Analyzing Khaled Hosseini's 'Kite Runner'
Dennis Hardy
Mrs. Hardgrove
AP English 12
September 9, 2014
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
2003
1. Analyze the title.
The Kite Runner feels like an odd title especially at the beginning of the novel when the protagonist is the kite fighter not the kite runner. As the book progresses it becomes more and more obvious that the novel is not about the protagonist but his best friend. The author chose this title to help illustrate the fact that although the novel follows the life of Amir it is really about the complex life of Hassan.
2. Analyze the time-period in which the novel was written.
Hosseini wrote this book relatively recently, especially compared to some of the other novels on the list. The novel was written while tensions between …show more content…
the US and Afghanistan were high. Hosseini wanted to show another side of the conflict or at least what led up to the conflict and add to it not just history but a story of friendship, innocence and betrayal.
3. Analyze the author's purpose.
Hosseini's purpose for writing this novel was to illustrate that "the family is a source of the most passionate kind of conflict" (J). Throughout the book Amir and Baba find it hard to 'click' with each other. Baba feels that Amir is not masculine enough, he is more interested in arts and writing than sports and fighting. Amir feels if he gets into kite fighting he will win the love of his father. The entire novel plays out the way it does, all because Amir is longing for his father's love.
4. Describe the protagonist.
Amir is a round dynamic character, that feels extremely human. The Kite Runner starts with a young innocent Amir who has everything except the love of his father. Because of this he is driven to enter the kite flying tournament that leads to his loss of innocence. When Amir and Baba move to the US Amir changes again. The fast-paced forget about the past attitude better resonates with Amir's personality, and because Baba loses his wealth the two are much more connected. When Amir returns to Kabul, some parts of young Amir come back, but the years he has spent in America have distanced him from the culture. He is given a chance of redemption but almost fails when he goes back on a promise (making the same mistake twice). Overall, all he ever wants is love.
5. Describe the antagonist.
Several characters in The Kite Runner can be called the antagonist: Baba who won't give his love to Amir, Amir's mom who drives Amir and Baba apart, and Amir himself who never told Baba what really happened the night of the kite tournament. Another, and probably the most obvious is Assef the racist sociopath, who rapes Hassan, ruining Amir and Hassan's friendship. Assef is extremely static and remains pure evil throughout the entire novel. One of the best expressions of his character is during the public execution.
6. Create a universal truth for this work.
Redemption is never easy but it is always worth it. Amir fails to stand up for his friend in the alley, and ends up forcing him away. Amir knows both of these things are wrong but still fails to do the right thing because he is too selfish, and spends the rest of his life regretting his actions, and has to return to an even more difficult situation to redeem himself.
7. Analyze one symbol.
One of the most important symbols in the novel is the kites that Amir flies. The fighting kites symbolize how beatiful people can be but also they can be so violent. The kites are also used to show a reversal of roles in the end of the book. Hassan retrieves the kite for Amir, showing his loyalty. But in the end the roles switch at the end of the book when Amir goes to retrieve the kite for Sohrab (Hassan's son). The author chooses to use the kites as a symbol because they can show the two sides and they are also a part of Afghanistan's culture so it is relevant in the context of the book.
8. Analyze the imagery.
Hosseini uses mostly visual imagery throughout the novel. He uses this to show how different Kabul is when Amir returns. The place where snow fell peacefully, is now a pile of rubble destroyed by war. The author uses visual imagery because he wants the reader to see the story through the eyes Amir and not just what he sees but how he sees it.
9. Analyze the tone.
Hosseini uses a passionate, yet detached, and ironic tone throughout the novel. Whenever any kind of emotion is described it is extreme; emotion, regret, love, hate, or betrayal all are very heavy and play a key role in the novel. Yet Hosseini is not affected by the emotion of what he is writing, describing not only the good, but the bad, violence and suffering with excruciating details. The author also uses an ironic tone several times throughout the novel. Baba pays to fix Hassan's harelip, but Amir ends up with his own. Baba talks big about doing the right thing and speaking up, yet he betrayed his friend sleeping with his wife.
10. Analyze the point of view.
The Kite Runner is written in first person point of view. Amir, the central character of the novel, tells the events that transpire and how he reacts to them. Using first person allows Hosseini to show the reader the complex psychology of jealousy, anger, and betrayal that Amir feels.
11. Analyze the author's diction.
Hosseini uses very simple diction throughout the novel, but that does not stop the words from carrying a deeper meaning.
