Annotations

"Rahim Khan had wanted me to stay with him a few more days, to plan more thoroughly. But I knew I had to leave as soon as possible. I was afraid I'd change my mind. I was afraid I'd deliberate, ruminate, agonize, rationalize, and talk myself into not going. I was afraid the appeal of my life in America would draw me back, that I would wade back into that great, big river and let myself forget, let the things I had learned these last few days sink to the bottom. I was afraid that I'd let the waters carry me away from what I had to do. From Hassan. From the past that had come calling. And from this one last chance at redemption." - Amir (243)

photo annotation:

http://emdsp.glogster.com/the-kite-runner-amir-sohrab/

Annotations

"Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words.

Mine was Baba.

His was Amir. My name.

Looking back on it now, I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975 - and all that followed - was already laid in those first words." - Amir (12)

photo annotation:

http://emdsp.glogster.com/the-kite-runner/

Movie Reflection

It has been a long time since I've read a book with a movie adaptation of it. When I was little, I read books like Charlotte's Web and Harry Potter, which have a movie adaptation. I guess this time it just wasn't the same as when I was little. Reading The Kite Runner, there was so much emotion, suffering and the detail within the book and it was incredible. I cried a number of times reading the novel, because each character's emotions feel so real. Watching the movie, I had a different experience. I found myself criticizing each part saying, "Hey, they skipped a scene," or "That part was so much better in text." I never thought I would ever say this, but the book really is one hundred times better than the movie.

In the movie, I loved the character of Hassan, just like I loved him in the novel. They picked a cute, little boy to play him, and he was great. Although, in the movie, they left out the fact that Hassan had a cleft lip. And instead of Baba taking Hassan to get surgery for his birthday, Baba bought him a kite. I think that took away some of the significance of Baba being Hassan's father, and all the sentimental things he did for him. I thought that was a large part of their father-son relationship in the novel.

Once Amir rescues Sohrab, they have difficulty getting him out of the country without a visa in the novel, but in the movie, it was never addressed and Amir brings him home with no difficulty. I guess that's the "Hollywood" way of doing things, sometimes they leave out some of the reality. Would Sohrab have a visa? Probably not, which makes the novel so much more detailed, realistic and believable.

In the movie, I don't think Soraya was portrayed the same way. In the novel, Soraya helps Baba much more than it was shown in the movie. She takes care of him completely and does everything for him.

"Soraya dedicated herself to taking care of my father. She made his toast and tea in the morning, and helped him in and out of bed. She gave him his pain pills, washed his clothes, read him the international section of the newspaper every afternoon. She cooked his favourite dish...and took him out every day for a brief walk around the block." (181)

This makes Soraya seem more appealing to the reader, because she is such a good wife, and we love her for taking care of Baba. There is also another difference with Soraya. In the novel, Amir got on the phone with Soraya and told her everything about Hassan, even when they were kids. However, in the movie, it was never mentioned what exactly he told her on the phone, so we don't know what was said. Because she knows everything Amir did in the novel, and doesn't judge him, or even ask any questions, we love her even more for it.

The movie was not in English the entire time, in fact most of it was in subtitles because they were speaking Farsi. This did not bother me, because it makes the movie more realistic, like the novel. Most children, or even people, in Afghanistan probably don't know how to speak English.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. The scenery was amazing, and the music was very fun and interesting to listen to. I liked that it was a complete Afghani cast, and no one was American or Canadian. I liked that we got to watch the movie as a part of our project, but I think the movie was ruined after I read the book. I should have read them in the other order, because I would have thought the movie was great if I didn't know so much about the novel.

"For you, a thousand times over"

This quote has become one of the most significant and memorable quotes from the novel. Hassan originally says it to Amir at the beginning of the novel, to show his loyalty, love and dedication to Amir. At the end of the novel, Amir jumps into Hassan's spot and ask Sohrab if he can run the kite for him, and when Sohrab nods, he says to him,

"For you, a thousand times over." (391)

"I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn't care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran." (391)

Amir is trying to prove his love and devotion to Sohrab and wants Sohrab to accept him as his father. Amir is dying for his approval. This quote is so important because Hassan said this to Amir right before he ran his last kite ever, and was raped by Assef in the alleyway. Hassan did get the kite just like he told Amir he would.

