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There is a notable absence of women in the novel. Why might that be the case? How are the few women who do appear in the novel portrayed?

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There is a notable absence of women in the novel. Why might that be the case? How are the few women who do appear in the novel portrayed?

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At this point in the novel, you should have a better understanding of something we first heard from Rahim Khan in Ch.1. What was said and how do you now understand it? -Ivana Gugic 

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At this point in the novel, you should have a better understanding of something we first heard from Rahim Khan in Ch.1. What was said and how do you now understand it? -Ivana Gugic 

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In Chapter 1 Rahim Khan says to Amir "There is a way to be good again" signifying how Amir can makeup for the mistakes he made and I understand it as: Amir not doing anything when Hassan was being raped, throwing pomegranates at Hassan so he wouldn't feel guilty about doing it, and hiding his watch under Hassan's bed because he wanted him gone. Amir focuses on the things he did and didn't do to Hassan when Rahim tells him he can be good again and now we all know he can somehow make up for his mistakes by going to get Hassan's son Sohrab from the orphanage.

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At this point in the novo, you should have a better understanding of something we first heard from Rahim Khan in Ch.1. What was said and how do you now understand it? -Ivana Gugic 

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At this point in the novo, you should have a better understanding of something we first heard from Rahim Khan in Ch.1. What was said and how do you now understand it? -Ivana Gugic 

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HHGJJ

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Tiffany Thai - How are America and Afghanistan portrayed as being different? What does Baba miss most when he moves to the United States, and what makes the transition difficult for him? How is Amir's experience different? How do their roles change?

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Tiffany Thai - How are America and Afghanistan portrayed as being different? What does Baba miss most when he moves to the United States, and what makes the transition difficult for him? How is Amir's experience different? How do their roles change?

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America was portrayed as a country where life was good and everyone including Baba liked the idea of America. Afghanistan compared to America, had a religion based government which was governed by men. Afghanistan was a place of trees and open fields while America was full of traffic, noises, and buildings. When Baba moves to the U.S., he misses the sense of trust there was back in Afghanistan where a mark in a stick for payment to be made later was well accepted. Baba's broken English, his adjustment into the environment in America, and new customs made Baba's transition into America difficult. However, this is different for Amir, he finds success in graduating high school and finds a fresh start. Baba was happy in Afghanistan and found success and loyalty when he when he was Afghanistan, however AAmir felt he was never good enough and felt out of place. These roles reversed in America seeing that Amir adapted well into America while Baba was met with a long list of challenges.

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Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hassan are courageous. 

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Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hassan are courageous. 

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In order to be courageous, one has to be confident in themselves, they have to know that what they're willing to risk is something that's worth it... something that they feel strongly in. Someone who's not afraid to take those risks and doesn't fear anything. Baba is portrayed as courageous throughout his entire appearance in the novel to Amir, but one even in particular is in chapter 10, when he stood up for the lady that was about to be sexually assaulted by a Russian soldier. He stands up  to this soldier, even after he is threatened by said soldier to be shot to death - he remained insistent, which saved the lady. One example of Amir showing courage is when he makes the decision to go back to Kabul - despite how hard it must have been, after all these years and his never-ending feeling of guilt. One notable example of Hassan showing courage is when he defends Amir's 'legacy' and stands up to Assef, including his self-made slingshot to add on. Unfortunately, what happens next isn't so pretty... but he goes on with his life, which is hard! He's brave and is the perfect definition of courageous.

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Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hassan are courageous. 

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Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hassan are courageous. 

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Allyza Quiambao -The principle of honor is a central theme. Explain how honor is interpreted by the various characters, including Farid, Wahid, Rahim Khan, Baba, Amir, and Ali.

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Allyza Quiambao -The principle of honor is a central theme. Explain how honor is interpreted by the various characters, including Farid, Wahid, Rahim Khan, Baba, Amir, and Ali.

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The principle of honor is a theme that is present throughout the novel. However, each character has a different interpretation of honor and acts differently based on it.

For example, Farid, Amir's car driver to Afghanistan, sees honor in a person who works in order to achieve success. This is evident in Farid's initial resentment towards Amir, who he assumed to be a boy who grew up rich in Afghan. According to Farid, no real Afghan man lives like that.

Wahid, on the other hand, interprets having honor as maintaining your image of a good Afghan man who follows traditions and customs. For example, despite not having enough food to feed his own family, feeds dinner to Amir, his guest. In an argument with his wife, he justifies his action as something he did to maintain his honor. He may be hungry but he refuses to act like a "savage".

