Because I have little to no time to go through The Kite Runner or The Handmaid's Tale in much detail (as the exam is literally in 2 hours) I'll try and sum things up really briefly!!!!!!!
Khaled Hosseini
Authorial Intent
- Hosseini wanted to "write about Afghanistan before the Soviet war because that is largely a forgotten period in modern Afghan history"
- "I wanted to remind people that Afghans had managed to live in peaceful anonymity for decades"
- "Remind people that ... the history of the Afghans n the twentieth century has been largely peaceful and harmonious"
- Wanted to show the world that Afghanistans are not to be identified as simply terrorists or Taliban because of the way the media has portrayed Afghanistan after 9/11
Context
- Hosseini was born in Kabul, moved to California in 1980 where he was granted political asylum and lived on welfare and food stamps
- He's now a doctor or something
- The Kite Runner has connections with his life
- Father was a diplomat for the Afghan embassy
- Mother was a teacher of Farsi and History
- While living in Iran, he taught a Hazara how to read and write (sympathy)
Historical Context
- 1933-73, Zahir Shah rules monarchy but forced into exile by cousin and son-in-law
- Symbolic as it shows betrayal of family
- 1973, Daoud Khan declares himself president of republic
- 1978, Daoud overthrown by same military that brought him into power
- 1979, Soviet Union invaded, fearing the fall of pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan
- 1996, Taliban seizes control of Kabul and introduced hardline rules etc
- 2001, Taliban falls
Ethnics Groups
- Pashtuns, majority group in Afghanistan at 42%; consisting mainly of Sunni Muslims
- Highest ethnicity on social ladder and dominate governmental bodies
- Hazaras, minority group in Afghanistan at 9%; consisting of Shi'a Muslims
- At lower end of socio-economic scale
- Historically seen to have Mongolian origins; possibly descendents of Genghis Khan who invaded in 13th century, thus viewed as 'invaders' (as he tried to invade Afghanistan)
Taliban Rules/ Restrictions
- Women not allowed outside of home unless accompanied by male relative/ husband
- Women cannot study at any institutions
- If a woman is found to be guilty of adultery, will be publically stoned and made as an example
- Women must wear burqas
- Men may not shave or trim their beards
- Banned kite flying
- People killed by Talibans are not allowed to be buried or removed from their locations as they must remain as examples to other 'wrongdoers'
What are characters for?
- Characters are constructs that project themes and political ideas
- To enable a human connection with a political situation
- Allows audience/ readers to reflect on situation
Key Symbols and Themes
- Kites and Freedom
- Pomegranate and Sacrifice (also of the change of Kabul)
- Slingshot (rebelling against those with power, Assef)
- America vs. Afghan (Western values vs. strict Taliban values and Afghan values)
- Relationships
- Baba with Amir and Hassan
- Amir and Rahim Khan
- Amir and Hassan
- Assef with Amir and Hassan
- Amir and Sohrab
- Omnipresent guilt
- Leaving money and watch under Hassan's mattress
- Redemption
- Leaving money under Farid's family's mattress
- 'Fighting' (lol was it even a fight, a kid had to save him with a slingshot..) against Assef
- Rescuing Hassan's son and raising him as a child and not label him as a Hazara
- "For you, a thousand times over" repeating from Hassan to Amir, to Amir to Sohrab
Links to Political and Social Protest Writing
Key Ideas/ Good stuff to know
- Inequality foregrounded through characters' homes
- Amir's 'mansion' and Hassan's 'mud hut'
- Representation of life for Afghan people
- How Hazaras are seriously marginalised
- Acts of rebellion
- Corruption of those in power or with power
- Use of setting
- Afghanistan is a victim of war, history and limited media portrayal
- Afghanistan vs USA
- Execution at Ghazi Stadium before a football match and public hanging as 'God says that every sinner must be punished' which is ironic
- Assef as a representation of a Sunni Pashtun, a product of ethnic divisions
- Attitudes of Pashtun elite towards Hazaras
- Baba's status, how he can abuse his position
- Assef's corruption, brutality, violent behaviour and murder with impunity
- Gender politics (double standards of gender inequalities within Afghan society)
- Men who father children out of wedlock are 'just having fun'
- Women who have affairs are seen as damaged goods
- Soraya's mother is silenced by marriage to General Taheria
- A famous singer in Kabul was prevented from singing after marrying a General as it was one of his conditions
- Sanaubar (Hassan's mother) who is a prostitute or something is punished for her beauty when someone had 'taken a knight to her face'
- Organised religion
- Religious extremism where the Taliban enforced Islamic Shari'ah law with the attempt to restrict people from knowing of the enlightened lifestyle that the West claims to hold
- Pen as a tool of protest?
- Amir is encouraged to write a book about the miserable fate of his people "May be you should write about Afghanistan. Tell the rest of the world what the Taliban are doing to our country"
Intertextuality with critical perspectives
- Post-colonialism (look at introduction post for description of this)
Key Episodes or Events?!
- Hassan rebels against Assef, threatening to make him into a one eyed lad (forgot quote)
- Hassan doesn't want to give up the last kite, sacrificed himself and got raped AND AMIR WITNESSES THIS AND DOES NOTHING OMG
- Ayub from Finland asks if his son can go to hell for wearing baggy pants were so low that his underwear showed - answer is yes
- Shows subtle oppression of clothing
- Government overthrown by cousins via coup d'état
- Taliban's corruption and hypocrisy (seen at execution of adulterous couple at Ghazi Stadium and the listening of music)
- They also get western money from Australia (where Assef's parents are) or something when they're all about condemning western stuff..
- Discovery that Amir and Hassan are actually half brothers
- Key ideas of betrayal of family (Amir is awful)
- Discovery that Hassan and wife killed after Hassan refused to allow the Taliban to confiscate Baba and Amir's house
- Since Amir and Soraya can't have kids, Amir decides to rescue Sohrab in Kabul
- Fight between Assef and Amir but then Sohrab uses slingshot, firing it into Assef's left eye
- Amir wants to adopt Sohrab
- Kite flying "For you, a thousand times over"
Some made up interpretations/ alternative viewpoints which may be pushing it a bit but sounds good regardless
- Pomegranate is red and has seeds
- Symbolic of Amir's guilt and sinful acts (number of seeds = lots of sin!)
- BUT seeds of fruit = new life if planted = Sohrab
- because Hassan smashes the pomegranate fruit on himself, he sacrifices himself and his seeds, Sohrab!
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