Kite Runner Free Essays

The kite runner: Literacy Essay A single event can shape the rest of a lifetime. Redemption is a way that makes up for the cause of the guilt. The Kite Runner  is very much a â€Å"novel of redemption. We will write a custom essay sample on Kite Runner or any similar topic only for you Order Now † The main character, Amir, has to find a way to redeem himself after having betrayed Hassan. Sanaubar, likewise, must find redemption. Baba resolves his past guilty by doing good deeds First, Amir redeems himself by steps into courage and rescues the son of his brother Hassan Redemption is the act of saying or being saved from sin, error or evil, which the main character Amir seems to need the most. Amir lives with the guilt he has built up over the years because of one incident from his childhood. Amir’s father’s words still echo through his head  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything. † Pg (24). Although Amir destroyed the lives of many people, and he has had more than one opportunity to redeem himself of his guilt, he is not the selfish little boy he once was. Before Amir can go on the road to redemption, Amir must realize that he can’t go back and change what he has done as a child, and he must find inner peace. Although if it was not for Amir’s actions as a child, Sohrab never would have needed to be saved in the first place but by saving Sohrab, the last piece of Hassan’s life, does make a difference. From the moment he chose to turn his back on Hassan, there were many chances where  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There’s a way to be good again† (238). For all his wrongdoings, but he chose not to take any of these. Sohrab was his last and only chance for redemption. â€Å"I have a wife in America, a home, a career and a family†. But how could I pack up and go back home when my actions may have cost Hassan a chance at those very same things? And what Rahim Khan revealed to me changed things. Made me see how my entire life, long before the winter of 1975, dating back to when that singing Hazara woman was still nursing me, had been a cycle of lies betrayals and secrets† (238). Amir finally became the man who stood up for himself and his sins. Throughout his childhood, Amir looked for his father’s affection and he never could get it. His father had said  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m telling you, Rahim, there is something missing in that boy (24). Amir’s father would have been proud of him at this very moment because that was all he had wanted from him. The guilt that was built over the years was finally put to rest at the safety of Sohrab. In Afghanistan when Amir stood up for Sohrab and Assef aggressively beat him up, Amir had said  Ã¢â‚¬Å"My body was broken just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. † (289) which showed Amir had come to terms with what he had done as a child and was finally felt relieved. Although he was getting beat up, it did not matter anymore, he just wished he had stood up to Assef years ago, and maybe he would have earned his redemption in that alley. Second,  In the novel Baba Seeks redemption by treating Hassan well and always remembering his birthday. Amir and Baba were planting tulips, when Amir had asked Baba if he’d ever consider getting new servants And Baba said ‘’Hassan’s not going anywhere, he’d barked. He’s staying right here with us, where he belongs. This is his home and we’re his family. He had wept, wept, when Ali announced he and Hassan were leaving us. † (237) How to cite Kite Runner, Papers Kite Runner Free Essays Human beings are morally ambiguous people. We are neither purely evil nor purely good, but often a mix. And maybe that’s why many of us are attracted to literature works with morally ambiguous characters such as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. We will write a custom essay sample on Kite Runner or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Kite Runner was set in Kabul, Afghanistan, proceeds to United States during the Soviet Union invasion, and then the setting goes back to Kabul when the Taliban rises in power. In this novel, Amir, to whom the whole story of the book is centered around, is a morally ambiguous character. Amir is a Pashtun boy; he betrays his friendship with Hassan, a Hazara son of Amir’s father’s servant. Guilt haunts Amir for years even after he had left Kabul and moved to United States. Amir is a morally ambiguous character because he’s a coward, he’s selfish, he betrays his friend and lies, but he also finds courage to face what he had done wrong and finds salvation. The first part of the book The Kite Runner proves how Amir is not a purely good character. Amir often hangs out with the Hazara boy, Hassan and would tell Hassan that they are friends, but he still feels he’s above Hassan because Amir is Pashtun and Hazara people are considered below the Pashtun people. Amir wouldn’t hang out with Hassan when other Pashtun boys are with him, he also mocks the fact that Hassan can’t read, not considering the fact that Hassan doesn’t have the opportunity to get an education. Amir couldn’t stand Hassan’s intelligence: Amir had written a story about how a man’s tears turn into pearls when they fall into this magic cup, and the story ended with man’s wife dead in his arms on a mountain pile of pearls. When Hassan heard the story, he had enjoyed it, but he also raised a few questions that angered Amir, â€Å"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to be sad to shed tears? Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion? † (p. 34). Amir was angry because a mere Hazara boy who couldn’t read had taught Amir something he, an educated boy, didn’t figure out. These few examples that show how Amir is mean and arrogant are nothing compared to what he does to Hassan later on. Assef is a Pashtun boy that truly hates Hazaras and believes that Hazaras should all disappear. When Amir catches Assef raping Hassan, instead of stepping in, Amir runs away and pretends nothing had happened. When guilt started eating Amir up and he couldn’t stand facing Hassan because Hassan reminds him of his cowardly action, he pinned a crime of thievery on Hassan in order to have Hassan evicted from his house. The second part of the book shows that Amir isn’t purely evil despite what he has done. For a while, Amir’s life is filled with the guilt of not saving Hassan from the rape and it kept Amir from being completely happy, even though he found the love of his life in America and got married. Then one day, Amir’s father’s friend, Rhahim, called him to give him a chance to redeem himself. â€Å"There’s a way to be good again† (p. 226). Amir did find a way to be good again. Amir went back to Afghan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, to take him with Amir because Hassan and his wife had been shot to death on the street by the Taliban. Amir finds Sohrab with Assef and ends up getting into a physical fight with Assef. Amir basically lets Assef beat him up and while being beat up, Amir feels relieved. â€Å"My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last† (p. 289). Amir felt that he was being healed from the guilt that has been crawling beneath his skin every single day. He had betrayed his one and only friend, Hassan, lied, and destroyed a chance where Hassan might have left to United States with him and would still be alive. Amir felt that he finally got what he deserved and he felt much better, he had found salvation. And he had afterwards taken in Sohrab as his own son. Amir had been a coward; he had made selfish decisions and ruined Hassan’s live, but if he had been purely evil then he would not have felt guilt, nor would he have risked his life to bring back a mere Hazara’s son. But he had been filled with guilt and he had gone to find Sohrab and redeemed himself. And thus, Amir is a perfect example of a morally ambiguous character. How to cite Kite Runner, Papers Kite Runner Free Essays The Kite Runner Essay = 100 points DUE in class: Tuesday, April 26th [pic][pic][pic] Assignment: Write a five paragraph formal literary essay on a topic of your choosing to appropriately address The Kite Runner. *Remember: †¢ an essay centers around a strong thesis statement (an opinion regarding a specific topic and at least three main developmental points to support your claim) – if you do not make an argument and you relay unoriginal information that I am aware of by simply reading the text, your essay will receive a grade no higher than a â€Å"C† †¢ use appropriate tone/word choice in your essay no first or second person †¢ no contractions †¢ no repetitive words/phrases/ideas †¢ use proper MLA format †¢ include a Works Cited †¢ you must use quotes from the text in each body paragraph †¢ staple all prewriting and rubric to the back of your final essay in class †¢ see rubric for additional details Prompts: 1. What role doe s religion play in the lives of Baba, Amir, and Assef, and in the novel as a whole? 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Kite Runner or any similar topic only for you Order Now How does the author, Khaled Hosseini, use irony in the novel? 3. How do Amir and Hassan represent the divisions in Afghan society, and how do these divisions affect the courses their lives take? 4. How does the author use time as a narrative device in the novel? 5. How do the political events that occur in Afghanistan shape the lives of Amir, Hassan, and Assef? 6. In what ways does Amir seek redemption and why? 7. How do the relationships between fathers and sons affect the events of the novel? [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] **Rubric: If you include all of the items below you should have a solid essay! Introduction Paragraph: Hook (Catch the reader’s attention – 1 sentence) Precis (short summary of the novel that includes the author, title, and main characters – 2 to 3 sentences) Thesis statement (2 to 3 sentences addressing the prompt and introducing what your entire essay is about – remember to give 3 examples) Body Paragraph 1: Topic sentence (1 sentence that describes what this paragraph is about) TLQ, â€Å"CD† (25). CM TLQ, â€Å"CD† (25). CM Concluding Sentence (1 sentence that describes what this paragraph was about) Body Paragraph 2: Topic sentence (1 sentence that describes what this paragraph is about) TLQ, â€Å"CD† (25). CM TLQ, â€Å"CD† (25). CM Concluding Sentence (1 sentence that describes what this paragraph was about) Body Paragraph 3: Topic sentence (1 sentence that describes what this paragraph is about) TLQ, â€Å"CD† (25). CM TLQ, â€Å"CD† (25). CM Concluding Sentence (1 sentence that describes what this paragraph was about) Conclusion: Revisit the hook Restate the thesis statement Works Cited Page