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Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Kite Runner Reflection
Now that you've finished the novel, tell me what you think about it. Go into detail--what did you like about it? What disturbed you? What were you unhappy with? This is your opportunity to vent or gush--take it!
I really enjoyed reading this novel. There are many reasons why I liked it, the first one being that I thought it was written with just the right amount of description for each scene. When I read some other books sometimes I feel like authors take too long to describe the setting of a place or reasoning behind something that's happening, causing me to lose focus and become distracted. I felt that this book flowed really well and used just enough imagery and such without going overboard. I also really liked this novel for the fact that I feel like I learned a litte bit about another culture. I liked the use of the Farsi (I think that's the language?) words within the story, and the mention of their holidays etc. I also found the book very intriguing because I feel like something shocking happened every few chapters. The only thing I didn't really llike was the end of the book, and that was really only because it wasn't as happy in the end as I hoped it would be; but I guess by making it this way, only showing a little glimmer of hope for Sohrab and Amir, it pushed me as a reader to draw my own conclusion of what would happen between them.
Reading this a second time, there were a lot more aspects and smaller details that I caught. Adjectives became more prevalent and not exactly the main events as whole became more important, but the side notes leading up to the main events became more important. What I liked before and what I liked this second time is the same however. The simple diction made the text easy and fun to read, but the significant and mature events that took place were both disturbing and enjoyable. However, I like the most that there isn't a dull moment throughout the entire story. It's beautifully written so that whenever things start to die down, something equally tragic begins to take place. Reading this a second time was a huge advantage to analyzing this book and it also gave me the knowledge of when the more disturbing events were coming. This did not change the fact that some of these events were extremely mortifying and the detail Khaled Hosseini goes into just makes the excrutiating experience more real to the reader. I was unhappy mainly with Baba and Amir. Both were cowards in their own seperate ways and the both "held the truth" from each other. Amir was too much of a coward to tell Ali or Baba what happened and therefore held the truth. Baba was too much of a coward to tell Amir or Hassan that they were brothers and therefore held the truth from both of them. Things would have been different if Baba just would have told them. Ali and Hassan probably wouldn't have had to leave if that happened. Even though it was tragic to read about events like these, the book was like eating leftover pizza. It was better the second time.
This was one of the best books I have ever read. I feel like every time I started to read, it was hard to stop. Throughout this book, I noticed a lot of foreshadowing which caused me to want to keep reading. For example, Sohrab's attempt at suicide was foreshadowed earlier when the secretary mentioned Raymond Andrews' daughter had committed suicide. Then, they mentioned that Sohrab liked to take long, hot baths at night. I began to get the feeling that Sohrab would try to commit suicide in the bath because Amir would not check on him since his daily routine was to take a long bath. I felt like in every moment of the book there was something that surprised me. I liked how in the end everything seemed to relate back to something else. For example, the conflict of Assef and Amir came back when Amir met Assef who was not a leader of the Taliban. I just could not stop reading because each event led into another. There were a few parts that disturbed me, but I know they were still necessary to make the book more intriguing. I did not really like the rape of Hassan or the killings in the soccer stadium. These parts seemed so inhumane and brutal. I know these parts were essential when connecting emotions and Amir's feelings of guilt into the story. There was so much imagery in this book as well. In some parts, it helped me gain of sense of Amir's surroundings and emotions, but in parts such as the rape and killings, it was a bit disturbing. In the end, I was not unhappy with any of the book. Each part left me wanting to know more. Even in the end, I wanted to see what would happen with Sohrab and Amir. Would Sohrab end up talking again and gaining more life into him? Was that one moment with the kite a sign of hope or will Sohrab return to being mute? By leaving me with thoughts after every chapter, I was curious to know what would happen to each character and where they would end up. All in all, The Kite Runner was a phenomenal book.
I really liked this book! It was really interesting to me, even though it was kind of depressing at times. About 905 of the time I didn't like Amir. He treated Hassan like he was nothing & Hassan just took all of it. That's another thing that bothered me a lot. Hassan took everything that Amir put out. I don't know if it was because Hassan loved him so much or because he was too dumb to realize that Amir kind of hated him. Throughout the whole book I kind of already thought Hassan was Baba's son because of the way Baba treated him. Also though, because of the way Hassan was. He was an athlete. He may not have been the smartest guy but he was athletic & talented. Amir was kind of like a girl. He cried a lot, he threw up a lot, he was just a baby. Baba was always more fond of Hassan, I think, because for one he could actually relate to this kid. Another reason is because he couldn't just openly have him as his son. He couldn't just take him into his home & keep him there as his own, like Amir. The rape itself wasn't what disturbed me as much as that Amir did nothing. I kept thinking maybe he'd jump out there & help him or something but nothing happened. Then he never told him he was sorry or anything. I was very unhappy that Amir never got to see Hassan again. I thought that they'd meet & Hassan would be like rich or something & look down on Amir. That was what I was expecting & kind of hoping for. I liked the way the book turned out, though. It taught me some history as well because I didn't know all of that happened over there. Hassan having a son really threw the story into play, I think. It became more interesting & it redeemed Amir because he tried so hard to get the kid & rescue him. Hassan loved Amir with everything he had. Somehow I think they knew they were brothers, they just didn't know they were brothers. Overall I loved this book & I thought it was very interesting.
I really enjoyed the book. This is one of the very few books that I have had to read that I really enjoyed. The book was very well written, however I have one complaint about the book. What happened during the Russian invasion? Wow, a major geopolitical event happens and it gets very little mention. Why didn't Amir and Baba join the Mujahideen and fight the Russians? Are they really that spineless? Why don't they feel enough pride for their country to fight to defend it? What motivated them to go to America? Was it the aid America gave to the Mujahideen? The last straw that broke the back of the Soviet Union and it is all but forgotten. The single event that gave rise to the Taliban and started Sharia Law in Afghanistan that led to the Taliban's brutality. I feel Hosseini missed a big point of history.