One of the most repeated phrases in the book perfectly exemplifies this, "for you, a thousand times over," is first uttered by Hassan who repeats it several times and again by Amir at the end of the book. This phrase is extremely simple but it is the key of friendship, and loyalty. Another simple phrase that holds deeper meaning is "there is a way to be good again." Rahim Khan says this at the end of the phone call inviting Amir back to Kabul. The words are simple but it's not that easy, after living a life of regret and sadness, Amir can finally fix what he has done wrong.
12. Analyze the author's syntax.
Most of Hosseini's syntax is simple, although it holds deeper meaning. "For you, a thousand times over" and "There is a way to be good again" both hold key points of the book, but are extremely simple to understand. Hosseini occasionally uses long drawn out cumulative sentences to stretch parts of the novel. He writes:
Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my father's yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, insect torture---with our crowning achievement undeniably the time we plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing to yank it back every time it took flight. (Hosseini 25-26)
Each consecutive phrase draws out the …show more content…
sentence to make it feel like "one long lazy summer."
13. Analyze one literary device from your AP Survival Packet. (Repetition)
Hosseini uses repetition to emphasize certain phrases in the book.
Amir experiences scenes of kite fighting with both Hassan and Sohrab. The phrase "there is a way to be good again" is said four times throughout the novel, emphasizing the importance of the theme of redemption in the book. Hassan's almost 'catch-phrase' is repeated at the end of the book, to show the reversal of roles, that Amir is now the loyal 'servant' to someone who may not feel the exact same way.
14. Would you recommend this novel?
The Kite Runner is a modern literary classic, that everyone should read. The novel is an easy read, and extremely hard to put down even though it can be harsh at times. Hosseini writes to keep the reader interested with unexpected plot twists that really show what life really is like. The Kite Runner also paints an amazing picture friendship, betrayal, and redemption, and explores all the emotions that make the human experience, so interesting.
15. Revelation.
The Kite Runner forces the reader to examine their own life, the mistakes they've made, the bridges burned, and how or how not they have been redeemed. We all make mistakes but for some reason the hardest thing to do, even if one knows they are wrong, is to admit to it. The Kite Runner shows that it is impossible to live a life regretting one's mistakes, not trying to fix
them.
Mrs. Hardgrove
AP English 12
September 9, 2014
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
2003
1. Analyze the title.
The Kite Runner feels like an odd title especially at the beginning of the novel when the protagonist is the kite fighter not the kite runner. As the book progresses it becomes more and more obvious that the novel is not about the protagonist but his best friend. The author chose this title to help illustrate the fact that although the novel follows the life of Amir it is really about the complex life of Hassan.
2. Analyze the time-period in which the novel was written.
Hosseini wrote this book relatively recently, especially compared to some of the other novels on the list. The novel was written while tensions between …show more content…
the US and Afghanistan were high. Hosseini wanted to show another side of the conflict or at least what led up to the conflict and add to it not just history but a story of friendship, innocence and betrayal.
3. Analyze the author's purpose.
Hosseini's purpose for writing this novel was to illustrate that "the family is a source of the most passionate kind of conflict" (J). Throughout the book Amir and Baba find it hard to 'click' with each other. Baba feels that Amir is not masculine enough, he is more interested in arts and writing than sports and fighting. Amir feels if he gets into kite fighting he will win the love of his father. The entire novel plays out the way it does, all because Amir is longing for his father's love.
4. Describe the protagonist.
Amir is a round dynamic character, that feels extremely human. The Kite Runner starts with a young innocent Amir who has everything except the love of his father. Because of this he is driven to enter the kite flying tournament that leads to his loss of innocence. When Amir and Baba move to the US Amir changes again. The fast-paced forget about the past attitude better resonates with Amir's personality, and because Baba loses his wealth the two are much more connected. When Amir returns to Kabul, some parts of young Amir come back, but the years he has spent in America have distanced him from the culture. He is given a chance of redemption but almost fails when he goes back on a promise (making the same mistake twice). Overall, all he ever wants is love.
5. Describe the antagonist.
Several characters in The Kite Runner can be called the antagonist: Baba who won't give his love to Amir, Amir's mom who drives Amir and Baba apart, and Amir himself who never told Baba what really happened the night of the kite tournament. Another, and probably the most obvious is Assef the racist sociopath, who rapes Hassan, ruining Amir and Hassan's friendship. Assef is extremely static and remains pure evil throughout the entire novel. One of the best expressions of his character is during the public execution.
