hold
next to his heart. It foreshadows to the reader that Baba will never come back to
Afghanistan.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 9
Posted July 12, 2008
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Only another sixteen to go …
The next morning, Amir opens all his presents. He reflects bitterly that “Baba
would never have thrown a party like that if he hadn’t one the tournament.” Amir
sees the gifts as blood money. He does receive two significant presents – the
writing journal from Rahim Khan and the illustrated edition of the Shahnamah from
Ali and Hassan. The book is expensive and one that they can barely afford.
The next morning, Amir waits until Ali and Hassan leave to do the shopping. He
picks up his new watch and some cash and takes them to their hut. Amir places the
items them under Hassan’s mattress. Shortly after, he goes into Baba’s study
where he reports the ‘theft’. When Baba asks Hassan if he stole Amir’s gifts,
Hassan says yes. Amir understands that this is Hassan’s final sacrifice for him. He
also understands that Hassan knows that he watched everything that happened in
the alley and yet he is rescuing Amir once again. Baba forgives Hassan but Ali
announces that they are leaving. He is cold to Amir and he shows that he also
knows about the rape and Amir’s betrayal.
The reader’s sympathy for Amir is challenged by his calculated actions in this
chapter. Morally, it is Amir’s lowest point. However, the narrative voice gives no
excuses for Amir’s shameful behaviour. Amir’s guilt is so great that all he knows
how to do is to deny it. The only way he can do that is to turn his back on Hassan.
By framing Hassan for stealing his gifts he forces Ali to insist on leaving. It is ironic
that this is that it will only make his guilt greater. Note as Ali and Hassan leave in
Baba’s car the rain begins to fall. The image of rain is suggestive of deep sorrow –
Amir’s and for the death of a close friendship. Amir’s guilt is deepened as we see
that Hassan has once again sacrificed himself to protect Amir
Jive:
The Kite Runner – Chapter 8
Posted July 11, 2008
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Chapter eight focuses on Amir’s attempts to forget what he has done to Hassan. He
treats him like a servant instead of his friend, he lies about him being ill, he hits
him with the pomegranates, and Amir even asks Baba to get new servants. Amir is
racked with guilt.
The relationship between Baba and Amir improves after the kite flying
tournament, which confirms Amir’s belief that Baba wants him to be more like
him. As Amir’s and Baba’s relationship improves Amir’s and Hassan’s deteriorates
because of Amir’s guilt.
Amir asks Baba if they can go to Jalalabad because he wants to spend time alone
with him. He is not happy about Baba’s suggestion that Hassan comes with them
and he is jealous that Baba is worried about Hassan’s health. Baba manages to
invite two dozen people and Amir is very uncomfortable with the praise he
receives about the tournament. This is also indicated by his travel sickness and his
insomnia.
The boys go to see their favourite pomegranate tree and Amir is upset by the
words carved into the tree. He pelts Hassan with pomegranates. The boys’
friendship continues to deteriorate and Amir pushes Hassan away and rebuffs any
attempts at communication. Amir asks Baba about the possibility of “getting new
servants”. Baba is very upset and he tells Amir that, “you bring me shame.” The
relationship between father and son weakens again.
The trip to Jalalabad and Amir’s birthday party reinforce Baba’s position in
society. Amir sees the hundreds of guests at his party and the pile of presents as a
tribute to the power of his father. He sees the presents as ‘blood money’.
At his birthday party Amir has to deal with the emptiness inside him every time he
is congratulated for winning the kite tournament and he has to stand speechless
while Hassan has to serve Assef. Assef presents Amir with a gift- a biography of
Hitler, Amir reluctantly accepts it but later throws it away. Rahim Khan tells Amir
that he can talk to him anytime and gives a blank book for writing.
This chapter with the trip to Jalalabad, the birthday party and celebrations of
Amir’s victory show how his self-loathing increases. His illness and insomnia show
how guilt is affecting him. Amir can no longer sleep well because he does not have
a clear conscience.
The Kite Runner Wiki
Posted July 6, 2008
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I have added our Kite Runner wiki to moodle. To find it look in The Kite Runner
section. It has lots of resources on it to help you with your revision and more is
being added all the time.
Chapter 7 is very important!
Posted July 6, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: key scene, The Kite Runner
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When I started posting on the chapters of The Kite Runner it didn’t seem a
daunting task but as I am only up to chapter seven … maybe I was wrong.
So here goes -
In chapter seven Hassan dreams that Amir conquers the monster in the lake. Amir
prays to win the competition – which he does and Hassan runs to retrieve the losing
kite. Assef and his gang trap Hassan in an alley and Assef rapes him. Amir sees the
rape but he runs away and pretends nothing has happened.
This is the most important chapter of the entire novel as it presents the problem
that Amir will have to deal with the rest of his life. It shows his greatest sin and
what Rahim Khan had referred to when he said, “There is a way to be good again.”
The dream is used to foreshadow Amir’s victory in the tournament, but there are
still monsters to deal with: Assef of course, and Amir himself. Amir’s cowardice is
made clearer by Hassan’s courage in standing up for him the year before. The
tournament is Amir’s greatest moment in his search for approval from Baba, but in
the end, it is his worst moment because of what he allowed to happen to Hassan.
This event will form the basis for the remainder of the novel. Note that the
foreshadowing set into place with Assef’s warning that he was a patient person and
would have his revenge eventually has come true. Hassan will pay a terrible price
for that revenge, but then so will Amir.
So to be clear – the seventh chapter is very important. The key scene in which
Amir witnesses the rape of Hassan and does nothing to protect him is the central
event in the novel. This is the event that has haunted Amir. As readers we
condemn Amir’s cowardice and feel some repulsion at Amir’s failure to defend
Hassan. However, it is important to note that disgust for his cowardice is also
shared by Amir himself. Amir knows that his abandonment of Hassan can be viewed
as a sacrifice to win Baba’s approval. Amir is afraid that he let Hassan get raped
because he is “just a Hazara”. Also note how Hassan’s attackers, Assef, Wali and
Kamal attack Hassan’s ethnicity. Hosseini is making it clear to the reader just how
embedded the idea that Hazara are inferior in Afghanistan is. I will mention at this
point the image of the slaughtered lamb which recurs through the novel and is
obviously developed further in this chapter. The key scene reinforces the idea the
Amir had to sacrifice Hassan in order to win Baba’s approval.
The theme of guilt in The Kite Runner
Posted July 4, 2008
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Throughout the novel Amir is plagued by guilt. He constantly thinks about his
actions, is bothered by them, but doesn’t seem to know how to resolve the
situation, until Rahim Khan gives him a way.
In The Kite Runner it is like it is a genetic part of his make-up as Amir seems to
have been born with the inherited guilt of his father. When he was young he
blamed himself for his mother’s death and believed this was why Baba had a
problem with him:
I always felt like Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his
beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn’t I? The least I could have done was to
have the decency to have turned out a little more like him.
It was years before Amir learned the truth from Rahim Khan. After the death of
Ali, Hassan and Baba, Amir was alone and left to not only sort out his own sins but
also those of his father. Amir had learned to silence the guilt that gnawed away at
him and he would need time to deal with the truth.
From the moment that he saw Hassan raped Amir defined himself by his guilt. The
novel even opens with, “I became what I am today at the age of twelve.” Amir’s
failure to act to prevent Hassan from being raped left him stained with guilt. He
went through life with a secret sin and guilt. Amir feels unclean and realises that
he is cursed. “I watched Hassan get raped … I understood the nature of my new
curse: I was going to get away with it.” Amir is beginning to realise the connection
and conflict between his inner desires and his behaviour. “Nothing was free in this
world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win
Baba. Was it a fair price? … He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” Amir learns that to
win the prize there will be costs and sacrifices. Amir not only sacrificed Hassan and
Ali, but he has sacrificed his own soul.
When Soraya confessed her past before they got engaged, Amir thought:
How could I, of all people, chastise someone for their past?… I envied her. Her
secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with. I opened my mouth and almost told her how
I’d betrayed Hassan, lied, driven him out and destroyed a forty-year relationship
between Baba and Ali. But I didn’t. I suspected there were many ways in which
Soraya Taheri was a better person than me. Courage was just one of them.
It would take Amir fifteen years before he would be able to tell Soraya the truth.
When he gets the call from Rahim Khan Amir is set on a journey that will strip
away all his protective layers. Layer by layer he loses the weight of guilt and he is
able to find forgiveness. When Sohrab attempts suicide Amir prays that he lives.
He asks God to forgive him but it took more time for Amir to forgive himself. Amir
and Sohrab both found it difficult to forgive themselves. The fact that Sohrab feels
guilt is so sad. He felt dirty because of Assef’s abuse and he even feels guilty for
hurting his abuser. Amir assures Sohrab that he has done nothing wrong but his
guilt and his fear of going back to the orphanage is too much to bear.
The novel ends with the first rays of hope that Sohrab is recovering mentally,
emotionally and physically. Amir has put so much energy into saving Sohrab and
through this journey he has also saved himself. Amir was able to finally forgive
himself and he has been able to turn his guilt into good. He finds redemption.
Assef
Posted July 1, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner | Tags: Assef, The Kite Runner
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It has been interesting to hear your comments on the film version of The Kite
Runner. One of the most discussed portrayals was that of Assef. Many of you felt
that his role needed expansion so as to show him as the fascist maniac and
archetype of evil that he appears in the novel. I have added a few character notes
below.
