Kite Runner EXAMMMMMMMmmmmmmm #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Flashcards
Whose voice whispers to the narrator and what does it say? (at the beginning of the book) sorta in his head
Hassan and he said “for you a thousand times over”
During his phone call, what had Rahim Khan told the narrator he must do, and what were his final words to the narrator? beginning of book
He told the narrator to come see him. His final words were “there is a way to be good again”
Figurative language is defined as language that’s intended to create an image, association, or other effect in the mind of the listener or reader that goes beyond the literal meaning or expected use of the words involved. Find examples of figurative language that the author uses in the opening chapter of the novel. (chapter 1)
“Floating side by side like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco”
Describe Hassan.
He has a round face and looks like a Chinese dol, he also has a flat nose with low set ears and a pointed chin. Hassan also has a meaty appendage. He is also Amir’s friend and is very loyal and selfless.
Compare and contrast the Amir’s house to Hassan’s house.
Amir’s/Baba’s house is big and said to be one of the most beautiful houses in all of Kabul, with many rooms and a huge garden. Hassan’s house is small and is not as beautiful and it’s made of mud.
Describe Hassan’s mother and what happened to her after Hassan’s birth.
Hassan’s mother was beautiful but had bad reputation and after she had his son she ran away with singers and dancers.
Describe the scene with Hassan and the narrator when they take the forbidden shortcut through the military barracks. What happens and how do the two boys respond? (Beginning chapters)
A military man sees the two boys and notices Hassan because he is Hazara and knew his mother. The military man calls them over, telling them that he had sex with Hassan’s mother. The boys did not respond, but it clearly affected Hassan. However, Amir did not understand why that happened since he is not Hazara.
Describe Ali.
His mouth is paraylized so he can’t smile. He is also a Hazara and very kind and never got mad. He is also a servant to Baba yet also good friends.
The narrator finds a book that explains the main problems between the Hazaras and
Pashtuns. Explain the problem and tell how the prejudice at least partially explains the difference in the lives between the narrator and Hassan.
The Pashtuns had persecuted and oppressed the Hazara because the Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi’a. There is major prejudice against Hassan due to his ethnicity, while the narrator is considered higher in the social hierarchy because he is a Pashtun.
Explain how Hassan and Amir became such close friends
They grew up together under the same roof
explain the quotation from page 8: “People say that eyes are windows to the soul.”
Because Ali couldn’t smile because of his paralyzed lower face muscle, his eyes were the way Amir could tell if he was happy or sad. And it was the only way Ali could show his emotions.
Describe Baba.
He has big masculinity and is very athletic with 3 parallel scars on his back. He is also very hairy and has a long beard. He is also very well educated and is very successful. He also see’s the world in black and white
Baba is Amir’s father. He is described physically to be extremely tall (about 6 ‘5), very big hands, curly hair, and overall a scary looking guy. His nickname was “Mr. Hurricane”. He is also a very prideful, intelligent, independent, impatient, and wealthy man. He started his own business from nothing. Amir looks up to him because he is very masculine, but Baba seems to be emotionally distant from Amir at times.
Explain the gift that Baba builds for the community. What does this tell the reader about Baba?
He builds an orphanage for the community. This shows that he is very caring towards his community, despite his looks. (ppl say he looks intimidating)
Amir lies to his father and tells him that Hassan is ill. Why does he do this and what does this tell the reader about Amir? During the trip part
Amir lies to his father because he doesn’t want Hassan, who is the son that his Baba always wanted, to spend time with Baba. Also Amir doesn’t want to share his dad with anyone and wants him all to himself. Also Hassan always outdid Amir in whatever they were doing, for example the stone and water skitting
Explain the meaning behind this quotation from page 15: “The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can’t love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little” (Hosseini 15).
This quote represents his dad because he only sees what is visible to him, he doesn’t see what else is there to see, or deep digger. For example he believes that if Amir isn’t athletic then he isn’t a man, and that he would fail in life. Baba believes this so much that it’s to the point where his opinions can’t be changed.
