Khaled Hosseini uses irony to advance the plot, theme, and characters in his story, The Kite Runner. Irony is a form of language or expression that involves a discrepancy with the outcome of the situation being a contrast of what is expected, and is often comprehended in a mocking or surprising way. His situational and dramatic examples of irony contribute to the sincerity of the storyline because it’s a parallel to the tragic reality our world is suspended in. Khaled Hosseini uses irony to expose the veracity of relationships encompassed by deception, injustice, and corruption in a subtle manner that involves discovering the significance of the theme through analysis and interpretation. Irony is added to themes, such as the transformation …show more content…
An example of dramatic irony would be when Baba tells Amir that the only major sin one can commit is theft. His quote that depicts this would be, “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth.” This is ironic because Baba himself withheld the fact that Amir and Hassan were half-brothers, meaning he stole his friend’s wife, as well as Hassan’s right to a family. He lectures Amir on moral and integrity, but refuses to admit to his own mistakes, which results in him living a false and immoral life. The irony in the relationship between Baba and Amir is that Baba tries to pass down positive traits to Amir, and Amir attempts to inherit those traits by trying to become more like Baba, but the most significant quality they both come to share is betrayal. Both father and son deceive their friends in different ways. Baba steals his friend’s wife while Amir refuses to help Hassan, and abandons him after doing so. Another one of Baba’s quotes that portrays irony would be, “Believe me that there’s no one you’d rather have at your side than a Pashtun.” This is also ironic given that Amir didn’t help Hassan while he was being bullied by Assef and the other kids despite being a Pashtun himself. The story starts off with an irony because while Amir’s motive for getting the kite was to make Baba proud, his father would’ve actually been disappointed if he had known about Amir’s betrayal to Hassan. “In a moment, I'd blink and rouse from this beautiful dream, get out of bed, march down to the kitchen to eat breakfast with no one to talk to but Hassan. Get dressed. Wait for Baba. Give up. Back to my old life. Then I saw Baba on our roof. He was standing on the edge, pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on
William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies defines being civilized as putting aside our natural instincts. After their plane crashes, the boys arrive on the island with a clear idea of how to act, based on how their lives were before. When the naval officer arrives at the end of the book, he chastises them for not forming a more civilized society. Even though that was how they started out, reliance on their instincts destroyed their society.
“McCandless didn’t conform particularly well to the bush casualty stereotype.” Jon Krakauer, in his book Into The Wild, argues that McCandless was a unique personality who yearned for adventure. He supports his claim by the usage of epigraphs, interviews with McCandless’s acquaintances, and various maps that are indicative of where the protagonist travelled. Krakauer's purpose is to use an argumentative structure in order to convince the audience that McCandless was more complex than previously known. He uses a nostalgic and commanding tone in order to emotionally appeal to an audience who may have originally had different opinions on McCandless. In Into The Wild, Krakauer employs techniques of ethos and speaker in order to thoroughly convey
Every group of people has a leader, object or mantra that represents what the group needs or treasures the most. This can be observed in the newest fashion trends that symbolize beauty and sophistication to a group of teenage girls, the newest iPhone or tablet to symbolize wealth to a group of rich businessmen, or even a flag to symbolize our nation. William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies explores this concept of giving a normal object great power by using it to convey an ideology of a group of people. Golding describes a world where there is no civilization, and the only connection to the civilized world is through the objects that represent different aspects of it. This essay will
Krakauer’s argument is, “McCandless wasn’t “stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate,” but instead paints a sympathetic picture of a young man with a profound moral compass seeking a higher truth”. His effective case justifying McCandless’s behavior, which may include potential biases, is effective for most personages. This contretemps is feasible, but there are some personages, like Peter Christian, that see the flip side of Krakauer’s assessment. Peter, who “arrived in Alaska in 1992” with McCandless, said “Alaska is populated with people who are either running away from something or seeking themselves in America’s last frontier” he came to Alaska with the same intentions. In his article he states that he was one of those young man.
