Hakim: An Afghan Boy and his Death Essay

Afghanistan was a peaceful and civilized country. However, within a century it became a disastrous mess, but the question is how? The Kite Runner follows an Afghani boy’s life, from childhood to adulthood. Within his life, he experiences Afghanistan in peace under their own government rule, and Afghanistan in chaos under either USSR or Taliban rule. With differing relations between countries at the time, The Kite Runner provides a creative approach to the retelling of those. Throughout The Kite Runner, Hosseini thoroughly criticizes improper foreign policy worldwide. He depicts this through: symbolism, relationships between the characters, and a main overarching conflict.

“We lost the war in southern Afghanistan and it broke my heart.” This statement used by Graeme Smith in the introduction to his book, The Dogs are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan, sets the tone for the rest of the book. Although foreign forces had, arguably, the best of intentions going into the war, the Taliban always regrouped and reappeared, often larger and harder to defeat than before, no matter how tremendous their losses were in previous battles. International forces did what they thought was essential for rebuilding of Afghanistan, including the elimination of the Taliban through air strikes and poppy eradication, even though they did not truly understand the needs and priorities of Afghan citizens and were constantly perceived negatively by the Afghan civilians. In an accessible method, Smith provides general knowledge about how the intervention on the behalf of the international community impacted the country and its people. This book also leaves me with reflections on the dynamic between insurgents and villagers and how the international forces could have helped to prevent a power vacuum from occurring during the years where most foreign forces pulled out of Afghanistan.

The raspy wind rises in swirls, encircling the entirety of my lean body. The parched, coarse sand scrapes across my angular face, burying and scraping itself into the warmth of fresh, open wounds. The sun scorches my skin raw, condemning the violence, the blood, and the screams that seem to echo all throughout the lifeless mountain side. Welcome to Afghanistan. Bitter laughter fills my head.

Mohammed Daudzi, Afghan President Karzai’s Chief of Staff, has explained that there are often scuffles between the American soldiers and Afghan civilians during raids. This can commonly result in the deaths of innocent civilians simply because they show resistance, not wanting to have their homes raided (Kill). A particularly harrowing case came to light in April of 2010 when Afghan investigators announced that they had discovered 3 dead female civilians, 2 of them pregnant, who had been killed during a botched Kill/Capture raid. The investigators said that bullets had been dug out of the women’s bodies in an attempt by the US to cover up their fault in the deaths (Oppel). Later that year, another case garnered attention: On September 2, 2010, a US airstrike destroyed a convoy of vehicles, leaving 8 dead. The US Military announced that they had successfully killed a prominent Taliban leader and his fighters. However, an independent investigation concluded that all 8 deaths were innocent civilians, simply an election group on the campaign trail (Grey). These brutal deaths of completely innocent civilians are scathing examples of the excessive violence and civilian casualties that the US has created with their Kill/Capture missions, bringing into question how the Americans are doing

The Taliban are an Islamic fundamentalist group, and they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. They are extremely ruthless, and we have many different glimpses of this in the book. “So [the Talibs] took him to the street...and ordered him to kneel...and shot him in the back of the head. Farzana came screaming and attacked them...shot her too. Self-defense, they claimed later” (Hosseini 219). In this quote, the Talib officials shot Hassan and his wife for absolutely no reason, and claimed it was self defense. The author, Hosseini, gives us the audience a completely raw, haunting portrait of the Taliban and of their effect on the people living in Afghanistan at the

Their Kabul society dictates that Hazaras are lesser beings and should be treated as such, exemplified when Assef comments that “it’s just a Hazara” (75) in response to his friends’ objections of the rape’s sinfulness. Referring to Hassan as “it” establishes a prejudice of Hazara inferiority while the rape itself symbolizes the dominance of Pashtuns in Afghanistan. Ironically, the Hazaras tend to be characteristically kind and gentle, like Hassan or his father Ali. They are the paper and string kite. While they may experience a degree of freedom with the breezes of the wind, ultimately the Pashtuns and the line determine their fate. Amir describes Hassan as being “the lamb” with the “look of acceptance” (76) as if his “imminent demise is for a higher purpose” (77). Hassan sacrifices himself for Amir’s benefit not only because he loves Amir but also because he acknowledges the unfairness of the life he was born

Imagine living in Afghanistan circa 1979. Pro-communist Soviets have just invaded the homeland of millions and from that point on, life will never be the same again. For the next two decades, the country would be divided, vying for control of the land they love. It is no secret to the rest of the world that Afghanistan has been in turmoil for quite some time, especially because of the Taliban. However, Afghanistan was in trouble long before the Taliban made their appearance. Such examples besides the Taliban include the treatment of Hazaras by Pashtuns, significantly with the act of rape. One of the greatest depictions of life in Afghanistan comes from The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. When Khaled Hosseini set out to write The Kite Runner,

