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When I picture Afghanistan, I think of:
-Desert, camels, hijabs.
-Islam and their deep history.
-Strict rules for women, Burkas
-Mosques, Muslims
-Taliban
-suffrage, wars, 9/11
-Separated Families
- Spices, Markets
- Diverse Ethnicity
- Public Executions
- Mountains
- Small Houses

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"Atonement" is defined as a repair done for the sake of a damaged relationship; making amends. Reparation for a wrong or injury; repayment for past deeds
An example is: "She atoned for her sins against God by praying every day".
While "redemption" is defined as the action of being saved from sin, error, or evil. The act of redeeming something.
An example is: She was past the redemption of her parking ticket.

Atonement holds a deeper meaning than redemption because it involves "reparation". In order to atone, one must do something or give something up. While redemption is more so saving or redeeming yourself from a personal mistake. I believe redemption is possible for everyone because it is more of a casual word and can be used to describe everyday things. However, atonement holds a religious connotation and in order to atone, one must go through a trial to save a relationship or past actions. I would draw the line for redemption when a terrible act is committed. Macbeth was past redemption after he murdered Duncan. Atonement is not possible when relationships are forever broken, such as is the case of Willy and Biff Loman.

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“The shifts of Fortune test the reliability of friends (Cicero 106 BC – 43 BC)".  To me, "Shifts of Fortune" make or break relationships. Relationships that are conditional, based upon a situation, or based on a give and take system, are unfulfilling relationships. I have had a long lasting relationship with only a few people. The stability of our relationship is dependent upon our ability to prevail through arguments through unfiltered communication. Since I am currently working through a friendship in which I feel there is no communication or trust, our arrangement is doomed to fail. Relationships can not be fulfilling if they're based on lies, if something I am doing is bothering my friend, I would want them to set me straight.

"If malice or envy were tangible and had a shape, it would be the shape of a boomerang". Comparing jealousy to a boomerang is a plausible analogy. Jealousy is subjective to an individual, and as such, it can only harm yourself. I experience jealousy everyday and no matter what, it only makes me feel worse. Since the subject of my jealousy feels nothing from my emotions, jealousy can only hurt me.

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John Lennon once stated, “How you spend your days is how you spend your life.”

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If every choice you make shapes you into the person that you are, then each choice is made with goals in mind. You eat healthier because you want to be healthy or you stay awake because you want to do homework. The little choices you make are dependent upon how they benefit you alone. The little choices become a reflection of who I am. If everyday I choose to eat healthy, then I am a healthy person. That means that only the prevailing attributes describe who you are.
One big choice that affected those around me was witnessing my old friends be subliminally racist and going along with it. I chose to not say anything when my friends pointed out a person´s race and used it as an excuse for something. I chose to stay silent, and because of this choice it automatically made me and my friends racist. As a repercussion, I proceeded to not say anything and my friends continued to do it. They formed an opinion about my stance that was not true. I feel that this does reflect who I am, but not who I want to be. I believe that this is something that I am able to amend, and will in turn help me become a better person.

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"The guilty think all talk is of themselves”. In the Kite Runner, we learn of Amir's heavy guilt he burdens himself with. He feels guilt for Amir's rape and the death of his mother. The quote corresponds to Amir because he feels that he cannot unburden his weight upon anyone else. Given the chance to tell the truth to Rahim Khan, he chooses not to for a sense of duty and fear.

I do not have any life altering skeletons, but I know my fair share of regret. Through my life, I've had many differing relationships that I wish had turned out differently. I'm a stubborn person, so each time a relationship had a flaw, I would apologize or ignore it. I also tend to place the guilt upon myself, instead of onto others. But the best relationships I've had are when flaws are accepted and communication flows. The best thing to do for a difficult relationship is let it go. Of course, I don't heed my own advice.

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“For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace. I laughed because I saw that, in some hidden nook in the corner of my mind, I’d even been looking forward to this” (Hosseini 289).