Sharon Kennedy, I agree with your response because Amir was obviously clueless when Baba told him that Hassan is part of the family. Also, Amir was unaware of the fact that Hassan was really his own family, his own brother at that time. Instead, he thought Baba meant family like relationship. If Baba had revealed the truth to Amir earlier in the book, then Amir might not actually blame Hassan for stealing his watch and the money. Also, Assef and the two Pashtun boys might not really assault Hassan in the alley; Assef only raped Hassan because he was a Hazara Servant. Khaled Hosseini uses these various word choices such as diction to set the tone of the story. You explained very well by clearly describing about the passage you chose. I liked
Although irony may be associated with negative events or actions, it can also be a sign of good for characters within stories. According to Dictionary.com, irony in literature is defined as “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.” The use of irony is found within the novel The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. Hosseini uses irony to portray and develop the main dynamic character in this story, Amir. Most of the major events Amir is faced with at a younger age seemingly come full circle when he reaches adulthood. Irony plays a role as Amir lives through tragic events that ultimately teach him how to become a better person.
Nonconformity allows people to go against a prevailing rule so that they may do as they please.
In the short play A Raisin in the sun conflict’s both internal and external occure for in three of the main characters regarding their dreams. When the opportunity came for them to accomplish their dreams through using the insurance money they’ve come across from the loss of a family member, one of the main characters, Walter, wishes to be successful in life; but he needs the insurance money to do so. He wants to use the insurance money to open up a liquor store because he believes this would change his life. A exceptional quote that shows his determination to be successful in life is when he speaks to Ruth “You tired, ain’t you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy. The way we live-this beat up hole-everything”(
Lord of the Flies is a marvelous non-fiction paradigm of the contrast of civility and savagery in human nature. In the novel, the author, William Golding, masterfully tells of how one characteristic taints the other, and eventually takes possession of its host. Throughout the novel, multiple results of these two attributes, along with many other situations, are portrayed using objects and characters, conveying the overall message
Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," irony is used as an effective literary device. Situational irony is used to show the reader that what is expected to happen sometimes doesn't. Dramatic irony is used to clue the reader in on something that is happening that the characters in the story do not know about. Irony is used throughout Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony.
In the stories “Story of an Hour”, “Everyday Use”, “The Necklace”, and “The Lottery” it is evident that irony was quite a large part of the short story. There is situational irony, which is when the situation turns out differently than expected. Also, dramatic irony is present, which is when you as a reader knows more than the character. The authors seem to base their whole story around irony to surprise their readers.
People watch other individuals experience irony all the time. When something is ironic it means that the thing that was to happen, did not happen the way it was thought to happen. Sometimes irony happens to those who least expect it or irony happens to everyone. There have been songs, television ads, and stories written about irony or that have included ironic events or details. One piece of literature that contains a lot of irony is Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”. Crane uses irony in many different ways in the story to tell of four individuals who survive their ship being wrecked and everyone else aboard has drown.
Sometimes whats ideal in a situation is not what the truth of the situation and can cause your ideals to be lost. In William Golding’s novel, “Lord of the Flies”, he demonstrates a shift in some of the characters from the thought of idealism to the reality and truth of the world. Ralph is a good example of this shift, he starts out thinking the island will be a fun place and they’ll have fun waiting to be rescued, but soon he realizes that there is going to be more hardship and struggles to keep up the moral and hope of rescue. In the book Ralph wanted to keep everyone safe and get them off the island, but Jack wants to be a leader and messes up his plans, making it so that Ralph is alone in his plan to get rescued.
In Runner, Robert Newton conveys that Charlie the protagonist is bound to mature early to make completely selfless choices. When his father dies, Charlie is contrived to fill his father’s boots, meaning he had to take up his father’s role of being the financial provider of his family. Additionally, Charlie makes an altruistic choice by running for squizzy Taylor. Lastly, Charlie makes the self-sacrificing decision by gambling his large saving from Squizzy on the Ballarat Mile. In summary, Newton demonstrates that Charlie is forced into adulthood early through necessity and make self-denying decisions due to his family's desperate circumstances.
The expression "riddled with guilt" is a good way to describe the main character's life, Amir, in the book The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner is a story about an Afghan boy, Amir, who has many hardships throughout his life as he grows from a boy living in war-torn Afghanistan, to a successful writer living in America. Amir experiences many events that caused him to carry a great amount of guilt throughout his life. So much guilt that it even turned him into an insomniac. He needed to find a way to make amends which would allow him to forgive himself and hopefully, one day, be able to sleep soundly again.