Analyse how the experiences of a character were used to comment on society.

Redemption can be felt when making yourself feel equal to it, Amir experiences this when Assef beats him up. Amir has had the feeling of guilt on his shoulders for the past 26 years after witnessing Hassan’s assault yet choosing not to stand up for him. He now has the opportunity to stand up for Hassan’s son by fighting the same character who raped Hassan earlier on in the book. Amir takes this chance. “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this.”

“My body was broken, just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later, but I felt healed. Healed at last.”“My body was broken, just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later, but I felt healed. Healed at last.”

Amir experiences trying to run away to America from the guilt he has, although guilt does not just disappear.

When Amir experiences Hassan’s assault, it develops the idea of how you can get

Pick a place that brings you joy. This might be due to a memory or current feeling. Describe this scene in as much detail as you can. Appeal to sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. Use the second person narrative: you and your(‘re). – specific verbs, syntax types, personification, extended metaphor.

You often wouldn’t think that this place makes you happy. A jail cell that locks students in forcing attendance 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. Where teachers act as guards demanding orders upon helpless kids who know no better. The same routine dictates you day after day, year after year until finally you are released. But what you often do not realise with this trivialized place lies beneath what can be seen. This place allows you to seek opportunities which better yourself, it allows you to hear and learn new information, it allows you to meet different people that you may otherwise not have met, it makes you feel happy. Hear

The associated meaning eg. the word run means to move very fast but the connotation is to feel tired

key

• verb
• adjective
• adverb

The Positive Quad

Sunshine beams on the glowing faces filling the lush green area. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies floats throughout, creating students mouths to water. Hearing sweet sounds of giggling makes the quads atmosphere lively.

The Negative Quad

Burning sunlight radiates on the squinting faces that fill the dense green area. The smell of crisp cookies wafts throughout, forcing students mouths to water.

Extended Metaphor

Like a regular metaphor, an extended metaphor looks to draw on the shared figurative characteristics of two concepts. In order to extend the device, you should consider how language connotations, similes, metaphors and other devices combine throughout a piece to continually convey the shared characteristics.

Task: Using the scene you did in the last task, add to the description with an extended metaphor. Think about the elements of the scene and ideas that are similar and weave them together via language choices, metaphors and similies.

Stretching against the twilight, the skyline of New York City stands boldly. Much like a tree canopy, each skyscraper fights for the strongest sunlit position. Below, on the forest floor, the various animals go about their business. The Lion, king of the jungle, flaunts through the streets with pride in each step. Preying on the weak. Shoppers squawk and fly throughout the walls of the concrete jungle.

Compare the quad to a zoo

busy, trapped, different types of people/animals, loud, staring

Ahead of her body stood opposite worlds. Wondering which path to take she hesitated. Visualising the possibilities that would come with both caused uncertainty in her mind. Galloping in the fresh grass, bambi’s played. Standing tall were sunflowers, flaunting their perfect petals. Further away a thriving city echoed her name to come. Live the perfect life it said. Beside the place she imagined to be paradise, rough rocks lay. Filled by smog, the sky had disappeared. Onwards was a city that had lost it’s way. Although she saw hope, she could help this wreckless place. Under her eyes, the two paths split, which path should she take.

It was October 2019. Resting under my eyes and wrapped tightly in my arms was a familiar delicate figure. From the way, her eyes glimmer like the stars and smile shines like the pearls around her neck you can tell this is the highlight of her year. It’s one of those rare occasions where Grandma comes and visits for a week and just her presence makes the room feel warmer and life seem greater. Through my normal everyday routine, we squeeze in dinners out, games of ping pong and laugh at her witty humour. Although other than this, I continue to carry on with the usual everyday life. During this time, I do not make the most of her hugs, her stories, her jokes, I do not make the most of her presence. Within myself, I know this but I think, “it’s nothing significant, right? I can always see her any other time”

As always time flew by, the week was gone before I knew it and once again resting under my eyes and wrapped tightly in my arms was the small delicate figure being my Grandma. I could feel her lungs against my body trying to grasp every last minute she had with us. After what seemed like a million hugs she left and that was the week gone already. However, what I did not know was after this moment, after her final wave goodbye, nothing would be the same.

Days went on with each becoming filled with more and more stress. Exams were lurking overhead and it was making my mind felt like a crowded room. Feeling like my brain was at maximum capacity I could hardly comprehend anything but I could still tell. I could tell that something was off. Over that past month, things seemed different. Suddenly Mum and Dad were always disappearing on random trips, their puffy eyes began to be the new normal around the house, and we started to be treated like we were newborn babies, fragile and sensitive. Tension was in the air with we all knew there was something that had to be spoken. But why? All of this was a gut feeling and I never truly acknowledged it because what could possibly be so bad? Things don’t change that quick.

