13. Throughout the story, Baba worried because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this change? It doesn't begin to change until right before his death. I believe that one of the first times Amir stand up for himself is when he begins to pursue his relationship Soraya. By doing this he goes against beliefs of the traditional gossipers in the town and does not care about Soraya's complicated past. He takes the initiative to choose his own bride and asks Baba for help only after he has made the decision. Another notable moment is when he finally becomes confident in his major and his writing but this doesn't happen until after Soraya says she appriciate his work.
Why is it significant that Amir begins to change when they move to America? How do the dynamics of the relationship change? What might be the importance of setting as well on the characters?
14) Amir had been desperately searching for some sort of punishment since he betrayed Hassan. Before Hassan left, but after Amir betrayed him, Amir threw pomegranates at Hassan. Hassan, steadfast in his humble adoration, waited until Amir was finished and broke a pomegranate on his own head. Years later, when Amir faced Assef and rescued Sohrab, I believe that he was almost finding a sense of reconciliation with his past. Finally, decades after his betrayal of Hassan, a scar on Amir's body would suffice as punishment and payment for his wrongdoing.
Good connection between that earlier scene with Hassan and the confrontation with Assef. How is he reconcilling his past? What does he need to confront or experience? How does this connect to character, theme, internal conflict?
16. Amir and Hassan have a favorite story. Does the story have the same meaning for both men? Why does Hassan name his son after one of the characters in the story? The story, Shahnamah, has both a major impact in both of Amir and Hassan‘s childhoods, however, for Hassan, who doesn’t know how to read, the story is read to him by Amir. This allows Hassan to imagine all the characters in his head, and his imagination along with Amir’s voice is all he knows of the story. This connection stays with him his entire life, because of his love for Amir and how the story brought them together. Naming his son after a hero in the story, symbolizes how much that story reminds him of the happy childhood he shared with his friend, and the connection they each had through literature.
Looking back to page 29, how do the characters in the story Shahnama mirror the characters in The Kite Runner? How does this contribute to theme as well?
17.) Baba and Amir know that they are very different people. Often it disappoints both of them that Amir is not the son that Baba has hoped for. When Amir finds out that Baba has lied to him about Hassan, he realized that “as it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known.” How does this make Amir feel about his father? How is this both a positive and a negative realization? I think that when Amir finds out about this long kept secret, he becomes a little more understanding of his father. They have both kept secrets for many years, neither willingly giving it up or revealing what they know. He sees his father as a thief of the worst kind, a liar. A keeper of a secret that should have been Amir’s as well. He says, “As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us.” This is negative because he felt betrayed himself, the image of his father blemished, the honor he had held to his father slightly scarred. But at the same time, he can now think of his father and pray for both of them for stealing the truth from each other. Also, in realizing that Baba had lied about things, Amir also came to a realization of sorts about his actions. He realized that it wasn’t his fault that Ali had been injured or that Hassan was shot and killed by the Taliban, but it was his fault that they were driven out of the house, that they ended where they did. (Ex. “Was it too farfetched to imagine that things would have ended differently if I hadn’t? (driven them away)”)
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. Baba had always wanted his son to be a winner, for that was what he was when he was younger. He was an athletic winner, and his son is not, and this was something that he could take lots of pride in, as his son was becoming to fit into that once blurry image that was the winner he had visioned before, and now he was becoming crystal clear, and it made him proud. The unhappiness returns because Baba decides to give Hassan a life altering surgery to fix the harelip he was born with, and it made Amir very jealous. Also, because he feels like it was all fake, and all he was getting was blood money and blood gifts. They were false and meaningless. so he asked once if he could get rid of Hassan and his father and this made Baba so very angry, for they had lived and served them for many years, and they were apart of the family. And sure, they lived on, as life shall do, deception lives within the bounds of life, making everyone believe everything is going to be okay, a gift, of weak paper is like the fabrics that held their relationship together, it was there, but it waived. Though they still believed everything would be alright. The relationship they had was never a stable, set in stone one that would always be a strong bond, and AMir and his father felt it strain upon the both of them.