Assef is the neighbourhood bully; he intimidates the weakest children and pummels
them with brass knuckles. He has an oily charm and he is able to flatter Baba.
Assef is particularly good at sports and seems “the embodiment of every parent’s
dream, a strong, well-dressed and well-mannered boy with talent and striking
looks.” However, his eyes betray him and Amir always believed that he saw
glimpses of madness in them. It is interesting that when Amir meets him again
Assef is wearing sunglasses.
Even as a boy Assef admired Hitler and his vision of a pure Aryan world. Assef fits
perfectly into the Taliban world because he also has a vision for Afghanistan – an
Afghanistan for Pashtuns, the “pure” Afghans. Assef is undoubtedly the villain of
the novel and Hosseini not only links him to Hitler but also with Mullah Mohammed
Omar, the leader of the Taliban. Assef’s loss of an eye links him to the hated
Mullah who like Assef was a towering figure with only one eye.
The character of Assef does not change as the novel progresses. He is unwaveringly
evil and incapable of empathy or change. He matures into a sociopath and he is
thrust into power by the rise of the Taliban. Assef’s paedophilia confirms him as
completely evil and symbolises the destructive relationship between the Taliban
and the vulnerable, disempowered people such as women and the Hazara.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 6
Posted June 28, 2008
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It is winter in Afghanistan and it is also the kite flying season. Baba buys Amir and
Hassan the best kites at a specialist kite maker. Amir is a skilled kite flyer but
wealth and privilege are also significent factors in his success.
As the boys prepare for the tournament Amir half-playfully tests Hassan’s loyalty
by asking him if he would “Eat dirt if I told you to”. This test is another sign of
Amir’s arrogance as a ruling Pashtun as well as an indication of his insecurity. The
reader wonders why he has the constant need to exert power over the obviously
powerless Hassan.
The tournament draws near and Baba takes a real interest in Amir and he
confidently predicts he will win. Amir is worried that he won’t measure up but also
hopes to bask in the glow of victory. He thinks taht if he wins the tournament that
“maybe I would be finally be pardoned for killing my mother.”
Soraya
Posted June 25, 2008
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“I blinked, my heart quickening. She had thick black eyebrows that touched in the middle like
the arched wings of a flying bird, and the gracefully hooked nose of a princess from old
Persia – maybe that of Tahmineh, Rostam’s wife and Sohrab’s mother from the Shahnamah.”
One character that we have not discussed in any real depth is Soraya. When Amir sees Soraya
at the flea market he falls in love. Soraya also suffers from the mistakes she made as a young
woman, but accepts her humiliation for running away with a man and becomes a good,
decent human being. Soraya is the perfect match for Amir who considers himself to be soiled
and spoiled. She is instrumental in helping Amir to develop in maturity. Soraya’s honesty
about her past is a lesson for Amir, “I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with.”
Although she has been denied motherhood (perhaps to expiate her own sins) she is rewarded
when Sohrab becomes her son and she and Amir finally have a complete family.
The Kite Runner – Chapter 5
Posted June 25, 2008
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Another day, another chapter. In this chapter the monarchy is overthrown and
Amir and Hassan witness the coup. When Afghanistan changes so does the lives of
Hassan and Amir, particularly because of Assef. Assef is the most evil character in
the novel and he is a strong supporter of the fall of the monarchy. Assef wants,
like Hitler did in Germany, to rid Afghanistan of unwanted minorities like the
Hazara and save it for the Pashtuns. He uses this as a threat to Hassan. He asks
Amir how he can he have someone like Hassan as a friend and Amir almost says
that Hassan is not a friend, but a servant. It would have done him no good,
because Assef intends to hurt Amir as well since he and his father have “taken
these people in.” Hassan bends down, picks up some stones, and pulls out his
slingshot. Hassan orders Assef to leave them alone and warns him that he will take
out his eye if he doesn’t. Assef backs off, because Hassan’s ability with a slingshot
is wellknown. Assef, warns them that he is a patient person and that what has
happened that day is not over. Hassan and Amir know Assef is capable of anything.
Afghanistan is declared a republic and for the next few years, life goes on as
before. In 1974, on Hassan’s birthday Ali calls Hassan in, because Baba wants to
speak to him. This year Baba’s present to Hassan is plastic surgery to repair
Hassan’s harelip. Amir is once again jealous and thinks that Hassan’s present isn’t
fair. He even wishes he had his own scar. The surgery goes well and by the
following winter, Hassan is finally able to smile normally. Amir thinks this is ironic,
because that is the winter that Hassan stops smiling.
So in chapter five, we see some significant events taking place – Amir once again
shows his need for love and acceptance from his father, because he is envious of
Ali’s tenderness toward Hassan, we find out about the bully, Assef, who has antisocial ideas that are similar to those of Hitler. Assef’s decides to attack Amir and
Hassan which shows us the discrimination against the Hazara and foreshadows later
events. We see that Amir is a coward, because he wants to tell Assef that Hassan is
not his friend, but his servant. He is in contrast to Hassan who plans to use his
slingshot against a Pashtun to save Amir. In this chapter Hassan continues to be the
better of the two boys in terms of the strength of his character. We also learn that
Hassan will take out Assef’s eye if he doesn’t leave them alone. This foreshadows
what his son Sohrab actually does to Assef many years later under.
Hassan’s surgery is an unexpected gift for a Pashtun to give a Hazara, it leaves us
wondering if there is something more in this relationship and again it foreshadows
future events.Amir himself uses foreshadowing and irony when he tells us that the
following winter something will happens that makes Hassan stop smiling.
Year 12 work
Posted June 24, 2008
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I am on a course today and I would like you to answer the question below and then
continue with your other work.
Discuss the difference between Baba and Ali and between Amir and Hassan. Are
Baba’s and Amir’s betrayals and similarities in their relationships of their servants
(if you consider Baba’s act a betrayal) similar or different? Do you think that such
betrayals are inevitable in the master/servant relationship, or do you feel that
they are due to flaws in Baba’s and Amir’s characters, or are they the outcome of
circumstances and characters?
Essay introduction #4
Posted June 22, 2008
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This introduction is from Rose. Any comments?
Baba sighed “it May be unfair, but what happens in a few days sometimes even a
single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime, Amir” to what extent was
Baba prophetic?
Baba understood that a single day, a single moment, had the power to change a
whole lifetime. That in that moment, a persons could be changed so completely,
that they would live under the shadow of what happened for the rest of their life.
Though Baba may not have realised it at the time, his words would be true of
Amir. When Amir watched Hassan’s rape, and decided to run, he made a decision
that would haunt him for the rest of his life. But what Amir doesn’t realise is that
Baba too made a decision, that Baba knew first hand what it meant to make a
decision and live with its consequences for the rest of his life.
Kite Runner Questions
Posted June 22, 2008
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I would like you to answer the following questions about The Kite Runner.
1. Why is it significant that Soraya is unable to bear children? In what way does this
tragedy relate to Sohrab and the atonement of Amir’s sins?
2. Why is it significant that Amir runs after the kite that Sohrab has defeated?
What does Amir mean when he tells him, “For you, a thousand times over?”
3. Discuss the significance of the pomegranate tree where Amir and Hassan play
and read and then carve their names into the trunk.
4. How does Hosseini succeed in bringing the horror of the Taliban to life? Why did
he choose the role for Assef that he did?
The Kite Runner – Chapter 4
Posted June 22, 2008
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This post will look at chapter four. In this chapter we find out about Ali. We learn
that he is an orphan, the son of a Hazara couple killed on the road by two brothers
who were high on drugs and alcohol. Baba’s father had been the judge who had
ordered the brothers to serve in the army for a year as punishment and who had
then taken Ali into his own home. Ali and Baba grew up together just as Amir and
Hassan have done a generation later. Amir says Baba never referred to Ali as his
friend. Amir notes that he never thought of Hassan as his friend either. He is
Pashtun and Sunni and Hassan is Hazara and Shi’a and nothing will ever change
that. Of course, they had also fed from the same breast and nothing would change
that either.
In this chapter Amir emphasises the differences between his father and Ali and
Hassan and him: there are differences of class and wealth and the two classes can
never really cross into each other. Amir goes on to describe all the different
activities that he and Hassan shared, such as launching pebbles from Hassan’s
slingshot and watching westerns but he stresses that Hassan also fulfills the role of
his servant. Amir goes to school, but Hassan doesn’t so Amir reads to him. He even
carved into the pomegranate tree: “Amir and Hassan, the Sultans of Kabul.” One
of Hassan’s favorite stories was about Rostam and Sohrab, a tragic tale in which
two warriors battle each other and one kills the other, only to learn that he has
killed his own son. One day, instead of reading the words of the epic as written,
Amir substitutes his own stories. Hassan loves them and begs him to read them
again the next day. Amir is so amazed at Hassan’s reaction that he sits down that
night and writes his first short story. He takes it to Baba but he doesn’t show any
interest in even reading it. Luckily, Rahim Khan is also there and asks to read the
story. Baba is relieved and leaves the room – Amir wishes he could “open his veins
and drain his cursed blood from his body.” He feels he can never live up to what
his father wants and that Baba hates him. The ending of the chapter is an ominous
one because the life Amir and Hassan have always known is about to come to an
end.