Amir states this after his battle with Assef, in which he is thoroughly injured. Amir feels that the battle is long in coming karma, as he should've been in Hassan place back then. This quote relates back to the winter of 1975 as well as the scene with the pomegranate tree, when Amir begs Hassan to hit him with pomegranates. Amir finally feels at peace because he consistently felt that he was not better than Hassan and wished he was treated equally. This isn't the moment of Amir's redemption, but it is when some guilt is lifted.
Amir does not fully redeem himself in this scene.
Amir truly redeems himself by adpoting Sohrab, Hassan's son. Unlike the choice he made in 1975, he chooses to place Hassan's wishes above his own, no longer crippled by the weight of wanting Baba's love. By adopting Sohrab, he can accept the past and move on into a future with Hassan's son.
What does empathy mean and how important is this quality in the world today?
To me, empathy is unconditional listening and understanding. In our world today, people make numerous mistakes for different reasons. Each person lives according to their own set of rules and reasons. Empathy is a characteristic that few hold for everyone. Most only hold empathy for their family, friends, or half brothers. In our world, it is impossible to understand everyone's differing feelings, but its not impossible to just listen.

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Love is an emotion that can be felt by many. It comes in many forms, for example, it can be familial or romantic. It is typically a feeling of intense affection or devotion. Love comes in many forms but is typically a feeling of wanting to be near someone. Love is a fickle emotion, we can all love for  all the things in the world, but that doesn't guarantee we continue loving them.

I believe that through Amir's struggles, he eventually learns how to love Hassan. In their past, Amir struggled with their racial and societal differences. He felt a strange rift between someone "who had fed from the same breast" and who ironed his clothes everyday. To some, a difference like this would not matter. But Amir felt guilt ridden and unworthy of life, "Baba hated me a little. And Why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife". To Amir, he had stolen his mother's life and would never be worthy to Baba or worthy for any love. The fact that Hassan continued to produce unconditional devotion to Amir despite everything, placed a rift between the two. I believe that Amir wanted to love Hassan, but was not capable of it. However, Amir learns to love and accept Sohrab because of his love of Hassan. He accepts his worthiness and learns to love Hassan's son. Amir states "for you a thousand times over" proving that he feels worthy to finally give love.

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My family shows their pride through typical means, smiles, hugs and occasional rewards. I have grown up in a household where my family pushes their expectations on me but not in a crippling way. For instance, my father wanted me to go to Berkeley and he pushed me to take more challenging courses. But my father accepted my decision to pursue a completely different path. I believe that expectations push children to do their best but unconditional support helps the child make decisions for themselves and choose what will make them happy. Sometimes I wish my parents showed their pride a little less, that way it would mean more. That's why I will be a parent with expectations and will only give pride when its deserved.

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Amir has become a man who does not stand up for everything. However, this does not mean that he won´t stand up at all. Amir has grown up into a man that weighs his options. When Rahim Khan asks him to fly to Afghanistan to retrieve Hassan´s son, he stops to weigh the consequences. ¨I can go to Kabul, I had said to Rahim Khan. I have a wife in America, a home, a career, and a family¨. Amirs immediate reaction is to run away, just as he had all those years ago. But Amir is no longer a twelve ear old child and takes time to think about his actions. But Amir returns and¨Told him I was going to Kabul". Although he is not saintly like Amir, who accepts and forgives everyone, he is a better representation of what most in our society would do, which is not something to be ashamed of.

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Likewise, the rift between Amir and Baba rendered both incapable of unconditional love. Amir felt responsible for his mother's death and believed Baba felt the same, "I always felt like Baba hated me a little". This is excentuated by Baba's golden rule: "There is only one sin and that is theft...when you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth". Amir betrayed Baba's rule right from his birth by stealing his mothers life. Their relationship continues to evolve and progress, but their love is not the unconditional love like Amir and Hassan learned to share. Their love continued to be conditional, but that does not mean it wasn't love. Baba loved Amir in his own way right to his death.