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The Kite Runner Rhetorical Analysis

Decent Essays

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

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