Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan

  • Hassan's first word is Amir

    Amir says, "We spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name" (11). This shows that Amir was a great influence on Hassan. There relationship will grow because of their connection to each other.
  • Hassan stands up to Assef for Amir

    Hassan says, "You are right, Agha. But perhaps you didn't notice that I'm the one holding the slingshot. If you make a move, they'll have to change your nickname from Assef 'the Ear Eater' to 'One Eyed Assef,' because I have this rock pointed at your left eye" (42). This is an important event becuase it shows the strong relationship between Amir and Hassan. Hassan sticking up for Amir is very big because Hassan is Amir's servant.
  • Hassan is rapped by Assef

    Amir witnesses, "It was a look I had seen before. it was the look of the the lamb" (76). Hassan getting raped by Assef is an important event becuase it starts the seperation of Amir and Hassan's relationship. It also points out what kind of a person Assef is which shows an effect later in the story.
  • Amir and Hassasn win the Kite Tournament

    Amir says, "I didn't need to hear the crowd's roar to know. I didn't need to see either. Hassan was screaming and his arm was wrapped around my neck" (66). Amir and Hassan winning th kite tournament is important because it makes Baba proud of his son. It also leads up to later events that put a hole in Amir and Hassan's relationship.
  • Amir Frames Hassan

    Amir says, "I went downstairs, crossed the yard, and entered Ali and Hassan's living quarters by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan's mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it" (104). Here Amir tell about how he made Hassan look like he was steeling. This is important because it makes Hassan and Ali leave Baba and Amir.
  • Hassan and Ali leave Amir and Baba

    Ali says, "I'm sorry, Agha sahib, but our bags are already packed. We have made our deciscion" (106). This event is of Ali and Hassan leaving. This shows the complete seperation between Hassan and Amir forever.
  • Invasion of Soviet Union

    The New York Times says, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on December 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan COmmunist leadership" (2).
  • Amir and Baba move to America

    Amir says, "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulver" (125). Amir and Baba moving to America is important because it is the start of a new life for Amir and Baba. Now Amir will have the oppurtunity to get an education and to be successful.
  • Amir marries Soraya

    Amir says, "No, Soraya. Not even close. Nothing you said changes anything. I want us to marry" (165). This is important because this is the moment where Amir has a relationship for the rest of his life. Soraya may have an influence on some of his deciscions in the future.
  • Baba dies

    Baba says, "Not tonight. There is not pain tonight. Baba never woke up" (173). This is important because now Amir's father, the one who raised him, is no longer with him. Amir will no longer have the influence of his father to make deciscions.
  • Afghanistan Descends

    The New York Times says, "After Soviety force departed, Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strif; by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (2).
  • Mullah Omar Gains Followers

    The New York Times says, "By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north east" (2).
  • Taliban Takes Control

    The New York Times says, "Buoyed by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all envelping burqa clothing" (3).
  • Amir gets a phone call from Rahim Khan

    Amir says, "I lowered the phone into the cradle and stared at it for a long time" (190). Amir has just recieved a phone call from Rahim Khan to go to Afghanistan. This is important because it leads into a tumble of events that will occur in Afghanistan, a place Amir has not been in a long time.
  • Amir finds out that he is related to Hassan

    Rahim Khan says, "She left him childless after three years and married a man in Khost. She bore him three daughters. That's what I am trying to tell you" (222). This is the most important part of the story because Amir finds out that he is related to Hassan. This gives Amir determination to find Hassan son.
  • Amir gets Sohrab

    Assef says,"Take him them. Go take him" (286). Here Assef, a talib member, gives Amir his nephew. Now Amir is able to take Sohrab back to America where he is safe.
  • Sohrab attemps suicide

    Amir says, "Later they said I was still screaming hen the ambulance arrived" (343). This is when Sohrab tried to comit suicide. This shows that Sohrab is not happy in his environment and wants things to change for the better.
  • Amir takes Sohrab back to America

    Amir says, "We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001" (357). This gives Sohrab to be free from the turmoil in Afghanistan. It also gives Amir the chance to be a fatherly figure.
  • Attack on WTC

    The New York Times says, "After the attack on the World Trade Center in New Yorkin on September 11, 2011, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (3).
  • Hamid Karzai becomes President

    The New York Times says, "In December 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled fromer king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (3).
  • Amir runs the kite for Sohrab

    Amir says, "I ran. A grown man running with a sawrm of screaming children. But I didn't care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Balley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran" (371). This is a way Amir made up for Hassan, by returning the favor by running the kite for his son. This shows that the relationship between Sohrab and Amir will grow, and life will be good again.
  • General Petraeus Takes Command

    The New York Times says, "General Petraeus had taken charge of United States Central Command in October 2008, with responsibility for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the region" (4).
  • Obama Add Aditional Troops

    The New York Times says, "In a speech delivered Devember 1, 2009 Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" (4).
  • General McChystal is Removed

    The New York Times says, "In June 2010, President Obama removed General McChrystal after contemptuous quotes from the general and his staff about senior administration officials appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine" (4).
  • Removing Troops

    The New York Times says, "The United States will have force in the country until at least the end of 2014