The Kite Runner study guide

1)

The Role of Women - The role of women in The Kite Runner is split between America and Afghanistan. In America, women are independent and can choose their own lives, while in Afghanistan, women serve their husbands.

Betrayal- Amir betrayed Hassan by choosing self-preservation instead of helping his friend in a time of need. Betrayal is a consistent theme throughout The Kite Runner.

Brothers- Brothers are deeply bonded in The Kite Runner. Although there were few instances where the reader saw real brothers, he or she understands that brotherhood is in the heart, not blood. Amir and Hassan and Baba and Ali are good examples.

Guilt- Hidden Guilt~Amir carries the guilt of his betrayal throughout his life, never expressing it to anyone, but being miserable on the inside. Open Guilt~ When Sohrab cuts his wrists near the end of the book to try to kill himself, Amir is visibly miserable due to the guilt of telling Sohrab he would have to go to an orphanage, which was his worst nightmare.

Redemption- Amir's biggest step towards redemption is fighting Assef for Sohrab, doing what he should have done years ago for Hassan.

Journey- Amir goes through a life journey feeling miserable and cringing at the sound of Hassan's name. By the end of his journey, he wants to redeem himself and help Hassan by saving his son.

Fathers and Sons- It seems as though in Afghanistan, it is customary for sons to follow after their fathers in everything. Sons seek the attention and affection of their fathers.

Class Distinction- There is a clear class distinction in The Kite Runner. Pashtuns are the majority of the Afghan population, while the Hazaras are the minority and are treated as such. Hazaras are the servant class.

2)

Parallelism- There is a religious parallel in the book. Biblical Abraham had two sons: a legitimate son, Isaac, and an illegitimate son, Ishmael. Baba had two sons: a legitimate son, Amir, and an illegitimate son, Hassan.

Character Foils- Hassan is a foil to Amir in many ways. His undying loyalty to Amir (by protecting him from bullies, by running kites for him, etc.) just strengthens the idea that Amir is not loyal at all to Hassan. In fact, Amir made Hassan look like a thief so Baba would kick them out. Even then Hassan covered up for Amir.

Foreshadowing- The author foreshadows very aggressively even on the first page of the book, but most of the first half of the book has instances of foreshadowing. Amir stating that on the day Hassan fetched his kite would be the last day he ever saw him smile. Or when Amir graduated and Baba said he wished Hassan were there with them.

Flashback- Flashbacks aren't used as often as foreshadowing, but the author italicizes all the flashback moments in the book. Some include his flashbacks to his childhood during action scenes in the book. However, the whole story is a flashback, because Amir is telling a story of his past.

Positive and Negative Aspects of the Writing- The author does use explicit detail which in some cases is good and in some it's bad. It's good to stir emotion in the reader, however, some readers may think it was too much detail.

3)

• Hazara vs. Pashtuns
• Afghanistan before war vs. Afghanistan during the war
• America vs. Afghanistan
• Kabul vs. Jalalabad
• House in Kabul vs. House in California

4)

• Rahim Khan- tells Amir about Hassan being his brother. Tells Amir about Hassan and his family and where to find Sohrab.
• Sanaubar- Hassan's mother who ran off when he was a baby. Her coming back gave him a sense of closure, something that Amir will never have in regards to his mother.
• Assef- the boy who used to bully Amir and Hassan when they were children ended up being the man to kill Hassan, and rape his son, and become head of the Taliban.
• Farid- a man who agreed to take Amir into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Ended up taking Amir to the hospital and taking care of Sohrab while Amir couldn't.
• Soraya- Amir's wife. Proved to be his source of happiness. Helped him through his father's death. Was the reason they couldn't have children.

5)

• The pomegranate tree in the backyard- When Amir and Hassan were young they would sit under the tree and Amir would read to Hassan. They carved their names into the tree. It always blossomed and gave off fruit. When Hassan returned to the house during the war with Rahim Khan, the tree sat fruitless and didn't blossom. This is a symbol of the war in Afghanistan and also the lost friendship of Amir and Hassan.
• The kite fighting is a symbol of Afghanistan which always seems to be in war.
• The kite represents the freedom and bonding of Amir and Hassan, both at the beginning and at the end of the book.
• The slingshot is a symbol of devotion. Hassan protected Amir with it, and Sohrab saved Amir with it.
• Assef's brass knuckles are a sign of fear. Whenever he took them out the reader would automatically know what was about to happen. Both with Hassan at the beginning of the book and with Amir at the end of the book.

shoulder problems

My shoulder problems started when I was in 5th grade. I was carrying a really heavy backpack on my right shoulder. It popped out and I screamed due to the pain. I went to a private school, so there were an ample emount of doctors around. One of them came over and relocated my shoulder. Ever since then, it pops out every once in a while and I pop it back. During the past several months, it's dislocated anywhere from two to six times daily! This past week, it is permanently out. It hurts to move even the slightest bit. The pain makes me dizzy and feel very sick. Luckily, I am going to see a doctor on Thursday. Hopefully they find a problem that is easily corrected.