Now that my criticism is out of the way, we can get to the better part of the book.
The major part I enjoyed reading about was a nice Afghanistan. The country displayed in the first part of the book was on the opposite end of the spectrum than the festering sewer that has been portrayed by our media. It was refreshing to read about kite flying instead of IEDs killing and maiming hundreds in a single day. This is even true for Pakistan. We hear of a distrustful government that stands in the way of our war on terrorism and a ISI that beats, kills, and kidnaps people in the name of justice. This gave a refreshing look at the Middle East.
I do not like this novel. I hated how quickly and drastically the story changed. I also did not like all the grimacing factors, such as the rape, the stoning, and the suicide attempt. The only thing I did like was that I thought this was an actual true story and was that lead to disappointment because I found out it was not true. I hated how quick the story could change in a matter of pages. The first 150 pages were about this boy named Amir and how the only thing he longed for was his father's love and when he finally starts to get it, the father dies. Another instance is when Amir goes back to Afghanistan, to find Hassan, he is told that his best friend is shot in the back of the head for keeping up on his own house. The entire first half of the book was painstakingly laid out to where this image of friendship, of brotherhood, was so strong, nothing could break it. Then in just a few short pages, Hasssan is raped while Amir watches. Such a thing would destroy some children forever. Amir hides in it and is sentenced to guilt for almost 25 years. When Amir goes back to Afghanistan to confront his childhood brother, not only does Amir learn that Hassan is his true brother but also that he has had a son. Amir is very happy about this. Then the bomb is dropped that Hassan was shot in the back of the head, in the streets of Kabul, by the Taliban, in front of his wife and child. His wife is shot too. All I can say is that I almost burnt the book right there. The story takes so long to lead up to a certain point and then, all of a sudden, you'll read a paragraph and one of the main characters have died, been raped, or attempted suicide. These dramatic twists are just too much for me. I also hated the ending. Does Sohrah ever find happiness or is he doomed to stay mute by what Amir has done to him and his father. How does Amir not feel as much guilt by what happened to Sohrah than what happened to Hassan. Amir felt very very bad about what happened to Hassan, so much that he pushed his best friend since birth completely out of his life and it wasn't even his fault, Hassan getting raped. When Sohrab tried to kill himself, it was a direct result from what Amir told him. Amir almost killed Hassan's only child and doesn't feel any guilt, or at least it's not expressed in the pages of The Kite Runner. In my opinion, Amir should have felt more guilt about what happened to Sohrab than what happened with Hassan
The novel was pretty good. I wouldn't have picked this book out on my own, but I am glad we chose this book to read. It was different than the novels I have read before for school. Usually the books picked out to read as a class are not this interesting. Some parts of the book was difficult to follow. I struggled to keep up with the characters at first due to their names, but I easily caught on after a while as I continued to read. Keeping the reading journal helped me this, but as I continued to read more of the novel, I didn't really need to go to use it as much. It was still nice to get my thoughts out though. There were a few points in the book, I did struggle with because he went from a moment in the past to a different time in the past or a dream. I was slightly confused at first on what he was even talking about, so I had to reread some of it to make sure I was reading it right. Rereading certain parts did help sort through what was going on and help pull some my thoughts together. There were some parts I did find rather disturbing while reading. When Hassan got raped and his son by the same man, I felt slightly sick to my stomach. It makes me think that some people don't actually see what is going on until they take a step into the other person's lives.
After finishing Kite Runner, I found I enjoyed many things about it and disliked only a few. Most of all, I enjoyed the realism of the events in the novel. I liked how it wasn't written to be a happy story with a real happy ending, and just happened to be set in Afghanistan. It isn't like that by any means, and I enjoyed that.
I was a little unhappy with Sohrab's character at first, but then I considered age and maturity, and the things he'd had to deal with at the age, and got over my displeasure. It just seemed to me that he should be grateful for being rescued by Amir. Especially after the beating Amir took to get to him.
I really enjoyed the meaning behind all of the events. There was a point to everything, whether the point was clear or not. In the very beginning of the story, you're given clues about Amir's past, and learn that he feels like he has something to make up for. I would say that's the foundation for the entire story. If I were to tell someone what this story was about, vaguely, I would say, " Atonement, loss, guilt, fear, and love." And I'd mention that every event has something to do with those things.
I really liked it a lot. I liked how the book spanned many years, but the author tied together different times and places with repeated phrases and images (such as "For you, a thousand times over"). I also thought it was really cool how much the things that happened when Amir went back to Afghanistan correlated with what had happened with Hassan. It was cool, for instance, how Amir put the money under the mattress at Farid's brother's house, and how Amir ended up with a scar that looks like Hassan's. And, of course, there were lots of things that were disturbing - Hassan getting raped, Hassan getting killed, everything that happend to Sohrab. But the adulterers getting stoned also really disturbed me. And I was unhappy with Sohrab trying to kill himself and then not talking for a year. I agree that, after what he had been through, he shouldn't have just snapped right back to normal and been the happiest kid ever, but he was doing okay there for a while, and it seems strange that a child his age would attempt suicide. Also, they never mentioned taking him to a psychologist. He should have gotten some kind of help to deal with what had happened to him, and I don't understand why he didn't. Even though Amir makes a good point that life doesn't always end happily, I think having a little kid try to kill himself and then not speak for a whole year and no one at any hospital or adoption agency or government office ever really does anything about it - that's even less realistic than a happy ending. But other than that, it was a great book. Oh, also, I loved the part when Amir dreamed about Baba wrestling the bear, and then it turned out that Amir was wrestling it. That was great. And of course, the end was really cool when Amir ran the kite for Sohrab. I cried.