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 watched 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. The animal knows what is coming, it knows that it has become the prey and that something terrible is coming, and it is accepting of it, and this was the look in Hassan’s eyes before what happened to him. Hassan knows that this is for the “better good”, for better he than his best friend, in his eyes. The image comes again as he sees Hassan’s son, as he readies himself to be mocked and ridiculed by adult men. Amir realizes that these people, who he was supposed to care for, have become the prey of someone, and they have accepted it fully.
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? We thought the author chose to frame the novel with those scenes to start the protagonist, Amir, with a guilt of betraying his best friend,Hassan, which he then goes onto redeeming his betrayal by trying to give Hassan’s son the best life he could possibly give him. We thought the passage was significant to the framing of the novel because the novel doesn’t start with the beginning of Amir’s life it starts with an event in his life and ends with the hope that Sohrab could be brought out of the quiet and lonely stat he was in. It doesn’t really worry about the beginning of Amir’s life and doesn’t even mention the end of Amir’s life the novel just goes through how Amir tried to get over the guilt he had over what happened to Hassan.
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? Amir was afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because he didn’t want the responsibility to have to back up Hassan and support him, and since Hassan was a Hazara Amir was afraid of how it would reflect on him to be true friends with Hassan. Amir constantly tested Hassan’s loyalty because he was trying to some fault in Hassan so he could feel better about himself since people thought so highly of Hassan. Amir resented Hassan because his father thought so highly of Hasan and so Amir was jealous of him and because Hassan was so pure and loyal so Amir felt guilty for the way he treated Hassan. Amir didn’t want to be Hassan’s friend after the kite running tournament because he felt guilty that he didn’t help back up Hassan when he was in trouble and just looked the other way.
13. Throughout the story, Baba worried because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this change?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't begin to change until right before his death. I believe that one of the first times Amir stand up for himself is when he begins to pursue his relationship Soraya. By doing this he goes against beliefs of the traditional gossipers in the town and does not care about Soraya's complicated past. He takes the initiative to choose his own bride and asks Baba for help only after he has made the decision. Another notable moment is when he finally becomes confident in his major and his writing but this doesn't happen until after Soraya says she appriciate his work.
Why is it significant that Amir begins to change when they move to America? How do the dynamics of the relationship change? What might be the importance of setting as well on the characters?
Delete14) Amir had been desperately searching for some sort of punishment since he betrayed Hassan. Before Hassan left, but after Amir betrayed him, Amir threw pomegranates at Hassan. Hassan, steadfast in his humble adoration, waited until Amir was finished and broke a pomegranate on his own head. Years later, when Amir faced Assef and rescued Sohrab, I believe that he was almost finding a sense of reconciliation with his past. Finally, decades after his betrayal of Hassan, a scar on Amir's body would suffice as punishment and payment for his wrongdoing.
ReplyDeleteGood connection between that earlier scene with Hassan and the confrontation with Assef. How is he reconcilling his past? What does he need to confront or experience? How does this connect to character, theme, internal conflict?
Delete16. Amir and Hassan have a favorite story. Does the story have the same meaning for both men? Why does Hassan name his son after one of the characters in the story?
ReplyDeleteThe story, Shahnamah, has both a major impact in both of Amir and Hassan‘s childhoods, however, for Hassan, who doesn’t know how to read, the story is read to him by Amir. This allows Hassan to imagine all the characters in his head, and his imagination along with Amir’s voice is all he knows of the story. This connection stays with him his entire life, because of his love for Amir and how the story brought them together. Naming his son after a hero in the story, symbolizes how much that story reminds him of the happy childhood he shared with his friend, and the connection they each had through literature.
Looking back to page 29, how do the characters in the story Shahnama mirror the characters in The Kite Runner? How does this contribute to theme as well?
Delete17.) Baba and Amir know that they are very different people. Often it disappoints both of them that Amir is not the son that Baba has hoped for. When Amir finds out that Baba has lied to him about Hassan, he realized that “as it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known.” How does this make Amir feel about his father? How is this both a positive and a negative realization?
