I miss you in my classes! Now that you have all finished reading Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns or Joy Luck Club, it's time to discuss your thoughts and delve into the novel's themes.
Ms. Brown
The Assignment
Where it says "comments," post your thoughts on the novel. You may include any ideas, queries, reactions and/or analysis that you like. Please remember to include your name at the beginning of your comment. In addition, you must also meet the following five requirements:
1) At some point you must address any of the following themes: gender, class,
parent-child relationships, choice and consequence, redemption or power.
2) Make at least two comparisons and/or contrasts between your novel and
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.
3) Provide at least three specific examples to support your statements.
(Because you no longer have the books, you don't have to exact quotes
unless you have them.)
4) Connect/respond to someone else's comments. (e.g. "I agree with Mona
that ... and I would add that..." or Unlike Michael and Laila, I don't think
Amir's decision represented...because...) Yes, this does mean that the
person who comments first needs to comment twice.
5) Your comment(s) must be at least 1000 words. That's the equivalent of two
pages of typed writing.
Questions?
Contact Ms. Brown at 617-779-8979 or sbrown@bostonartsacademy.org
Mariah Guevin
ReplyDeleteI personally thought that A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini was tragically sad. How the Garcia Girls Lost thier Accent simply didn't compare. Though both books explored being truly a part of no culture, A Thousand Splendid Suns was a more intimate look at the was in which one is secluded. In How The Garcia Girls Lost Thier Accent the girls were briefly niether American nor Dominican. Not American due to thier cultural differences, accents, and parents, but no longer associating with Dominicans due to the political issues and of course, thier new home in America. This estrangement to me is one of the reasons that the girls are so independant-- they are forced to be! In A Thousand Splendid Suns however the abuse and gender issues give us better insight into the issue of solitude.
Marium's solitude is prevelant through her gender and the social status that being a woman gives her. The book reads, "each snowflake was a sigh heaved by an agravated woman somewhere in the world. That all the sighs drifted up the sky, gathered into clouds, then broke into tiny pieces that fell silently on the people below. 'As a reminder of how women like us suffer,' she'd said. 'how quietly we endure all that falls upon us.'" (Hosseini 82). Marium feels connected to women around the world as she sees the snow fall. However, she is completely controlled by Rasheed and unable to see or interact with any of these women. The snow is helping her connect to women around the world, but it is the only connection to the world she has. Marium is stuck inside, controlled by her husband simply because she is a woman. This quote not only shows how she is so isolated that her only connection to the world is through the weather, but also her views on women. The qoute says, "we quietly endure all that falls upon us" (Hossieni 82). Marium seems to think that this silent suffering is the state of all women, and that there is no other way of life, there is no other option. This type of women's suffering is what she has always endured and always seen be endured, and thus she has become so accustomed to the abuse of women that she assumes it is a world-wide condition. Marium's solitude due to her gender are more personal than the issues of the Garcia girls to me because of the writer's poetic way of speaking and the intimacy and detail of each issue.
I also feel that one major "wow" factor of a book is the ability of the author to create a main character for you to despise. Khaled Hossieni is a master at this! In The Kite Runner he created Amir, who betrayed us as we learned of his cowardly ways. In A Thousand Splendid Suns he created Rasheed, an abusive, sexist, selfish pig whom characters and readers alike would find themselves plotting against. In How the Garcia Girls Lost Thier Accents however there was no main character who was truly despised, who betrayed the readers with abuse or craveness or selfishness. None of the main characters who readers were able to experience first-hand in in-depth description were someone who we also deeply hated.
Rasheed's cruelty towards women is what makes him so hate-able. This describes one of his beatings "It was as if a car had hit her at full speed in the tender place between the lower tip of the breastbone and the belly button. She realized she had dropped Aziza, that Aziza was screaming. She tried to breathe again and could only make a husky choking sound. Dribble hung from her mouth." (Hossieni 239-240). Rasheed is cruel and shows no mercy to women, even his daughter and wives are targets in his mind. He has punched his wife to the point where she cannot breathe, caused his little girl to scream and cry in fear and in pleas of mercy. The culture allows men to dominate in every way, but readers are given more than insight into the culture as it is embodied by Rasheed. His brutal and pitiless actions him easy to detest and yet, his horrible presence enriches the plot with emotion. Readers are not able to feel many more emotions than love, hope, shock, sadness, and anticipation as they read How the Garcia Gilrs Lost Thier Accents. With Rasheed however they are able to be intensley angry, disgusted, reproachful, and disapointed. The emotional rollercoaster Rasheed puts readers on as he abuses the heroes of the story are the great difference between the amount of interest I have in the two books.
Which book did you guys find more touching?
Mariah Guevin
ReplyDeleteA Thousand Splendid Suns makes me glad that I am an American! Could you imagine being in Laila or Marium's shoes?!?!
After Marium has murdered Rasheed because he was attempting to murder Laila she is caught and brought to a prison. She is unjustly tried, kept in an insanitary cell, and is treated poorly due to her gender. The officer tries to console her by explaining to her her primitive state. The officer says, "'God has made us differently, you women and us men. Our brains are different. You are not able to think like we can. Western doctors and thier science have proven this. This is why we require only one male witness but two female ones.'" (Hossieni 324). The officer rightly describes gender as a state which cannot be altered. However, he describes females as being disabled by the crippling disease of womanhood. If even the authorities are able to discriminate against women than it becomes clear to readers that they see this not as opinions, but as facts and that it has become a part of their culture, politics, and society. The officer is so sure that he is correct in his thinking that he actually states, "our brains are different". He tells Marium that due to this condition she cannot possibly understand the intensity of her crime, or the value of the man she murdered. All of this political, social, and psychological abuse of the female gender gives me greater appreciation of the world I live in. Although there are ads and standards and school admissions that seem to reward males and in actuality oppress females, I have so much freedom, power, and sexual equality compared to women like Marium and Laila. To me, this is just another reason to love A Thousand Splendid Suns... a little perspective is never a bad thing.
