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Polio
Ali had polio and it left him with a "twisted, atrophied right leg that was sallow skin over bone with little in between except a paper thin layer of muscle" (Hosseini 8). This means that both Ali would get made fun of, and he couldn't have kids. Without kids how could Ali 'make' Hassan. -
Sanaubar elopes
Sanaubar, Hassan's mother leaves Ali who is Hassan's 'father' and "no one was really surprised when Sanaubar eloped"(Hosseini 8) -
Sanaubar before Ali
Ali had been engaged with another female accomplice before Sanaubar. "'Sanaubar wasn't Ali's first wife'" (Hosseini chapter 17). This was hidden from Hassan and Amir so they must have had something to hide. As it turns out, Hassan had three stepsister kind of things. -
Soldiers insult Sanaubar
Sanaubar was not particularly respected and soldiers "Poked the middle finger of [their] other hand through the circle. Poked it in and out. In and out. "I knew your mother, did you know that? I knew her real good" (Hosseini page 7). They are showing the type of hate that Hassan receives. This may solely be because he is a Hazara. -
Fall of Monarchy
in 1973 Afghaistan showed that they could not handle working in a monarchy, so befell the fall of the monarchy. "The king, Zahir Shah, was away in Italy. In his absence, his cousin Daoud Khan had ended the king's forty-year reign with a bloodless coup." (Kite runner 36) -
Surgeon Comes
Baba wanted Hassan's face to be better and when "Baba met Hassan's wary and puzzled eyes. "I have summoned Dr. Kumar from New Delhi. Dr. Kumar is a plastic surgeon." "Do you know what that is?" the Indian man. Dr. Kumar said. Hassan shook his head" (Hosseini 45). This is one of the first times that Baba has shown affection for his son. this is a massive turning point in the book. -
The Rape
Amir could not watch as his friend got raped, he couldn't even stand up to the bullies who did it. "I stopped watching, turned away from the alley... In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward" (Hosseini 77). This shows the type of friend that Amir is. He will not stick up for his friend, even if his friend would stick up for him. -
Soviet Russia invades
Russian tanks invaded Afghanistan. This marks the start of the bad times -Kite runner -
Baba and Hassan Flee
Baba and Hassan flee Afghanistan in a "cab of an old Russian truck" (Hosseini 110). Fleeing for their health and safety they leave everything behind. They are forced with the choice to save themselves from a possible attack or stay with Ali and Hassan. -
Kamal's father shoots himself after his son died
Kamal could not breath with all of the toxic fumes in fuel truck and "'he won't breathe!'... Kamal's father shoved the barrel in his own mouth. I'll never forget the echo of that blast. Or the flash of light and the spray of red" (Hosseini 124). The overwhelming sadness that Kamal's father felt was so immense that he felt the need to kill himself. This shows the amount of tension built up in the systems of the Afghanis" because they felt the crazy amount of sadness and took it four steps futher, -
Amir and Soraya get married
Even though it was an arranged marriage, "My heart stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Taheri" (Hosseini chapter 11). Amir starts to truly love her and he gets nervous like a teenage boy around all girls. Soraya is one of the first people that Amir can talk to which is very significant. -
Baba Dies
Baba "never woke up" (Hosseini 173). Baba's death was probably hard for Amir because he wanted Baba's love more than he wanted his best friend Hassan's love. This is what Amir has to deal with. -
Last Of the Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
After peace talks The soviet troops leave Afghanistan in ruin and despair. "The last of the Soviet troops [left] Afghanistan after talks moderated by the UN" -NYT -
Period: to
Northern Alliance took over Kabul
Life was risky when "the Northern Alliance took over Kabul" (Hosseini 199). Rahim Khan feared for his life when they were occupied by the Northern Alliance. This shows with no -
Power divided
In Afghanistan the power was not unilaterally held, and "By the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms." (NYT) -
Taliban Takeover
The taliban is starting to take over the lives of many and "By the end of 1994, a warlord named Mullah Omar had 12,000 follwers" -NYT -
Taliban Rule of Afghanistan
The taliban imposed their way of life into the brains of the masses by, "imposing a strict coherence of fundamentalist Islamic law" -NYT -
Taliban support
The taliban admires the rule of Bin Laden, "[providing] a haven for Osama bin Laden when he landed from a chartered jet at Jalalabad airport" -NYT -
Kite fight Smile
After Amir took Sohrab to a kite fight in the park Amir and Sohrab participate in it and to make Sohrab smile for the first time. "I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so" (Hosseini chapter 25). This is significant because everything in Sohrab's life has gone wrong. Just a little bit of happiness gives the book a tiny smile. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
Sohrab was found "[in] the bloody bath water; the left arm dangling over the side of the tub, the blood-soaked razor sitting on the toilet tank the same razor I had shaved with the day before and his eyes, still half open but lightless" (Hosseini chapter 25). Sohrab did not see his life turning around for the better so he wanted for it to all be over. Amir feels so bad because he has a promise to keep Sohrab safe. -
United States support
President Bush was trying to end the reign of terror by "[giving] an ultimatum to the Taliban to hand over bin Laden and they refused, the United States joined with rebel groups that had never agreed with Taliban rule" -NYT -
US Military intervention
"The United States has been militarily in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led an invasion after the [september] 11 attacks by al Qaeda." (NYT) -
After defeat
The Afghastin warriors were not willing to giving up in defeat in 2001, and "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban to wage guerrilla warfare from a base in mountain on the border between them and Pakistan" -NYT -
Obama's plan
Obama was planning on deploying additional troops in Afghanistan to quiet the rellious masses. "Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" -NYT -
Government increase in Afghanistan
In 2011 President Obama said that the troops in Afghanistan would be withdrawn, but the administration made it clear they would have troops in Afghanistan until at least 2014. -NYT