This is an odd part to like, but I liked the complicated relationship between Baba and Amir. Baba didn't fit the stereotype of a wise father figure or of the usual detached father figure; he was somewhere in between. The death of Amir's mother, the conflict of having a secret and illegitimate son and how that strained the relationship, and how Baba always struggled to accept that his son was different (in both good and bad ways) made the interactions between the two really interesting. Another odd thing I like was the Afghani culture and also Afghani sub culture in the US, after the exodus from Afghanistan and the Middle East. I liked reading about their markets in Kabul, about the kite running and the schools. I find other cultures quite interesting, especially from a little kids point of view. As for the part of the book set in the US, I found the coexistence and sometimes confliction of the two cultures to be interesting... the focus on blood lines, the Islamic religion, the holidays, and the strange (to me) system of marriage were all something I didn't know much about. I also liked how post-invasion Kabul was portrayed. The author did a good job in making the reader sympathize for the people still living in Kabul. Just small details he would slip in. It made me understand the hell that they're experiencing way more than any news statistics or articles. As for the parts I disliked... I was somewhat unhappy with the discussions we had. Some people had read ahead and were so eager to talk about what was coming up that I knew major plot events were coming up. I didn't like knowing that, I wish it had been more of a surprise. Especially the "Hassan's-your-half-brother-dude" discussion with Rahim... that came as no surprise because people who had already read ahead hinted at it in discussion. I found the whole situation of Assef being the Talib official to be pretty ludricrous. I understand how it makes sense for the story, but that part of the story just seemed forced, seemed unlikely. And why didn't Assef recognize Sohrab if he was so good with faces? Wouldn't he have remembered Hassan his (first) rape victim, and wouldn't he see the resemblance between Hassan and Sohrab?
I really enjoyed reading this novel. I was glad that everything finally worked out in the end. I really liked that the book was very unpredictable and full of surprises. I think some of the saddest parts of the book were when Amir treated Hassan so badly because Hassan was always so loyal to Amir. I was really sad to hear that Hassan had died. I was hoping Amir would be able to apologize to him. I think that when Amir found out Hassan was his brother, it created an even bigger desire to make it up to him. I was shocked to see that Assef was the man in the sunglasses. However, I was proud of Sohrab for basically saving Amir's life with his slingshot. It was really sad when Amir found Sohrab in the bath tub, especially since Sohrab is so young. I was really happy when Amir decided to adopt Sohrab. I was hoping for that the whole time. I think he finally was able to feel better about himself when he took Hassan's child to America with him. I have a feeling this was Rahim Khan's intention the whole time. Rahim was kind of like the hero because he was able to allow Amir to redeem himself for his actions. I think Hassan would be very proud of Amir for that. My favorite part of the story was at the very end when Amir runs a kite for Sohrab and says, “For you a thousand times over.” I think it was a great way to end the story.
This novel in my opinion was a very well written book. I enjoyed it very much. Khaled Hosseini did a wonderful job in relaying the struggles of a man reflecting on his past and his mistakes along the way. I enjoyed the overall story. Amir's struggle to try and correct his past is something that many people can relate to. I could also relate to Amir trying to please his father and seek for his approval. I tend to try and make my parents proud of me. I do not go to the lengths that he did though. I liked the part when Amir was reading to Hassan and Amir made up the story as he went. He thought that this would be a good trick to play on Hassan since Hassan could not read. To Amir's surprise, Hassan I would have to say that Hasan is my favorite character because his represents the innocence in the story. He is always happy. Even when people made fun of him for being a different race, he still had a positive outlook on life. Hassan always believed everything that Amir told him and he thought Amir was the greatest. Hassan looked up to Amir. There are several thing that bothered me about this book as well. I can honestly say that I did not really like that character of Amir. He was very pompous and cocky. He was constantly trying to make him self better than Hassan. Amir would do anything to make Hassan seem lower than him. I also did not like how detached Amir seemed to be in the end. I feel that if he was truly trying to be repentant, then he would be more passionate about changing. I just felt that Amir was kind of a girl. He never really maned up but constantly wined and complained throughout the story. I really did not like how when Amir got older and moved away, he seemed to forget Hassan. He thought about him a few times but not as much as I thought he would. Another thing, I liked that Baba was being so much nicer to Amir when they moved to America. It was as if Baba accepted Amir for who he was. Baba's character changed very much as the story went on. It changed for the better. I also liked the part when Amir got married because he seemed to finally be happy and found someone to be happy with. I really enjoyed this book. It was one of those that I had a hard time putting down.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as everyone else did where they loved it. I have a difficult time reading and I was behind for awhile so I clearly didn't get into it the way some of the students have told me they did. The one thing I did like was the way it was told in the sense that it was so real. It was real world events and happening somewhere completely different from what life is like here in the U.S. I think if it were told from any other character's perspective that wasn't Amir's, the story would be a lot different. I also think if it was told in any other setting that would affect it too. I also like how Amir doesn't give up on trying to help Sohrab. Although none of it worked out in the best way he thought it would, I think he knew deep down that it was his responsibility to do the best he could helping. Amir was the reason Hassan went away and they never saw each other again. I respect him for that much, but I'm not the fondest of him just because of all the other things he also did like ignoring the rape and getting Hassan sent away and his attitude in the beginning toward Hassan even though they were best friends. One part specifically that I didn't enjoy the most was of course the rape scene. While reading that part and picturing it through Amir's eyes, it was a little uncomfortable and disturbing. The fact that the first sentence of the story literally began by saying there was one event that made him who he was and this was it, shows it has still affected him which is a powerful thing.That is one of the parts of this story that adds so well to it though because if it would have taken place in the United States and someone would have watched a friend get raped right in front of them, all hell would break loose and be crazy. It adds to how different being in Afghanistan is and what happens daily, even in Amir's and Hassan's lives. I am most unhappy with myself for not getting into it as much as I know I could have. Falling behind didn't help me out that much, but I'm not good with reading on my own time ever. I think if I would have done better with that, I would have enjoyed it so much more and learned a lot more than I already did.