6. Create a universal truth for this work.
Redemption is never easy but it is always worth it. Amir fails to stand up for his friend in the alley, and ends up forcing him away. Amir knows both of these things are wrong but still fails to do the right thing because he is too selfish, and spends the rest of his life regretting his actions, and has to return to an even more difficult situation to redeem himself.
7. Analyze one symbol.
One of the most important symbols in the novel is the kites that Amir flies. The fighting kites symbolize how beatiful people can be but also they can be so violent. The kites are also used to show a reversal of roles in the end of the book. Hassan retrieves the kite for Amir, showing his loyalty. But in the end the roles switch at the end of the book when Amir goes to retrieve the kite for Sohrab (Hassan's son). The author chooses to use the kites as a symbol because they can show the two sides and they are also a part of Afghanistan's culture so it is relevant in the context of the book.
8. Analyze the imagery.
Hosseini uses mostly visual imagery throughout the novel. He uses this to show how different Kabul is when Amir returns. The place where snow fell peacefully, is now a pile of rubble destroyed by war. The author uses visual imagery because he wants the reader to see the story through the eyes Amir and not just what he sees but how he sees it.
9. Analyze the tone.
Hosseini uses a passionate, yet detached, and ironic tone throughout the novel. Whenever any kind of emotion is described it is extreme; emotion, regret, love, hate, or betrayal all are very heavy and play a key role in the novel. Yet Hosseini is not affected by the emotion of what he is writing, describing not only the good, but the bad, violence and suffering with excruciating details. The author also uses an ironic tone several times throughout the novel. Baba pays to fix Hassan's harelip, but Amir ends up with his own. Baba talks big about doing the right thing and speaking up, yet he betrayed his friend sleeping with his wife.
10. Analyze the point of view.
The Kite Runner is written in first person point of view. Amir, the central character of the novel, tells the events that transpire and how he reacts to them. Using first person allows Hosseini to show the reader the complex psychology of jealousy, anger, and betrayal that Amir feels.
11. Analyze the author's diction.
Hosseini uses very simple diction throughout the novel, but that does not stop the words from carrying a deeper meaning.
One of the most repeated phrases in the book perfectly exemplifies this, "for you, a thousand times over," is first uttered by Hassan who repeats it several times and again by Amir at the end of the book. This phrase is extremely simple but it is the key of friendship, and loyalty. Another simple phrase that holds deeper meaning is "there is a way to be good again." Rahim Khan says this at the end of the phone call inviting Amir back to Kabul. The words are simple but it's not that easy, after living a life of regret and sadness, Amir can finally fix what he has done wrong.
12. Analyze the author's syntax.
Most of Hosseini's syntax is simple, although it holds deeper meaning. "For you, a thousand times over" and "There is a way to be good again" both hold key points of the book, but are extremely simple to understand. Hosseini occasionally uses long drawn out cumulative sentences to stretch parts of the novel. He writes:
Sometimes, my entire childhood seems like one long lazy summer with Hassan, chasing each other between tangles of trees in my father's yard, playing hide-and-seek, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, insect torture---with our crowning achievement undeniably the time we plucked the stinger off a bee and tied a string around the poor thing to yank it back every time it took flight. (Hosseini 25-26)
Each consecutive phrase draws out the …show more content…
sentence to make it feel like "one long lazy summer."
13. Analyze one literary device from your AP Survival Packet. (Repetition)
Hosseini uses repetition to emphasize certain phrases in the book.
Amir experiences scenes of kite fighting with both Hassan and Sohrab. The phrase "there is a way to be good again" is said four times throughout the novel, emphasizing the importance of the theme of redemption in the book. Hassan's almost 'catch-phrase' is repeated at the end of the book, to show the reversal of roles, that Amir is now the loyal 'servant' to someone who may not feel the exact same way.
14. Would you recommend this novel?
The Kite Runner is a modern literary classic, that everyone should read. The novel is an easy read, and extremely hard to put down even though it can be harsh at times. Hosseini writes to keep the reader interested with unexpected plot twists that really show what life really is like. The Kite Runner also paints an amazing picture friendship, betrayal, and redemption, and explores all the emotions that make the human experience, so interesting.
15. Revelation.
The Kite Runner forces the reader to examine their own life, the mistakes they've made, the bridges burned, and how or how not they have been redeemed. We all make mistakes but for some reason the hardest thing to do, even if one knows they are wrong, is to admit to it. The Kite Runner shows that it is impossible to live a life regretting one's mistakes, not trying to fix
them.