...Khaled Hosseini uses the kite symbol in The Kite Runner as a description of Amir and Baba’s relationship, Amir’s guilt, and Amir’s rejuvenation. The kite is one of the only things that connect Baba and Amir. Amir is not good at the things most children in Afghanistan are, like soccer, and he exceeds in school. Amir always feels as though Baba never respected or thought he is a good son. Amir feels guilty when he thinks about kite flying. It reminds him of his childhood memories with Hassan, the friend he betrayes for a kite, letting him get raped. After this, his recollections drift to betrayal and guilt. Rahim Khan, a lifelong friend, Baba and Amir are connected through the flying of kites. Kite flying is an essential aspect of Afghani culture. Amir and Baba both have extensive experience with flying kites. Amir says that...
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...The author of ‘The Kite Runner' Hosseini employs a variety of symbols and motifs to create a deeper meaning throughout the book. Symbolism is the practice of representing a theme or idea by using symbols to create a deeper meaning, this is evident with cleft lip which is a symbol of Amir's and Hassan's social disparity, kites a symbol of happiness and guilt and the slingshot which a direct reference to David and Goliath. While irony is a motif because it is a recurring theme presented throughout the novel. The story revolves around two loyal friends Amir and Hassan, who are desperate to win the local kite flying competition. But both boys’ lives change for good that same afternoon when something devastating happens to Hassan. After the Russians invade, Amir and his father are forced to flee to America and amidst the turmoil Amir’s knows he will return to Afghanistan to redeem himself. Hosseini uses the cleft lip as a symbol to create a deeper meaning in the Kite Runner because it symbolizes Hassan’s status in society. This is evident because Amir and...
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...Kite Runner: Redemption Amir’s Atonement When you do wrong, you are plagued with guilt. Guilt can be sinful; it stains your conscience and ruins your morals. Although these actions are wrongful, they can be atoned to through sacrifice or purification. People find piece of mind in doing something that makes up for the cause of guilt and this is especially eminent in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. Although there are many ways to advocate to wrongful doing, through the main character Amir’s actions sacrifice was proven to be the most liberating act. Throughout the book, the main character, Amir, seeks redemption for his “…past of unatoned sins” (Hosseini, p. 1). These feelings of guilt arise at the beginning of his life, when his mother, Baba’s love, dies giving birth to him. From that point on, Amir strives to redeem himself because he feels he is responsible for her death: “Because truth of it was, 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?” (p.20). It is this guilt that Amir carries throughout most of his childhood and for which he tries to atone to with Baba’s love and affection: “Maybe he’d call me Amir Jan like Rahim Khan did. And maybe, just maybe, I would finally be pardoned for killing my mother” (p. 60). Amir competes against Hassan for the approval...
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...audacious meek man was known to do anything to repay what he owned. This man flew into burning builds and crossed dangerous roads. Is this man truly brave? In Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, several characters demonstrate profound bravery. In their course to redemption, the characters find that to obtain their redemption, they will need to overcome challenges. In these situations, the characters profess instantly actions of bravery. Amir, the protagonist,travels on a long, painful journey to find atonement for his childhood sins which lead to his acts of bravery. Baba, Amir’s father, works on redeeming his preceding sins by giving a helping hand to people in his life. These actions develop his character of bravery. In The Kite...
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...LIFE GOES ON BY: Fazila Asif Grade: 11 Teacher: Mr. Lane A touching tale of bravery and weakness, fathers and sons, friendships and betrayal, blood and tears. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini takes us on a heroic, epic tale from the final days of a cherished, peaceful absolutely stunning Afghanistan monarchy, to the horrific, disgusting, disturbing Taliban ruled Afghanistan of today. It exposes a better understanding of traditional ways and the isolation of religions throughout this once decent land. The kite runner is an utmost tragedy because a young boy by the name of Hassan is raped, seen, yet not helped; a father is accused of his son being a thief, innocent, yet driven out of his house due to his sons miserable past, a peaceful country destroyed and taken over, strong, yet scared to fight for what’s right. “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.” The kite runner is a tragedy because an illiterate, naïve, young boy is raped right before his friend Amir’s eyes who also happens to be his master, because of his race and appearance. Amir is also the partial reason of his rape, Amir stood is grief, watched him get tormented yet didn’t raise a voice or even a hand, didn’t call for help just watched his friend suffer. "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...
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...Kite Runner vs. Poetry Key quotes: “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” – Baba says this to Rahim Khan as a comment on the behaviour of Amir. Through this he identifies Amir’s greatest flaw: cowardice. It is this trait that leaves him desperately craving Baba’s love, and ultimately leads to be letting Assef rape Hassan. It also foreshadows Amir’s return to Kabul in search of Sohrab; the test of Amir’s character also tests whether Baba’s statement is true. “Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended” – This sentence appears towards the start of chapter five and indicates the fall of the monarchy and the descent of Kabul (and indeed Afghanistan) into political instability. The peaceful world Amir knows, made possible by Baba’s wealth, turns into one full of violence and uncertainty. It ultimately leads to Baba and Amir fleeing the country. “There is a way to be good again” – Rahim Khan says this to Amir over the phone when trying to encourage him to come to Pakistan and in the dialogue this appears like an afterthought. It reveals that Rahim Khan knows the truth about what Amir did to Hassan. It also ties into the theme of redemption, allowing the reader to believe that by returning to the Middle East, Amir will be given the opportunity to break the cycle of guilt he is trapped in. “My body was broken—just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later—but...