The Kite Runner – Theme Discussion
Posted June 20, 2008
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To help your classmates understand the themes of the novel, give an example for
each of the following:

Resilience of the human spirit

Man’s inhumanity to man

Fragile relationships between fathers and sons

Loyalty

Discrimination and class structures
Essay Introduction #3
Posted June 19, 2008
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This question is more like the NCEA questions that you are familiar with. The
introduction is from Rose.
Analyse how one or more minor characters helped you understand a main
character.
The novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is written from the perspective of
an adult, Amir, reflecting on his childhood, growing up in Afghanistan. From the
outset of the novel the reader feels that Amir is somehow weighed down by his
past. That despite his efforts to repress it, “the past claws its way out”. As we
begin to delve into Amir’s past we quickly learn that a figure who had a huge
influence on Amir’s life was Hassan, a Hazara boy whose father was the servant of
Amir’s father. It is through the contrast between Amir and Hassan’s personality
that we are truly able to see who Amir is, and begin to understand his motivations
and thoughts.
Essay Introduction #2
Posted June 19, 2008
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‘Baba sighed, “It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes
even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime, Amir.” To what
extent was Baba prophetic?’
Baba’s statement is the essence of this novel, for it describes exactly what Amir,
from Khaled Hosseni’s The Kite Runner faces during this gripping text. One
moment of a single great day ends up haunting Amir’s life forever, however,
Baba’s statement could also have been a reflection of his own past rather than
prophetic words for Amir. Baba, before moving to America, is more of an authority
figure for Amir than a father and his statement may well just be a secret
indication to Amir about his relationship with Hassan’s mother.
Any thoughts on Quentin’s introduction?
Kite Runner Essay Introduction
Posted June 19, 2008
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The essay introduction that follows is from Bron’s essay. It is her first attempt at
writing an essay on the novel.
The topic is:
America is described as having “no ghosts, no memories and no sins.” To what
extent do you agree with Amir’s description?
America is a new land for Amir, both literally and metaphorically. At first, we
think that moving to America will solve all the problems which have been plaguing
him in Afgahanistan. He thinks that since the people that remind him of Hassan
aren’t there, the memory of him won’t follow either. What Amir doesn’t seem to
realise is that it isn’t the surroundings or people around him that are the ghosts
and memories of his sin, he is.
Any comments?
The Kite Runner – Chapter Three
Posted June 19, 2008
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Amir begins this chapter by telling the reader that it has been said that his father
once wrestled a black bear with his bare hands. Of course, he informs us at the
same time that exaggeration is a national pastime in Afghanistan. Rahim Khan
referred to Baba as “Mr Hurricane,” because his father was almost a force of
nature.
Amir aches for his father’s praise and he resents it when Hassan receives it
instead. In this chapter Amir relives how very much he wanted his father’s
acceptance and approval and how he very rarely received it. He describes Baba as
a man who is larger than life and one that he wishes he was like. His father tells
Amir that if the mullahs took over it would ruin Afghanistan, this also foreshadows
future events. He also tells him that the only sin is theft of any kind. We see later
that Baba’s fear of the mullahs comes true when the Taliban takes over the rule of
Afghanistan. Amir also will learn that his father, in spite of his contempt for
thieves, had already stolen something very important from him.
It is in this chapter that Amir overhears that he is a disappointment to his father
and that his Baba wonders if he might not be his son at all. This is Amir’s worst
fear and it is a rather poignant moment for the reader.
Chapter Two – The Kite Runner
Posted June 17, 2008
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In chapter two we learn about Amir’s memory of climbing a poplar tree with
Hassan and using a mirror to reflect sunlight into the windows of the neighbours
homes. He describes their childhood antics fondly. It is in this chapter that Hassan
is described as having a face of a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood; his face is
marred by the harelip as through “the Chinese doll maker’s instrument may have
slipped.” We also learn that Amir takes advantage of Hassan who he says would
never deny him anything. Some of things Amir asks him to do are wrong, but
Hassan never blames him, always accepting responsibility himself.
We also learn that Amir lives with his father, his baba, in a beautiful house in the
northern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. His father is wealthy and influential, but it is
clear that he doesn’t provide Amir with the time and affection that Amir would
like from him. Behind his father’s house is a hut, where Hassan lives with his
father, Ali.
Amir also tells us of the discrimination Hassan faces because he is Hazara. Hazaras
were in the minority, because they were Shi’a (Shiite) Muslims and not Sunni
Muslims.
This chapter is important because it introduces us to the people and events that
have had a big impact on Amir’s life: his father, Ali, and Hassan; that his mother
died at his birth and Hassan’s mother ran away; that they are from two different
social classes, Pashtun and Hazara; and the fact that he and Hassan fed at the
same breast and in Afghanistan they believe that makes them brothers forever.
This chapter informs us that Amir and Hassan had done everything together from
the beginning. It is interesting that Amir’s first word was Baba, but Hassan’s was
Amir. We find out that Amir believes that the basis for what happened in 1975 and
the events that followed was already laid in their first words.
By telling us these things, Hosseini is preparing us for significant events that will
involve these people and the things that happened to them from the time they
were born. Through Amir he is also subtlety telling us that all these events have
shaped the narrator into the man that he has become but that he still has time, as
Rahim Khan had said, to “find a way to be good again.”
Historical and Political Context for The Kite
Runner
Posted June 13, 2008
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Peter Bergen and Massoud Aziz discuss the historical and political context for the
book and movie of “The Kite Runner.”
Peter Bergen is a print and television journalist, and the author of Holy War, Inc. –
Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden. His new book is The Osama bin Laden
I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda’s Leader. Both books were named among the
best non-fiction books of the year by The Washington Post, and documentaries
based on the books were nominated for Emmys in 2002 and 2007.
Masood Aziz is at the Afghanistan Embassy in Washington. He is the founder and
acting Executive Director of the Afghanistan Policy Council, a think tank providing
a distinct voice to challenging policy issues pertaining to Afghanistan.
Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/12/18/Kite_Runner…
Important Chapters in The Kite Runner – #1
Posted June 11, 2008
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The first chapter I will look at is the opening chapter. Chapter one begins with the
narrator of the story stating, “I became what I am today at the age of twelve.” He
describes a crumbling mud wall and an alley beside a frozen creek in 1975. He
affirms that he has been “peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six
years.”
The narrator then tells us that he had received a telephone call from his friend,
Rahim Khan, in Pakistan. To him, it isn’t just Rahim Khan on the line; it is his past
which is filled with sins for which he never atoned. After he hangs up on the call,
he goes for a walk along Spreckels Lake on the edge of Golden Gate Park where he
sees a pair of kites soaring in the sky. They remind him of Hassan, the hare lipped
kite runner who had once told the narrator, “For you a thousand times over.” He
replays the last words of the telephone conversation from Rahim Khan, “There is a
way to be good again.” All the names of that time in 1975 flood back into his mind,
the time when everything changed and he became who he is today.
We do not yet know our narrator’s name, but we do know some significant things
about him: he lives in San Francisco and is of a Middle Eastern background. We
learn that 1975, when he was twelve years old, was a pivotal time in his life; and
there was a young man called Hassan who was an important part of his life. This
young man Hassan seems to have been devoted to our narrator. The purpose of
this chapter is to prepare us for the extraordinary story about to unfold.
Fathers and Sons
Posted June 8, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner | Tags: fathers and sons, The Kite Runner, theme
Comments (1)
In The Kite Runner an important theme that is emphasised throughout the novel is
that of the fragile relationship between fathers and sons. As we have discussed
Amir spends his entire life trying to be the sort of son who will not disappoint
Baba. Amir believes that he must make up for the death of his mother who died
while giving birth to him. Amir wants his father to believe in him and tell him how
proud of him he is.
It is only when Amir grows up, watches how Baba faces his death, and then returns
to Afghanistan to atone for his sins that he realises that his father had always
loved him and was proud of him. It is sad that men can find it difficult to show
their love to their sons for fear of somehow being less of a man. Amir would have
loved to have had a close relationship with Baba for all of his life and as a
consequence he struggled to find his own identify because of his need for parental
approval.
Kite Runner Study Guide Wiki
Posted June 4, 2008
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Comments (1)
The Kite Runner Wiki: A Collaborative Study Guide has been created by students in
Jennifer Beyer’s Writing Course and you may find it useful to check out
Betrayal in The Kite Runner
Posted June 4, 2008
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At the heart of The Kite Runner is an act of cowardice in the face of abuse. Amir
chose self-preservation over taking a stand to protect the vulnerable Hassan. It is
about being a witness to something shocking and not taking action to prevent it or
to hold the perpetrators accountable. It is about doing nothing when coming across
bullying. It is a theme both universal and deeply upsetting.
Think about the following quote:
It is this day in ‘the winter of 1975 (that) changes everything. And made me what I am today’.
1. <!--[if !supportLists]--><!--[endif]-->How has it made Amir what he is today?
What has he become?
After dealing with his guilt by denial, cover up, making false accusations and an
escape to a new life in America, Amir is given an opportunity to revisit his past and
find ‘a way to be good again.’