Amir is confused by conflicting religious views between his home and the school, Explain why.
Amir is taught with a biased perspective and is confused due to the amount of sins that are taught, and how many his father thinks there are. (An example of this is that Baba drinks at home, but at school they are taught that is a sin.)
According to Baba, what is the only sin? Explain what he means.
Baba believes that the only sin is thief. He means that no matter what crime you commit it always goes back to how you stole something from the victim, or thievery.
Explain the pivotal (life-changing, critical) experience from Baba’s childhood.
Baba’s dad was murdered in the middle of the night which caused him to believe that theft is the only sin.
In what skill/talent does Amir excel? Explain.
Amir excels at reading and writing poetry.
Why is Amir’s father so concerned about his son? How does Rahim Khan respond to Baba’s concerns?
Baba is concerned for Amir because Amir is going down a different path than he wanted. Baba always wanted Amir to be more masculine and play sports. Instead of this, Amir does not conceal his emotions, and enjoys things like poetry which are not considered to be “manly”, and that he has softer or more “feminine” attributes. Rahim Khan responds to this by saying Baba cannot control Amir exactly to his expectations.
Explain the quotation from page 22: “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything” (Hosseini 22).
This means that if a person doesn’t have the courage to stand up for themselves then they won’t have the courage to stand up for anything.
Baba says this to Rahim Khan about Amir. This quotation means Baba thinks Amir will not amount to anything if he does not change his mindset soon.
How do you think Amir must have felt as he overheard this discussion between his father and Rahim Khan?
Amir probably felt like a disappointment to baba.
Explain the circumstances of Ali’s adoption.
Ali’s parents were killed in a car accident and were adopted into Baba’s family by Amir’s grandfather.
Compare Amir and Hassan’s relationship to the relationship of their fathers,
Hassan and Amir both grew up together like Baba and Ali. However even though this was the case both pairs never saw each other as friends because of their different ethnicities.
Explain the meaning of the quotation on page 25: “Never mind any of those things. Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion, In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing” (Hosseini 25).
This quote gives examples of how equality isn’t something that can easily be changed and since they weren’t equals they couldn’t be seen as friends.
Describe some of the adventures that Amir and Hassan experience together. What do these experiences tell us about Afghanistan during Amir’s childhood? How are these experiences different from Afghanistan today?
They played a lot of games with each other. Amir, however, went to school and Hassan did not because of his ethnicity. Also it seems to be peaceful there. However now it is considered to be one of the most unpeaceful places in the world
Explain how the author uses the concepts of illiteracy and literacy to describe the differences in the two boys. (literacy: being able to read and write)
The author uses the ability of reading to describe the two boys by showing us that being illiterate is a common thing for Hassan’s people.
Explain the significance of the story about the word “imbecile.”
The word “imbecile” is significant to the story because that is how Amir sees Hassan due to his lack of education. He finds it funny to teach Hassan incorrect definitions of the words in his stories, showing he is not a particularly good friend.
Describe the scene when Amir writes his first story and tells his father and Rahim Khan about it. Why is this scene so important? What does it tell us about each of these characters?
This is the first scene we see where Amir finally gets approval from someone. Amir is one of those characters that seeks approval from his father, who believes that being tough and athletic is the only way to be able to accomplish stuff in life. His father has no interest in reading Amir’s little story. However Rahim does, and we can see that he doesn’t see the world in black and white like Baba. Rahim reading the story shows us that he is more of a father figure than Baba is to Amir.
What is Hassan’s reaction when he hears Amir’s first story?
He likes the story however he finds a loophole that perturbs Amir.
Describe the action on July 17, 1973. How do the main characters react?
On July 17 1973 there was shooting out on the streets and bombs explodings and people were trying to overthrow the king. Amir and Hassan were scared
Describe Assef. Why are the boys so afraid of him?
