Chapter 10 Flashcards
What happens in the opening of Chapter 10?
an 18 year old Amir and his father leave Kabul in the middle of the night to the relative safety of Pakistan
Amir’s cowardice is a source of _________ for Baba
embarrassment
Where is the truck that Baba and Amir are traveling in taking them to?
Peshawar
What is revealed about Kamal, one of Assef’s companions who was there for the rape, and what happens to him in this chapter?
Kamal had an encounter with 4 men who, Hosseini strongly hints was similarly raped and eventually killed by gas trying to escape the Soviet Russian’s rule of his home country and Kabul.
How does Amir sum up the total of Baba’s existence in Pakistan in this chapter?
“One disappointing son and two suitcase”
How does this chapter end?
with Kamal’s father committing suicide after the death of his son
What does the 5 year time shift from chapter 9 to chapter 10 suggest about Amir?
that his personal life has become stagnant, frozen in the moment of the winter of 1975, Hassan’s rape. And that nothing of major significance has occurred in Amir’s life between the time he betrayed Hassan and the escape
Why is it hurtful to Amir that Baba stands up for a woman to a Russia soldier on the travel to Pakistan?
as he is unable to demonstrate his son in compassion, decency and understanding, which he could for a total stranger.
What does Baba believe in?
bravery, honour, pride and decency
While Baba demonstrates bravery, honour, pride and decency which makes him a great man, what does this not make him?
this does not make him a great father
What is a quagmire?
an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation
What is Baba caught in due to not being able to identity Ali and Hassan as anything more than loyal servants?
a cultural quagmire (an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation)
What is the only advise Baba could give Amir when in the fuel tanker which is the greatest show of paternal love he has shown his son, and demonstrates he is a morally ambiguous character?
“think of something good”
Although Ali, Hassan and Amir had contrasting lives in Afghanistan, what is significant about the two suitcases that Amir and Baba takes to Pakistan?
The only difference between them all leaving their longtime home, Baba and Amir have one more suitcase
What does the episode about Kamal and his father symbolise?
it symbolises that there is a volatile nature of power and those ruling Afghanistan and demonstrates that when power shifts occur, those who are the abusers may become abused
“bleeding down there”
What have some critics suggested about Kamal’s life?
that it is an example of divine justice
What is suggested from the fact that Kamal suffered greatly?
that while the leaders cause the evil, it is their minions and servants that suffer for the decisions of those in power
What is important about the fact Kamal’s father killed himself after the death of his son?
this yet again builds on the emotional relationship between father and son that Amir has never had
Why does Baba attack and almost kill Karim, the man who transported him from Kabul?
as he told them all that the truck they needed broke last week
Baba’s power is centred around his persona in Kabul, when does this power begin to falter?
In Chapter 10 when he almost kills Karim over lack of self control
What year did the communist left in Afghanistan overthrow President Daoud Khan?
1978
What did the coup which overthrew Daoud Khan in 1978 do to Afghanistan?
this led to numerous executions and widespread paranoia
What happened to regular Afghans after the coup of Daoud Khan?
they were encouraged or forced to turn in anyone who might be an enemy of the ruling faction, which is why Baba and Amir fled
When did Russia invade which plunged the country into even greater turmoil?
1979-1989
What are examples of how the rule of law had essentially collapsed by 1978?
the atrocities described from the Russian guards attempt of rape and Kamal’s hinted rape
What does Baba say becomes more important during times of war?
decency
Although the war forced Baba and Amir to leave their home and possessions behind, Baba only beliebers more strongly in the necessity of acting with dignity and decency, why then does he attack Kamir?
as Kamir lied about the truck waiting to take them to Pakistan; he was attempting to preserve the honour of not just Kamir, but all of Afghanistan.
What theme is built on in this chapter from the potential rape of the woman in the truck, and Kamal?
the theme of the powerless against the powerful
Baba defends the woman’s rape from the Russian guard, in turn what does this contrast?
his bravery and honour contrasts to Amir’s own cowardice in allowing Hassan’s rape
What part of the novel does the man in the truck kissing Baba’s hand contrast to?
to the chapter whereby Baba becomes infuriated by the lack of honour and trust in America. The culture of respect he had once been the pinnacle of no longer exists, along with the social stature which Baba once had.
