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The Kite Runner
Baba's father met Ali before Baba did. Baba's father happened to kill Ali's parents so he took him in. Amir reflects on the story, "As for the the orphan, my grandfather adopted him into his own household, and told the other servants to tutor him, but be kind to him. That boy was Ali" (25). Baba and Ali have a special bond because they have known each other since Baba was a baby. They grew up together which makes them like brothers. -
The Kite Runner
Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, never took care of him. Amir states, "It was in that small shack that Hassan's mother, Sanaubar, gave birth to him one cold winter day in 1964" (6). Hassan spent a lot of time in the shack where he was born, possibly symbolizing that he wished he had known his mother. -
The Kite Runner
When Amir and Hassan were just 9 years old, they began to hear shootings one summer night. Amir reflected on the story and thought, "A siren went off in the distance. Somewhere glass shattered and someone shouted" (35). This evidence could have been a sign of Amir and his father leaving to America later on in the book. -
The Kite Runner
Amir reflects on the time when Hassan got his lip fixed. He says, "I kept thinking of that day in 1974, in the hospital room, just after Hassan's harelip surgery"(219). It was a very important memory as it marked the near date of an event that Amir nor Hassan wanted to remember. -
The Kite Runner
During the Winter, Amir and Hassan would often go kite running. Amir states, "In the winter of 1975, I saw Hassan run a kite for the first time"(55). Kite running symbolizes Amir's determination because winning the competition meant approval from his father. -
The Kite Runner
Amir had never felt completely calm and at peace since before the incident with Hassan and Assef. Amir states, "What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace"(289). Amir was never fully able to live with what he had seen until he had faced his biggest fear, Assef. -
The New York Times
Afghanistan has been in war since the 20th century. For example, "Afghanistan has known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded" -
The Kite Runner
Baba didn't understand how different America was at first. He stated, "He wants to see my license," Baba bellowed in Farsi. "Almost two years we've bought his damn fruits and put money in his pocket and the son of a dog wants to see my license!" (127). Baba assumed asking for ID was offensive in America which showed his struggles to adapting to the new country. -
The Kite Runner
When Amir was 18, him and Baba left Kabul to travel to America. Amir states, "My innards had been roiling since we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning"(111). Baba wanted him and Amir to leave for America after Ali and Hassan because he thought it would present a new life for them. -
The Kite Runner
When Amir graduated from High School, he noticed Baba's sudden aging. Amir states, "Baba's beard was graying, his hair thinning at the temples, and hadn't he been taller in Kabul?" (131). Amir's thoughts gives the reader a hint of what might happen to Baba later on, possibly getting ill. -
The Kite Runner
Amir eventually went to visit Hassan in Hazajarat. Amir says, "There were a lot of reasons why I went to find Hassan in 1986"(203). Amir was now a grown man and got past his fear of Hassan and what he reminded him of. They were like brothers and needed to see one another. -
The Kite Runner
Amir had always loved writing and sharing his strories. He states, "In the summer of 1988, about six months before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, I finished my first novel, a father son story set in Kabul, written mostly with the typewriter the general had given me" (182). Amir had always loved sharing his stories and the plot of his book symbolizes his love for Baba. -
The New York Times
Afghanistan has had no peace in their country since the Soviet Union left, "The United States has been militarily involved in Afghanistan since 2001, when it led to an invasion after Sept. 11 attacks by Al Queda" -
The Kite Runner
Amir and Soraya found out they couldn't have children. Amir states, "He sat across from us, tapped his desk with his fingers, and used the word "adoption" for the first time. Soraya cried all the way home" (186). Amir and Soraya couldn't have kids but this gives an insight on the fact that there may be an adoption process later on in the book. -
The New York Times
Afghanistan is a violent country. For example, "Pashtun who had lost an eye fighting the Soviets, gathered a small group of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head" -
The New York Times
The Taliban helped Bin Laden, as the article syas "The Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. Bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Queda" -
The New York Times
Afghanistan has a very strict religion as the Islamic law "banned movies and music and forcing women out of schools into all enveloping burqua clothing" -
The Kite Runner
The Taliban had ruined everything for Hazaras in 1998. Amir states, " A few weeks later, the Taliban banned kite fighting. And two years later, in 1998, they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif"(213). By banning kite running, they had banned a part of Amid and Hassan. -
The Kite Runner
Amir found out that Rahim Khan is very sick. Amir says, "I have to go to Pakistan." She stood up now. "Pakistan?" "Rahim Khan is very sick" (191). Amir may find out important things from Rahim Khan if he goes to visit him. -
The Kite Runner
Amir eventually brought Sohrab back to America. He states, "We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001"(357). Bringing Sohrab home to live with Amir and Soraya would make him feel as part of the family. -
The New York Times
The Karzai Gov. elected a new president in 2004. The article states, "Mr. Karzai was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" -
The New York Times
Obama made Afghanistan the main military focus, "He put Gen. David H. Petreaus, the architect of the 2007 "surge" in Iraq, in command og American forces in Afghanistan, and the pace of American operations stepped up enourmosly, initially in the Taliban's strongholds in the South" -
The New York Times
General Petraeus, "had taken charge of the United States Central Command in October 2008" -
The New York Times
The US has been in war with Afghanistan since before 2001, when the 9/11 attack happened, "Obama administration increasingly emphasizes the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014" -
The New York Times
Afghanistan became a mildly unstable country as "The Taliban also spilled over into Pakistan, raising concerns about its stability, and making Afghanistan once more a top foreign policy priority for the Western Allies'