I think The Kite Runner is a fabulous book. My favorite part about the novel is that after Amir returned to the Middle East, Hosseini brought back aspects from the beginning to tie the story together. For example, when Amir struggles with Assef in an attempt to rescue Sohrab, Sohrab steps in with his slingshot to defend Amir, just as Hassan had over 20 years before. During Amir's fight with Assef, he receives a wound to his upper lip that healed to look just like the scar Hassan had after the surgery that repaired his harelip. In the final chapter, Amir tells Sohrab, "For you, a thousand times over," which was the last thing Hassan said to Amir before he was raped. I like that by the end of the book, Amir has not only rescued Sohrab, but also redeemed himself.
Kite Runner was easily one of my favorite novels. From start to finish there was never a dulll moment and I was consistently intrigued. While there were parts of the story that were disturbing, I feel they were all necessary. This includes the rape, Hassan's death, the stonings, and Sohrab's attempted suicide. There was a lot of foreshadowing now that I've finished the story. For example, Mr. Andrew's daughter's suicide was foreshadowing Sohrab's attempt. From the beginning, as said in class, the story starts out pretty happy and just gets worse from there. There were some happy glimpes, however, like when Amir gets married and when he finds and saves Sohrab. What really broke my heart, though, was that near the end of the story when you think everything is going to work out fine and Amir and Sohrab have finally developed this relationship, one converstaion changed all of that. Because Amir mentioned putting Sohrab back into an orphanage for a little after promising he wouldnt, their whole relationship crumbled.This led to Sohrab's attempt at suicide, which I felt was a bit dramatic, but when you are a child and you feel like you literally have lost everyone's trust, who knows what kind of drastic measures you will take. Even though this event was not the most disturbing or huge events, to me it was the most tragic.It definitely hit home with me the most out of all the events. I feel like after all those years, and Amir's final chance to "be good again" he succeeded in a way, and also failed in a way which makes me so sad. Just like Hassan, Sohrab is a character that you can't help but to fall in love with and feel sorry for. The people that are the sweetest and most caring that would do anything for you are the people that have to go through the toughest hardships. Maybe this is an underlying message the author is trying to portray to the audience. In the end, I wish the story would have had a bit more closure, but the audience is left with hope, which i feel the audience is strung along thru the book with most of the time. Even though things aren't going well fully, there is always hope. I wish there would be a sequel to better develop the relationship between Amir and Sohrab because I feel like there is hope for them to build trust and a great relationship again. This novel really left a huge impact and hopefully i will read it again at some point.
Personally, I really enjoyed this book. I think that one of my favorite parts of the book was Amir. I really enjoyed learning the complexities of his character. Something that was really interesting to me about Amir was how much guilt and pain he lived with. There were definitely times in the book when I didn't feel bad for him and I thought that he deserved to feel guilty, but then there were other times when I felt really bad for him. I was really sympathetic when it came to his relationship with his father; the way that Baba treated Amir at times was really horrible. I can't imagine what it would have been like for Amir to not only live with all of the guilt that he had involving Hassan, but also the pain of not truly thinking your father loved you. For me he is an extremely frustrating character. He often repeats mistakes form his past while trying to erase his past. Amir is weak and impetuous, but also extremely caring. He's a jealous person, but ultimately he only wants to be loved. In the end, Amir is an extremely human character and I think that's the main reason I liked this book.
This is probably one of my favorite books that I have ever read. It kept me wanting to read the entire time. Usually the beginning of books tend to be kind of boring but even the beginning grabbed my attention because it introduced many characters that you questioned who they were. It also made you think that something really big happened and it just made you want to keep reading. In fact, the whole book was like that. Each event led to another event which led to another event and the whole novel overall was not predictable which I loved. I did predict that Amir would end up bringing Sohrab home once he found out but that was pretty much all that I guessed. What surprised me the most was that the guy in the sunglasses was Assef. I completely forgot about him by that point and never would have expected him to have taken Sohrab and try to fight Amir. What I didn't like was that Amir never got to apologize to Hassan. I was really hoping he did that in the end and everything would be okay. I wonder if he would have seen Hassan when he went to visit Rahim if he would have apologized or just ignored it like he always had. I'm glad he finally had the chance to kind of make up for what he did in the past though. And even though it was an awful moment, it kind of made me happy when Assef was beating him because he said that was kind of when he felt like he was getting what he deserved and started forgiving himself a little. That was a big moment in the story because I think it kind of represented change because Assef had told him the story of when he started laughing when being beat by the guard and that was the point where Assef changed into something even more awful than he was as a child. It kind of changed the story for Amir too because it's almost like he was finally free from his past. As far as I can remember (and I might be wrong) but I dont think he really mentioned the rape after that, or at least not very often. From that point on he focused on Sohrab and eventually just getting Sohrab to forgive him. I just really loved every aspect of this book overall. The detail kept me feeling like I was actually in the story and I was enthralled the entire time always wanting to read more.
I really enjoyed reading this novel.One of my favorite parts about this novel was the message that someone can become good again. I loved the fact that Amir changed so much throughout the novel and in the end he seemed like he had realized what was truly important. We all can write our own futures, and although Amir had a bad past, in the end he made things right the best that he could. I also really enjoyed how the story developed throughout the novel. I like how it spent just enough time in each stage of the characters life, it gave enough background and information without the novel dragging on. I never felt bored, I was always on the edge of my seat. With that being said, there were a few aspects of the novel that disturbed me and that I did not like. The violence and rape was really disturbing for me to read, not that anyone would enjoy that. I do think that without those scenes, the story would not have been impacting and the entire message would have changed, so it's important that those scenes were there. Overall I thought this was an excellent novel, not only was it intriging but the story itself is one that I think a lot of people can relate to. I love the fact that in the end Amir saved Sohrab but also redeemed himself in a way. He stood up for what he knew was important and finally found what was missing within himself. I hope to be able to read this book again and maybe find things that weren't evident to me the first time. I definitely would recommend this novel!