How to cite Kite Runner, Essay examples Kite Runner Free Essays In â€Å"The Kite Runner,† written by Khaled Hosseini, tells a vivid story that demonstrates the political and religious discrimination in Afghan society. Concerns about discrimination are reminded to the reader as one reads about the story of two Afghan boys. A major struggle is evident between the two groups in Afghanistan, the Pashtuns, and the Hazaras. We will write a custom essay sample on Kite Runner or any similar topic only for you Order Now Discrimination sets into place as we learn about the history between the two family lines. On page 9, Amir read from a book that says â€Å"Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras †¦ the reason was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a. This sets in the idea that the Pashtuns killed the Hazaras simply because they were not Sunni Muslims, resulting in the discrimination in society against the Hazaras. Throughout the novel, there were many scenes of discrimination such as how Hassan was never invited to Amir’s birthday parties, Assef constantly picking on Ali and Hassan as they are from a different class, and especially when Assef was raping Hassan. Assef believed that it was his right to rape Hassan because in his eyes, he was only a Hazara, an object which he can own and control. The Author Khaled Hosseini also used many literary devices to emphasize the effects of discrimination in society. This is shown on page 298 when Assef says â€Å"Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage. † This is a metaphoric device where Khaled Hosseini had Assef regard the garbage as the Hazaras. He also clearly portrayed Assef in terms of being Hitler by having the same ethnic and political views. Another technique the author used to show discrimination was on page 380 when General Taheri says â€Å"they will want to know why there is a Hazara boy living with my daughter. † This is when the General begins to question Amir’s actions. This shows that even a likeable character like the General, has a nastier side and that even he would show discrimination. More importantly, this depicts the common prejudice in society. Discrimination, racism, prejudice, these are themes that people tend to avoid discussing about. Discrimination is everywhere; everybody knows about it as it is happening, yet nobody says anything to stop it. This reminds me of a book I once read called â€Å"How To Kill A Mockingbird. † To sum it all up, a black man was accused of raping a white daughter, and although the man was clearly innocent, the jury ultimately decided to convict the man, because he was an African American descent. This illustrates how discrimination is like a poison gas; it is easily contagious and affects everybody in the community, clouding our judgments. In the novel, I read a passage that I found very bizarre. It was on page 27 when Amir says â€Å"the curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either†¦ but we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either. † I found this to be strange because Amir seems to be contradicting himself, making this a paradox because no amount of history, ethnicity, or society, can change the fact that Amir and Hassan practically spent all their childhood moments together, making them friends, if not, best friends. Another powerful passage in the novel was on page 169 when Baba says â€Å"we may be hardheaded 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. † This perplexing reference makes me wonder if even Baba represents prejudice in civilization. This also makes me think that Baba believes you want a Pashtun at your side only if you’re a Pashtun and likewise to Hazaras. This shows the segregation and ethnic problems that constantly crawl its way up to the surface. Year after year, discrimination once again sets foot into society. We’ve all believed discrimination would disappear after Martin Luther King’s speech, but unmistakably, discrimination is like a spark of flame that refuses to go out. In the novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini used many tactics to show that every character discriminates against others, representing society. This is evident on page 27 when Amir says â€Å"in the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara. I was Sunni, and he was a Shi’a, and nothing was going to change that. † This shows that despite the fact that Amir and Hassan are really close, social prejudice sets foot once again, demonstrating that it can even influence children. I wonder why society discriminates against other cultures. Is it because it makes them feel that their culture is superior? Or perhaps it satisfies people by seeing others in emotional pain. From this point forward, I understand that the world is filled with discrimination, which must now be stopped. People have believed that as long as there are people of different background and culture, discrimination would live on. I believe that discrimination only lives because we want it to. People are afraid of others from different cultures simply because they might not share the same customs, which scares some of us. However, if people can look past the differences disconnecting us all, then civilization would be able to coexist harmoniously with others from a different race, thus, ending this long lasting chain of discrimination. How to cite Kite Runner, Papers