The theme of friendship in The Kite Runner
Posted June 2, 2008
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In The Kite Runner friendship is a recurring theme, particularly in terms of how
friendship is experienced between different social classes and castes. This is
explored in the relationships between Baba and Amir who are Pashtun and Ali and
Hassan who are Hazara.
A central issue in the novel is how friendship is experienced, understood and
expressed between social unequals when they have been pushed together by
circumstances (Baba’s father’s adoption of Ali meant he and Baba grew up from
boyhood together, followed by Amir and Hassan sharing their entire childhoods in
the same house, despite their very different status within the household.)
Amir constantly reflects on the question of friendship: ‘But in none of his stories
did Baba ever refer to Ali as his friend. The curious thing was, I never thought of
Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense anyhow…Because history
isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was
a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a and nothing was ever going to change that.
Nothing.’
When questioned by Assef about his friendship with a Hazara Amir admits: “But
he’s not my friend!” I almost blurted. “He’s my servant!” Had I really thought
that? Of course I hadn’t. I hadn’t. I treated Hassan well, just like a friend, better
even, more like a brother.’
Hassan regards Amir as his friend and shows it by his unfailing loyalty which is
indicative of his awareness of the unequal power in the relationship. Amir is
bothered by Hassan’s unfailing loyalty and self denial on his behalf. ‘For you a
thousand times over’ is the repeated phrase expressive of this loyalty – and we
note how it is this phrase which finally comes from Amir himself at the end of the
novel.
Hassan’s loyalty is brought out by Assef’s remarks before he assaults him:
‘Before you sacrifice yourself for him, think about this: Would he do the same for
you? … to him, you’re nothing more but an ugly pet. Something he can play with
when he’s bored, something he can kick when he’s angry…’ Hassan then says that
he and Amir are friends, a remark which is again cynically rebuffed. The retrieved
kite symbolises the strength of Hassan’s loyalty; this is in sharp contrast to the
cowardice and disloyalty that Amir is about to show. However, Hassan never
ceases to regard Amir as his friend as his letter confirms.
Themes in The Kite Runner
Posted June 1, 2008
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Comments (4)
This post is for the Year 12 students studying The Kite Runner. At the moment we
are looking at the themes of the novel and finding supporting detail in the text.
The major themes we have explored so far are atonement, loyalty, forgiveness,
friendship, redemption, sacrifice, race, class, fear and the relationships between
father and son. Are there any others?
VoiceThread – Characters in The Kite Runner
Posted May 29, 2008
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In this Voicethread students have chosen characters from the novel and
constructed short monologues that help the viewer to understand the character
more clearly.
Taliban VoiceThread
Posted May 29, 2008
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Anna, Brittany, Mia, Rebecca and Tessa have created a Voicethread about the
Taliban.
The Pashtun
Posted May 25, 2008
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‘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.’
‘I remembered something Baba has said about Pashtuns once. “We may be
hardhearted and I know we’re far too proud, but, in the hour of need, believe me
that there’s no one you’d rather have at your side than a Pashtun.” ‘
After the formation of the Afghan state in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, Pashtuns
dominated the country’s government. In 1893 Britain drew up the Durand Line,
which demarcated the frontier between Afghanistan and British India. It meant
that seven million Pashtuns live in what is now Pakistan. They are organised into
tribes, ruled by jirgas (councils). By the mid 1970′s, Pashtuns occupied up to 70% of
top and middle level positions in Afghanistan’s civil and military hierarchies.
When the Soviets invaded, 85% of the 6.2 million refugees that fled Afghanistan
were Pashtuns. Since the fall of the Communist rule, 38% of these people have
returned. Many Pashtuns still find it hard to reconcile themselves to not having a
major role in government after some 250 years of dominance.
Warfare was always a part of life in Afghanistan even when the country was not at
war, particularly among the Pashtun. One of their sayings was ‘Be tame in the city
and rebellious in the mountains.’ In Afghanistan not only did their legends revolve
around fighting but so did their hobbies. They had the obvious ones such as birdfighting, cock-fighting and wrestling or buzkaski – the Afghan version of polo with a
live goat (or sometimes the head of Russian prisoners) used as a ball.
Facts about Afghanistan
Posted May 23, 2008
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In this slideshow Ethan, Michael, Pippa and Yvonne tell us a little about the history
of Afghanistan.
VoiceThread – Khaled 2
Posted May 23, 2008
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In this Voicethread Michael, Matthew, Paul and Sven also discuss The Kite Runner
author Khaled Hosseini.
Afghanistan Animoto
Posted May 22, 2008
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Annie, Rose and Valeska have created a narrated slideshow of images of
Afghanistan to discuss the history of the country and link it to the novel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrZxaQpqBEA&feature=player_embedded
Amir and Afghanistan
Posted May 14, 2008
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The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in
the usual sense, anyhow. Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle
with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a cardboard
box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites …
… Never mind any of those things. Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither
is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was a Sunni and he
was Shi’a and nothing was going to change that. Nothing.
In this novel Amir’s battle with his own behaviour and conscience is his greatest
challenge. It can be seen as a parallel to Afghanistan’s present struggle to
establish a clear identity as it is besieged by outsiders. The Kite Runner tells a
fascinating story about a culture and country which has been viewed through
stereotype and misconception.
It is not until Amir has lived in the United States that he is able to look at
Afghanistan and himself more objectively.
Hazara Faces
Posted May 13, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, Slideshow, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: animoto,
hazara, The Kite Runner
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The video below is the first of our Kite Runner clips. This video focuses on the
Hazara and has images of the people and their homeland. For more information on
the Hazara go to this recent National Geographic article.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/02/afghanistan-hazara/phil-zabriskie-text
The use of the first-person narrator in The Kite
Runner
Posted August 27, 2012
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An author makes a critical decision when choosing the narrative perspective from
which a story will be told. One type of point of view is no better or worse than
another, the decision is based on what the author wants to communicate to the
reader. The first person narrator is often used in novels. This is where the author
uses the word “I” to give the impression that the character, not the author, is
telling the story. It engages the reader, gives eye witness immediacy to the story
and controls the point of view. However, the narrator must have witnessed the
events being told and this may lead to bias.
The first person retrospective narrator gives dual perspective – the adult and the
younger self. The narrator has the benefit of hindsight and maturity, and can offer
insight and judgment on their earlier experiences.
The first person narrative perspective of Amir allows the reader to really get into
his thoughts and feelings regarding his family and his feelings about betraying
Hassan. One of the major themes of the novel is about personal redemption, and
the reader walks through this journey as Amir battles with trying to atone for his
past mistakes. If the point of view changes, the events of the story might very well
be the same, but the reader would lose the inner connection with Amir.
Sin and Redemption in The Kite Runner
Posted July 26, 2012
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The Kite Runner is a very popular and much studied novel. There are lots of study
guides to help you understand the book and one that may interest you is
Gradesaver. Below is an extract from their notes on Sin and Redemption, a theme
we have talked a great deal about.
Sin and Redemption
In The Kite Runner, redemption is so important because sin is so enduring. Amir
opens the story by telling us not about how exactly he sinned, but about sin’s
endurance: “… It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how
you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.” Hosseini uses structure to
emphasize the themes of sin and redemption. Because Amir tells the story in
retrospect, every memory, even the blissful ones of his childhood before the rape,
are tainted with it. If the timeline of the novel was strictly chronological, we
would not have the power of hindsight. Hosseini uses the first chapter almost like
a thesis for the novel. As Amir retells the story of his life, he weighs each event
against his sin, his betrayal of Hassan. As we learn towards the novel’s end, Amir
is not the only character who needs redemption, Assef notwithstanding. Until
Rahim Khan reveals Baba’s secret, Amir thinks he is the only sinner among his
family and friends. Even before Amir betrays him, Hassan makes him feel guilty
simply by being such a righteous person. Amir is constantly trying to measure up
to Baba, because he does not realize that Baba is so hard on him because of his
guilt over his own sin.
Read more here.
Feedback on Kite Runner Essays
Posted November 16, 2008
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Thank you to the students who have sent me essays on The Kite Runner. I have
enjoyed reading them and I thought I would share some of the ideas from the
essays. It has been wonderful to note how many of you have really engaged with
the text and made insightful comments.
I have paraphrased some of your ideas below:

A common thread in the essays is Baba’s role as a cause of Amir’s weakness
of character. As he is such a dominant person he shapes people around him.
If Baba truly lived by his definition of moral courage he would have been
more open and this would have given Amir the strength to behave
differently. Many of you saw Baba’s pride and his lack of honesty as a cause
of Amir’s weaknesses. However, several of you have noted that Baba is a
product of his environment and that Hosseini is suggesting that it is time for
Afghanistan to move away from its past ways.

The ending was discussed in some essays. Is it a satisfying one? We know
that Hassan is dead, he has lost close friends, his family is gone and he is
childless. Is this a happy ending? However, if we look at things from another
perspective we see that he has saved Sohrab and brought him to America
and finally redeemed himself. Is it more true to life to have such an
ambiguous ending? What we do know is that the final scene in the book is a
reversal of Amir and Hassan’s kite flying days. Amir is now the kite runner
for Sohrab. He is a good man. He has atoned. He has redemption.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Posted November 15, 2008
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FYI, The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini not Kalid Hosinni or Karl
Houdini.