So none of these thoughts mattered and were just pushed to the back of my mind, I had bigger more important things to focus on, I had exams. Nervousness. Excitement. Fear constantly flowed through my body. But like always, time flew and before I knew it, the months of studying and stressing were already over. Hearing the papers drop on to the table as I tiptoed out of the room caused a smile to gleam across my face for a while, imagining all of the possibilities the summer would bring, the heat from the sun toasting my skin, the tickling of the tiny stones brushing against my bare feet. Though this thought was short-lived as the tension in the air began to loom over me again but much much heavier than before. I didn’t know what was about to hit me.

What, what was it? Had I done something? Feeling sick to my stomach the gut feeling rose again entering back into the house full of secrets. Heart clenching I knew this long line of tension and secrets was finally about to come spilling out. And it did. I didn’t start to cry at first, I just stood there in disbelief, shock. Hearing those words you wish to never hear, that Grandma is sick, very sick. I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t, I had just seen her a month earlier and she seemed so fit, so healthy. This must be a mistake. Continuously these thoughts were flying around my head. It seemed so surreal like if someone were to pinch me, I would wake up and it would all just be a dream, that Grandma wouldn’t be ill, that she would not have cancer. But this was not the case, it was not a dream and I knew that the next couple of months Jesse and I would now be disappearing on trips, have puffy eyes and act like newborn babies, fragile and sensitive.

For the first time in a while resting under my eyes and wrapped tightly in my arms was an unfamiliar more fragile figure. Although what was familiar was that her eyes still glimmer like the stars and her smile still shines like the pearls around her neck. Seeing the Grandmas pale skin and delicate bones for the first time was eye-opening. How could I have been so oblivious to how quickly things could change?

The next two months consisted of visits upon visits, the continual thought that this would all be alright and it would be over soon. That the constant trips away, puffy eyes and acting like newborn babies would disappear and we could go back to normal. The long-awaited day did finally come, it was the 30th of January and it was all over but not in the way I had imagined. With my heart beating at what felt like a million miles an hour my parents had news. The thing I had been dreading, that I had been hoping it would never come to but did. Grandma had passed away.

One day we were going out for dinner, playing ping-pong, and laughing at her witty jokes; only a few months later we can no longer do these things anymore. The same feelings drowned me all over again, but I realised what I felt this time. Through the rollercoaster of a journey, I learnt something that we should all already know without something like this forcing us to recognise it. Everything can change in an instant. As these days go by, our teenage years, we should never take what we have for granted because we often don’t know how much we need it until it is gone. I need to, we all need to make the most of every day as we never know when it will be our last.

Analyse how the strengths and/or weaknesses of a character reinforced a key idea

The novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of an Afghan boy named Amir. Amir constantly finds himself in traumatic situations, however, is always rescued by his servant and only ‘friend’, Hassan. One day the roles were reversed when Hassan was sexually assaulted by the town bullies. Amir had the opportunity to be the hero for once but didn’t and this haunted him for the next 26 years of his life. During moments in this text, Hosseini gives us insight into Amir’s inner strengths and weaknesses including acceptance, selfishness and courage. Through these traits, we can see that what Amir wants most is to feel redeemed from the guilt that his younger self caused. Khaled Hosseini uses Amir’s strengths and weaknesses to show that there are many layers for one to feel redeemed which include that there it is a journey to find redemption, redemption must be faced head-on, and to feel it you must feel internally balanced.

Redemption does not happen instantly. It takes the strength of accepting why you need it and realising it involves a long journey to gain. Acceptance means that an individual is willing to tolerate and work with not against a difficult situation. Amir does not develop this trait of acceptance for the 26 years he needs it most but when he finally does his life changes for the good. The Kite Runner opens the book with a flash-forward of Amir reflecting on his life. He was walking through Golden Gate Park when an old friend Rahim Khan called and offered a chance to make amends with his past. Amir knew he would have to take this proposal when he acknowledges, “I knew it wasn’t Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins.” This phone line connecting Amir back to Kabul is not seen, it is invisible just hanging above him. However, it is still there, just like his undealt with sins that are constantly hanging over Amir without being seen. Taking this offer means that Amir is finally showing the strength of acceptance. Accepting that earning redemption means he has to begin this journey sometime, somewhere and that is now. Amir furtherly embraces acceptance when he states “The past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alleyway for the past twenty-six years.” He has finally realised that this painful memory that he has been timidly but frequently ‘peeking’ at is there because he is choosing to keep doing so. It is highlighting that by continuing to look inside the alleyway, Amir is never going to feel redeemed in himself. When Amir recognises these factors in the first chapter of the book and chooses to use the strength of accepting, it opens him and the audience up to the theme of redemption. Hosseini uses Amirs newly gained strength of acceptance to illustrate the idea that redemption is not just handed over to someone in need of the feeling. It takes accepting the fact of the sin then accepting that you actually have to take a journey to find it. The purpose Khaled Hosseini is trying to communicate to his readers is the fact that it may take as long as 26 years, but by acknowledging you have to take this one step or that one opportunity, it brings you onto the road of redemption.

