Monday, February 05, 2007
The Novel - Discussion #5
After Amir wins the kite running tournament, his relationship with Baba undergoes significant change. However, while they form a bond of friendship, Amir is still unhappy. What causes this unhappiness and how has Baba contributed to Amir's state of mind? Eventually, the relationship between the two returns to the way it was before the tournament, and Amir laments "we actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us." Discuss the significance of this passage.
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19-5 Rafael
After Amir wins the kite flying tournament his relationship with Baba dramatically. This change is caused because Baba is now proud of him in a way for winning the tournament. At the same time his happiness only lasted a few weeks since Baba was always out and that gave him time to barry himself in book again. The significance to this passage is that for the first time Amir and Baba were having a fether and son relationship and they really were proud one to eachother.
The cause for Amir's undying discontent is that he is plagued by the events that took place after Hassan had retrieved the kite. The fact that he ran away from hassan, a great noble force, in the moments before his rape is something he cannot escape. Amir realizes that he is a coward, and that he lacks the backbone to correct it within himself. The guilt and feeling of injustice only grow with the gifts and congratulations, and Amir finds it difficult to ever let go the haunting event that he, in abandoning Hassan, allowed to happen.
After the kite tournament Amir is happy that Baba feels proud of him for winning it. What made Amir feel unhappy was when he turn his back on Hassan in the moment he was in trouble. After that, Amir probably felt like a coward for not having the courage to help the friend that has always been there for him. After a while his relationship with Baba went back the way it used to be, like the passege ment, that it was something so weak that it couldn't last long.
Baba is very angry with Amir when he finds out that his son doesn't want to have Hassan and his father in the family anymore. Even though Amir accuses Hassan of stealing, Baba still manages to forgive them. Yet it is too late because Hassan and Ali leave the house. Baba felt like he had lost the dearest of his family members. After that incident, Baba retreats into his own world of business transactions and negotiations and Amir hides in the security of his books and writing.
Since Amir had witnessed the raping of Hassan, he still could not get the horrible image out of his head. Even though he wins the kite tournament, and Baba is very proud of him, his relationship with Baba changes due to the fact that he still is being tormented by the raping. Amir realizes the fact that he did not stand up for Hassan and that he is a coward. Baba and him do get a bit closer, like father and son, but the images still plague his mind. Amir realizes that he is not as loyal as Hassan is to him.
Amir asked baba if they can get new servants and baba was resented by that. When Ali and Hassan leave baba was devistated. this cause Baba and Amir to go back to their own ways. Amir thaught that winning the kite tournament was going to win Baba's heart and for a while it did.
Guilt. Amir is overwhelemed with the feeling of deception, brought by the witnessing of Hassans rape. Keeping it quite and to himself. He is incapable of enjoying anything that reminds him of Hassan, and it is all around him. Baba and him were bonding on a superficial level, that kite was ran by Hassan, the loyal Hassan, so was this new experience between Baba and Amir even all that truthful? Amir has no choice but to accept he ran, he was nothing like Baba or Hassan. He was a coward. It was guilt that was tearing Amir apart and would taunt him for many years to come.
Amir and Baba's relationship grow in the kite runner contest because they find something were both of them are bonding and are having fun with. After the tournament their lives go back to the norm and they no longer have the connection they had at the turnoment. Amir laments that they only shared those feeling because of the tournament.
After Amir won the kite tornament, his relatonship with baba changed.
Baba was now proud of him. However, Amir feeling did not last for long because he felt bad when he let down his friend when he was in need.
After the kite flying tournament Amir relationship with Baba changes due to the fact the he accomplished something. Baba is now proud of him and is honored. However, things slowly start to go back to the way they were, with Baba at work constantly. The guilt that Amir had for not standing up for Hassan causes even greater pain. With Ali and Hassan gone Amir is left with no one.
Images of the raping of Hassan was scarred in Amir's thoughts. Baba found himself being very proud of Amir, But their relationship has been going down hill since the raping. Amir realizes the fact that he did not stand up for Hassan and that he is a coward.
After the tournament, the relationship between Amir and Baba changes but only for a moment. Amir is unhappy because he's filled with so much guilt, that he's unable to enjoy anything. Everything reminds him of Hassan and the day he cowardly watched him be raped. Although Baba began to feel proud of Amir and slowly had some sort of father/son relationship, it made things worse because he knows the truth; that he is not loyal or true, he is a coward. The guilt is slowly eating him inside.
Although Amir won the kite running tournament, he still did not gain the happiness he expected he would. Right after the competition, Amir witnesses Assef raping Hasaan. Amir could have stepped in and tried to stop the sodomy, but instead, he ran. The guilt that resulted from his cowardice behavior was too unbearable to even truly enjoy the affection his father was finally giving him. Baba has contributed to Amir's state of mind by subconsciously putting it in Amir's head that in order for Amir to gain his affection, he would have to be good at something that Baba approves of. Amir believes that winning the kite fighting tournament will solve everything, when in fact, it doesn't. Even when Amir sees Hasaan after he just got raped, Amir can't help but double check to make sure he's got the last kite. Amir and Baba are so different, and it seems that both wish they had some common interest. When Amir says, "We actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy...could somehow close the chasm between us" he finally realizes that the problem is much deeper than simply winning a contest or having a common interest with his father.
This signifiance of the passage is basically that amir and baba use the tournament as a cover up for how they really feel. Amir has been subjected to seeing his bestfriend get raped and i think that amir still has in the back of his mind how unhappy it makes him that amir loves to read. This angers amir because he knows there is nothing wrong with him. He realizes that the tournament doesn't cover up the real hurt.
I'm not the type of person to give up just because something gets rough. That's a coward. That's not me. See the link below for more info.
#coward
www.ufgop.org
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