Brothers in The Kite Runner
Posted November 10, 2008
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Baba would buy us each three identical kites and spools of glass string. If I
changed my mind and asked for a bigger and fancier kite, Baba would buy it for
me – but then he’d buy it for Hassan too. Sometimes I wished he wouldn’t do that.
Wished he’d let me be the favourite.
Amir and Hassan grew up together, inseparable. However, Amir was sometimes
cruel to Hassan, eventually betraying him when he looked on as Hassan was raped.
Hassan had proven himself over and over again to Amir, defending him against
bullies, encouraging him when he felt down and also fitting the role of servant.
Hassan put up with Amir’s occasional cruel taunts and superior attitude. When he
watched Hassan’s rape, Amir could only compare Hassan’s look to that of a
sacrificial lamb.
Even though Amir was forgiven by Hassan he was never able to redeem himself
with his brother and friend. He did that through his heroic rescue of Hassan’s son,
Sohrab.
Check out this post
Posted November 9, 2008
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: atonement, scholarship@kkc,
The Kite Runner
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If you are studying The Kite Runner check out this post on my scholarship@kkc
blog.
Level Two Essay on The Kite Runner
Posted November 8, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Year 12, Year 12 Essays | Tags: essay, The
Kite Runner
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I have added an extract from Toby’s essay on The KIte Runner. To read the whole
essay go to the Year 12 page. What do you think of the essay?
Analyse how one character’s attempts to solve a problem were important to
the text as a whole.
“I ran.” The decision made by the protagonist Amir, in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The
Kite Runner, creates a conflict between Amir and his best friend Hassan, a Hazara.
But the true conflict of the novel lies within Amir himself: the conflict between
Amir, and his conscience. Amir’s extreme guilt carries through into his new life,
forcing him to confront the demons of his past. It is paramount that Amir atones
for his past sins, as the reader also feels trapped by Amir’s guilt. The reader yearns
for Amir to make things right, because it is evident that he is still haunted by his
decision.
What to do at Level Two
Posted November 8, 2008
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Naturally, the primary purpose of an essay on a literary text is to provide an
interpretation of that text. In so doing, an essay needs to move beyond a
description of characters and events to an analysis of the different elements of
the text.
This analysis should bear in mind that the world that is presented in the text may
well be fundamentally different from the world in which you live. Therefore, in
analysing the characters and events of a text, you will need to take an
“imaginative leap” into the moral and social framework of that text, imagining
how such characters and events would be judged from within that framework.
The following essay questions are designed to highlight these two different aspects
of interpreting texts: narrative vs. analysis and making judgements. All questions
would be suitable for The Kite Runner or To Kill a Mockingbird.
1. Analyse how ONE main character or individual changed to become more
(OR less) admirable.
2. Analyse how features of ONE important section made it particularly
effective.
3. Analyse how the writer presented a positive OR negative view of humanity
and / or society.
4. Analyse how ONE OR MORE symbols were used to present an important idea
or ideas.
5. Analyse how a text strengthened or changed your opinion of a particular
topic or issue.
6. Analyse how the resolution of a main conflict was important to the text as
a whole.
7. Analyse techniques used to show changes in a main character or individual
in a text you have studied AND why these changes were important to the
text as a whole.
Another Essay
Posted October 29, 2008
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Here is another essay. Be inspired and write one yourself!
Analyse how the resolution of a main conflict was important to the resolution
to the text as a whole.
“It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, and how you can bury it.
Because the past claws it’s way out”.
In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseni we follow the story of Amir, and
his quest to make right a ‘past of unatoned sins’, which he simply could not bury.
As the story of Amir’s childhood unfolds, we realise that he lives under the shadow
of his guilt. Making right what he did so many years ago is paramount if Amir is to
live a free life, the resolution of his internal conflict-his desperate need to atone,
is essential to the novel.
Read the rest on the Year 12 page.
New Kite Runner Essay
Posted October 28, 2008
Filed under: Essays, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (3)
I have added an essay on The Kite Runner to the Year 12 page.
‘Analyse how the resolution of a main conflict was important to the text as a
whole’.
In the novel ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini, the resolution of Hassan’s rape
and the conflict it created became an essential quest for Amir. Amir needed to
resolve this conflict by atoning for his mistakes so that he could continue his life
without his ever-present guilty conscience.
Read the rest on the Year 12 page.
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Amir and Afghanistan
Posted May 14, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
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The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in
the usual sense, anyhow. Never mind that we taught each other to ride a bicycle
with no hands, or to build a fully functional homemade camera out of a cardboard
box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites …
… Never mind any of those things. Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither
is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was a Sunni and he
was Shi’a and nothing was going to change that. Nothing.
In this novel Amir’s battle with his own behaviour and conscience is his greatest
challenge. It can be seen as a parallel to Afghanistan’s present struggle to
establish a clear identity as it is besieged by outsiders. The Kite Runner tells a
fascinating story about a culture and country which has been viewed through
stereotype and misconception.
It is not until Amir has lived in the United States that he is able to look at
Afghanistan and himself more objectively.
Hazara Faces
Posted May 13, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, Slideshow, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: animoto,
hazara, The Kite Runner
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The video below is the first of our Kite Runner clips. This video focuses on the
Hazara and has images of the people and their homeland. For more information on
the Hazara go to this recent National Geographic article.
Kites in Afghanistan
Posted May 13, 2008
Filed under: Uncategorized, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner,
Afgahnistan, kite flying
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Kite flying in Afghanistan symbolises national pride, history, independence, pride
and religion. In Afghanistan kite flying competitions reward the kite that destroys
the opposition. In kite fighting competitions the objective is to cut the string of all
other kites to leave only one kite flying.
Kite flying was one of the first activities that the Taliban banned.
The Kite Runner as a Coming-of-Age story
Posted May 12, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: coming-of-age, The Kite Runner
Comments (1)
I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I
was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan-the way he’d
stood up for me all those times in the past-and accept whatever would happen to
me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran.
This was the end of innocence in Amir’s life. The Kite Runner is a coming-of-age or
loss-of-experience novel, the type of book often read by teenagers. It is a popular
genre because it continually speaks to the human condition. Similar novels that
you may have read in English are Montana 1948, To Kill a Mockingbird and The
Catcher in the Rye. Often these novels are written from the male perspective, as
is The Kite Runner but you may have read parallels from a female perspective such
as Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees.
The Kite Runner has some things in common with other stories of loss of innocence
and coming of age. Before the pivotal event of Hassan’s rape Amir lived in relative
innocence. Amir’s world is one of school and home, movies and kites, friends and
bullies, and wanting to please Baba. Most of his thoughts are focused on himself:
his desire to win the kite fighting competition; his selfish, self-centred, and
sometimes cruel treatment of Hassan. On the same day that his innocence was
taken away, he thought the greatest thing in life was a kite fighting victory that
would ensure a happy ending for him. Amir was just starting to think about real
issues in life – his faith and the complex meaning of relationships and friendships,
when the fateful day of both victory and defeat changed his life forever. Growing
up was no longer gradual-he was thrust into adulthood.
Typically in coming-of-age stories some sort of journey takes place. In The Kite
Runner, the tension builds as Amir searches for Hassan. In fact, the tension has
built up throughout the day. Even the kite itself can be seen as a metaphor for the
journey, an attempt to flee while staying helplessly rooted in one place, a sense of
detachment in a surreal world. In an indication of what is to come, Amir
experiences this detachment at the moment of victory:
I opened my eyes, saw the blue kite spinning wildly like a tyre come loose from a
speeding car. I blinked, tried to say something. Nothing came out. Suddenly I was
hovering, looking down on myself from above. Black leather coat, red scarf, faded
jeans. A thin boy, a little sallow, and a tad short for his twelve years. He had
narrow shoulders and a hint of dark circles around his pale hazel eyes. The breeze
rustled his light brown hair. He looked up to me and we smiled at each other.
Amir’s journey is not complete until it goes full circle. He makes the journey to
America, back to Afghanistan and then back to his life in America before the
events of that fateful day are resolved.
The beginning of The Kite Runner
Posted May 11, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized, Video | Tags: animoto, Khaled
Hosseini, The Kite Runner, youtube
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The video is the first of our Kite Runner clips, I will post all of them so make sure
that you have created your soundtracks!
This one is about the opening of the novel. In this clip we listen to the adult Amir
who recalls his childhood, his past of “unatoned sins”. He thinks of the moment in
the winter of 1975 when he was twelve years old and his life changed forever. It
introduces to the the reader the subject of the narrative. In the novel we note
that Amir is in San Francisco watching kite flying. There is an image of a pair of
kites “floating side by side”, note its significance. Also note that two of the novel’s
major themes – friendship and redemption are introduced right at the start of the
book. See that Hosseini uses this brief juxtaposition of past and present and the
contrasts of America and Afghanistan to alert readers to the oppositions of time
and place which will underpin the story.
The Hazara
Posted May 10, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: Afghanistan, hazara,
The Kite Runner
Comments (27)
In The Kite Runner the reader can see how badly the Hazara people are treated in
Afghanistan. The purpose of this post is to give you a little background information
on the Hazara people. The information is from The Hazaras.