Assef is the only white boy in the community, with blue eyes. The kids are afraid of him because he is violent and bites off people’s ears. He also has brass knuckles.
How and why does Hassan threaten Assef? What does this action tell us about Hassan?
Hassan threatens Assef with a slingshot rock to his left eye. This tells us that Hassan will stand up for people he sees as friends.
What threat does Assef issue?
Assef threatens Amir and Hassan saying that he will be back and will one day make them fight him and probably kill them.
How much time transpires between the confrontation between Assef and the boys and the final birthday scene in the chapter?
a few years
What birthday gift does Baba give Hassan? Why does Amir think this is ironic?
Baba’s birthday gift to Hassan is a plastic surgeon to fix his face. Amir thinks it’s ironic because the winter of 1975 was when his scars healed and he could finally smile but that was also the winter he stopped smiling.
Explain why Amir loves the icy season.
Amir loves the icy season because all the schools are closed and there are kite flying and kite competitions in the icy season.
Describe Ahmed and how he differs from Amir. Why do you think the author included his story in this chapter?
Ahmed differs from Amir because unlike Amir Ahmed actually gets love from his father.
Ahmed is described to be the across street neighbor. He has epilepsy, and always wore a wool vest and thick black-rhimmed glasses to school (which he attended even in the winter). He was one of Assef’s “regular victims’’. The author may have included this in the story to show how lucky Amir is.
Explain this quotation from page 49: “Baba and I lived in the same house, but in different spheres of existence. Kites were the one paper-thin slice of intersection between those spheres.”
This quote explains how even though they live in the same houses, they have completely different hobbies and interests.
Amir compares kite fighting to war. Find specific analogies, similes, and metaphors that he uses in this chapter to form this comparison.
“In Kabul fighting kites was like going to war” this is an analogy saying that fighting a kite is as rough as going to war.
Explain what a kite runner does and why Amir considers Hassan to be the best kite runner.
Kite runners run after kites that have been cut.
Kite runners run after kites that have been cut. Amir considered Hassan to be the best kite runner because he always got to the landed spot of the kite before the kite even got there.
What happened to the kite runner who climbed a tree? Why do you think Hosseini includes this story? What does it tell the reader about kite runners and this society?
The kite runner that climbed a tree had a branch snap below him and he fell and broke his back; he was never able to walk again. This tells the reader that being a kite runner was very rigorous and injuries are fair play.
Amir tells the story of having a discussion with Hassan and seeing his face change. Explain what happens in this scene. What purpose does the scene serve?
In this scene Hassan tells Amir that he would eat dirt if Amir tells him to, which puzzles Amir. Then Hassan questions Amir and says “ but I wonder if you would ask me to do such a thing Amir Agha”. The purpose of this scene is to show how faithful of a friend Hassan is and for Amir to show guilt on how unfaithful of a friend he can be.
Describe the conversation that Baba and Amir have the night before the biggest kite championship. What does this scene tell the reader about Baba? What does the scene tell the reader about Amir?
During the conversation with Amir and Baba, Baba tells Amir about how he believes that Amir might win this year. This scene tells us that Amir wants to impress Baba hence the only thing on his mind after Baba told him how he was gonna win was “I need to win”. We also learn that Baba is a big winner and wins a lot and never loses unlike Amir.
What does Amir tell Hassan he will buy him one day? Why do you think he will do this?
Amir tells Hassan one day he will buy him a television. I believe that he will do this because he feels bad for Hassan since he wasn’t born into a life like Amirs
Define “Inshallah.” (The definition is given on the final page of the chapter.)
The god willing.
Hassan has a dream. What is the problem with that dream?
Hassan had a dream where they were at Ghargha Lake with thousands of other people and many claiming that there was a monster under the lake. However Hassan and Amir proved the theory wrong by swimming in the lake, ending with everyone cheering. The problem with that dream is that it will never become a reality since there are monsters in the real world.
Who wins the kite tournament? Is that a good thing? Why or why not?