My First Laundry Experience in My New Apartment!

Not as exciting as it might sound...
I do not have a washer/dryer in my apartment (yet), so I had to use the laundry facility that the apartments provide for residents. First off, they do not run on quarters, but on cards which you load money onto. Essentially that would be a fantastic idea. However, it is quite a pain. To get your card initially, you HAVE to have a five dollar bill. After you insert the five dollars, you assume you would have a balance of five dollars on your card. Not so. It apparently costs three dollars to get the card, so your balance is two dollars. Each load costs $1.50, so that is good for one load of laundry... I added another ten dollars to my card. I was in that laundry facility for three and a half hours! Sitting there on my computer, listening to music and talking to my sister. I had to run the dryer THREE cycles because it didn't dry well enough. That is $4.50 on JUST drying my jeans. I feel like this is a really big waste of money.

Anyways, I was SOO ready to get out of there that I packed up all my stuff in my laundry basket. In there were my folded clothes, my laptop, my phone, and my keys. I put the laundry basket in my passenger seat, closed the door, and walked to the driver's side. I attempted to open the door and realized it was locked. I walked back over to the passenger side and saw that it was locked too... uh oh.

I don't have my phone because it is in the laundry basket. Luckily, right at that moment, another resident came to do his laundry. I quickly asked to use his phone, and he handed it to me. Unluckily, I do not know my roommate's number by heart. I know my boyfriend knows her number, but again, I do not know his number by heart. So I called my sister. I asked her to three-way my boyfriend. When he got on the phone, I asked him to call my roommate. He called her, called my sister back, and she called the number that I called her on. My boyfriend said that she is in Warner Robins, so it will take her some time to get back. I went and sat by my door and read 'The Kite Runner.' She showed up under fifteen minutes later. She opened up the apartment door, I got my spare key and went to get my car...


My back is killing me.
haha

Halloween

was terrible.
My boyfriend and I didn't really find anything to do, so we stayed at my apartment and watched a 'scary' movie. It was absolutely terrible. I highly recommend not to watch 'The Last Resort.' Anyways, my boyfriend is 19 years old and isn't allowed to spend the night at my house. So he tells his parents he is at his friend's house. His mom called him in the middle of our movie and asked what he was up to. He answered by saying he was at his friend's house, and his mom told him that she is in his driveway with some kind of treat for him. He had to tell her that he was at my apartment, and she hung up on him. Ends up his dad wants him to come back home and talk with his mom. So I have to take him home.. and come back.. to spend the rest of halloween by myself.

=[

New Apartment... YAY!

I finally moved into my new apartment. It's awesome, but this weekend was SOO tough.

Thursday, I decided I need to move out, ASAP.
Friday, my new roommate and I talked about places we could look.
Saturday, we went and looked at apartments.
and Sunday, I moved in.

I do not have a couch or tv stand, and i need a dining room set. So if anyone has hand-me-downs, let me know =D

