-
Period: to
NTY entries of Afghanistan & Kite Runner
-
Amir's birth and mother's death
The birth of Amir affects Baba severely because after he was born, Amir's mother was "hemorrhageed to deathduring childbirth..." (6). The death of his wife affects Baba and Amir. Baba would no longer have his wife beside him for support and Amir would not have the motherly figure in his life. -
Assef violates Hassan
While Hassan gets violated, he had the "look of the lamb" (76). He felt helpless like a lamb when it is about to be slaughtered. He could not fight back to someone with more power. -
Amir wins the kite competition
After cutting the last kite, he "didn't need to hear the crowd's roar to know. I didn't need to see either" (66). He knew that he won. This event helps boost his self-esteem. He's finally feels proud of himself and is excited to make his dad proud, but this soon ends when Hassan is violated. -
New servants?
After Amir's failure to help Hassan while he was violated, there friendship was never the same. So one day, Amir asked Baba if he "ever thought about getting new servants" (89). Not only did he ruin his friendship with Hassan, but he also ruined his relationship with his father. This also caused his father to feel ashamed that his son would think this way. -
Amir's 13th birthday
Even on his birthday, Assef frightens him. Assef takes the power of his own parents. In the novel it reveals that "on some level, their son frightened them" (96). This event shows the power that Assef holds. This also reveals how weak Amir feels around Assef espcially. -
Ali and Hassan leave
When Ali said, "'We are leaving, Agha sahib,'" it impacted all of their lives. Thier 40 year relationship had been ruined. Hassan and Amir never spoke to each other again. If Ali and Hassan did not leave because of Amir, their lives would be so much more different. They would be living in America too and would have not died so soon in Kabul. -
Soviet Union Invasion
Afghanistan was in peace until "[t]he turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history since then can be traced to the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union..." (The New York Times 2). -
On the way to America
When a Russian soldier wanted to take a lady as a pass to let the passengers go, "Baba stood up" (115). This event shows Baba's courage and how he stuck with his morals. He could have been killed if the other comrade had not stopped him. He has a strong moral that he is not afraid to stick to. -
Baba and Amir move to California
Coming too America was a huge change for the both of them. Baba became a "day manager at the gas station" (130). When Baba was in Kabul, he had a high socioeconomic status. He jumped from a high to a low status by coming to America. It is a huge change for him to get use to. -
Amir meets Soraya
After he met Soraya, his "heart stuttered at the thought of her" (142). It was love at first sight. Soraya's past cause her to have no suitors. When Amir fell in love with her, it changed both of their futures. -
Amir and Soraya get married
When Amir tells Soraya "'I want us to marry," it impacts their lives and the people around them. Soraya was afraid that no men would like her because of her past. When she told Amir her past and he accepted her for it, it changed her life. Because Baba was ill, she helped out and took care of him. -
Soviet troops leaves in peace
After nine long years, the last of the Soviet troops departed, but "[t]hey left tbehind a country that was not only devastated by the war..." (NYT 2). -
Al Qaeda
Unfortunately, the war left many "extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda" (NYT 2). -
Mullah Omar
Mullah Omar started a small group to attak a group of warlords who raped a girl and shaved her head. He soon gathered 12.000 followers by the end of 1994 "with his promise of restoring the certrality of Islam to daily life..." (NYT 2). -
Buddha statues destroyed
When Osma bin Laden arrived, the Taliban provided him safety. Soon, he and Al Qaeda "helped persuade Mullah Omar to order the destraction of the 800-year-old Buddha statues at Bamiyan, an act condemned around the world" (NYT 3). -
Amir goes back to Pakistan when Rahim Khan calls in sick.
When he heard Rahim Khan i ill, he buys a ticket to Pakistan right away because "'he was the first grown-up [he] ever thought as a friend" (191). This is an important part of the plot because if Amir did not hear about Rahim Khan, he would not have learned the truth. When he went to visit Rahim Khan, he learns that Hassan is his half-brother. -
On the way to finding Sohrab
When he was traveling in Kabul to find Sohrab, a man was killed by stones. He "sat there with [his] face in [his] hands" until it was over. (271). He has morals. He knows what's right and what's wrong, but he is not like Baba. Amir is too scared to do anything when there is a situation against his morals. Baba is able to stand up and fight against it. -
Assef hurts Amir when he tries to take Sohrab back
When he arrives to take Sohrab back, he does not let Amir "'take him for free'" (286). Assef fights him, and while he breaks his bones, Amir finally feels healed. Amir finally feels released from on the guilt he has from his sins. If he did not go, he will live a long time feeling guilty. -
The attack on the World Trade Center, 9/11
After the attack, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. Bin Laden" (NYT 3). -
The Taliban Refuses
When the Taliban refused to hand over Osma bin Laden, "the United States joined forces with the rebel groups that never accepted Taliban rule..." (NYT 3). -
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai was named president after the exile of the former king of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the "Afghan population blamed him for the manifest lack of economic progress and the corrupt officials..." (NYT 3). -
Sohrab as a son of Amir and Soraya
Because of the old life that Sorab misses, he's been quiet. His "silence was hard on Soraya" because of the plans she made for him. She wanted to do many things for him, but because he won't even smile, its hard to communicate. Amir and Soraya want him to trust them. -
Amir and Sohrab fly a kite
Because of a promise that Amir did not fulfill, their relationship had been going on the down side. Their relationship grew a bit when Amir "turned and ran" the kite for him. (371). He was finally able to have him smile. -
Resurgence of the Taliban
Even though the Taliban was defeated in 2001, "the Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan" (NYT 3). -
American troops coming home
Obama announced that the American troops will come home by the end of 2014. It does not mean the United States will walk away and allow "agressive operations against them..." (NYT 4).