Rahim Khan differs from other characters in that he finds honor not in pride but in humility. For example, although both Baba and Rahim Khan were considerably wealthy, he chose not to flaunt it unlike Baba and his big house. This is also what allows his to support Amir and his writing talents whole-heartedly. Rahim Khan has no fears of what people think of him.

Baba is a man who greatly values honor. He sees it as being a man who all people see as strong and deserving of respect. This is evident when Baba is diagnosed with cancer and he refuses to allow Amir to tell anyone else about his condition.

Amir sees honor through his father's acceptance. Throughout his childhood, he based all his decisions on whether or not Baba would approve. We see this in the instance of the kite running tournament. Amir felt proud that he won not because of anyone else's applause but because of his father's.

In the eyes of Ali, honor is found in good actions, not in the opinions of other people. Throughout the novel, he is wronged. Baba sleeps with his wife, Sanaubar leaves him, and he is unable to protect Hassan from the other children. Yet despite all this, he continues to chose good. He remains Baba's servant. He fathers Hassan even if he is not the biological father. He forgives Amir even if he hurt Hassan.

Honor is something that each character in the novel seeks. Yet, they all seek it in very different ways. It makes you wonder if what they're fighting for is something that even exists. How can one have something when everyone has a different idea of what it is?

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Compare and contrast how Amir and Hassan feel about each other and the reasons they feel differently. 

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Compare and contrast how Amir and Hassan feel about each other and the reasons they feel differently. 

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Denia Breaux -- Throughout his life, Hassan basically worshiped Amir. While, on the other hand, Amir saw Hassan as less than a friend.  Hassan loves and cherishes Amir in anything he does and view him as a saint. He can never hold a grudge against Hassan or even be upset with him. In Hassan’s eyes Amir can do no wrong. Hassan will protect Amir at any cost and do whatever he tells him to do. Amir would not do the same. Amir takes advantage of Hassan’s lack of education and his kindness.  He couldn’t even help Hassan when he needed it the most because of his own selfish ways. The main reason why there is this big difference in attitudes towards each other is because Hassan is a Hazara.  Hassan is Amir’s servant and is basically inferior to him.   Amir just can’t get past the fact that Hassan is not like him.

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Roanne Herico - The principle of honor is a central theme. Explain how honor is interpreted by the various characters, including Farid, Wahid, Rahim Khan, Baba, Amir, and Ali.

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Roanne Herico - The principle of honor is a central theme. Explain how honor is interpreted by the various characters, including Farid, Wahid, Rahim Khan, Baba, Amir, and Ali.

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Honor, while being a considerably well-known virtue, does not hold any specific definition. To some, it means following a strict set of moral guidelines that promote selfless acts. To others, it means doing whatever it takes for those that we look up to or consider priority. Occasionally, one definition contradicts the other but they each hold some truth.

Baba takes his honor, or at least what he perceives to be true honor very seriously. He stands up for a woman, regardless of the fact that he doesn't even remotely know the one he is defending.
Farid uses his experience through the war as a way of living out his honor to Afghanistan.
Walid lives out honor by being a respectful house host to
Rahim Khan
Amir
Ali-

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Hassan and Amir have very different outlooks on life and on the future. What are some of the influences that might have made their perceptions of the future so different. -Katie Portillo 

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Hassan and Amir have very different outlooks on life and on the future. What are some of the influences that might have made their perceptions of the future so different. -Katie Portillo 

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Hassan came from a family of poverty and an inferior ethnic group, which influenced his perceptions of the future because he had to obey by others rules  and had to deal with others insults, which helped him grow thick skin. Hassan learned how to maintain a positive attitude no matter how tough situations could get. Ali was always supportive and genuinely cared about Hassan's emotional and physical well being. Hassan and Ali had a very healthy relationship, which allowed them to talk about personal issues. While, Amir had a rocky relationship with Baba because Amir wasn't Baba's ideal child and Baba made his disappointment obvious about Amir's way of being. Amir became a self conscious child and didn't know who he truly was, since he was always trying to impress Baba. But, also Assef was a big influence on Amir's life because Amir had a friendship with Hassan and Assef would always criticize Amir for being friends with a Hazara. Amir would insult Hassan and make him feel inferior to him to make himself feel like he was just like Assef and belong to his group.

