The Kite Runner

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  • The Kite Runner
    • Characters
      • Amir
        • His viewpoint
          • writing in adulthood about childhood "Memory was hazy"
          • Amir can only see things from his perspective
        • Wants to write, used to read his mum's books
          • "I escaped my father's aloofness, in my dead mother's books"
        • mother died whilst giving birth to him
          • "My mother, smiling young princess in white"
        • Baba wants him to be a 'man'
          • Amir thinks he is a failure
      • Baba
        • Amir's father
        • Illegitimate child, Hassan
          • "I think everything he did, feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friend's in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself
            • Generious
              • "Baba decided to build an orphanage"
        • "I could never tell Baba from the bear"
        • Generious
          • "Baba decided to build an orphanage"
      • Hassan
        • Servant's son, Ali
        • Close friends with Amir
          • "Brotherhood between people who fed from the same breast"
          • "My illegitimate half brother"
          • Loyal to Amir
            • "unwavering loyality"
          • Used to highlight Amir's faults through the way he treated him
        • Hassan was ***** by Assef
          • Show power and control to humiliate him
      • Ali
        • "Hassan's father, Ali, use to catch us and get mad"
        • "As mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get"
      • Assef
        • Hassan was ***** by Assef
          • Show power and control to humiliate him
      • Rahim Khan
        • contrast to Baba
        • Helps Amir, as he knows Baba's secret
        • Only other character to narrate
        • Believes and loves Amir - supports his writing
      • Soraya
        • Amir's wife
        • Her father is General Taheri
        • "Will my eyes not to peel away, not to wander to where Soraya sat reading"
      • Sohrab
    • Context (AO4)
      • Hosseini
        • Born in Kabul, Afghanistan
          • Setting for book
          • Multi-cultural city
        • Author
        • While in Iran, taught a Hazara man who worked as a cook, how to read and write
          • Opposite to Amir
            • Read to Hassan and teased him
        • Him and his family wanted to return back to Afghanistan, however the Soviet Union would not allow this
          • similar to Amir
      • Kite Fighting
        • Part of western culture
      • Lavish parties
      • Taliban
        • ruled large portions of Afghanistan beginning in 1996 and 2001
        • Assef and his Taliban soldiers raid Baba's old house and kill Hassan and his wife
      • Cultural
        • Multi ethnic socitety, made up of 13 ethnic groups
          • Pashtun
            • Amir is a Pashtan
            • Sunni Muslims
          • Tajik
          • Hazaras
            • Hassan is a Hazara
              • Although Amir and Hassan are friends, Amir is always reluctant to admit it to anyone.
                • Amir is a Pashtan
                • He's ashamed to be friends with a 'servant'
                  • This leads to him abandoning Hassan in many events because of he's embarrassed
                • The relationship between Amir and Hassan is strained because of their ethnic differences
                  • The issue of ethnic groups has a significant effect on the lives of the characters
            • Shi'a Muslims
            • Hazaras are looked down upon for their differences in appearance and religion
    • Assessment Objectives
      • AO1
        • Written expression/ language
      • AO2
        • Quotes and evidence
      • AO3
        • Interpretaion, judgement, and alternative interpretation
      • AO4
        • Contextual factors
    • Themes
      • Ethnic Differences
      • Friendship
        • Loyalty and Betrayal
          • "For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the harelipped kiterunner"
            • Said 8x in book
      • Symbols and Allegory
        • Assef = Taliban
        • Pomegranate Tree
          • "I used one of Ali's kitchen knives to carve our names on it"
          • When Amir returns and visits the tree, wracked with guilt-just like Amir's memories-the tree still exists but no longer bears fruit
        • Amir's Scar
          • Physical reminder of his friend
            • Symbolizes his brotherhood with Hassan
          • Clef lip
            • Running after kite, clef lip, turning into Hassan
              • Hosseini saying that we are all the same deep down?
            • Amir now has his own, physically like his half brother
        • Slingshot
          • Both Hassan and Sohrab use the slightshot to stop Assef
            • A symbol to stand up for what is right
        • Hassan = Downtrodden Afghanistan
    • MAIN PLOT = AMIR'S SEARCH FOR REDEMPTION

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