The Hazaras
Hazaras are among few races on the face of the earth about whose origin so little
is known. Some research done on Hazara background suggests that they are the
descendants of Genghis Khan, the great Mongol warrior of 13th Century. This theory
is supported by the similarities in the language and words that Mongols and
Hazaras use even today. Another plausible theory is that Hazaras were Buddhists
that actually lived in Afghanistan for the known history at least since the time of
the Kushan Dynasty some 2000 years ago prior to the arrival of Islam. During the
time of Kushan Dynasty, Bamyan was the home of one of the biggest Buddhist
civilisations. This is obvious from the two of the World’s tallest Buddist statues
that is carved in the mountain in Bamyan, Afghanistan – the heart of Hazarajat
region inhabited by Hazaras for at least 2000 years.
The Hazaras speak Farsi and are mostly Shi’i Muslims. Hazaras have always lived on
the edge of economic survival. As a result of Pashtun expansionism in the late 18th
and early 19th centuries which was fueled by Sunni prejudices against the Shi’i the
Hazaras were driven to the barren dry mountains of central Afghanistan (the
Hazarajat) where they live today separated into nine regionally distinct enclaves.
The Hazaras are primarily sedentary farmers practicing some herding. Many
Hazaras also migrated to the major towns, particularly Kabul where they occupied
the lowest economic rungs.
The Hazara suffered under the rule of the Taliban.The Taliban had Hazarajat
totally isolated from the rest of the world going as far as not allowing the United
Nations to deliver food to the provinces. During the years that followed, Hazaras
suffered severe oppression and many large ethnic massacres and rapes were
carried out by the predominately ethnic Pashtun Taliban.These human rights
abuses not only occurred in Hazarajat, but across all areas controlled by the
Taliban. Particularly after their capture of Mazar-e Sharif in 1998, where after a
massive killing of some 8000 civilians, the Taliban openly declared that the
Hazaras would be targeted. Mullah Niazi, the commander of the attack and
governor of Mazar after the attack, similar to Abdur Rahman Khan over 100 years
ago, declared the Shia Hazara as infidels:
“ Hazaras are not Muslim, they are Shi’a. They are kofr [infidels]. The Hazaras
killed our force here, and now we have to kill Hazaras… If you do not show
your loyalty, we will burn your houses, and we will kill you. You either accept
to be Muslims or leave Afghanistan… wherever you go we will catch you. If you
go up, we will pull you down by your feet; if you hide below, we will pull you
up by your hair.
Wiki Summary of The Kite Runner
Posted May 9, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
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Want a chapter by chapter summary of The Kite Runner? Then try WikiSummaries
where you will find notes on characters and themes plus links to other Kite Runner
sites.
The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #6
Posted May 8, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (16)
6. As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed,
he talks about seeing the sheep’s eyes moments before its death. “I don’t know
why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist long after the
bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that
look of acceptance in the animal’s eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal
understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher
purpose.” Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan’s
tragedy in the alleyway? Amir recollects the memory again toward the end of the
novel when he sees Sohrab in the home of the Taliban. Discuss the image in the
context of the novel.
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The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #5
Posted May 7, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (17)
5. After Amir wins the kite running tournament, his relationship with Baba
undergoes significant change. However, while they form a bond of friendship, Amir
is still unhappy. What causes this unhappiness and how has Baba contributed to
Amir’s state of mind? Eventually, the relationship between the two returns to the
way it was before the tournament, and Amir laments “we actually deceived
ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could
somehow close the chasm between us.” Discuss the significance of this passage.
The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #4
Posted May 7, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (27)
4. We begin to understand early in the novel that Amir is constantly vying for
Baba’s attention and often feels like an outsider in his father’s life, as seen in the
following passage: “He’d close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always
grown-ups time with him. I’d sit by the door, knees drawn to my chest. Sometimes
I sat there for an hour, sometimes two, listening to their laughter, their chatter.”
Discuss Amir’s relationship with Baba.
The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #3
Posted May 7, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (23)
3. Early in Amir and Hassan’s friendship, they often visit a pomegranate tree
where they spend hours reading and playing. “One summer day, I used one of Ali’s
kitchen knives to carve our names on it: ‘Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul.’
Those words made it formal: the tree was ours.” In a letter to Amir later in the
story, Hassan mentions “the tree hasn’t borne fruit in years.” Discuss the
significance of this tree.
The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #2
Posted May 7, 2008
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Comments (28)
2. The strong underlying force of this novel is the relationship between Amir and
Hassan. Discuss their friendship. Why is Amir afraid to be Hassan’s true friend? Why
does Amir constantly test Hassan’s loyalty? Why does he resent Hassan? After the
kite running tournament, why does Amir no longer want to be Hassan’s friend?
The Kite Runner-Discussion Question #1
Posted May 7, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (14)
1. The novel begins with Amir’s memory of peering down an alley, looking for
Hassan who is kite running for him. As Amir peers into the alley, he witnesses a
tragedy. The novel ends with Amir kite running for Hassan’s son, Sohrab, as he
begins a new life with Amir in America. Why do you think the author chooses to
frame the novel with these scenes? Refer to the following passage: “Afghans like to
say: Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end…crisis or catharsis, moving forward
like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis [nomads].” How is this significant to the
framing of the novel?
The Kite Runner Lit Trip
Posted May 6, 2008
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: google lit trip, The Kite Runner
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If you have read ‘The Kite Runner’ you are about to go on a road trip … a Google
Lit Trip in fact. This site is an experiment in teaching great literature in a very
different way. Using Google Earth, you will visit the places where ‘The Kite
Runner’ was set and learn more about the novel. Retrace Amir’s journey as he
tries to “make things good again.”
The Taliban
Posted April 29, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (1)
This post will give you some background information about the Taliban so that you
can understand their significance in The Kite Runner.
The Taliban emerged in 1995. They were thought to come from Sunni Muslim
Pashtun students, intellectuals and disaffected mujaheddin (holy warriors). They
were trained in madrasses (conservative Koranic schools) in Pakistan and eager
recruits were found among the refugee camps on the Pakistani border. The Taliban
is committed to fundamentalism, to implementing Sharia law and preaches basic
Koranic values. When they took Kabul, strict Islamic law was immediately imposed,
girls’ schools were closed and women ordered to cease working. The sixteen
decrees broadcast on Radio Sharia in September 1996 outlying the prohibitions of
the Taliban included female exposure, playing music, shaving, kite-fighting,
gambling, dancing at weddings, playing drums and having British or American
hairstyles.
In 1997 a Taliban offensive aimed at capturing the north of the country failed and
anti-Taliban counterattacks on Kabul intensified. A civil war between the Taliban
and the Northern Alliance continued, but by the end of that year the Taliban
controlled 90% of the country. They killed 4000 Shi’a Hazaras at Mazar-i-Sharif
following its capture on 8 Aug 1998. In Jan 2001 Taliban officials cracked down
severely on dress codes for women and imposed regulations which forced men to
wear beards. The Taliban also virtually eliminated the huge production of opium.
Despite worldwide protests, the Taliban forces destroyed unique historical statues,
including the world’s largest standing Buddha in Bamiyan, some 135km west of
Kabul, because they had been decreed idolatrous by Taliban leader Mullah
Mohammed Omar.
Read more -Taliban
An introduction to The Kite Runner
Posted April 27, 2008
Filed under: Film, NCEA, Slideshow, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized, Video | Tags:
Afghanistan, Khaled Hosseini, Slideshow, The Kite Runner film
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I have put together this simple slideshow to give you some more information about
the setting and the author Khaled Hosseini so that you will find it easier to
understand the novel.
Khaled Hosseini returns to Afghanistan
Posted April 24, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner, Uncategorized, Video | Tags: Afghanistan, Khaled
Hosseini, The Kite Runner
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Kite Runner Setting
The map shows where the novel was set. Obviously, much of the novel takes place
in Afghanistan and the video below shows Khaled Hosseini returning to his
homeland.
Images of Afghanistan
Posted April 23, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: Afghanistan, The Kite Runner
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To follow on from my last post I have put together a clip of images of Afghanistan
which highlight elements of its landscape, culture and recent history.
Understanding Afghanistan
Posted April 22, 2008
Filed under: The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: Afghanistan, The Kite Runner
Comments (1)
Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a land-locked, arid country that shares borders with China, Pakistan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is often referred to as the ‘crossroads of Cental Asia.’
Afghanistan is a poor country with a very turbulent history.
To really understand the setting of The Kite Runner you will need both physical
and political maps of Afghanistan in order to locate the places referred to, such as
Kabul, the Hazarajat region (central mountainous provinces), Bamiyan (135km
west of Kabul), Jalabad (170kms south-east of Kabul), Mazar-i-Sharif, the Khyber
Pass, Peshawar and Islamabad in Pakistan, as well as note the geography of the
terrain, the climate and tribal regions. Seventy-five percent of the country is
mountainous, with average elevation about 1300mts. The Hindu Kush range
(central highlands) is the second highest range in the world. Three percent of land
is forested and 12.4% is under permanent cultivation. There are 29 provinces.
The population of Afghanistan is estimated at 28,717,213, excluding nomads of
whom there were over two million in 1983. Kabul (capital) has a population of
2,272,000. There are as many as 3.5 million Afghani refugees in neighbouring
countries. Kabul has existed as a centre of population for over 3000 years and was
mentioned in Indian scriptures going back to 1500BCE. It is strategically located on
the main route to India through the Khyber Pass. It became the capital in 1773
under the reign of Timur Shah.