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Amir often describes the state of the gardens, trees, plant life, the pomegranate tree, and rose bushes in various places throughout the novel. What do they represent? For what are they a metaphor? -  jaimie

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Amir often describes the state of the gardens, trees, plant life, the pomegranate tree, and rose bushes in various places throughout the novel. What do they represent? For what are they a metaphor? -  jaimie

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The pomegranate tree represent the bond between Amir and Hassan. The pomegranate tree is Amir and Hassan's 'hang out' place. The place they would bond over reading and playing games. They even carve their names into the trunk of the tree. This is where they grow closer together. However, after the rape scene and they go to visit the tree again,  the aura is different. Amir yells at Hassan and throws pomegranates at him. The relationship they had is now gone. Also once Amir returns to adopt Hassan's son Sohrab, the pomegranate tree is now shriveled up and dead, representing the relationship between them. The tree is a metaphor for their relationship.

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Galilea Galicia-Perez: Kites and kite fighting are a central motif in the novel. What Afghan principles are associated with kite fighting? Why do you think the author chose kites to play such an important role?

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Galilea Galicia-Perez: Kites and kite fighting are a central motif in the novel. What Afghan principles are associated with kite fighting? Why do you think the author chose kites to play such an important role?

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Kites serves as a motif for Amir's childhood happiness while also representing the worst day of his life. Kites in general symbolize a limited freedom, meaning that the kite can only fly when attached to a stronger being (the person). On the other hand, Afghans hold the significance of kite fighting close to their hearts. They do not care for the damage to their hands when creating the kites, and winning a tournament is very honorable in their eyes. Hosseini chose kites as a central focus  because it mirrors every aspect in Amir's life. From the way he was obsessed with making his father proud to the guilt he felt for the majority of his life, we find out the significance of the kite follows him throughout the novel.

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Crystal Wong: What does Rahim Khan say to Amir to convince him to rescue Sohrab from Kabul? Why would that make a difference? Discuss how Amir's feelings about his father change in light of Rahim Khan's news?

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Crystal Wong: What does Rahim Khan say to Amir to convince him to rescue Sohrab from Kabul? Why would that make a difference? Discuss how Amir's feelings about his father change in light of Rahim Khan's news?

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At first, Amir did not want to do it. What convinced Amir was that Sanaubaur wasn't Ali's first wife; He married before to a Hazara woman; this was much longer than Amir was born; however the woman left Ali and left him childless; bearing the other man three daughters. Ali was actually sterile; so he couldn't have any children. Hassan was actually the half brother of Amir; Sanaubar and Baba are the real parents of Hassan. Amir was furious at this, at first, and he left; however after, he feels responsible. "There is a way to be good again, he'd said. A way to end the cycle. With a little boy. An orphan. Hassan's son. Somewhere in Kabul" It would make a difference because this boy wasn't just his once good friend

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Iyalah Sanabria-Hassan and Amir have very different outlooks on life and on the future. What are some of the influences that might have made their perceptions of the future so different?

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Iyalah Sanabria-Hassan and Amir have very different outlooks on life and on the future. What are some of the influences that might have made their perceptions of the future so different?

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Even though Hassan and Amir have both lived in the same house together, they have both lived two very different lives. Hassan has grown up with nothing, and Amir has grown up with everything. Hassan has been Baba’s and Amir’s servant since he was little. Amir on the other hand has never had to commit to any labor. Also Hassan has always been tormented for his race. While Amir is respected because of his dad’s wealthy and popularity. I believe Hassan has a lower perception of his future because he has always been the one that has been underestimated. Throughout the book no one has told him he could be great. Even his best friend Amir hasn't expressed his potential, instead he torments Hassan even more and makes him feel little as a person. Amir has high expectation of his future because he has always been surrounded by success. Also because Baba is his dad he has more pressure to reach his greatest potential.

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Alejandra Martinez- What elements of the novel make it a classic coming-of-age story?

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Alejandra Martinez- What elements of the novel make it a classic coming-of-age story?

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In The Kite Runner, there are some key elements that make it a classic coming-of-age story. Firstly, it follows the development of Amir as a child in Afghanistan into his adulthood, a common theme in coming-of-age stories. Secondly, the young protagonist, Amir, undergoes a troubled search for an adult identity through trials, experiences and revelations, like many other classic coming- of-age stories.

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Patricia Babia - What does Rahim Khan say to Amir to convince him to rescue Sohrab from Kabul?  Why would that make a difference?  Discuss how Amir’s feelings about his father change in light of Rahim Khan’s news.

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Patricia Babia - What does Rahim Khan say to Amir to convince him to rescue Sohrab from Kabul?  Why would that make a difference?  Discuss how Amir’s feelings about his father change in light of Rahim Khan’s news.