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...'Rahim Khan's friendship is Amir's only refuge in his childhood'Do you agree? The Kite Runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini which takes place in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the USA from around 1975 till 2001.It's about the life's transformation before and after the Russian Invasion. Hosseini vividly provides the memorable portrait of Amir,the protagonist.Initially,this 12-year-old boy has the privileged social backdrop because his father is one of the richest man in Kabul.Nonetheless, he isn't cheerful because various reasons,such as can not get recognition form his baba,and bullied by Assef. All these factors force him to seek somewhere else for guidance and support. Rahim khan, a minor but important character comes to Amir's life and becomes the catalyst for much of his development.However,Rahim Khan isn't the only refuge in Amir's childhood.Hassan is also a crucial individual in Amir's childhood.Furthermore,writing stories and kite running are also sanctuaries that he can find when he was young. Firstly, Rahim Khan is Amir's perfect mentor and almost replaces Baba as Amir's father in his childhood.Amir loves reading and writing stories which is his Baba's discontent.While Baba doesn't endorse Amir's interest,Rahim khan is the one who acknowledges his gifted writing skills and encourages him to pursue writing.'(I)wished Rahim Khan had been my father' is Amir's psychological description delineates how grieved he is when his father knows about he wrote...
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...Summary Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara and the son of Amir's father's servant, Ali, spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. Amir’s father (who is generally referred to as Baba, "daddy", throughout the book) loves both the boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. Amir also fears his father blames him for his mother’s death during childbirth. However, he has a kind father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, who understands Amir better, and is supportive of his interest in writing stories. Assef, a notoriously mean and violent older boy with sadistic tendencies, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara, according to Assef an inferior race that should only live in Hazarajat. He prepares to attack Amir with his steel knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, threatening to shoot Assef in the eye with his slingshot. Assef and his henchmen back off, but Assef says he will take revenge. Hassan is a successful "kite runner" for Amir, knowing where the kite will land without even watching it. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Baba's praise. Hassan goes to run the last cut kite, a great trophy, for Amir saying "For you, a thousand times over." Unfortunately, Hassan runs into Assef and his two henchmen. Hassan refuses to give up Amir's kite, so Assef exacts his revenge, assaulting and raping him. Wondering why Hassan is taking so long, Amir searches...
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...The Kite Runner Psychoanalytic criticism was first founded and developed by Sigmund Freud. Freud’s theories were mainly sexual deriving from the libido which is a colloquial term for the sex drive. Freud has many theories which are based on sexuality. One of his many theories includes the theory subconscious mind. This theory states that the ego is divided into three sections, the id, the ego and the superego. The id is the mind’s more primitive and impulsive part of the ego, where are the super ego is where all of our morals and values are placed. The ego is the part of the subconscious mind which mediates between the two. When making decisions we make them based on these two parts of our subconscious mind. Freud believed that the subconscious sexual drives were the bases for all human behavior, and that dreams were an important indicator for understanding human behavior. The kite runner is a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, which first takes place in the city of Kabul located in Afghanistan. It’s a story about a man who is named Amir who reflects on his past as a child in Afghanistan. Amir lived with his father, and his servants, ali and Hassan During that time period was a caste system in Afghanistan which was in place. Amir and his father were Pashtu, which is considered “pure” afghan. They were placed much higher than their servants Ali and Hassan who were Hazara. After a kite flying competition that Amir and Hassan attended together, Amir saw Hassan getting...
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...Hommen ENG3U0 December 7, 2014 In the novel, “Kite runner” by Khaled Hosseini the childhood of a small town boy by the name of Amir unfolds, when we realize that he lives under a shadow of guilt. He grows up, changes and is affected by his environment –whether that is Afghanistan or California. Transforming into a portrait of an immensely likeable and dominant character. After proving himself honorable when he makes up for his mistakes, overcomes his fears and acknowledges his misdeeds. Amir is a credible protagonist as he took the recognition to become a better person and seek redemption for all his mistakes. Although at first he tried to bury his sins by forgetting the past and living in the present day America, he was called home with an unexpected opportunity to work towards forgiveness. “There is a way to be good again…Rahim Khan had said on the phone just before hanging up, said it almost as an after thought.” (Hosseini, 202) Amir’s opportunity to be “good again” appears unforeseen, when suddenly returning to Afghan seems like the only way to atone for his sins now. He seeks out for Hassan’s orphaned son, Sohrab as he risks his life in order to rescue him. Through saving Sohrab’s life in a way, Amir has saved his own. “Been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”(Hosseini, 1) This is a little teaser in the beginning of the book that hints an event that has largely defined the course of Amir’s life ever since. This foreshadows the incident in...