When pushing something out of sight, it does not necessarily mean out of mind when it comes to feeling redeemed. Doing this is simply selfish. For Amir selfishness is a weakness he has carried throughout the entire novel. Although this was elevated after Hassan was sexually assaulted. Amir did not know how to feel or what to do. Selfishness took over him when he could not stand to look at Hassan anymore, driving Amir to frame him. He planted his new watch and birthday money under Hassan’s bed then told Baba it was Hassan. This lead to Hassan and his father leaving. During this scene, Amir states, “I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it…then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.” Amir was doing whatever it took to get the feeling of redemption he so desperately craved. To him, it did not matter how selfish it was, he was just trying to cover up his own mistakes because he thinks this will give him the feeling of being redeemed. His weakness of selfishness develops the idea redemption further when Amir thinks “A part of me was glad. Glad that this would all be over with soon.” This portrays that it did not matter to Amir that he had just betrayed his only friend, his selfishness meant that the only thing that mattered was that he thought would finally feel redeemed. Through Amir’s selfishness, Hosseini reinforces the idea of redemption. That someone could do something so wrong without acknowledging that it could affect anyone but themselves. Amir pushed Hassan away for selfish reasons, although after this Amir does not feel any better than he did before. It proves that the feeling of redemption cannot be felt by pushing something to somewhere you cannot see. Like said before out of site does not mean out of mind. The author does this to make us understand that hiding your guilt will not make you feel any better. It takes standing up to the problem head-on because, in the eyes of redemption, selfishness will get an individual nowhere. The whole idea of it is to do something for the person you have done wrong.

The feeling of redemption is only felt when you be courageous by making the leap to feeling equal with your sin. Courage is a strength because you are acting in spite of the danger and being brave. Amir does not develop this trait early on in the book since he is the one constantly being stood up for. However, the day he chooses to fight for Sohrab, Amir finally develops this strength of being courageous. Amir put aside what could happen to him for once and fought because he knew this was how he was going to get Sohrab back and he was going to do it no matter what. During the fight, Amir thinks to himself, “My body was broken- just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later- but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.” This demonstrates that even though Amir was so physically beaten and almost at death point, he felt so redeemed that it was funny. Amir believes that the result from his act of courage was what he deserved because he finally feels internally equal to what he did 26 years earlier. He then goes onto thinking, “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this.” As much as Amir thought his sins were in the past and that he had moved on, they were always there ‘hidden’ in the back of his mind. He now knows that finding the courage in himself to try to feel balanced means that you will feel redeemed. Hosseini reinforces the idea that you have to act up and be brave to feel equal to what you have done. Redemption comes as a result of this because it is an internal feeling. The value Hosseini adds makes the audience recognise that an individual could wait a lifetime to try and have this feeling of redemption but at the end of the day, all it takes is the courage to stand up and make yourself feel balanced however that may be.

The idea of redemption is explored throughout The Kite Runner through Amir’s strengths and weaknesses. Inside the novel, he gains the trait of acceptance, obtains his selfishness but grows to become courageous. Within these, the audience comes to recognise key ideas of redemption. The author makes us understand that it takes a journey to find redemption as it does not just come to anyone at any time, and you have to accept that it will be a long road ahead. We also come to the understanding that the craving for the feeling can take over an individual, causing them to make heartless decisions that will only benefit themselves. Finally, the fact that redemption is an internal feeling, meaning that in order to feel it, you have to feel balanced to what is making you feel this way. Hosseini communicating these ideas makes us as an audience understand how these traits can develop the idea of redemption further. We come to see that there is a lot more to redemption than what meets the human eye. Readers can use Amir’s journey of how his different characteristics portrayed different ideas within redemption to reflect on our own times in need of the feeling.

Question 7: Analyse how specific events reinforced your understanding of one or more ideas.
“Ideas” may refer to character, theme, or setting

The novel, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of an Afghan boy named Amir. Amir finds himself in many traumatic situations but is always rescued by his servant and only friend, Hassan. However, one day when trying to gain his father’s acceptance, Amir does not do the same for Hassan and this haunts him for the next 26 years. When Amir reflects on his past at the Golden Gate Park, pears into the alleyway of Hassan’s sexual assault and frames him for theft of his birthday presents, they all reinforce the idea of the guilt that still lies within him. Hosseini uses these events to portray how guilt can last forever, that it can take over your life and will drive you to do anything.

Guilt is shown 26 years later when the book starts with a flash-forward of Amir reflecting on his life after a call from Rahim Khan. He is in Golden Gate Park and has just been offered a once in a lifetime chance to make amends by helping Hassan’s son who is in an orphanage. Amir knows he should take this rare proposal when he thinks, “I knew it wasn’t Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins.” To him, this was not Rahim Khan speaking, it was his sins that he has not yet dealt with on the phone haunting him with guilt. When reflecting Amir also said “The past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alleyway for the past twenty-six years.” This further adds to the idea that the past is painfully always in the back of his mind but he is scared to face what happened so he is still peeking into the alleyway. Through this event, Hosseini is trying to convey the idea that no matter how long, or how many times you try and bury the past, the guilt will always be there with you. He proves that by facing the problem head-on such as taking offers like this is the only way to prevent guilt from overpowering your life.

