A Pashtun With Blonde Hair And Skin Summary

“’Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our wantan. They dirty our blood….

Hosseini incorporation of cultural conventions and hierarchy introduces the complex relationship between Hassan and Amir. Hassan was a member of the Hazara caste; a historically socially, politically and economically oppressed group. In contrast, Amir was a Pashtun, a historically dominant, richer and overall higher caste. The conflict between Hazaras and Pashtuns stems from a difference in religious beliefs. The Hazaras were Shi’a Muslims, whereas Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims. Their conflict regarding the successor to Prophet Muhammed, translated into social, and economic oppression and persecution. “Throughout Afghan History, the Pashtuns [held] the highest influential rank above other ethnic groups, specifically the Hazaras”. Hosseini directly infuses this historical context into the text when Amir found a history book, wherein he learned that “…the Pashtuns…had persecuted and oppressed the

This excerpt from the text shows how Fadi was harassed and discriminated against for how he looks. Another reason race is the biggest challenge for immigrants is the culture is very different from where you were from and stereotyping could take place. For example, in the book Shooting Kabul, some bullies show stereotyping. “”Look it’s Osama!” shouted a familiar rough voice… “Why aren’t you with your towel headed friends?” growled the voice again””(144). This shows that race can lead to stereotyping. The bullies show this perfectly by discriminating against Fadi’s people and culture as a whole instead of taking into account that not all people in Afghanistan are terrorists. It also shows how race is a big problem for immigrants. Likewise, in Shooting Kabul, an Afghani is once again discriminated against because of his Afghani culture and looks. Here in the book, Uncle Amin states “”He was attacked because the men thought he was a Muslim since he wore a turban and beard. They blamed him for what happened on September eleventh”(165). This shows that even though an innocent man who had nothing to do with the attack and just had race in common with the attackers was jumped and

“ ‘Your father won’t find out,’ Assef said. And there’s nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey.’ ... ‘It’s just a Hazara,’ Assef said. But Kamal kept looking away. ‘Fine,’ Assef snapped. ‘All I want you weaklings to do is hold him down. Can you manage that’? “ (Hosseini, 75) Assef and his friends not only dehumanized Hassan by calling him a disrespectful donkey but they also treated his body as an object that they could do anything they want with solely because he is a Hazara. People who are just born as a Hazara are already considered second class citizens just because they are considered to be an impure Afghan. "Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always

Do you remember what I told you that night? That if I hadn’t seen the doctor pull Amir out of my wife, I’d never believe that he is my son? Well, that thought had been crossing my mind a lot these past weeks. Just yesterday, I took him out to watch the yearly Buzkashi tournament. Before we had left, I had sensed a sign of discontent from Amir, but I shrugged it off as if he were tired. Buzkashi was Afghanistan’s passion. It was not possible that an Afghan was not interested. While we sat in the upper bleachers, Amir often looked confused or bored. He would look up at the chapandaz then back down at his fingers. I had told him the sight of a book at the Buzkashi was unbearable, and that he could last a few hours without burying his face in one. Although his eyes were on the horses, I knew by his gaze he knew next to nothing about Bazkashi. So I decided to point out my long time favourite chapandaz, Henry Kissinger. Before Amir had time to respond, I saw his eyes dart to the far end of the stadium. A chapandaz fell off his saddle and was crushed under the hooves of the horses. Slowly, Amir’s face changed from shock to mournful. How is it that this is my son? This rather quiet, bookish, feminine

Reciprocity is very important in Pakistani communities. As covered in A. Shaw’s ‘A Pakistani Community in Britain,’ the term lena-dena literally means ‘taking and giving’ and itself implies the obligation of exchange.

visited his nephew and was very joy full along the way. When he got there it was quite a

“The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either… Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites. Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame… a boy with Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile. Never mind any of these 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.” (Housini

Hamid shows Changes perception of individuality. People like Changes suffered a lot in America and got interest to know native identity. Native culture and identity is awesome for every individual. Changes worries that even after all the sacrifices and services of Pakistanis has never treated Pakistan as ally or friend. There is probability that Americans might have encouraged Indians to envy with Pakistanis. Hamid painfully conveys that Americans never treat non- European Counties as their friends and they treat like tissue papers.