The ethnic composition is: Pashtun 44%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 10%, minor ethnic
groups (Aimaks, Turkman, Baloch) 13% and Uzbek 8%. The religious composition is:
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi’a Muslim 15%, others (Jewish, Hindu and Sikh) 1%.
An Afghan Treat – The Press Review
Posted December 29, 2007
Filed under: Film, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: Afghanistan, Film, kites,
Marc Forster, The Kite Runner
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More on ‘The Kite Runner’ film. Here is James Croot’s review from The
Christchurch Press.
Kabul, Afghanistan, 1978. While the country faces a growing threat from Sovietbacked communists, the only worries best-friends Amir (Zekeria Ebrahimi) and
Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada) face are the local bullies. Whether it’s
watching The Magnificent Seven for the umpteenth time (admiring the
performance of their favourite “Iranian actor” Charles Bronson) or using Hassan’s
slingshot skills to annoy neighbourhood canines, the pair are as thick as thieves.
Their teamwork is particularly evident during kite battles, where they combine to
see off all comers.
However, there are those who feel their friendship is inappropriate. While Amir is
a well-to-do Pashtun boy, Hassan is a Hazara and the son of Amir’s father’s
servant. Amir is taunted about his friendship, with other boys suggesting Hassan is
really only an “ugly pet”. And while Hassan would gladly put his life on the line
for his best mate, Amir is more reticent.
That’s put to the test when Hassan is cornered by some hoodlums and physically
assaulted and humiliated. Amir sees the incident but does nothing, leading to a
falling out between the pair which escalates to the point that Hassan and his
father leave the household.
Shortly afterwards, with the Soviet invasion imminent, Amir and his father move
to America, but the boy can’t help feeling a sense of guilt and unfinished business
in his homeland, something that will haunt him for decades.
Based on Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 novel of the same name,
this fine film is illuminated by David Benioff’s faithful adaptation, frill-free
direction (barring Forster’s overuse of kite-flying symbolism) and some terrific
acting.
Kite Runner provides a fascinating insight into Afghan culture and ethnic variety,
as well as the country’s recent historical background – from the arrival of the
Soviets to the Taliban – before invasion by American forces. And although the
storyline is regret-filled, it never descends into melodrama.
While youngsters Ebrahimi and Mahmidzada have stolen all the headlines, it’s
Homayoun Ershadi who deserves the acting plaudits. Disapproving fathers tend to
be fairly one-dimensional, but his Baba is more nuanced and complex – a man
unafraid to speak his mind and disappointed that his son won’t do the same. “If
you won’t stand up for yourself now, you won’t stand up for anything,” he chides
Amir.
Such is the power of his performance that most audience members will
sympathise with him rather than his charge. Credit also must go to China’s oasis
city of Kashgar for its performance standing in for Afghanistan, the latter sadly
proving far too risky a prospect to film in.
The Kite Runner Flies
Posted December 16, 2007
Filed under: Film, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: The Kite Runner
Comments (1)
It won’t be long until the film of Khaled Hosseini’s novel ‘The Kite Runner’ is
released in New Zealand. It has opened in the US and I have posted a few snippets
from the the first reviews to give you some ideas about how the film has been
received.
According to critic Richard Schikel at Time “The Kite Runner flies”. “The movie
version of Khaled Hosseini’s best selling novel doesn’t feel like it has been, as
people used to say, “ripped from headlines.” It instead has about it something of
the air of a big, rich, very old-fashioned novel, telling the far-ranging story of two
boys, one of them rich and well-favoured, the other a servant in his household,
growing to manhood in an increasingly violent world… It also features a
heartbreaking betrayal, a disappearance into disparate refugee voids by both of
them and the inspirational working out of one of those deep family secrets that
were the great specialty of Charles Dickens and, for that matter, of American
movies in their classic age, when they so often made first-rate entertainments of
second-rate popular fiction.”
For Laura Flanders at AlterNet, “Khaled Hosseini’s moving novel and film hits on
all the right themes for a tale about the West and Afghanistan.”
She felt that, “Within the first five minutes of the newly released film The Kite
Runner, the leitmotif is laid out in a Karachi-to-California telephone call. Come
home to Afghanistan, the protagonist, a young writer “Amir” is told by an ailing
uncle. It won’t be an easy journey, the uncle explains, but it’s not too late:
“There is a way to be good again.”
She also noted, “At the level of metaphor, the film adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s
best-selling novel is right on target. Abuse of power, remorse, shame, grief, guilt
and the dream of redemption: They’re exactly the right emotions to stir in a movie
about the United States and Afghanistan. The Kite Runner is a tear-jerker for the
politically conscious. Unfortunately, when it comes to real-life U.S.-Afghan
relations, the metaphors hit more bases than what’s actually on the screen.”
Ron Wilkinson at Monsters and Critics thought the film was “A sweet and masterful
story of survival, transcendence, loyalty and friendship told with striking
cinematography. A spiritual piece of work.”
‘The Kite Runner’ has not impressed all the critics but as you can see from the
comments above there are some very positive comments on the film. I am looking
forward to seeing it and making my own mind up.
Blood
Posted November 18, 2007
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: blood, NCEA, symbol
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Blood is an important symbol in ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini. It represents
a number of things; obviously the violation of Hassan is one of them. The spilling of
blood in the conflicts in Afghanistan is also representative of the idea of sacrifice.
The blood imagery and Hassan’s execution can even be traced back to the incident
at the pomegranate tree:
“I hurled the pomegranate at him. It struck him in the chest, exploded in a spray
of red pulp …
… when I finally stopped, exhausted and panting, Hassan was smeared in red like
he’d been shot by a firing squad.”
Hassan is shown as the sacrifice Amir makes for Baba and Afghanistan.
The blood imagery is also seen at Amir’s birthday, which is shortly after he won
the kite flying tournament, “I didn’t want any of it – it was all blood money. Baba
would never have thrown me a party like this if I hadn’t won the tournament”.
Blood is also an image that is seen in Baba’s cancer and it again it is linked to
death. However, it is also representative of life. Amir and Soraya can’t have
children and think of adopting. The General tells them that blood “is a powerful
thing … and when you adopt, you don’t know whose blood you’re bringing into your
house”.
It is blood that stopped Baba claiming Hassan as his son. He knew a Hazara son
would not be accepted but a message of the book is that Afghans need to see
themselves as one.
The last image of blood comes from Sohrab’s suicide attempt. It is at this point
that Amir takes his final steps toward redemption, “My hands are stained with
Hassan’s blood; I pray God doesn’t let them get stained with the blood of his boy
too”.
Last minute study links
Posted November 18, 2007
Filed under: Essays, Lord of the Flies, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: NCEA,
wikipedia
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For those of you who want some quick links to revision material – try the wikipedia
links below as they have information on the texts plus useful links.
Wikipedia Lord of the Flies.
Wikipedia Catcher in the Rye.
Wikipedia To Kill a Mockingbird.
Wikipedia The Handmaid’s Tale.
Wikipedia The Crucible.
Wikipedia The Kite Runner.
The past claws its way out
Posted November 17, 2007
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: NCEA
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‘It is wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it.
Because the past claws its way out.’
The quote above is obviously a very important one in terms of the theme of The
Kite Runner. Think about how this idea is developed in the book.
‘The Kite Runner’, begins with the protagonist Amir, a thirty-eight year old man,
reflecting on his recent experience where his past ‘had come calling’. Up to that
point he had tried hard to bury his shameful memories of watching the abuse of his
friend Hassan when he was twelve years old and did nothing to stop it. He thought
as most of us do that the past is the past and that he should just get on with his
life. However, as he admits at the very outset of the novel he was to discover that
the past has its way of clawing out.
The event that is at the centre of this story is his act of cowardice when Hassan, is
caught in an alley and viciously raped by one of their neighbourhood thugs intent
on revenge. Rather than standing up for Hassan as Hassan has done for him on so
many occasions, Amir hides and then creates a charade to cover it up. At first he
tries to bury his shame by avoiding and ignoring Hassan. ‘I made sure our paths
crossed as little as possible, planned my day that way.’ He then falsely accuses
Hassan of theft so as to force his removal from their house. The Soviet invasion
then intervenes and forces Amir and his father Baba to escape and forge a new life
in America. ‘For me, America was a place to bury my memories.’ Amir immerses
himself in study, finds a suitable wife and tries as best he can to be a worthy son
to Baba.
Only very occasionally do the memories of Hassan and the shame of his past come
to mind, such as on the evening of his graduation when Baba says he wishes Hassan
had been here with them and Amir finds himself feeling choked by steel hands.
Amir is also aware that like Soraya he has a secret; ‘I’d betrayed Hassan, lied,
driven him out, and destroyed a forty-year relationship between Baba and Ali’. But
unlike Soraya he has kept it hidden from anyone else. He is still acting in a
cowardly way. It is finally a phone call from his Rahim Khan in Pakistan which jolts
him back to some level of accountability. The invitation to visit him, Amir realised
later, was set up by Rahim Khan in order to give him the opportunity to right the
wrong he had committed, giving him ‘a way to be good again’.
