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Hassan fights off Assef
When Assef threatens to beat up Amir and Hassan, "Hassan held the slingshot pointed directly at Assef's face. His hand trembled with the strain of the pulled elastic band and beads of sweat had erupted on his brow" (Hosseini 42). By doing this, Hassan demonstrates that he is more powerful than Assef, even though he is in a lower social class than Assef. It is clear that although Hassan may fear Assef's power he is able to defend himself. -
Period: to
Important Events In The Kite Runner
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Amir and Baba go to Jalalabad
Amir was excited to go on a fun outing with just him and Baba, but,"Baba had managed to invite another two dozen people" (Hosseini 82). Although Amir wants Baba just to himself, Baba is proud of Amir and wants to brag to all of their relatives about the kite competition. This means that Baba cares more about what people think of Amir than how he feels towards Amir. -
Baba is looked up to by all
Many people thought that,"[Baba] was a force of nature, a towering Pashtun specimen with a thick beard, a way-ward crop of curly brown hair as unruly as the man himself..." (Hosseini 12). Throughout the novel, Baba is looked up to because of his size and power. People often treated him with more respect than others because Baba scared people. -
Amir and Hassan compete in a kite competition
Amir feels his winning coming around when he,"Closed [his] eyes and loosened [his] grip on the string. It sliced [his] fingers again as the wind dragged it. And then... [Amir] didn't need to hear the crowd's roar to know. [He] didn't need to see either" (Hosseini 65-66). Amir and Hassan are happy that all their hard work paid off, and that Amir won the prized kite. Before winning the competition, Amir felt that Baba preferred Hassan to him, so winning allowed Baba to be proud and accept Amir. -
Ending Afghanistan's Peace
"Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, has known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded", after that violence was common and laws were changed. -
Period: to
Major Events in Afghanistan
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Baba and Amir move away from Afghanistan
As stated in the book,"Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (Hosseini 125). This demonstrates the fact that although Baba may have enjoyed the thought of America, he does not necessarily want to move there. Also, in Baba's thoughts about America, it is clear that he is worried about leaving his homeland and all his extended friends and family. -
Amir becomes an adult
When Amir gradutes from highschool, Baba is, "' moftakhir, Amir, ' he said. Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the recieving end of that look" (Hosseini 131). When Amir is the first person in the family to graduate highschool and move on to college, Baba is clearly very proud of Amir. When Baba looks at Amir with the happiness in his eyes, it is apparent that Amir is also proud of himself for accomplishing this important feat. -
Soviet Union Troops Left Afghanistan
"the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989..." causing various acts of violence throughout Afghanistan. (The New York Times 2). -
Pakistan Intervenes
"Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle", cusing Pakistan to completely aid the Taliban. (The New York Times 3). -
Mullah Omar Gained Followers
"Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east", restoring Islamic beliefs throughout Afghanistan. (The New York Times 2). -
Taliban Takes Control of Afghanistan
"the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan...", giving Afghanistan very strict laws and providing a safe place for terrorism. (The New York Times 3). -
Hassan dies
When Rahim Khan is talking to Amir, he tells him that,"'Hassan protested again.So they took him to the street'-'No,' I breathed. -and order[ed] him to kneel-' 'No. God, no.' '- and shot him in the back of the head'" (Hosseini 219). This unhumane way of dying is just one example of how terrible the Taliban is. This was a common way to die, and it happened to many people in that time period. -
Amir and Assef fight
When Assef and Amir meet later on in the book it is clear that they, "Have some unfinished business" (Hosseini 286). Assef says this to Amir to make sure that he knows, he is not allowed take Sohrab home without a fight. This means that if Amir happened to die, Sohrab would be left in the hands of Assef. -
Sohrab aims his slingshot at Assef
When Assef and Amir were almost done fighting,"Sohrab had the slingshot pointed to Assef's face" (Hosseini 290). This is symbolism from when Hassan pointed a slingshot at Assef, when he was a child to defend Amir. This demonstrates that Sohrab and Hassan are very similar. -
Amir tells Soraya that he is going out of town for a little while
Amir felt nervous when Soraya noticed that, "[Amir] look[ed] pale,' Soraya repeated, placing the stack of papers on the table. 'I have to go to Pakistan'" (Hosseini 191). Amir feels sick because he is not sure how his wife will react when she is told that he will be leaving soon. No matter how his wife feels, it is crucial that Soraya accepts the fact that Amir is leaving, because the trip is very necessary. -
Rahim Khan visits with Hassan after not seeing him for many years
Rahim Kahn had to, "make [Hassan] stop kissing [his] hands. 'Let me look at you, [Rahim said to Hassan]. [Hassan] stepped awsy. He was so tall now-I stood on my toes and still just came up to his chin" Hosseini 205). This establishes that throughout all these years, Hassan has grown so tall that he even towers over Rahim Khan. Also, this quote demonstrates that even though the two of them hadn't seen each other in a long time, it did not affect how they feel about each other now. -
Soraya meets Sohrab
When Soraya meets Sohrab,"She took his hand and smiled at him. 'Salaam, Sohrab jan, I'm your Khala Soraya. We've all been waiting for you'" (Hosseini 358). Soraya is so excited to meet Sohrab so she can finally be a mother. It is clear that Sohrab is unsure about having a new mom, but he soon adjusts to this new life. -
9-11 Aftershock
"on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden", causing the Taliban to deny that request, sending a U.S. air and ground campaign into Afghanistan. (The New York Times 3). -
Amir learns he has been lied to his whole life
Amir feels betrayed when he learns that, "'Ali was sterile,' Rahim Khan said. 'No he wasn't. He and Sanaubar had Hassan, didn't they? They had Hassan-' 'No they didn't,' Rahim Khan said. 'Yes they did!' 'No they didn't, Amir.' 'Then who-' 'I think you know who'"(Hosseini 222). Amir feels that he has been lied to his whole life, because he did not find out that Hassan was his half-brother until he was an adult. It is clear through Amir's emotion, that he feels upset that he just found out. -
Amir and Sohrab fly kites
Amir flew kites with Sohrab and noticed that," The last time I had felt a rush like this was that day in the winter of 1975, just after I had cut the last kite, when I spotted Baba on our rooftop, clapping, beaming. I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so" (Hosseini 370). Flying kites with Amir had made Hassan so happy that he smiled for the first time in days. This is important, because this is the first time that Sohrab feels close to Amir. -
The Taliban treats all others with disrespect
People in Kabul are treated terribly by the Taliban like when,"The Talib, looking absurdly like a baseball pitcher on the mound, hurled the stone at the blindfolded man in the hole" (Hosseini 271). Even making a slight mistake could upset the Taliban to the point where innocent citizens are killed. This means that no matter what a person did, they were still always at risk for being abused or tortured. -
Hamid Karzai is Reelected
"Mr. Karzai - a celebrity in flowing cape and dark graykarakul cap - was also a White House favorite" ended up taking a turn for the worse when the Afghan population got mad at him for some economic problems. (The New York Times 3). -
Taliban Warfare
"Taliban continued to wage a guerilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border", causing the American military to go in and divert the invasion, while the Taliban moved to a different part of Afghanistan. -
America Steps In
"the architect of the 2007 'surge' in Iraq, in command of American forces in Afghanistan, and the pace of American operations stepped up enormously, initially in the Taliban's strongholds in the south", cauding the U.S. army to really take full force and combat Afghanistan. (The New York Times 1). -
Obama's Plan
"Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops", helping the U.S. economy and getting many people out of trouble. (The New York Times 4).