Salutations! My Global Literature students read The Kite Runner over the summer and have developed a blog as a means to discuss their views. Feel free to visit and share. :)
I really enjoyed reading this novel. There are many reasons why I liked it, the first one being that I thought it was written with just the right amount of description for each scene. When I read some other books sometimes I feel like authors take too long to describe the setting of a place or reasoning behind something that's happening, causing me to lose focus and become distracted. I felt that this book flowed really well and used just enough imagery and such without going overboard.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked this novel for the fact that I feel like I learned a litte bit about another culture. I liked the use of the Farsi (I think that's the language?) words within the story, and the mention of their holidays etc.
I also found the book very intriguing because I feel like something shocking happened every few chapters.
The only thing I didn't really llike was the end of the book, and that was really only because it wasn't as happy in the end as I hoped it would be; but I guess by making it this way, only showing a little glimmer of hope for Sohrab and Amir, it pushed me as a reader to draw my own conclusion of what would happen between them.
Reading this a second time, there were a lot more aspects and smaller details that I caught. Adjectives became more prevalent and not exactly the main events as whole became more important, but the side notes leading up to the main events became more important. What I liked before and what I liked this second time is the same however. The simple diction made the text easy and fun to read, but the significant and mature events that took place were both disturbing and enjoyable. However, I like the most that there isn't a dull moment throughout the entire story. It's beautifully written so that whenever things start to die down, something equally tragic begins to take place. Reading this a second time was a huge advantage to analyzing this book and it also gave me the knowledge of when the more disturbing events were coming. This did not change the fact that some of these events were extremely mortifying and the detail Khaled Hosseini goes into just makes the excrutiating experience more real to the reader. I was unhappy mainly with Baba and Amir. Both were cowards in their own seperate ways and the both "held the truth" from each other. Amir was too much of a coward to tell Ali or Baba what happened and therefore held the truth. Baba was too much of a coward to tell Amir or Hassan that they were brothers and therefore held the truth from both of them. Things would have been different if Baba just would have told them. Ali and Hassan probably wouldn't have had to leave if that happened. Even though it was tragic to read about events like these, the book was like eating leftover pizza. It was better the second time.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the best books I have ever read. I feel like every time I started to read, it was hard to stop. Throughout this book, I noticed a lot of foreshadowing which caused me to want to keep reading. For example, Sohrab's attempt at suicide was foreshadowed earlier when the secretary mentioned Raymond Andrews' daughter had committed suicide. Then, they mentioned that Sohrab liked to take long, hot baths at night. I began to get the feeling that Sohrab would try to commit suicide in the bath because Amir would not check on him since his daily routine was to take a long bath. I felt like in every moment of the book there was something that surprised me. I liked how in the end everything seemed to relate back to something else. For example, the conflict of Assef and Amir came back when Amir met Assef who was not a leader of the Taliban. I just could not stop reading because each event led into another. There were a few parts that disturbed me, but I know they were still necessary to make the book more intriguing. I did not really like the rape of Hassan or the killings in the soccer stadium. These parts seemed so inhumane and brutal. I know these parts were essential when connecting emotions and Amir's feelings of guilt into the story. There was so much imagery in this book as well. In some parts, it helped me gain of sense of Amir's surroundings and emotions, but in parts such as the rape and killings, it was a bit disturbing. In the end, I was not unhappy with any of the book. Each part left me wanting to know more. Even in the end, I wanted to see what would happen with Sohrab and Amir. Would Sohrab end up talking again and gaining more life into him? Was that one moment with the kite a sign of hope or will Sohrab return to being mute? By leaving me with thoughts after every chapter, I was curious to know what would happen to each character and where they would end up. All in all, The Kite Runner was a phenomenal book.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this book! It was really interesting to me, even though it was kind of depressing at times. About 905 of the time I didn't like Amir. He treated Hassan like he was nothing & Hassan just took all of it. That's another thing that bothered me a lot. Hassan took everything that Amir put out. I don't know if it was because Hassan loved him so much or because he was too dumb to realize that Amir kind of hated him. Throughout the whole book I kind of already thought Hassan was Baba's son because of the way Baba treated him. Also though, because of the way Hassan was. He was an athlete. He may not have been the smartest guy but he was athletic & talented. Amir was kind of like a girl. He cried a lot, he threw up a lot, he was just a baby. Baba was always more fond of Hassan, I think, because for one he could actually relate to this kid. Another reason is because he couldn't just openly have him as his son. He couldn't just take him into his home & keep him there as his own, like Amir. The rape itself wasn't what disturbed me as much as that Amir did nothing. I kept thinking maybe he'd jump out there & help him or something but nothing happened. Then he never told him he was sorry or anything. I was very unhappy that Amir never got to see Hassan again. I thought that they'd meet & Hassan would be like rich or something & look down on Amir. That was what I was expecting & kind of hoping for. I liked the way the book turned out, though. It taught me some history as well because I didn't know all of that happened over there. Hassan having a son really threw the story into play, I think. It became more interesting & it redeemed Amir because he tried so hard to get the kid & rescue him. Hassan loved Amir with everything he had. Somehow I think they knew they were brothers, they just didn't know they were brothers. Overall I loved this book & I thought it was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the book. This is one of the very few books that I have had to read that I really enjoyed. The book was very well written, however I have one complaint about the book. What happened during the Russian invasion? Wow, a major geopolitical event happens and it gets very little mention. Why didn't Amir and Baba join the Mujahideen and fight the Russians? Are they really that spineless? Why don't they feel enough pride for their country to fight to defend it? What motivated them to go to America? Was it the aid America gave to the Mujahideen? The last straw that broke the back of the Soviet Union and it is all but forgotten. The single event that gave rise to the Taliban and started Sharia Law in Afghanistan that led to the Taliban's brutality. I feel Hosseini missed a big point of history.
ReplyDeleteNow that my criticism is out of the way, we can get to the better part of the book.