Amira Arzu, an Afghan teenager, was only 15 years old when she was forced into an arranged marriage. She was kind hearted, intelligent, elated, and humorous until one day this was all taken away. December 15th, 2016 she was on her way to school in Afghanistan not knowing that her parents were driving her to a Mosque, the Shrine of Ali, to get married to her future husband, Ahmed Akmal. A few days later she found herself on the street Taimani in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amira ran past workers ordering from street carts, women with their children, men in trucks honking at one another, and many looked at her uncertainty as she was running through the streets of Kabul. At the time, she was wearing a blue floral hijab, jeans, and a dress as in Afghanistan you cannot wear a dress without covering your legs. Many deduced that she was without her husband on the streets of Kabul, which is not normally the case, but Amira was different from the other wives and arduously wanting to figure out an escape.

. In the end, I was Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’a, and nothing was going to ever change that”(Hosseini 27). Amir struggles to be a good friend and truly loyal to Hassan even though their relationship basically makes them best friends. He is unable to admit he is friends with Hassan because he is from the upper social class and is taught by his Afghan tradition and history that Pashtuns are too pure to have relationships with Hazaras because they are below them. Hassan is treated as a friend and a enemy by Amir because he wants to follow what he has always been taught as the principles of Afghan society while he wants to challenge the societal norms by staying true as a friend to

Amir’s misadventures begin as a boy living in an affluent Afghanistan world. On the day of his birth, his mother hemorrhages to death. Robbed of any feminine influence or comfort, he goes to his overshadowing Baba for love and acceptance. His father denies his only son the tenderness he desires, leading Amir to believe his father despises him. After all, Amir’s

In Afghanistan, there is a divide between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras; the Pashtuns are upper class citizens who are treated with respect while the Hazaras are lower class, minority citizens who are treated poorly. Because of the contrasting history of the two groups, their responses to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul were complete opposites. The Pashtuns “danced on [the] street,” (Hosseini 200) while the Hazaras cried “God help the Hazaras now” (Hosseini 213). The conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in “The Kite Runner” directly reflects the real life issues in Afghanistan starting in the late 70’s and continuing on past 2001.

First, Amir’s relationship with his father, Baba, helped create Amir’s identity. Their intricate relationship often left Amir feeling worthless as if he could not live up to the standards of a Pashtun. This negatively impacted Amir growing up; his values constantly changed as he tried to form a close bond with his father. Baba raised Amir to believe that everyone in Afghanistan had a certain role to play in life, but they should all be treated with respect. Baba’s values made Amir think he had disappointed his father. The high expectations that Baba had for Amir showed that he cared about their reputation. Being the child Amir was, he translated Baba’s hardness as though his father were unhappy to have a child such as Amir. Amir recounts the emotion displayed on his father’s face after an afternoon together; he laments, “Mostly I will never forget Baba’s valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted

Dog meat for the dogs” (277). Viewing the Hazaras as subhuman, allows Assef and the Taliban, the group he identifies with, to easily attempt to annihilate them, in the ways Hitler, “a man with a vision,” attempted to rid Germany of the Jews (40). Moreover, wealthy Pashtuns are privy to an education while Hazaras are mostly prone to menial and simple household chores. As a Pashtun living in the wealthy neighborhood known as Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, Amir has the privilege of receiving an education and gaining literacy, while Hassan remains illiterate, cooking and cleaning with his father Ali, in Baba’s home. In spite of illiteracy, Hassan’s shrewdness can be seen when he finds a plot hole in one of Amir’s short stories. Amir himself acknowledges, however, the superior and cold voice within which states, “What does he know, that illiterate Hazara? He’ll never be anything but a cook. How dare he criticize you” (34)? The discrimination between Pashtuns and Hazaras is a strong undertone which advertently and inadvertently affects the relationship between Amir and Hassan.