Introduction

Picture Perfect is a novel written by Jodi Picoult. Throughout the text, there are characters, events and symbols that convey the idea of realism; of how the ‘picture perfect’ image of someone can cause you to put your life on the line for them. This novel is about the quickly sparked love between an anthropologist, Cassie Barrett and the Hollywood celebrity, Alex Rivers. Alex becomes obsessive over his wife and cannot bear to think of them ever leaving each other, however, his harmful upbringing begins to be expressed onto Cassie when he starts to physically abuse her. Cassie spends most of their relationship in denial of it, making excuses for him but when she falls pregnant everything changes between them.

Cassie Barrett is the main character in the novel, Picture Perfect. Intelligent, genuine and self-assured is the way Cassie is presented to the audience, although the presence of her husband Alex causes these characteristics of hers to disappear. She becomes un-opinionated, making sure she does everything perfectly for Alex and does anything that he wants even if it means that she gets hurt as she said in her own words “I loved Alex so much that it was easier to let him hurt me than to watch him hurt himself.” In the novel, Cassie also was mistreated whether it had been being called a “slut” and “is asking for it” for what she was wearing or when she got walked over at her job. I think Jodi Picoult chose to portray Cassie with these manners and have these things happen to her because it is a very realistic view of what would happen in a situation of being harmed by your significant other and how women are commonly treated in society today. In my opinion, this makes me feel a mix of emotions but mainly sad and angry as it reinforces in society what women are still overcoming, that we are weak and don’t have valid opinions. Women used to and still commonly are being treated like this in relationships or in workspaces with statistics of 1/3 women experiencing domestic violence throughout their lifetime and

Paragraph 2 Symbol (Glass Jar of snow)

Paragraph 3 Major Event last scene

Conclusion

PLOT

The novel opens with Amir as a grown man reflecting on his childhood. Provide a detailed description of the opening scene of the novel. 

In the opening scene, Amir talks about his past in Afganistan, about how he had made a mistake and it has haunted him since 1975. This chapter is small but gives us knowledge of what may happen further in the book including things such as characters names, Rahim Khan calling Amir saying “there is a way to be good again”, and that Amir was a bi-stander to something that happened in an alleyway that has affected him since. It also hints to us it may include kites as when he looked up at them in the San Fransisco sky and he said that Amir said it gave him an instant thought of Hassan saying “for you a thousand times over”. Chapter one gives us an insight of future things that may happen in the book and we can see how remorseful Amir is. This gives us an instant feeling to like him. Because of the early insight into the book, it gives the urge to keep reading.

The novel ends with Amir and Sohrab in the park together. Provide a detailed description of the final scene of the novel. 

In the final scene, Amir and Sohrab have their first happy moment since they arrived in America. This happened in the same park where he went when Rahim Khan insisted he came to Afganistan again. In the park, Amir bought himself and Sohrab a kite to fly. Sohrab still didn’t speak to him but he gave Amir a smile and Amir said that was all he needed because ” when spring comes it melts one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting”. This scene has once again featured the kite although now instead of it representing guilt it resembles that Amir has fixed his sins of the past and can move on with his life.

Reflect on Hosseini’s intentions when framing the novel like this. Consider how the novels key themes are established and developed by these scenes. Reflect on the position the reader is placed in by Hosseini’s deliberate framing of the text in this way. 

The author structured the text by putting this future thought of Amir sitting in the park thinking about his friends, family, talking about kites and his sins of the past at the start of the book. Hosseini may have structured the novel this way in order to create

Describe three other scenes in the novel that you consider to be significant. Explain why these scenes are significant in regards to the development of character and theme development

Another important scene in the book is where Amir and Hassan are at the pomegranate tree. There is plenty of scenes where they go here but there is a specific one. During this scene, Amir asks Hassan how loyal he is by testing whether or not he would eat dirt for him.

CLASS DISCUSSION

establishes foreshadowing by putting this at the start of the book meaning we look for the clues. It sets up tension because we know something is happening. Sets him up to not seem as bad

Even though the last seen was nostalgic it almost feels like he is only doing it for himself.

Framed like this so we can..

Key themes developed in the book

• the ability to find your own redemption
• can never get rid of your past
• guilt

Important scene

• Amir looking for Sohrab, finding him with Assef. Finally finds peace between it. Feels like needs to be physically hurt. One-eyed Assef.
• a scene in where Hassan is raped
• pomegranate tree
• Sohrab in the bathtub

CHARACTER

Provide a description of the persona of the following characters. Identify their role in the text and locate three quotes you could use to highlight who they are. 