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In Chapter 17, Rahim Khan told Amir that Hassan's real parents are Baba and Sanaubar because Ali was sterile.  This made a difference because Amir and Hassan have been lied to their whole life since no one told him them that they were each other's half-brother. When Amir was younger, Baba has always told him that the only sin is theft.  In Chapter 18, we see how Amir's feelings about his father changed in light of Rahim Khan's news because Baba stole his right to the truth (of knowing that Baba is Hassan's birth father). Amir was left wondering how his father lied to him all those years and how Baba brought himself to look Ali in the eye.  He also realized how similar Baba and himself are because they both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for them.

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Penelope A.- At this point in the novel, you should have a better understanding of something we first heard from Rahim Khan in Ch.1. What was said and how do you now understand it? 

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Penelope A.- At this point in the novel, you should have a better understanding of something we first heard from Rahim Khan in Ch.1. What was said and how do you now understand it? 

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At the beginning of the novel Rahim Khan calls Amir from Pakistan and says to Amir that "There is a way to be good again." This quote is unclear in the beginning, but Amir reflects on Rahim's words, he says he had "unatoned sins" and that you can try to bury the past but eventually it will come out. In chapter 12 there is a main event that changes Amir and Hassan's relationship and leads to many consequences. Amir witnesses a sexual assault that is committed on Hassan. He has the chance to help Hassan at that moment but chooses not to, and never says anything to anyone about what he saw, not even to Hassan. He then makes really bad choices that hurt Hassan. All of these actions make Amir feel guilt , but he doesn't do anything to make up for them. Until Amir is a grown man he feels that he has a chance to make up for what he has done by going to find Hassan's son in Afghanistan.

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Alia - Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hasaan are courageous. 

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Alia - Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hasaan are courageous. 

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What constitutes courage is taking on pain without fear. Baba was courageous when he defended an Afghan woman from being taken by the Russian soldier when they were on the truck. Amir was courageous when he won the Kite Runner contest because he went through the pain from holding the kite and it made him look strong because he was the last one left. Hassan was courageous when Amir threw the pomegranate him because he took the pain that Amir gave him but also gave himself pain when he himself smashed the pomegranate on his forehead,

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Amber Davis- Compare and contrast how Amir and Hassan feel about each other and the reasons why they feel differently.  

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Amber Davis- Compare and contrast how Amir and Hassan feel about each other and the reasons why they feel differently.  

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Amir feels like Hassan is nothing more than a servant to him. While Hassan thinks he’s his friend or even a brother to him. I think in the back of his mind Amir saw him as more even though he never really admits it flat out. They both care about each other but Hassan has a deeper devotion to Amir. I think the reason they feel that way because of the social norms in the time. Hassan is a Hazara which are known to be lower class (servants, cooks etc). Amir is a Pashtun which is the ideal ethnicity in Kabul along with their wealth and social status. Therefore socially Amir and Hassan should never be more than servant and employer.

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Rose Anne - Consider Rahim Khan’s statement: “A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer.” What does he mean? How is this meant to make Amir feel about himself? Which characters in the novel have a conscience? Which do not?

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Rose Anne - Consider Rahim Khan’s statement: “A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer.” What does he mean? How is this meant to make Amir feel about himself? Which characters in the novel have a conscience? Which do not?

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This quote means that if a person does not have a conscience,  then they don't care about anyone else. They don't have someone in their head telling them what the right thing should be. I think this is meant to make Amir feel bad since he first refused to adopt Sohrab. I think everyone in the novel has a conscience, but some character, such as Amir, just choose to ignore it.

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Sasha Chavez--Consider rape as a metaphor for abuse of power. Identify several instances of abuse that take place on both a personal and global level in the novel, and explain how each instance reveals a struggle for power. 

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Sasha Chavez--Consider rape as a metaphor for abuse of power. Identify several instances of abuse that take place on both a personal and global level in the novel, and explain how each instance reveals a struggle for power. 

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An instance where abuse took place on a personal level was when Hassan was raped. Amir did not help him and Hassan did not struggle. Though Amir didn't help Hassan, he struggled with the decision to walk away. This is a struggle for power because Amir has to choose between pleasing hos father or saving his friend. Ultimately he chooses to please his father and gains his favor. Another example is that Kamal participated in Hassan's rape, in order to gain power and the favor of Assef, then he got raped and later died. A last example is that Amir has been lightly abusing Hassan since childhood looking for power over him and the respect of Baba.

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Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hassan are courageous. 

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Courage is defined in the novel through the actions of various characters. What constitutes courage? Identify and discuss specific instances in the novel when Baba, Amir, and Hassan are courageous. 

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Amir's mother was a university professor in Kabul.
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This is Mrs. Torres, who you might remember.--ust showing you that you can add a photo.