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, discrimination and prejudice is everywhere and nowhere. The Talibans do not seem to care who they are beating, torturing, or even executing. The novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini tackles the issue of ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan with an example of the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. For several centuries, the Pashtun majority is treating the Hazara population as second class citizens, who are unworthy of education or decent employment because Hazaras are a minority ethnic group; this leads to many Hazaras suffering. The social and economic conditions in Afghanistan demonstrate the imbalance between the superior Sunni Muslims and the inferior Shi 'a Muslims and how people discriminate against each other because of their physical features and religious beliefs. The estrangement between the two causes many deaths. Furthermore the significant distinction between Hazaras and Pashtuns in Afghanistan is the major factor because it determines not only Amir and Hassan’s role in Afghan society but also determines how Hassan himself suffers and dies because of his religion. The physical and emotional division of prejudice between the Pashtuns and the Harzaras in the novel The Kite Runner is destructive and results in death because of the suffering the people endure.

Amir is faced with many challenges in his life, but there are two major life-changing realizations he goes through. The first, being the change from his opulent lifestyle to fleeing from Afghanistan and Pakistan for refuge. During Amir’s childhood, Amir took for granted his father’s wealth. Until one day when they heard endless gunshots coming from Soviet and Taliban machine guns. “Huddled

The People of Afghanistan have struggled with invaders in there country for many decades. The intrusion of the soviets in 1979 was the first intrusion on the Afghan people. Many people were affected by the manifestation of the soviets and either ran away or lived in fear and war. Luckily, famous author Khaled Hosseini and his family were moved out of Kabul a few years before the Soviets invaded. Khaled Hosseini and his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, shows different types of people how life is for the people of Afghanistan. His book impacts the world with its intense descriptions of life, and effect on people.

Even though I am blessed as a Christian since birth, the life and death of the prolific Muslim commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud, or as he is fondly remembered as the “Lion of Panjshir”, speaks to me in ways that many decorated Christian clergymen come short. Massoud was an iconic military commander during the Afghanistan resistance against the Soviet Union. He then went on to command the Northern Alliance with sacred aims to safeguard democratic institutions from the authoritarian Talibán Emirate. His coalition is widely accredited with having played a pivotal role during the Afghan Civil War. His heroic accounts live on in the Panjshir Valley, where his military genius fended off Soviet forces that unequivocally outmanned and outgunned his. Although the present political state of Afghanistan does not entirely live up to what Massoud and his men had envisioned, their sacrifice has unquestionably laid the groundwork for a democratic nation. Desolation surrounded Massoud, but he never compromised on his strong volition and love for humanity. He never allowed his knees to bend before what he knew from his heart was unjust.

One day a bomb blasted outside a governmental office of Afghanistan in a city named Kunduz which killed 37 people. A political organization known as Taliban inflicted the attack. Right after the blast, it sent a video to the government of Afghanistan. In the video, the leader of the group said, “We are fighting for the freedom of the Afghani people. Whatever it takes, we will do for the civilians. We are asking for a new Independent State of the Taliban for the benefits of the civilians to you who are in power and authority."

Politicians have required tales in their lives in order to succeed. Without them, the politicos would never be able to persuade or convince voters in a captivating way. The stories Rashid Khalifa tell are a vital part of his everyday life. Without the stories he invents, Rashid wouldn’t have a job and the city he lives in would be completely devoid of happiness. Stories have been important in the shaping of the Haroun at the end of the book. If Haroun had no stories, he wouldn’t have become a hero and the rest of his childhood would have been dark. Haroun and the Sea of Stories displayed many colourful characters with enthralling motives and personalities. While Haroun was the main character, truly everyone had a part of their own to play in this story, even readers, analysing the book as deep or shallow as they

“I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.” This quote on page 73 in Khaled Hosseini’s, “Kite Runner” shows one of the many times in which Amir betrayed his “friend” Hassan throughout their childhood. The time when he stood cowardly and idle as he witnessed his closest friend, Hassan yet once again stand up for him , an action that would not be repaid until many years later.This particular betrayal may have been the single reason why Amir found himself abandoning his American dream life and family in America almost twenty years later to search for an orphaned boy throughout dangerous and war torn Afghanistan. Doing so, Amir was putting his life and future in danger for attempt in redemption of his poor choices as a child. Redemption is only possible when an individual is willing to do whatever it takes to

Rashid’s investigation into the Taliban is thorough and insightful. His strong command on Middle Eastern history helps him to frame the raise of the Taliban in historical and political terms. His unique perspective takes these themes a step further as he also uncovers religious, social, cultural, and military history in the country. Rashid builds on the history of the Pashtuns by including other geopolitical actors such as Iran, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.