Obligation In 'The Kite Runner'

Through out the world and over the centuries, societies have welcomed frightened, weary strangers, the victims of persecution and violence. This humanitarian tradition of offering sanctuary is often now played on the television screens across the globe as war and large-scale persecution produce millions of refugees and internally displaced persons. At the start of 21st century, protecting refugees means maintaining solidarity with the worlds most threatened, while finding answers tot eh challenges confronting the international system that was created to do just that.

“All right! Don’t say hopeless. I can say hopeless but you can’t. If you say hopeless then it really will be hopeless.” As Bibi, Jamal and the other refugees on the boat scooped water out of the sinking boat they never gave up. They were separated from their parents, fleeing from their home in Afghanistan but Bibi was resilient . These young children on a asylum seeker boat left their homes and friends with great hope for a better life in Australia. Life can be hard, it’s one of the hardest journeys we have. Journeys shape and change us into the people we are today and who we will become. The events we experience teach us about who we are and what we believe in. They change our views and opinions of whats wrong and whats right. Journeys can

A refugee is a person who was forced to leave their country. Whether it be from warfare or natural disaster, their homes are no longer safe to live in, so they need to relocate elsewhere. Once someone sets foot on the journey of becoming a refugee, they become vulnerable and dependent with no sense of what the future will bring. In an attempt to accommodate them, first world countries with the resources necessary to assist these refugees, are struggling to determine whether or not they should step-in and help. Some argue that taking them in could come with excessive consequences, while others believe they could be assets. Although there may be a few consequences, they are outweighed by the benefits and undeniable severity of the situation.

In the literature, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the idea and representation of justice, and its relationship to that of the treatment of women in Afghan society, the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan, and the desired results of redemption and forgiveness, become illustrated through the novel’s characters and motives. Justice can be defined as the quality of being guided by truth, reason, and fairness. The Kite Runner illustrates the power of influence from an outside power and its effects on society, and the minds and lifestyles of the people. In relationship to the Cheverus High School Grad-at-Grad profile the actions and wrongdoings that take place in the The Kite Runner and in Afghanistan prove to be injustice.

On September of 2015, the image of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi went viral. “The toddler’s lifeless body on a Turkish beach had reverberated across the globe” (Parkinson & George-Cosh, 2015). Aylan’s family had “fled the brutal civil war in their native Syria and only attempted the boat crossing after Canada denied their application of admission as refugees. The image led to an astonishing outpouring of support for Syrian refugees” (Hein & Niazi, 2016).

Guilt has the incredible power to change an individual’s perspective and affect them for the rest of their life. The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is a world-renowned novel published in 2003 that tells the story of a young boy named Amir who grows up with the guilt of having failed to fight the group of boys who raped his closest friend. One of the main themes Hosseini emphasizes in the novel, is the powerful affect of guilt on one’s self. Different characters such as Amir, Sanubar and Baba use the guilt that exists in every one of them as a motive to their actions to further develop the plot. Amir, the narrator of the novel, witnesses his closest friend, Hassan, get bullied by an older boy named Aseef and decides not to

“Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt”-George Sewell. Guilt is just like fear, it will always haunt you until the day you be strong enough to face them. The book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini shows these two statements throughout the story. In the book in different situations when the characters faced their fears and dealt with their guilt. Different situations in the book would have maybe had a different outcome if some guilts and fears were faced and dealt with. Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, teaches the reader that guilt is just like fear it will hunt you until you until you face through Amir trying to overcome his guilt by facing his fear of Assef and getting beaten by him to forgive himself for the things he had done in the past,(3)and when Amir felt guilty when he made Hassan and Ali leave.

Commentary 1: Refugees areal deadly facing an awful life and a tough screening process, but even after it is all over their lives will still be far worse than ours. They will be disrespected and have trouble socially fitting into this new

Moral ambiguity in the novel The Kite Runner is a concept Khaled Hosseini, the author, exercises plenty of times throughout the novel, but the few characters that are frequently accounted for being ambiguous are obvious, for instance, Amir and Baba. The Kite Runner is a novel written to express the lives of other people in separate countries. As life advances for the two characters, Hassan and Amir, trauma causes them to get wound up in a landslide of events leading to agitation, redemption, and Amir questioning if his entire life is a lie. In this novel ambiguity means the reader is not sure how the character is supposed to act which causes the reader to question the characters morals. Hassan, for the most part, is a static character who is neither viewed as vague, nor ambiguous in this narrative. Hassan is mainly known for his kind-hearted selflessness and always doing as Amir asks him; however, the reason behind this trait is never stated. Hassan is ambiguous, and that trait is essential for the development of the story, anything stating something different might be a misinterpretation.

It is a common nature for humans to commit mistakes; matter fact, mistakes are inevitable to the human development. Within the beautiful course of life, individuals are presented with various obstacles that are developed due to the mistakes ones made. As well, throughout the journey, guilt is constructed as a consequence of indigent decision-making leading to an undefined path of fate. The protagonist, Amir, in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, is a perfect example of how personal battles of guilt genuinely dictates one's victory road to redemption. Ultimately, it is only by taking responsibility for one's actions can one truly find peace and be free.

Ross argues that “The willingness of every country around the world to permanently accept and assist refugees can help to reduce the number of people living in conditions unfit for human beings.”

Across 3. ___ and visit me sometime. 6. It's warm. Why don't you ___ your jacket?

Throughout the novel, the protagonist and narrator Amir receives many acts of loyalty from his brother and friend Hassan; these acts start off simple and almost meaningless to Amir, but as times get harder, Hassan’s loyalty proves strong. Hassan was very loyal and humble to those close to him and showed his devotion when he listened to everything Amir had to say and did whatever he wanted when he asked. Amir was reminding himself of the past and constantly bring him memories of Hassan and felt guilt at every moment. Amir reminded himself of the days in Afghanistan when Ali scolded Hassan for the things he had asked him to do, “But he never told on me. Never told that the mirror, like shooting walnuts at the neighbor’s dog, was my idea” (4). These actions were created by Hassan’s surroundings as he grew up, he was taught to be a Hazara servant, but once that friendship sparked between the two boys, Hassan didn’t want to lose that, Amir was his only friend. These small acts of loyalty sparked and grew more important to Amir. A major turning point in the novel was during the kite tournament, but upon finishing the race, Hassan tells Amir, “For you a thousand times over!” (67). This statement is a constant reminder throughout the novel that Hassan will forever be with him and that he will constantly put himself in danger for him and the people he loves. The proof of his loyalty increased that very same day when Hassan found the kite in an alley, but being cornered and harassed by Assef and his friends, he chose to stay and run that kite for Amir instead of handing it over. “‘Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his

Hassan’s reply was a single word, delivered in a thin, raspy voice: “Yes.” He is so loyal to Amir that he is willing to accept punishment for stealing money from him even though he did not steal the money and the crime itself was a set up. Once again, the irony of the situation was that when accused of the theft of the money and watch, Hassan confesses that he did it, so that he could once again protect his friend Amir. However, Amir realised that this was Hassan's last sacrifice for

Activity:1 Point of View—Lau and Coady 1. Coady and Lau both have different approaches to point of view in their righting. Coady says the characters dictate the point of view, while Lau says the story dictates the point of view. 2. Intimate is a word both Lau and Coady used.