Amir – Is the main character and narrator of the kite runner. Amir is the son of a well-to-do businessman in Kabul, and he grows up with a sense of entitlement. His best friend is Hassan, and he goes back and forth between acting as a loyal friend and attacking Hassan out of jealousy whenever Hassan receives Amir’s father’s affection. Amir is a gifted storyteller and grows from aspiring writer to published novelist. His great desire to please his father is the primary motivation for his behaviour early in the novel, and it is the main reason he allows Hassan to be raped. From that point forward, he is driven by his feelings of guilt as he searches to find a way to redeem himself. Ultimately he does so through courage and self-sacrifice, and he tells his story as a form of penance. 3 quotes from Amir include:

“For you, a thousand times over”
“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime…”
“And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.”

Hassan – Amir’s best friend and half-brother as well as a servant of Baba’s. Hassan proves himself a loyal friend to Amir repeatedly, defending Amir when he is attacked and always being ready to listen. His defining traits are bravery, selflessness, and intelligence, though his smarts are more instinctual than bookish, largely because he is uneducated. As a poor ethnic Hazara, he is considered inferior in Afghan society, and he is the victim of racism throughout the novel as a result. He is Baba’s illegitimate child, though he is not aware of this fact, and he grows up with Ali acting as his father. His rape is an early catalyst in the story, and even though he is not present in a significant portion of the novel, he plays a major role throughout.

“Then Hassan did pick up the pomegranate. He walked toward me. He opened it and crushed it against his own forehead. ‘There,’ he croaked, red dripping down his face like blood. ‘Are you satisfied? Do you feel better?’ He turned around and started down the hill.” “For you, a thousand times over!”

Baba – Father of Amir and Hassan and a wealthy, well-respected businessman. Baba believes first and foremost in doing what is right and thinking for oneself, and he tries to impart these qualities to Amir. He also never lets anyone’s lack of belief in him stop him from accomplishing his goals. Although he distrusts religious fundamentalism, he follows his own moral code and acts with self-assurance and bravery. When necessary, he is even willing to risk his life for what he believes in. Yet his shame at having a child with a Hazara woman leads him to hide the fact that Hassan is his son. Because he cannot love Hassan openly, he is somewhat distant toward Amir and is often hard on him, though he undoubtedly loves him.

QUOTES

Ali – Acting father to Hassan and a servant of Baba’s. Ali is defined by his modesty more than anything, and he works diligently as Baba’s servant. He loves Hassan deeply, though he rarely expresses his emotions outwardly. Poor and an ethnic Hazara, he suffers from partial paralysis of his face and walks with a limp caused by polio.

QUOTES

Sohrab – Son of Hassan and Farzana. In many ways, Sohrab acts as a substitute for Hassan in the novel, and he is a central focus of the plot in the later sections of the book. He is also an ethnic Hazara and is great with a slingshot. His character arc takes him from being a normal little boy to the traumatized victim of sexual and physical abuse, and he goes from speaking very little to not at all.

QUOTES

Identify three key relationships in that are developed in the text. For each, explore what is ‘key’ about them for the characters involved and what kind of impact the relationship has on both characters development.

Consider the narrator of the novel, Amir. Explain how he fulfils the expected characteristics of the antihero. Discuss the ways that he changes throughout the novel and how, given he is is the one that is telling the story, the audience is positioned to view him. 

Reflect on the purpose of telling this story, a story of redemption and reconciling your past, from the antihero perspective. Why have our narrator as a character whom we grow to respect rather than establishing them as ‘honourable’ right from the beginning?

THEMES AND IDEAS

GUILT

Identify three quotations in which Amir details the extent that guilt is a controlling force in his life. Explain how they present an idea about ‘guilt’. 

It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been looking into that deserted alleyway for the last twenty-six years.” In this quote, Amir is referring to the day which caused him guilt for his life, the day where he saw Hassan being raped. Throughout the last 26 years, Amir has been trying to ‘bury’ this memory although massive guilt hangs over him. Amir has tried to put it into a deep hole and bury it so he can no longer see it and it begins to be forgotten however it is always torn out to hurt the most. Because of this guilt, Amir has never looked away from the alleyway as he has always been thinking of it and what it caused.

“I finally had what I’d wanted all those years. Except now that I had it, I felt as empty as this unkempt pool I was dangling my legs into.” This quote was said by Amir when he bought the kite back to Baba. Praise and acknowledgment surrounded Amir from Baba however this happens just after he had seen Hassan being raped. Amir had chosen the kite over his friendship, therefore, allowed it to happen and because of this he now has feelings of guilt. In order to get the kite for what he thought would be the only thing for Baba’s approval cost him his friendship and if he had helped it meant he would let down the chance he wanted for Baba’s acceptance he had craved forever. Now that he does have it though he has guilt because he got in in the wrong way. By referring to feeling empty as an unkempt pool, the metaphor suggests that because of the situation Amir feels crude and dirty for doing this he doesn’t get the satisfaction as a new pool would. He feels empty.

“A pair of steel hands closed around my windpipe at the sound of Hassan’s name.” This quote is said after Amir has graduated. Baba and Amir are sitting in his new car and Baba wishes Amir were there. This was the first time someone had spoken his name in years. When Amir uses steel to describe the hands wrapped around his windpipe it gives the image of it being a strong, hard force wrapped around him when he hears the name, Hassan.