The major part I enjoyed reading about was a nice Afghanistan. The country displayed in the first part of the book was on the opposite end of the spectrum than the festering sewer that has been portrayed by our media. It was refreshing to read about kite flying instead of IEDs killing and maiming hundreds in a single day. This is even true for Pakistan. We hear of a distrustful government that stands in the way of our war on terrorism and a ISI that beats, kills, and kidnaps people in the name of justice. This gave a refreshing look at the Middle East.
I do not like this novel. I hated how quickly and drastically the story changed. I also did not like all the grimacing factors, such as the rape, the stoning, and the suicide attempt. The only thing I did like was that I thought this was an actual true story and was that lead to disappointment because I found out it was not true. I hated how quick the story could change in a matter of pages. The first 150 pages were about this boy named Amir and how the only thing he longed for was his father's love and when he finally starts to get it, the father dies. Another instance is when Amir goes back to Afghanistan, to find Hassan, he is told that his best friend is shot in the back of the head for keeping up on his own house. The entire first half of the book was painstakingly laid out to where this image of friendship, of brotherhood, was so strong, nothing could break it. Then in just a few short pages, Hasssan is raped while Amir watches. Such a thing would destroy some children forever. Amir hides in it and is sentenced to guilt for almost 25 years. When Amir goes back to Afghanistan to confront his childhood brother, not only does Amir learn that Hassan is his true brother but also that he has had a son. Amir is very happy about this. Then the bomb is dropped that Hassan was shot in the back of the head, in the streets of Kabul, by the Taliban, in front of his wife and child. His wife is shot too. All I can say is that I almost burnt the book right there. The story takes so long to lead up to a certain point and then, all of a sudden, you'll read a paragraph and one of the main characters have died, been raped, or attempted suicide. These dramatic twists are just too much for me. I also hated the ending. Does Sohrah ever find happiness or is he doomed to stay mute by what Amir has done to him and his father. How does Amir not feel as much guilt by what happened to Sohrah than what happened to Hassan. Amir felt very very bad about what happened to Hassan, so much that he pushed his best friend since birth completely out of his life and it wasn't even his fault, Hassan getting raped. When Sohrab tried to kill himself, it was a direct result from what Amir told him. Amir almost killed Hassan's only child and doesn't feel any guilt, or at least it's not expressed in the pages of The Kite Runner. In my opinion, Amir should have felt more guilt about what happened to Sohrab than what happened with Hassan
ReplyDeleteThe novel was pretty good. I wouldn't have picked this book out on my own, but I am glad we chose this book to read. It was different than the novels I have read before for school. Usually the books picked out to read as a class are not this interesting. Some parts of the book was difficult to follow. I struggled to keep up with the characters at first due to their names, but I easily caught on after a while as I continued to read. Keeping the reading journal helped me this, but as I continued to read more of the novel, I didn't really need to go to use it as much. It was still nice to get my thoughts out though. There were a few points in the book, I did struggle with because he went from a moment in the past to a different time in the past or a dream. I was slightly confused at first on what he was even talking about, so I had to reread some of it to make sure I was reading it right. Rereading certain parts did help sort through what was going on and help pull some my thoughts together. There were some parts I did find rather disturbing while reading. When Hassan got raped and his son by the same man, I felt slightly sick to my stomach. It makes me think that some people don't actually see what is going on until they take a step into the other person's lives.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing Kite Runner, I found I enjoyed many things about it and disliked only a few. Most of all, I enjoyed the realism of the events in the novel. I liked how it wasn't written to be a happy story with a real happy ending, and just happened to be set in Afghanistan. It isn't like that by any means, and I enjoyed that.
ReplyDeleteI was a little unhappy with Sohrab's character at first, but then I considered age and maturity, and the things he'd had to deal with at the age, and got over my displeasure. It just seemed to me that he should be grateful for being rescued by Amir. Especially after the beating Amir took to get to him.
I really enjoyed the meaning behind all of the events. There was a point to everything, whether the point was clear or not. In the very beginning of the story, you're given clues about Amir's past, and learn that he feels like he has something to make up for. I would say that's the foundation for the entire story. If I were to tell someone what this story was about, vaguely, I would say, " Atonement, loss, guilt, fear, and love." And I'd mention that every event has something to do with those things.
I really liked it a lot. I liked how the book spanned many years, but the author tied together different times and places with repeated phrases and images (such as "For you, a thousand times over"). I also thought it was really cool how much the things that happened when Amir went back to Afghanistan correlated with what had happened with Hassan. It was cool, for instance, how Amir put the money under the mattress at Farid's brother's house, and how Amir ended up with a scar that looks like Hassan's. And, of course, there were lots of things that were disturbing - Hassan getting raped, Hassan getting killed, everything that happend to Sohrab. But the adulterers getting stoned also really disturbed me. And I was unhappy with Sohrab trying to kill himself and then not talking for a year. I agree that, after what he had been through, he shouldn't have just snapped right back to normal and been the happiest kid ever, but he was doing okay there for a while, and it seems strange that a child his age would attempt suicide. Also, they never mentioned taking him to a psychologist. He should have gotten some kind of help to deal with what had happened to him, and I don't understand why he didn't. Even though Amir makes a good point that life doesn't always end happily, I think having a little kid try to kill himself and then not speak for a whole year and no one at any hospital or adoption agency or government office ever really does anything about it - that's even less realistic than a happy ending. But other than that, it was a great book. Oh, also, I loved the part when Amir dreamed about Baba wrestling the bear, and then it turned out that Amir was wrestling it. That was great. And of course, the end was really cool when Amir ran the kite for Sohrab. I cried.
ReplyDeleteThis is an odd part to like, but I liked the complicated relationship between Baba and Amir. Baba didn't fit the stereotype of a wise father figure or of the usual detached father figure; he was somewhere in between. The death of Amir's mother, the conflict of having a secret and illegitimate son and how that strained the relationship, and how Baba always struggled to accept that his son was different (in both good and bad ways) made the interactions between the two really interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnother odd thing I like was the Afghani culture and also Afghani sub culture in the US, after the exodus from Afghanistan and the Middle East. I liked reading about their markets in Kabul, about the kite running and the schools. I find other cultures quite interesting, especially from a little kids point of view. As for the part of the book set in the US, I found the coexistence and sometimes confliction of the two cultures to be interesting... the focus on blood lines, the Islamic religion, the holidays, and the strange (to me) system of marriage were all something I didn't know much about.