Compare/Contrast Essay

‘Land of the Free’ Versus ‘Land of Milk and Honey’
Known as the ‘melting pot’ and ‘the land of opportunity,’ the United States has grown to become one of the most sought after places to live, work, and study. Many people immigrate to this great country because of the many opportunities to excel in nearly everything. Here, if one puts his or her mind to something, he or she can truly become satisfactory and continue to progress in the area which they are chasing. Israel is famous for being the birthplace of nearly all religions. Also, Israel has more museums per capita than any other country, and Israel has more engineers and scientists per capita than any other country. Israel is slightly smaller than the size of New Jersey, so there, people have to adapt to different things, including the housing situation. Due to its location and historical value, nearly every country in the Middle East wants control of Israel. For this reason, Israel’s army must be very well trained, powerful, and big in size. However, the nightlife, just like in the United States, is still alive and thriving. Although these two countries are thousands of miles apart and nearly on opposite sides of the world, people in both places are determined and willing.
The area of the whole United States is approximately 9,161,923 square kilometers, which is a little more than 3.5 million square miles. Due to this vast land space, people can afford to spread out and build houses on acres of land. People usually live in single-family homes that have backyards and a driveway. In Israel, the situation is very different. The majority of families live in apartment buildings. Because Israel is so tiny and has to occupy many people, the government decided to build up instead of out. On average, about fifteen families live in one apartment building. A set of similar-looking apartments, usually between five and fifteen buildings, makes a neighborhood. In each neighborhood there are parks and playgrounds for children to play in. Although they are sufficient for Israeli kids, American kids may think these playgrounds are far too small. Pets in the apartments are no problem at all. They are totally welcome, and residents don’t have to pay a down-payment or a monthly fee. However, there is a very small percentage of the Israeli population that lives in single family homes. Although they are tightly packed and have virtually no yard space, these houses are definitely bigger than apartment living. In most cases, the people who own these houses are doctors, lawyers, or company CEOs. In the United States, people would most likely not think these houses are luxurious in comparison to the ones available to them.
In all of United States’ history, there have only been six drafts into the military. Today, one joins the army on volunteer terms only. These are not the procedures in Israel, however. In Israel there is always a draft. Once a child turns eighteen, he or she must serve in the Israeli Defense Force, or IDF. Boys serve for three years minimum while girls serve for two. Every Israeli citizen must pass health exams, join the army, endure basic training, and be a part of the army. There is one exception to this rule. If one is an Orthodox Jew, he or she does not have to serve in the army, due to religious reasons. However, they must still serve the country by doing volunteer clean-up work on the highways and in cities. Most eighteen-year-olds in America, especially the girls, could not imagine themselves going to the army right after graduating from high school. On the other hand, Israeli teens could not picture themselves going to college right after finishing high school. There, it is just the way of life, and it is what everyone does.
The nightlife in Israel and in the United States differs greatly. For the most part, in the U.S. people do not party or go to clubs until they are at least eighteen. In most states, children under eighteen have a curfew, which states a time when they need to be at home, usually around midnight. In Israel, a ‘curfew’ does not exist. During the summer, teens and young adults will stay at home with their family until around one in the morning, and then head out with their friends. Teens usually go to the beach, but towns are completely open at night! Bars, restaurants, and clubs are open until the wee hours of the morning. Teenagers sometimes get back to their homes at around the same time their parents leave for work. During the school year, nightlife is much the same as in the U.S. Parents choose a bedtime for their kids, and the kids wake up early for school. American parents most likely would not let their ten-year-old child wander the streets with his friends on a summer’s night, but in Israel, it is almost customary.
However far away and different these two beautiful countries may be, they are quite similar in their way of life and in the attitude of their citizens. Israelis mostly live in apartments, and Americans live in homes, but home life is relatively the same; the value of family is maintained no matter what kind of house you live in. The nightlife in both areas is different through the summer days. Throughout the school year, children in the United States and in Israel have the same routine. The places are equally excellent to live in and to raise a family in. The maintenance of peace is the sole goal of both the American army and the Israeli army. However, the way of obtaining military men and women is quite different. Although the reasons may be unique to each country, people in both places are motivated and proud.

Terrible week

Have you ever had a week when you just want to curl up into a ball and not leave until the week is over? Yeah, that was this week for me.

Monday-Classes went well. However, it rained so hard that my shoes and pants got completely soaked! So I went to the mall with my boyfriend and got a pair of sweatpants and new socks. I absolutely hate wearing wet clothing. It irritates me.

Tuesday- School was alright. Got a good grade on my math test. I get home, make lunch, boyfriend comes over. Right before we're about to head out to eat, I get a knock on the door. I open it, and the manager of the apartment complex is at my door about "rent." After a lot of miscommunication, we figured out that my roommate's check bounced. She now owes almost $300 more than rent usually is, and we are facing eviction.UGH.

Wednesday- Got an 85% on a test in history that I thought was ridiculously easy. Very disappointed. Boyfriend is angry about a class and I feel helpless. He starts feeling very sick, and I tell him to just go home.

Thursday- I woke up kind of depressed and tried to convince myself before I got out of bed that it will be a good day. I called my boyfriend and he told me that he has a fever of 102 and isn't going to be able to come to school or complete the plans we had for today. Upset, I realize that I have to work, and that because he is sick, his mom probably won't let me see him until Monday. Fantastic.

I just want this week to be over already.