Comment on the ‘event’ that Amir is constantly referring to as being the thing that rules his life- do you believe he deserves to suffer like this? Why/why not? Why do you think the guilt from this one wrong action causes him to commit more ‘crimes’?

The event that happened in the past that is still constantly ruling Amir’s life is the scene where he sees Hassan getting raped in order to protect the kite for Amir. In this scene Amir does not help Hassan in any way, he just watched and then walked away. When this ‘event’ occurred as much as we thought we knew Amir, I think we also need to remember how young he was. I don’t believe that Amir should have suffered for the rest of his life because of this decision that was obviously dreadful especially for a little boy, however, for the following actions he did. This included being rude to Hassan and framing him for theft which got him kicked out of the house, this is what I think he should have consequences for. I don’t believe that Amir does or doesn’t have to suffer for these actions for the rest of his life though. The guilt will be there with him forever but I think the longer he chooses to not amend what he did is the length that is should rule his life.

Explain what happens when Amir attempts to run away from the guilt in his past. Why do you think he cannot escape it?

The cause of Amir’s guilt from in the past was due to running away from it. As soon as he had run away from Hassan in the alleyway he felt guilt and it followed him for a very long time. Over the many years, Amir tries to forget and let himself fall into his new life in America; “America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins. ”Amir cannot escape his guilt of the past because he has never chosen to do anything about it and just tried to forget until when tries to find and save Sohrab. Once he has found, adopted and cared for Sohrab for many years he realises his sins are gone. Amir could not escape his guilt from the past because he always chose to run away from it, and when he chose to run toward the problem and fix his sins with time it worked.

Reflect on the presentation of ‘guilt’ in this text. What do you think the big things the author wants us to learn about the effects of guilt on living a normal life are?

Guilt in the Kite Runner is portrayed that you can not run away from or just forget about it. In order to overcome guilt, you need to make things better in any way shape or form. Hosseini may want us to use this in normal life situations aswell

REDEMPTION

Guilt and redemption work unison. Can’t be redeemed without guilt. Needs to redeem himself from leaving Hassan in the alley way then framed him to get away. Half brother makes it worse because he did this to family.

Explain why the fight scene allows Amir to feel healed. Why do you think he needed to endure physical pain and suffering in order to balance the scales?

• needs to feel like this because this would have happened if he got beaten in the alleyway
• Full circle moment
• He knew that would be the fate if he stood up for him but didn’t do it. So he is doing what he would have done for his son. Parallel moment
• Punishment got what we deserved. He feels like because he has got this he can move on because he has paid the price to feel redeemed.
• Only chance to make things right because there hasn’t and most likely be another chance like this
• After the alleyway scene, Amir tried to make Hassan beat him up at the pomegranate tree to try and balance the scales so Hassan feels bad too and make Amir feel better. Once again trying to get the punishment he needs to feel redeemed
• More powerful because he knows they are blood-related
• Page 265 “What was so funny was that, for the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in a corner of my mind, I’d been looking forward to this.” he feels he is finally at peace. He felt like he needed this to feel even
• need to feel the pain Hassan felt
• If we do something wrong we must be punished what we have been taught
• “my body was broken-just how badly, I wouldn’t find out until later but I felt healed. Healed at last.”

Describe how Amir believes he can redeem himself for Baba. Explain the reality of this after Amir achieves what he set out to. Why does it not work out?

• Amir and Baba never had a strong relationship due to the theft of his mother, interests etc
• Amir believes that winning the Kite tournament will win Baba over as it is what Baba imagines his son winning as it is a big deal in Afghanistan and he will become the son Baba has always wanted
• Quote about theft
• Quote described looking up at Baba sitting on the rooftop “Then I saw Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last.” chapter 7
• “I was going to win, and I was going to run that last kite. Then I’d bring it home and show Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy”
• Everything gets worse after this, although with Baba things are great for a while as he feels respected and acknowledged.
• “It happened just the way I’d imagined. I opened the door to the smoky study and stepped in. Baba and Rahim Khan were drinking tea and listening to the news crackling on the radio. Their heads turned. Then a smile played on my father’s lips. He opened his arms. I put the kite down and walked into his thick hairy arms. I buried my face in the warmth of his chest and wept. Baba held me close to him, rocking me back and forth. In his arms, I forgot what I’d done. And that was good.”
• “I finally had what I wanted after all of these years ” he has had to let someone down to get this
• This golden period is temporary as you can’t fix all the underlying issues with just winning a materialistic thing such as the kite flying tournament it would take starting off with a meaningful conversation.
• Baba afraid of looking like a hypocrite because he has stolen amirs truth
• “But all I heard–all I willed myself to hear–was the thudding of blood in my head. All I saw was the blue kite. All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption. If Baba was wrong and there was a God like they said in school, then He’d let me win.”
• quote, legs dangling over empty fall
• he is trying to redeem himself in the eyes of somebody else

Why do you think Amir responds to this phone call the way that he does? He has lived with his sin for 26 years. Why do you think he tries to redeem himself now?