I also liked how post-invasion Kabul was portrayed. The author did a good job in making the reader sympathize for the people still living in Kabul. Just small details he would slip in. It made me understand the hell that they're experiencing way more than any news statistics or articles.
As for the parts I disliked... I was somewhat unhappy with the discussions we had. Some people had read ahead and were so eager to talk about what was coming up that I knew major plot events were coming up. I didn't like knowing that, I wish it had been more of a surprise. Especially the "Hassan's-your-half-brother-dude" discussion with Rahim... that came as no surprise because people who had already read ahead hinted at it in discussion.
I found the whole situation of Assef being the Talib official to be pretty ludricrous. I understand how it makes sense for the story, but that part of the story just seemed forced, seemed unlikely. And why didn't Assef recognize Sohrab if he was so good with faces? Wouldn't he have remembered Hassan his (first) rape victim, and wouldn't he see the resemblance between Hassan and Sohrab?
I really enjoyed reading this novel. I was glad that everything finally worked out in the end. I really liked that the book was very unpredictable and full of surprises. I think some of the saddest parts of the book were when Amir treated Hassan so badly because Hassan was always so loyal to Amir. I was really sad to hear that Hassan had died. I was hoping Amir would be able to apologize to him. I think that when Amir found out Hassan was his brother, it created an even bigger desire to make it up to him. I was shocked to see that Assef was the man in the sunglasses. However, I was proud of Sohrab for basically saving Amir's life with his slingshot. It was really sad when Amir found Sohrab in the bath tub, especially since Sohrab is so young. I was really happy when Amir decided to adopt Sohrab. I was hoping for that the whole time. I think he finally was able to feel better about himself when he took Hassan's child to America with him. I have a feeling this was Rahim Khan's intention the whole time. Rahim was kind of like the hero because he was able to allow Amir to redeem himself for his actions. I think Hassan would be very proud of Amir for that. My favorite part of the story was at the very end when Amir runs a kite for Sohrab and says, “For you a thousand times over.” I think it was a great way to end the story.
ReplyDeleteThis novel in my opinion was a very well written book. I enjoyed it very much. Khaled Hosseini did a wonderful job in relaying the struggles of a man reflecting on his past and his mistakes along the way. I enjoyed the overall story. Amir's struggle to try and correct his past is something that many people can relate to. I could also relate to Amir trying to please his father and seek for his approval. I tend to try and make my parents proud of me. I do not go to the lengths that he did though. I liked the part when Amir was reading to Hassan and Amir made up the story as he went. He thought that this would be a good trick to play on Hassan since Hassan could not read. To Amir's surprise, Hassan I would have to say that Hasan is my favorite character because his represents the innocence in the story. He is always happy. Even when people made fun of him for being a different race, he still had a positive outlook on life. Hassan always believed everything that Amir told him and he thought Amir was the greatest. Hassan looked up to Amir. There are several thing that bothered me about this book as well. I can honestly say that I did not really like that character of Amir. He was very pompous and cocky. He was constantly trying to make him self better than Hassan. Amir would do anything to make Hassan seem lower than him. I also did not like how detached Amir seemed to be in the end. I feel that if he was truly trying to be repentant, then he would be more passionate about changing. I just felt that Amir was kind of a girl. He never really maned up but constantly wined and complained throughout the story. I really did not like how when Amir got older and moved away, he seemed to forget Hassan. He thought about him a few times but not as much as I thought he would. Another thing, I liked that Baba was being so much nicer to Amir when they moved to America. It was as if Baba accepted Amir for who he was. Baba's character changed very much as the story went on. It changed for the better. I also liked the part when Amir got married because he seemed to finally be happy and found someone to be happy with. I really enjoyed this book. It was one of those that I had a hard time putting down.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book, but not as much as everyone else did where they loved it. I have a difficult time reading and I was behind for awhile so I clearly didn't get into it the way some of the students have told me they did. The one thing I did like was the way it was told in the sense that it was so real. It was real world events and happening somewhere completely different from what life is like here in the U.S. I think if it were told from any other character's perspective that wasn't Amir's, the story would be a lot different. I also think if it was told in any other setting that would affect it too. I also like how Amir doesn't give up on trying to help Sohrab. Although none of it worked out in the best way he thought it would, I think he knew deep down that it was his responsibility to do the best he could helping. Amir was the reason Hassan went away and they never saw each other again. I respect him for that much, but I'm not the fondest of him just because of all the other things he also did like ignoring the rape and getting Hassan sent away and his attitude in the beginning toward Hassan even though they were best friends. One part specifically that I didn't enjoy the most was of course the rape scene. While reading that part and picturing it through Amir's eyes, it was a little uncomfortable and disturbing. The fact that the first sentence of the story literally began by saying there was one event that made him who he was and this was it, shows it has still affected him which is a powerful thing.That is one of the parts of this story that adds so well to it though because if it would have taken place in the United States and someone would have watched a friend get raped right in front of them, all hell would break loose and be crazy. It adds to how different being in Afghanistan is and what happens daily, even in Amir's and Hassan's lives. I am most unhappy with myself for not getting into it as much as I know I could have. Falling behind didn't help me out that much, but I'm not good with reading on my own time ever. I think if I would have done better with that, I would have enjoyed it so much more and learned a lot more than I already did.
