The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini
“We stayed huddled that way until the early hours of the morning. The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generation of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born. Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended. Our way of life. If not quite yet, then at least it was the beginning of the end.” Pg. 36
The Kite Runner, is about a young boy who grows up in Afghanistan named Amir, he comes from a wealthy family and his best friend is the servant’s son named Hassan. The boys have a special bond but Amir is a jealous child and wishes that his father would love him more than he does. One particular event changes the boy’s lives forever and because of Amir’s shame he lies and creates a way for his best friend to leave his home. Shortly after the war breaks out and Amir and his father are privileged enough to flee to the United States and away from the war. In America, Amir and his father learn a new way of living and Amir never dreams of traveling back to Afghanistan. One fateful day he receives a phone call from an old friend needing his urgent assistance back in his home country. When Amir travels back he is faced with the dangers and evils of war and must atone for his selfish past and make things right again.
This is an incredible story, although I don’t know if it is correct for the Beyond War book list. The main character is able to leave a place of war and find refuge in the United States. I believe the story fits in with “War is obsolete” from the guiding principles because the book reveals the evils of war and the complete destruction of infrastructure of a country.
Questions:
What is the significance of the Kite flying throughout the story?
How is war discussed throughout the story? Has the politics and history discussed change your point of view of the countries that are the backdrop of the story?
What is the significance of the relationships between Baba and Hassan or Amir? How much of these boy’s lives were determined by his approval?
The Kite Runner, is about a young boy who grows up in Afghanistan named Amir, he comes from a wealthy family and his best friend is the servant’s son named Hassan. The boys have a special bond but Amir is a jealous child and wishes that his father would love him more than he does. One particular event changes the boy’s lives forever and because of Amir’s shame he lies and creates a way for his best friend to leave his home. Shortly after the war breaks out and Amir and his father are privileged enough to flee to the United States and away from the war. In America, Amir and his father learn a new way of living and Amir never dreams of traveling back to Afghanistan. One fateful day he receives a phone call from an old friend needing his urgent assistance back in his home country. When Amir travels back he is faced with the dangers and evils of war and must atone for his selfish past and make things right again.
This is an incredible story, although I don’t know if it is correct for the Beyond War book list. The main character is able to leave a place of war and find refuge in the United States. I believe the story fits in with “War is obsolete” from the guiding principles because the book reveals the evils of war and the complete destruction of infrastructure of a country.
Questions:
What is the significance of the Kite flying throughout the story?
How is war discussed throughout the story? Has the politics and history discussed change your point of view of the countries that are the backdrop of the story?
What is the significance of the relationships between Baba and Hassan or Amir? How much of these boy’s lives were determined by his approval?
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