• Almost considered Irony
• Hasn’t forgotten about it but is still there for those 26 years
• “There is a way to be good again”
• Rahim Khan has offered a perfect full-circle moment
• “one time you weren’t around… a boy who can’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” this pushes all of Amirs buttons todo this.
• All selfish motives until after hospital he only goes to save the son for his own benefit he didn’t care about him. He only bought him because there was no orphanage.
• Redemption is not something someone can hand you or give you it is something within yourself
• everything is good but when the phone call comes he gives it all up to try and fix his guilt
• unless you need it as a person the idea of redemption doesn’t mean much or go anywhere
• sometimes selfish actions can lead to selfless things
• he always talks about it but never tries to do anything about it for 36 years but didn’t know until this point how to

discuss what Hosseini is trying to teach the reader about in this novel. What messages/lessons/warnings does he give to the reader about the guilt/redemption cycle? What should we take away from Amir’s story?

• The thing we should pay attention to
• redemption is something within yourself and has to come from your own desires
• Can’t feel redeemed unless you are prepared to do the thing that makes you feel like you are balanced
• How far you have to go
• Journey to find redemption
• Things go a lot deeper for the redemption
• Emotional scarring caused by searching for redemption has a huge impact 26 years looking into the alleyway
• Never going to disappear unless you face it head-on
• can rule who you become
• Quote “It’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.”
• Quote “I thought about baba, Ali, Kabul
• Quote todo with a lasting impact, internal feelings etc

Do you believe that Amir redeems himself? Does he make up for abandoning Hassan and driving him away from home all those years ago?

• I think that at the end of the book Amir believes that he has finally redeemed himself and gotten over all of the guilt when he finally got a smile from Sohrab.
• it is good that he has personally gotten over this overruling factor from the past 26 years of his life but I feel like everything he did do get this redemption was selfish reasons and to me, redemption is about doing something not for yourself but for the person or thing that has caused you this guilt.
• I think Hassan would have forgiven Amir for taking this long if he were still alive because he has taken his son to a better place and Hassan is a forgiving person but personally I don’t think this should make up for abandoning him for 26 years. But also, in that case, what more could he do.

SYMBOLISM

KITES

-Describe how and when it appears in the text

• Start, Chapter 7, reflects when in the truck, the last scene
• Stay with us throughout the whole book

– Explain the significant meaning added to the text by the symbol. Likely, the symbol will add meaning or develop a theme or character for the readers.

• Childhood isn’t the same over there
• Has a violent edge to it like the book.
• Supposed to represent his youth but has the roughness of childhood like the kite
• The kite triggers past experiences
• develops the character of amir, shows us how he can’t let go of things
• the past is always there floating above us

– Write down 2-3 quotes for the symbol and explain how they could be used to explore the meaning of the symbol. You need to connect these quotes to your answer for the point above.

• “I was going to win I was going to run the last kite…
• “Do you want me to fly that kite for you, his Adam’s apple
• “Walking up at golden gate park quote
• “there were two things leaning against the cast iron
• “Think of something good, something happy

– Discuss what the symbol is and means outside of the text. Comment on how the symbol’s presentation inside of the text is strengthened by your understanding of the ‘real world’ value of the object.

• Reflects the brutal childhood of mostly amir but also hassan
• Childhood toy but has violent thing just like how amir is a child who did something violent.

POMEGRANATE TREE

-Describe how and when it appears in the text

• At the beginning of the book, Amir and Hassan would often go to the tree and Amir would read to Hassan
• Near the end of chapter 8, Amir asked Hassan to go to the pomegranate tree but throws the pomegranates at him
• Chapter 21 when Amir revisits Kabul he goes to the tree

– Explain the significant meaning added to the text by the symbol. Likely, the symbol will add meaning or develop a theme or character for the readers.

• Amir and Hassan of their friendship
• Carved names into the tree, cemented their bonds not going to get ruined
• state of the pomegranate tree reflects their relationship, healthy when younger when amir tries to get Hassan to hurt him it begins to die and finally when he goes back the tree is dead but the carving is still there
• The idea that the past is always there

– Write down 2-3 quotes for the symbol and explain how they could be used to explore the meaning of the symbol. You need to connect these quotes to your answer for the point above.

• “One summer day, I used one of Ali’s kitchen knives to carve our names on it: ‘Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul.’
• “I remembered the day on the hill I had pelted Hassan with pomegranates and tried to provoke him. He’d just stood there, doing nothing, red juice soaking through his shirt like blood. Then he’d taken the pomegranate from my hand, crushed it against his forehead. Are you satisfied now? he’d hissed. Do you feel better? I hadn’t been happy and I hadn’t felt better, not at all. But I did now. My body was broken–just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later–but I felt healed. Healed at last.”