ReplyDeleteI think The Kite Runner is a fabulous book. My favorite part about the novel is that after Amir returned to the Middle East, Hosseini brought back aspects from the beginning to tie the story together. For example, when Amir struggles with Assef in an attempt to rescue Sohrab, Sohrab steps in with his slingshot to defend Amir, just as Hassan had over 20 years before. During Amir's fight with Assef, he receives a wound to his upper lip that healed to look just like the scar Hassan had after the surgery that repaired his harelip. In the final chapter, Amir tells Sohrab, "For you, a thousand times over," which was the last thing Hassan said to Amir before he was raped. I like that by the end of the book, Amir has not only rescued Sohrab, but also redeemed himself.
ReplyDeleteKite Runner was easily one of my favorite novels. From start to finish there was never a dulll moment and I was consistently intrigued. While there were parts of the story that were disturbing, I feel they were all necessary. This includes the rape, Hassan's death, the stonings, and Sohrab's attempted suicide. There was a lot of foreshadowing now that I've finished the story. For example, Mr. Andrew's daughter's suicide was foreshadowing Sohrab's attempt. From the beginning, as said in class, the story starts out pretty happy and just gets worse from there. There were some happy glimpes, however, like when Amir gets married and when he finds and saves Sohrab. What really broke my heart, though, was that near the end of the story when you think everything is going to work out fine and Amir and Sohrab have finally developed this relationship, one converstaion changed all of that. Because Amir mentioned putting Sohrab back into an orphanage for a little after promising he wouldnt, their whole relationship crumbled.This led to Sohrab's attempt at suicide, which I felt was a bit dramatic, but when you are a child and you feel like you literally have lost everyone's trust, who knows what kind of drastic measures you will take. Even though this event was not the most disturbing or huge events, to me it was the most tragic.It definitely hit home with me the most out of all the events. I feel like after all those years, and Amir's final chance to "be good again" he succeeded in a way, and also failed in a way which makes me so sad. Just like Hassan, Sohrab is a character that you can't help but to fall in love with and feel sorry for. The people that are the sweetest and most caring that would do anything for you are the people that have to go through the toughest hardships. Maybe this is an underlying message the author is trying to portray to the audience. In the end, I wish the story would have had a bit more closure, but the audience is left with hope, which i feel the audience is strung along thru the book with most of the time. Even though things aren't going well fully, there is always hope. I wish there would be a sequel to better develop the relationship between Amir and Sohrab because I feel like there is hope for them to build trust and a great relationship again. This novel really left a huge impact and hopefully i will read it again at some point.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I really enjoyed this book. I think that one of my favorite parts of the book was Amir. I really enjoyed learning the complexities of his character. Something that was really interesting to me about Amir was how much guilt and pain he lived with. There were definitely times in the book when I didn't feel bad for him and I thought that he deserved to feel guilty, but then there were other times when I felt really bad for him. I was really sympathetic when it came to his relationship with his father; the way that Baba treated Amir at times was really horrible. I can't imagine what it would have been like for Amir to not only live with all of the guilt that he had involving Hassan, but also the pain of not truly thinking your father loved you. For me he is an extremely frustrating character. He often repeats mistakes form his past while trying to erase his past. Amir is weak and impetuous, but also extremely caring. He's a jealous person, but ultimately he only wants to be loved. In the end, Amir is an extremely human character and I think that's the main reason I liked this book.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably one of my favorite books that I have ever read. It kept me wanting to read the entire time. Usually the beginning of books tend to be kind of boring but even the beginning grabbed my attention because it introduced many characters that you questioned who they were. It also made you think that something really big happened and it just made you want to keep reading. In fact, the whole book was like that. Each event led to another event which led to another event and the whole novel overall was not predictable which I loved. I did predict that Amir would end up bringing Sohrab home once he found out but that was pretty much all that I guessed. What surprised me the most was that the guy in the sunglasses was Assef. I completely forgot about him by that point and never would have expected him to have taken Sohrab and try to fight Amir. What I didn't like was that Amir never got to apologize to Hassan. I was really hoping he did that in the end and everything would be okay. I wonder if he would have seen Hassan when he went to visit Rahim if he would have apologized or just ignored it like he always had. I'm glad he finally had the chance to kind of make up for what he did in the past though. And even though it was an awful moment, it kind of made me happy when Assef was beating him because he said that was kind of when he felt like he was getting what he deserved and started forgiving himself a little. That was a big moment in the story because I think it kind of represented change because Assef had told him the story of when he started laughing when being beat by the guard and that was the point where Assef changed into something even more awful than he was as a child. It kind of changed the story for Amir too because it's almost like he was finally free from his past. As far as I can remember (and I might be wrong) but I dont think he really mentioned the rape after that, or at least not very often. From that point on he focused on Sohrab and eventually just getting Sohrab to forgive him. I just really loved every aspect of this book overall. The detail kept me feeling like I was actually in the story and I was enthralled the entire time always wanting to read more.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this novel.One of my favorite parts about this novel was the message that someone can become good again. I loved the fact that Amir changed so much throughout the novel and in the end he seemed like he had realized what was truly important. We all can write our own futures, and although Amir had a bad past, in the end he made things right the best that he could. I also really enjoyed how the story developed throughout the novel. I like how it spent just enough time in each stage of the characters life, it gave enough background and information without the novel dragging on. I never felt bored, I was always on the edge of my seat. With that being said, there were a few aspects of the novel that disturbed me and that I did not like. The violence and rape was really disturbing for me to read, not that anyone would enjoy that. I do think that without those scenes, the story would not have been impacting and the entire message would have changed, so it's important that those scenes were there. Overall I thought this was an excellent novel, not only was it intriging but the story itself is one that I think a lot of people can relate to. I love the fact that in the end Amir saved Sohrab but also redeemed himself in a way. He stood up for what he knew was important and finally found what was missing within himself. I hope to be able to read this book again and maybe find things that weren't evident to me the first time. I definitely would recommend this novel!
ReplyDeletehttp://doyoudarerunakite.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteSalutations! My Global Literature students read The Kite Runner over the summer and have developed a blog as a means to discuss their views. Feel free to visit and share. :)