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Essay Questions For The Kite Runner

Decent Essays

Extended Essay – English A1

Research Question:
What perspectives are illuminated by author Khaled Hosseini’s use of a retrospective child narrator in the novel The Kite Runner?

Word Count: 3985
December 2017
Table of Contents:

Title Page: page 1
Table of Contents: page 2
Introduction: page 3
Main Body: page 5-12
Conclusion: page 13-14
Bibliography: page 15 Introduction:
The basis of The Kite Runner is concrete, encircling around the story of two young boys and their difficult relationship. Amir, the only child of his widely loved father and left without a mother, has grown up in the streets of Kabul with Hassan, a marginalized Hazara who works as both Amir’s servant and best friend. Amir, who now finds himself as an adult looking back on his past, recounts the traumatic childhood events whose aftereffects have left him struggling to find his place in the world. Author Khaled Hosseini brings forth a child’s point of view, allowing the readers to sympathize with the narrator and recounting events from their own childhood. Thus, it highlights my research question: What perspectives are illuminated by author Khaled Hosseini’s use of a retrospective child narrator in the novel The Kite Runner? The purpose and technique of youth in novels has been somewhat part of uncharted territory and under researched. As Tim Love explains one apparent reason is that, “even the best adult books with child narrators risk being treated as if they are children’s books” (Love). With such a perspective on works of literature, they have been academically diminished and considered undeserving of critical analysis. However, child narration or the focus on youth creates a much deeper layer for the audience while reading. I have always had a passionate interest in perspective stemming from my encounter with Julio Cortázar’s novels. Cortázar even states in his novel Cuentos Completos, “children look unflinchingly straight at things until the time comes when they are taught to locate themselves in the gaps between as well” (66). He utilizes the power of child narrators fantastically, and I wished to see how other authors utilized child narration to create powerful

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