– Discuss what the symbol is and means outside of the text. Comment on how the symbol’s presentation inside of the text is strengthened by your understanding of the ‘real world’ value of the object.

• The breaking of a pomegranate, Amir threw a pomegranates at him trying to get him to hit him back
• That’s the explosion of their friendship and helps us understand that hassan will always take the bullet for Amir
• The blood red colour hassan will bleed for amir but it is not a two way street
• The good things created by god meaning of the tree

SCARS

-Describe how and when it appears in the text

• Hassan had a hared lip when he was younger and for a birthday present, he got it fixed and was left with a scar.
• When Amir was fighting for Sohrab against Assef, Amir gains a scar above his lip

– Explain the significant meaning added to the text by the symbol. Likely, the symbol will add meaning or develop a theme or character for the readers

• Hassan always stood up for amir when they were younger. Amir has finally stood up for someone being Sohrab and he is left with the same scar which represents his physical sacrifice for him and contributes to a reminder of the times Hassan stood up for him and that he has finally returned the favour
• Equaliser
• a physical representation of the mental healing
• connects him to Hassan, physical resemblance, like the carving in the tree
• carry something that will always remind him of this and Hassan. Can be considered punishment but also showing he has overcome and healed from something.

– Write down 2-3 quotes for the symbol and explain how they could be used to explore the meaning of the symbol. You need to connect these quotes to your answer for the point above.

• chapter 23 “the impact has cut you lip clear down the middle like a hair lip…
• “I wish I had some scar to earn babas sympathy
• “By the following winter, it was only a faint little scar

– Discuss what the symbol is and means outside of the text. Comment on how the symbol’s presentation inside of the text is strengthened by your understanding of the ‘real world’ value of the object.

THE SLINGSHOT

-Describe how and when it appears in the text

• The slingshot is always by Hassan’s side when he is younger
• When Amir is about to get into an on wayed fight with Assef as little boys Amir has his slingshot and gets them out of the situation
• Hassan never fired the slingshot only when Amir made him shoot them at a neighbour’s one-eyed dog at the beginning of the book. Caught by Ali and Hassan takes the blame doesn’t say it is Amir idea
• At the orphanage when Amir goes to find Sohrab the lady talks about it never leaving his side
• At the fight between Amir and Assef over Sohrab, Sohrab saves Amir as he uses his slingshot for defence

– Explain the significant meaning added to the text by the symbol. Likely, the symbol will add meaning or develop a theme or character for the readers.

• Loyalty
• Hassan will always stand up for amir even if he is in the wrong
• A weapon defending amir
• used by the good characters against the evil characters
• in the right situation can be dangerous just like Hassan and Sohrab
• Childs toy or dangerous weapon

– Write down 2-3 quotes for the symbol and explain how they could be used to explore the meaning of the symbol. You need to connect these quotes to your answer for the point above.

• “one eyed assef
• “where is your slingshot hazara
• “sohrab had the slingshot against

– Discuss what the symbol is and means outside of the text. Comment on how the symbol’s presentation inside of the text is strengthened by your understanding of the ‘real world’ value of the object.

• something quite small can cause a lot of damage
• can be used to fight against evil
• Always out of loyalty with the slingshot

• Why are Amir and his father fleeing Afghanistan?

This is because war has broken out and since Baba is a communist he could be in danger

• “America was different. America was a river roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far.” This quote from Chapter 11 is said by whom? What does it reveal? What does this metaphor mean?

This quote was said by Amir, he refers to life carrying on as the ‘rover roaring along’ and if he chose to float in this river his ‘sins drown to the bottom’ meaning they would eventually be forgotten about if he continued to carry on.

• What does Baba give Amir as a graduation present? What is Amir feeling at this moment? What is Baba feeling?

Baba, first of all, shouted Amir dinner and drinks at a bar then buying everyone in the bar drinks too. After this, he took Amir just down their street and gave him a car. Amir was astonished and thankful for this and Baba –

• Baba observes that “It may be unfair, but what happens in a single day can change the course of a whole lifetime.” Whom is he speaking about? Why? What else might be significant about that quote?

In this quote, Baba is referring to Soraya. Amir has just met her and Baba tells him about her past and how that single thing has affected her whole life. When Baba says this, it can also reflect amirs situation, since the day he saw Hassan getting raped it has affected the rest of his life.

• What disappointment do Soraya and Amir face? Do you think Amir should have told Soraya about his betrayal of Hassan before they were married? Why or why not? What does this do to a relationship?

Amir and Soraya face not being able to have a baby after trying so many times. When Soraya told Amir about her past, he should have done the same before they were married. This is because this secret could drive the two apart if she finds out without him telling her or even if he tells her she may be mad he didn’t before. Soraya may feel betrayed as she told him her secret and asked if he wanted to share one but Amir said he didn’t have any.

• Chapter 14 brings us back to the opening of the book: the telephone call from Rahim Khan. What is Rahim asking Amir to do?

Rahim Khan wants Amir to come back to Pakistan as he is sick. He knows what Amir has done and states “there is a way to be good again”