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...The Kite Runner by Khaled Hasseini The Kite Runner by Khaled Hasseini is an intriguing story of life in Afghanistan during a time period. Amir and his father, Baba are Pashtun’s living in a successful home in Kabul, Afghanistan while their servants, Hassan and his father, Ali whom are considered Hazaras lived in a mud hut on the same grounds of Baba’s property. Since being a Hazara was discriminated against in Afghanistan, Amir was bullied by Assef and his friends for hanging out with one. Later, a moment happened when Amir was twelve that changed everything and as he claims made him the man he is today. The discrimination of ethnic minorities in Kabul, Afghanistan shows disastrous events in the lives of two young boys. This story relates to past and present time Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, a Hazara is a persecuted ethnic group whom came from further East Asia. Their features are different from other Afghanistan’s because they have more of an Asian look and flat noses. Pashtuns, are a different ethnic minority and they are accepted. Pashtuns dislike Hazaras and cause many grief to them. Hazaras are sunni Muslim, as Pashtun’s are shia Muslim. They claim different features and speak different languages. Later, in the 1980’s when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, many fled to Pakistan. Later in the 1990’s, a group called Taliban’s began making severe changes in Afghanistan making living their more difficult...
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...Research Paper on “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini Introduction: The international best-selling novel, The Kite Runner was first published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, written by the Afghan-born American novelist and physician, Khaled Hosseini. He was born into a Shia family in Kabul, and later on in his life when the family moved to Paris because of his father’s occupation, Hosseini’s family was unable to return to Kabul due to the bloody Saur Revolution; hence they had to seek political asylum in the United States. Being as young as he was, roughly 11 years of age, the actions of his home country must have left an impression on him. It is such a great read because among many other themes such as betrayal, redemption, bullying, inhumanities of revolution, discrimination, loyalty, hypocrisy, horrors of rapes etc. the main focus of this story is of a man who is haunted by his past demons. We see in some of the opening lines of the novel, “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975… That was a long time ago, but 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.” These opening lines gets the ball rolling on what is to come and to be expected from the story, of possibly an aged man who is looking back at the past and justifying how it has made him the way that he is to date. The setting vividly takes place in the disorderly country of Kabul, Afghanistan...
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...The Kite Runner: Violence, Guilt, and No Happy Ending Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an honest yet disturbing, work of historical fiction told from the point of view of the protagonist, Amir. He describes his childhood living in Afghanistan with Hassan, a Hazara boy, who worked as a servant to Amir and his father, Baba. A main conflict of the story is the fact that Amir allows Assef, the antagonist, to do horrible things to Hassan with no attempt to intervene. This scene is very intense and upsetting. Although it could be considered as a representation of “real-world” situations that sadly occur in the Middle Eastern area, the situation is purely troubling. Amir commits an act of dreadful betrayal. Hassan and his father part their ways with Amir and Baba, who go to America to live in California. They live a typical American life, making a good amount of money and living in a safe area, but Amir’s thoughts are filled with guilt and remorse. Amir’s guilt lasts ridiculously long. He says, “That was a long time ago, but 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. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years”(1). This quote from Amir represents that although he tried to forget his painful past, he could not. He did not have the will power to simply drop what occurred between him and Hassan from his thoughts. The fact that he has not resolved...
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...being proposed to, or being accepted to college, the life known previously is gone. In Kite Runner, Amir experiences quite a few moments where his life is changed. This changes his perspective, and angers him, reassures him, or makes him want to go back to his past. In particular, when Amir first overhears Rahim Khan and Baba talking about him, is told that he can redeem himself, and finds out that Hassan is his brother. One major moment is when Amir overhears Rahim Khan say to Baba “You need to let him find his way (Kite Runner 22).” Amir ends up going down the wrong path when he does not defend Hassan or himself. In fact, he pushes Hassan away...
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...Mariana Jimenez Period 1 The Kite Runner Final Essay It is normal for human beings to make mistakes that cause oneself to feel guilt, but what matters the most is how one fixes their mistakes that dictates what kind of person they truly are. In the book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, it shows that the quest for redemption is the way to atone for guilt. The author uses the literary technique of symbolism to enhance the theme of feeling guilt and its quest for redemption throughout the book. Amir has done many things that cause him to feel guilt that cause him to go on a quest for redemption. For example, in the beginning of the book, Amir says, “That was a long time ago, but 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. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.”(Khaled Hosseini, 1) This shows not only how Amir has been feeling guilt for the last twenty-six years but also how one as a reader can see how Amir finds redemption later in the book. Amir has clearly stated that he has tried to bury his past, his mistakes, but they eventually “claw” back out, forcing Amir to face his guilt and redeem himself. Also, later in the book Amir says “I flinched, like I’d been slapped… Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me… And that led to another understanding: Hassan knew. He knew I’d seen everything in that alley, that I’d...
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