Chapter 21 Flashcards
On the way to Kabul, what does a man try to sell to another man, who haggles with him over the price?
his prosthetic leg
When Amir finds the pomegranate tree, why is it significant that it is barren?
as the tree serves as a powerful symbol that the Kabul Amir knew is dead, at least figuratively if not yet literally
What is the significance of “I saw Baba’s house straight away”
1) It was large
2 Amir never belonged in Kabul, he was westernised from being a child
What stadium do Farid and Amir go to to find Assef- the man in the black sunglasses-?
to Ghazi Stadium
What colour trucks do the Taliban drive?
red
What is the mid game entertainment at Ghazi Stadium?
a public stoning to two people accused of adultery
“____ __ _____ __ __ ______, my father’s house was the picture of fallen splendour”
Like so much else in Kabul,
“Like so much else in Kabul, __ ______ _____ ___ ____ ________ __ _____ _________”
my fathers house was the picture of fallen splendour
What do Baba and the General Taheri symbolise?
the Afghanistan that is no longer there
What are Mullah Narsruddin jokes and what do they show the similarity between?
they are the equivalent to “dumb blonde” jokes and show the similarity between Afhgan and American cultures; and how humour is often used as a means of dealing with stressful and difficult situations
Why was Baba right in saying “God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands”?
as the Taliban are self righteous and hypocritical. The Taliban use their own interpretation of the Koran to forward their own agenda
What law do the Taliban enforce?
Sharia law
Why does Sharia govern everything from business ethics to criminal justice?
as Islam makes no distinction between religious and non religious matters
Why does a cleric rather than a judge or some other secular official come out to speak to the crowd before the stoning begins?
this is because Islam makes no distinction between religious and non religious matters
What does Farid say in Ghazi Stadium during the stoning?
“And they call themselves Muslims”
If Zaman protests to the official, what happens?
they take 10 instead of 1
What are the jokes in Afghanistan which resemble dumb blonde jokes?
Mullah Nasruddin
Why does Amir’s childhood neighbourhood remain largely unchanged?
as he lived a privileged life in a preferable place of Afghanistan which reinforces Farrid’s earlier comments about his upbringing
explore the fact that the pomegranate tree Amir and Hassan once played on is now dead?
This tree was a symbol of the close relationship between them; its death symbolises the end of their physical relationship. However the inscription that Amir carved is still there reflecting that that their friendship transcends the barrier of death.
Amir strongly reacts to the stoning by hiding his face and waiting for it to be over. Why may this be?
as his naive and child like response connects him to his childhood where his development as an Afghan stopped when he was still a child unlike those who stayed behind; desensitised to the constant violence.
How does Assef in the football stadium appear hypocritical?
as the Tablib shun all such things Western yet he is wearing John Lenon styled sun glasses.
