The Kite Runner
Published on Feb 03, 2016
No Description
MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
SUMMARY OF EVENTS
- Returning to Kabul shocked to see the state his city is in
- Encounter with the beggar
- Going to to the orphanage
- Going to Ghazi Stadium to find the Talib that had taken Sohrab
- Confrontation with Assef
- In the hospital-- Amir learns Caldwells don't exist
RETURNING HOME
- When Amir returns to Kabul, he says that it "was like running into an old forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn't been good to him, that he'd become homeless and destitute." (258)
Discuss the changes that have happened in Kabul. Were there any particular incidents that stood out to you, and why?
What do you think it's like to return to place you loved that has become completely unrecognizable?
What do you think it's like to return to place you loved that has become completely unrecognizable?
INCIDENTS
The beggar originally was a professor--showing how people of social classes have been affected by the Taliban's rule
People selling their limbs on the black market to feed their families--extreme measures to survive
Zaman allowing the sexual exploitation of children in exchange for funds--extreme desperation, few good options
Amir returning to his home and finding how decrepit it has become
Ghazi Stadium stoning--public display of the magnitude of the Taliban's power, desensitization of Afghans to violence
People selling their limbs on the black market to feed their families--extreme measures to survive
Zaman allowing the sexual exploitation of children in exchange for funds--extreme desperation, few good options
Amir returning to his home and finding how decrepit it has become
Ghazi Stadium stoning--public display of the magnitude of the Taliban's power, desensitization of Afghans to violence
SIGNIFICANT QUOTES
- "I stayed awake, hands crossed on my chest, staring into the starlit night through the broken window, and thinking maybe what people said about Afghanistan was true. Maybe it was a hopeless place." (280)
CONFRONTING DEMONS
- Do you think that by confronting Assef and trying to rescue Sohrab, Amir has atoned for his sins? Or is there more he has to do to redeem himself?
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: AMIR'S JOURNEY
Throughout the novel, Amir has been struggling with his guilt and now has a chance to redeem himself. Saving Sohrab is his last chance to make amends
He struggles with whether to confront the Talib: "you're gutless. It's how you were made. And that's not such a bad thing because your saving grace is that you've never lied to yourself about it. Not about that. Nothing wrong with cowardice as long as it comes with prudence. But when a coward stops remembering who he is...God help him." (288)
Ultimately he ends up fighting Assef and nearly dies. Yet in the hospital after reading Rahim Khan's letter, he still feels as though he's accomplished nothing. He compares himself to Baba yet again. His journey isn't over.
He struggles with whether to confront the Talib: "you're gutless. It's how you were made. And that's not such a bad thing because your saving grace is that you've never lied to yourself about it. Not about that. Nothing wrong with cowardice as long as it comes with prudence. But when a coward stops remembering who he is...God help him." (288)
Ultimately he ends up fighting Assef and nearly dies. Yet in the hospital after reading Rahim Khan's letter, he still feels as though he's accomplished nothing. He compares himself to Baba yet again. His journey isn't over.
Untitled Slide
- What symbols and parallels did you notice in this section?
SYMBOLS AND PARALLELS
Baba's decrepit house = representation of how the nation as a whole has become ruined, with little to no trace of its former legacy
The Lamb = a sacrifice of the innocent made in all Abrahamic religions. Both Hassan and Sohrab are described as having lamb eyes
Amir's Harelip = everything coming full circle
Foreshadowing--when Hassan tells Assef he will end up as "One-Eyed Assef" and his son ends up fulfilling his promise.
The past recreates itself in the scene with Assef, Sohrab, and Amir, which mirrors the rape scene that has defined the book. Once again, Amir is faced with same choice and must decide if he can do the right thing this time.
The Lamb = a sacrifice of the innocent made in all Abrahamic religions. Both Hassan and Sohrab are described as having lamb eyes
Amir's Harelip = everything coming full circle
Foreshadowing--when Hassan tells Assef he will end up as "One-Eyed Assef" and his son ends up fulfilling his promise.
The past recreates itself in the scene with Assef, Sohrab, and Amir, which mirrors the rape scene that has defined the book. Once again, Amir is faced with same choice and must decide if he can do the right thing this time.