ReplyDeleteI think that when Amir finds out about this long kept secret, he becomes a little more understanding of his father. They have both kept secrets for many years, neither willingly giving it up or revealing what they know. He sees his father as a thief of the worst kind, a liar. A keeper of a secret that should have been Amir’s as well. He says, “As it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I’d ever known. We had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us.” This is negative because he felt betrayed himself, the image of his father blemished, the honor he had held to his father slightly scarred. But at the same time, he can now think of his father and pray for both of them for stealing the truth from each other.
Also, in realizing that Baba had lied about things, Amir also came to a realization of sorts about his actions. He realized that it wasn’t his fault that Ali had been injured or that Hassan was shot and killed by the Taliban, but it was his fault that they were driven out of the house, that they ended where they did. (Ex. “Was it too farfetched to imagine that things would have ended differently if I hadn’t? (driven them away)”)
Also think about cultral context. Both Baba and Amir have a higher status; how much does this have to do with their betrayals and secrets?
Delete5. 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.
ReplyDeleteBaba had always wanted his son to be a winner, for that was what he was when he was younger. He was an athletic winner, and his son is not, and this was something that he could take lots of pride in, as his son was becoming to fit into that once blurry image that was the winner he had visioned before, and now he was becoming crystal clear, and it made him proud. The unhappiness returns because Baba decides to give Hassan a life altering surgery to fix the harelip he was born with, and it made Amir very jealous. Also, because he feels like it was all fake, and all he was getting was blood money and blood gifts. They were false and meaningless. so he asked once if he could get rid of Hassan and his father and this made Baba so very angry, for they had lived and served them for many years, and they were apart of the family. And sure, they lived on, as life shall do, deception lives within the bounds of life, making everyone believe everything is going to be okay, a gift, of weak paper is like the fabrics that held their relationship together, it was there, but it waived. Though they still believed everything would be alright. The relationship they had was never a stable, set in stone one that would always be a strong bond, and AMir and his father felt it strain upon the both of them.
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 watched 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.
The animal knows what is coming, it knows that it has become the prey and that something terrible is coming, and it is accepting of it, and this was the look in Hassan’s eyes before what happened to him. Hassan knows that this is for the “better good”, for better he than his best friend, in his eyes. The image comes again as he sees Hassan’s son, as he readies himself to be mocked and ridiculed by adult men. Amir realizes that these people, who he was supposed to care for, have become the prey of someone, and they have accepted it fully.
Is Hassan really that selfless or is he accepting of environment? Hassan's devotion to Amir would be interesting to explore.
DeleteIs Hassan really that selfless or is he accepting of environment? Hassan's devotion to Amir would be interesting to explore.
Delete1. 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?
ReplyDeleteWe thought the author chose to frame the novel with those scenes to start the protagonist, Amir, with a guilt of betraying his best friend,Hassan, which he then goes onto redeeming his betrayal by trying to give Hassan’s son the best life he could possibly give him. We thought the passage was significant to the framing of the novel because the novel doesn’t start with the beginning of Amir’s life it starts with an event in his life and ends with the hope that Sohrab could be brought out of the quiet and lonely stat he was in. It doesn’t really worry about the beginning of Amir’s life and doesn’t even mention the end of Amir’s life the novel just goes through how Amir tried to get over the guilt he had over what happened to Hassan.
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?
Amir was afraid to be Hassan’s true friend because he didn’t want the responsibility to have to back up Hassan and support him, and since Hassan was a Hazara Amir was afraid of how it would reflect on him to be true friends with Hassan. Amir constantly tested Hassan’s loyalty because he was trying to some fault in Hassan so he could feel better about himself since people thought so highly of Hassan. Amir resented Hassan because his father thought so highly of Hasan and so Amir was jealous of him and because Hassan was so pure and loyal so Amir felt guilty for the way he treated Hassan. Amir didn’t want to be Hassan’s friend after the kite running tournament because he felt guilty that he didn’t help back up Hassan when he was in trouble and just looked the other way.
Question one is important for theme development and question two is important for internal conflict and characterization of Amir.
Delete