Now Amir just wants to express his love to Hassan through Sohrab and almost use him as a way to see Hassan - Sohrab's looks, and actions remind Amir of Hassan.

Quote Importance

1. "I was learning that Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he'd stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and from Ali his honour." (237)

It's ironic that Baba told Amir that theft was the only sin, and how awful it was for people to steal things, when Baba stole such important pieces of everyone's life. Baba isn't the bad guy, no one really is, but his decisions made such huge impacts on everyone's lives and couldn't have changed the outcomes to some of them. In a way, Baba was selfish. He could have chose to tell Hassan and Amir about their brotherhood, but he did not want to ruin the family's reputation or his own. I wish Amir and Hassan had grown up so differently. Amir would have treated Hassan so much better if they were brothers.

2. "My body was broken - just how badly I wouldn't find out until later - but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed." (303)

This quote occurs when Amir is being beaten by Assef when going to see the Taliban. After Amir abandons Hassan, he struggled with getting over his actions for the rest of his life. He tried ignoring him, running away, forgetting about it, but nothing ever worked. He still had nightmares, and he still had a guilty conscience. But once Assef starts beating Amir, he feels healed, like he's finally gotten rid of the skeletons he hid in the closet for so many years. He is finally getting what he ultimately deserved. He had even gone looking for punishment in the past, when he told Hassan to hit him with the pomegranates, because he felt there would be at leats some justice for what he did to Hassan. Only did Assef's beating begin to relieve Amir's mind though, and psychologically healed him, despite the pain.

3. "What if you get tired of me? What if your wife doesn't like me?" (340)

Sohrab says this to Amir, when Amir asks him to come live in America with him and his wife. It's extremely sad that a child worries about these types of things. Kids are supposed to be care free, and to run around and have fun before they are forced to grow up and start a life. Sohrab's childhood was taken from him. His parents are gone, he lived in an orphanage, he was raped by Assef, and is now trying to be adopted by Amir. Sohrab had experienced more trauma before he was a teenager, then some people do in an entire life time. No child should have to go through any of that, and no child should have to ask any guardian if they will get "tired" of them. It's sad that that's what's going through Sohrab's head.

The Cleft Lip Symbol

Hassan's cleft lip is one of his most memorable, vivid attributes and one of the most referred to features that Amir uses to describe him to the reader. The split in the top of Hassan's lip marks Hassan's true status in society. It acts as a symbol of poverty, which is one of the things that separates him from Amir, because Hassan and his family do not have the money to fix it. Instead, Baba, Hassan's biological father, chooses to pay for Hassan's surgery as a way of showing his secret fatherly love to him. When Amir runs into Assef, Assef beats him and leaves him with a similar scar as the one that Hassan had. Amir's identity becomes merged with Hassan's. Amir grows a backbone and learns to stand up for people he cares about, just like Hassan did for him, and he becomes a father figure to Sohrab. A little piece of Hassan will always be with Amir now, reminding him of his unforgettably, loyal brother.

The Great Chain of Being

Doing my Hamlet questions, I skimmed over the Great Chain of Being again, and realized that it could relate to the lives of Amir and Hassan and the pecking order within Kabul. Amir's family came from wealth, which meant that he and his father were looked at as one of the higher ranked families in Kabul. Whereas, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Hazaras were looked at as the least important, and poorest of the rest of Kabul. Harazas were so hated and looked at as "gross" that they even had a specific city where most of them lived, Hazarajat.

Amir and Baba's family could be looked at as the "Gentry" or "Nobles" of Kabul, however Hassan and Ali were considered the "Serfs" of Kabul and were treated terribly because of it.

I hate that societies like these still exist in this world. I don't believe in communism, but I want everyone to be kind, and treat people equally. There should be no pecking order in society based on wealth or status. People should never be treated like less than human beings. I think that's why I fell in love with Hassan's character. He was the underdog from day one, and I've always been cheering for him.

Once the chain falls apart though, chaos ensues, like we've been learning in Hamlet. In The Kite Runner, the chain breaks because Hassan ends up being Baba's son, and that messes up the entire chain of status. How could a servant be such a well-known, respected man's son? The world of Amir crumbles and he is forced to clean everything back up by saving Hassan's son. The chain wasn't meant to be broken.