Amir wins and in my opinion this is a bad thing because it causes Amir to get a huge ego spike and that’s never good. Also Amir’s win caused Hassan to get harassed by Assef.
“For you a thousand times over!” (67). Who says this to whom? What does it mean?
Hassan says this to Amir and it means that I will do anything for you as many times as you want.
Who gets the second-place kite that is cut? Is that a good thing? What happens?
Hassan gets the second place kite. This is a bad thing because this lead Hassan to get harassed by Assef.
What happens with the fortune teller in the flashback
The fortune teller doesn’t tell Hassan his fortune and gives Hassan the money back.
After the assault, Hassan has “the look of the lamb”. What does that mean?
The look of the lamb means acceptance. This means that Hassan has already accepted his fate of being a Hazara.
How does Eid-Al-Adha apply to the theme here? In other words, how does this make Amir feel more guilty?
Eid-Al-Adha applies to the theme because of the story that comes with the holiday. It celebrates a prophet sacrificing his own son for God, which is similar to Hassan sacrificing himself for Amir. Amir feels guilty because of Hassan’s expression, which was of “guileless devotion”
How does Baba feel when Amir returns home that night? Why does Amir cry when Baba holds him?
Baba was proud of Amir for the first time and it showed on his face. Amir cries because he feels the guilt of leaving Hassan
How does Amir believe his father will greet him when he returns after his win in the competition?
He believes that his father would be proud of him for winning.
Explain what Assef tells Hassan about sacrificing himself for Amir. How does Hassan react?
Assef asks Hassan if Amir would do the same for him, if Amir would sacrifice himself for Hassan. Hassan reacts by saying that they are friends.
Describe the changes in Hassan’s behavior.
Hassan seems to be depressed since lately all he wants to do is sleep.
What does Ali ask Amir, and how does Amir respond?
Ali asked Amir if anything happened with Hassan. Amir responds by saying that he knew nothing and gets very defensive about it.
What happens during the trip to Jalalabad? Why is Amir first excited when his father agrees to go, and why does he quickly become discouraged?
The trip to Jalalabad was supposed to be just Amir and Baba, however Baba invited many other family members. Amir at first is excited because he thought that he would be spending time alone with Baba, however he soon becomes discouraged because Baba is with dozens of other people.
Why is Amir upset when he sees the pomegranate tree again?
He is upset because the tree reminded him of when he and Hassan were friends and how he had messed it up because he was a coward.
Explain the discussion between Amir and Hassan when Hassan asks Amir what he has done wrong?
Hassan notices that Amir has been distant and asks Amir if had done anything wrong. Amir replies by asking Hassan to stop harassing him and leave him alone.
What question does Amir ask that upsets his father? How does Baba respond?
Amir asks if Baba had ever thought about getting new servants. Baba gets mad at Amir and even says that Amir brings him shame.
Describe the episode with Amir throwing a pomegranate at Hassan. Why is this scene significant? What is Amir trying to do? How does Hassan react? ‘
Amir feels guilty for what he has done so he throws pomegranate at Hassan hoping he would fight back. Amir wants to be punished for what he has done to Hassan and when he doesn’t get the punishment he craved, his guilt becomes heavier.
Describe Amir’s birthday party. What brings him joy and what upsets him?
Amir’s birthday party was packed with guests, who Amir had to greet properly under Baba’s jurisdiction. What brought Amir joy was the gift he received from Rahim Khan. What upsetted him was the presence of Assef and how he taunted Hassan and the present that he had given to Amir.
What do Amir and Rahim Khan discuss? Why is this story so significant?
They discuss Rahim Khan’s forbidden love with a Hazara. This is so significant because it shows that friendships or love shouldn’t be blocked by being a different ethnicity.
What does Amir almost tell Rahim Khan? Why do you think he does not tell him?
He almost told him how he stood and watched Hassan get harassed by Assef. Amir doesn’t tell him because he was afraid that Rahim Khan would hate him and be disappointed in him.