The visit to Pakistan makes Amir aware of the fate of Hassan and his family and
the tragedy that has enveloped Afghanistan over the years. He also discovers truth
about his father that changes his preconceptions. Amir is now faced with a choice.
He can deal with some of the shame that lies beneath the surface of his own heart
and address his cowardice or he can return to the safety and sanctuary of his new
life. The dreams that are woven into the novel show the way the past has haunted
him. For example, he sees himself as the man holding the rifle and blasting
Hassan’s head as he kneels blindfolded on the street. Indeed the past has clawed
its way up to the surface. This shows how our subconscious mind has a way
reminding us of our past whether we want it to or not.
Amir chooses to return to Afghanistan and grasp ‘this one last chance at
redemption.’ His quest is to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, who has been left
orphaned. It also involves having to risk his life and be brutally injured in order to
finally stand up to Assef. With the breaking of his ribs and the pain of the bodily
assault he admits that ‘for the first time, since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace.’
Amir, then, has the ability to go through the traumas that lie ahead and to take
the responsibility for Sohrab’s future because he has learnt for himself what
loyalty and courage entails. The past has not only clawed its way out, it has
provided a way forward.
Does Amir redeem himself?
Posted November 16, 2007
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: NCEA, The Kite
Runner
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Do you think that by the end of Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” that Amir has
redeemed himself?
It is true that Amir was often selfish, cowardly and disloyal as a child. Even as he
matures he tends to think more of himself than others. When he decides to rescue
Sohrab he only agrees to do it after a great deal of pressure from Rahim Khan.
Amir seems more motivated by his need to feel “good” about himself rather than
by genuine concern for Hassan’s son. Redemption is not achieved easily in Amir’s
case but he eventually makes the choice he has to make. He shows great courage
in facing up to the sadistic bully Assef and becomes the “old warrior” of the
Afghan legend who can finally acknowledge his own “worthiness”.
Amir also comes to care deeply for Sohrab and he finally makes amends for his
betrayal of Hassan. He atones not only for his own sins but also for those of Baba’s.
The final image of Amir running, with “the wind blowing in [his] face … and a smile
as wide as the Valley of Panjsher” suggests to the reader that whatever Amir has
suffered to get redemption, it has been well worth it.
Heroin for breakfast
Posted November 8, 2007
Filed under: The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: Afghanistan, heroin
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Those students who studied The Kite Runner will know of the heartbreaking
poverty in Afghanistan. What they may not know is how many Afghan children are
addicted to heroin as a way of escaping the pain and poverty in their lives. The
Daily Mirror recently published the following article:
It is early morning in Kabul and two scrawny children sit hunched together on the
mud floor of their shack, waiting for their mother to serve breakfast.
But here in the slums of the Afghan capital there is no choice of cereals or toast
and marmalade.
There is only heroin.
Using hollow radio antennas as makeshift pipes, 11-year-old Golpari and her
brother Zaher, 14, inhale the melted brown liquid from the bowl in front of
them. Sitting in a corner their widowed mother Sabera inhales and also floats off
into oblivion.
“Smoking heroin is no big thing,” says Golpari, who started when she was eight. “I
was used to seeing my mum smoking heroin. I’d breathe in the smoke and it used
to make me feel light-headed.
“The first time I had it I had pains in my legs. We didn’t have medicine and my
mother and other people told me it would make me feel better.
“When I inhaled it I started to feel good. You don’t feel any pain when you are
high until it wears off, so then you have to smoke more. At first I was smoking
just a little, but each day I needed more.
When it was too late I realised I was addicted and it was all I cared about. Nobody
told me it was bad.”
As soon as the heroin wears off, Golpari, who can’t read or write and barely eats,
starts worrying how she will get the 50p she needs for her next hit.
Wearing her one ragged dress she “works” as a pickpocket in the bazaars of Kabul
while her mother sits in a burqa begging at the roadside.
Golpari is just one of more than 60,000 children addicted to heroin in Afghanistan
– victims of this year’s record opium crop and a telling indictment of Britain’s
pledge to destroy the Taliban’s poppy fields. In fact, the street price has plunged
by roughly half since 2001.
Frighteningly, there are now nearly one million addicts in Afghanistan – three per
cent of the population. More and more are women, who blow opium smoke into
their babies’ faces to stop them crying from hunger.
New wiki
Posted October 28, 2007
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: NCEA, The Kite Runner, wiki
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I haven’t talked about our wikis lately but remember that they have a wealth of
information on them. Go to moodle and check them out.
On the sidebar you will see that there is an RSS feed to my new wiki on ‘The Kite
Runner’. I have just started it so there isn’t too much there yet but I will add
revision notes on a regular basis. The wiki is all about revising – a great place to go
to for that last minute study!
Kite Runner film delayed
Posted October 5, 2007
Filed under: Film, NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized | Tags: Khaled Hosseini,
The Kite Runner film
Comments (3)
The New York Times reported today that the studio behind “The Kite Runner,” a
film about Afghanistan’s turmoil, has arranged to get its three young stars out of
their homeland before the movie debuts to protect them from a possible violent
backlash.
The U.S. release of the film, based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini,
has been delayed by six weeks to December 14 to ensure the 12-year-old Afghan
boys are out of harm’s way by then, an executive for Paramount Vantage said on
Thursday.
Read the rest of the article here.
The Kite Runner Trailer
Posted September 23, 2007
Filed under: Essays, Film, NCEA, The Kite Runner | Tags: Afghanistan, film trailer,
kites, The Kite Runner
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At last I have got The Kite Runner trailer to show you. The quality isn’t great but
follow the link to watch a far better quality version. I know I shouldn’t really
comment but from what I saw in the clip the film looks like a faithful adaptation of
Hosseini’s novel. Do take a look at the high quality version – the landscape and kite
flying scene is breath-taking.
High Quality Kite Runner Trailer
The Kite Runner Film
Posted September 1, 2007
Filed under: Essays, NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized |
Comments (3)
As many of you know, the film version of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner opens
on November 2. I have taken an extract from The Kite Runner Blog in which Khaled
Hosseini discusses his novel and reader reactions to it:
“In many ways, the success of The Kite Runner is an unlikely story. It is populated
by characters who live in a distant and, to many in the west, enigmatic country. It
is often dark and brutal. Its central character, Amir, is weak, and his behaviour is
often infuriating. It was published in mid 2003 without much fanfare, without the
benefit of a huge marketing plan. However, this book has connected now with
millions of people around the world. To me, that is a testament to the power of
the word-of-mouth phenomenon. From very early on, the response among readers
to The Kite Runner was intense and passionate. A grassroots-based, groundswell of
support among readers like you kept building over the span of a year or more.
Until one day in late 2004, while flying across the country, I saw the passenger
next to me reach into her bag and fetch a copy of The Kite Runner. The success of
this book is also testament to the ability of fiction to connect people of differing
religions, cultures, languages, and nationalities. Regardless of our background, we
identify with experiences that are universally human. We identify with Amir’s
guilt, his self-loathing, his desire to transcend his own weak nature. Friendship,
loss, guilt, forgiveness, atonement are not Afghan experiences but human ones,
and fiction is uniquely able to tap into what is common in us all. “
The Kite Runner Film Poster
Posted August 8, 2007
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner |
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The Kite Runner film opens in November and I thought you might like to see the
film poster. What do you think of the choice of a tagline? Does it highlight the
main theme of the novel?
Afghanistan
Posted July 9, 2007
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized |
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Afghanistan has been of world interest in the last thirty years because of the
Soviet invasion and the activities of the Taliban. The Kite Runner is set mainly in
Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, during two very different periods: the rule of the
monarchy and that of the Taliban. In order to really understand the novel you will
need to have some understanding of Afghanistan’s history. The links below will
give you a deeper understanding of Afghanistan and its political history.
http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/afghan.htm
http://www.gl.iit.edu/govdocs/afghanistan
http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/afghanistan/
http://www.afghan-web.com/history/
Khaled Hosseini
Posted July 6, 2007
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner |
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I hope that the Year 12 students reading The Kite Runner will have finished the
novel by the end of the holidays. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini’s first novel,
has been a runaway bestseller, attracting huge readerships in America and
throughout the world. Hosseini is an Afghan-American doctor who lives in
California, having migrated to the US as a refugee during the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan.
Hosseini was born in Afghanistan in 1965, the oldest of five children. His mother
was a teacher of Farsi and history in Kabul and his father was a diplomat. There
are clear parallels between Hosseini’s own life and that of the protagonist of The
Kite Runner, Amir. Hosseini had a privileged life in Kabul which was much like the
life Amir lives. The novel evokes the sense of place very clearly and richly.
Hosseini has said that the setting for the early part of the novel, with its
descriptions of the house Amir grows up in and even the name of the suburbs that
Amir lives in, Wazir Akbar Khan is ‘almost directly lifted from my own life.’
As well as the setting of the text in both Afghanistan and America, the larger
political background which is woven through the novel is taken from life.
The Kite Runner
Posted June 18, 2007
Filed under: NCEA, The Kite Runner, Uncategorized |
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In the holidays some Year 12 students will be reading The Kite Runner as their
extended text and I have posted a little bit about the novel. It is an epic tale of fathers
and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from Afghanistan in the final days of
the monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy
and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in
a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the
price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption, and it is also about the power of
fathers over sons-their love, their sacrifices, their lies.