Uh-oh! Nobody else commented!? How can I connect/respond to nobody's comments!?
ReplyDeleteKaren Phung~
ReplyDeleteThe novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, left a dynamic impact on me. It displayed raw human emotion: kindness, greed, selfishness, and fear. The main character, Amir, showed that it was never too late for someone who had dirtied his hands a dozen times, to come clean. One very important theme to me in this novel was redemption. The Kite Runner was mainly about a person who did many bad deeds in his past and redeeming for his past mistakes. For example, a quote said, “My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.” (Hosseini 289) This showed redemption because; Amir was getting hurt for what he did to Hassan. When they were younger, Amir had tricked Hassan, watched Hassan be raped right in front of him, and pushed him away. While this was happening, Hassan continued to love and care for Amir. In the quote, Amir smiled to show he was finally able to redeem for the ways he had treated Hassan. Therefore, this quote relates to the theme of redemption.
The Kite Runner was similar to the other novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents in some ways. One similarity was that both Amir and the four Garcia girls grew up in wealthy families. An example from The Kite Runner was the quote, “Everyone agreed that my father, my Baba, had built the most beautiful house in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, a new affluent neighborhood in the northern part of Kabul.” (Hosseini 4) This quote revealed that the neighborhood Amir’ family lived in was affluent. Affluent means to have wealth or be prosperous. To live in a rich neighborhood showed that Amir had to be wealthy as well. An example in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents was when two men came over to the Garcia house to find the four girls’ father. Servants were mentioned helping Mr. Garcia hide in the closet. This situation showed that the four Garcia girls came from a wealthy family because, they had servants. Only the rich could afford to hire servants. Another comparison was that characters from both books had conflicts with their fathers. An example in the The Kite Runner was the quote, “Then I’d bring it home and show it to Baba. Show him once and for all that his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over.” (Hosseini 56) The quote displayed a parent-child complex. In the quote, Amir was desperate to show his father that he was not useless. In addition, mentioned his life as a ghost in the house. This all meant that Amir did not receive enough attention from his father. His attempt to show his father his worth was a cry for attention. The quote hinted that Amir was a neglected child. An example from How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents happened in the chapter, “The Kiss”. The youngest daughter, Sofia, invited her family to her home to celebrate their father’s birthday. At the party, the girls and their mother played a game. The father had to sit blindfolded, while each girl came up to give him a kiss on the cheek. He had to guess who the kisser was. After a while of calling out the girls’ names, Sofia realized her father had not even once guessed her name. She got angry with him and decided to give him a very inappropriate kiss. The father got mad and walked away. The quote revealed a parent-child complex too. At the party, the father called out all the names of his daughters and wife, except for Sofia. Not doing so was almost implying that she was not part of the family. Sophia had to do something outrageous to get his attention, there by kissing him inappropriately. At the same time, it hinted that she was tired of his neglect.
I have many opinions on these novels. In the beginning of The Kite Runner, I could not believe how loyal Hassan was to Amir. I felt that his loyalty exceeded the level of foolishness. It was obvious Amir did not deserve someone as good as Hassan; even Amir knew that. At some parts of the story, I got angry with Hassan. It seemed like he was not willing to fight for his rights. Although later on, I think he might have just loved Amir too much. I still question if Amir had really redeemed for his actions. He made Hassan suffer extensively. However, he was really brave to save Sohrab, Hassan’s son. I think in this story, he redeemed the most for his actions by saving Sohrab, something he could not do for Hassan. Sohrab was like a new beginning, a way for Amir to start over and do it right. In addition, Amir’s father was a hypocrite. He said one thing and did another. He told his son that the worst thing a person could ever do was lie. Nevertheless, he started a lie and continued it to his grave when Hassan was born. I could not believe Hassan was actually Amir’s brother. This made so much sense though, like when Amir received a present from his father, Hassan would also get a present. In the near end of the story, I was very surprised at how some families reunited, like Hassan and his mother. The mother was shockingly a good-hearted person.
I agree with Mariah’s comments about how, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents did not even compare with Khaled Hosseini’s novels. His novels capture the raw essence of love, honor, guilt, fear, and redemption. His inspirational tales just draw the readers right into the twisted, sickening gore of the stories. However, I disagree that Amir was a character created for others to despise. To me, he was more human than anything. Like any human, Amir fell into temptation and fear. I believe his character was created the way he was, not for the hatred of the readers, but as a reflection of what our real motives are.
~Karen Phung
ReplyDeleteI responded at midnight just for you Mariah! =D You better love me for this!
Hey guys its Wilne,
ReplyDeleteLet me start by saying whoa! A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini took my breath away more than once. The extreme suffering that Mariam and Laila had to endure put me in shock. I completely agree with you Mariah when you say that the author has a way of making one hate a character, Rasheed won my dislike as well, but I do think that there are some connection between How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent (GGA) and A Thousand Splendid Suns (TSS). For one they both speak about women enduring hardship in world. This is shown when the Garcia girls first come to America and are treated badly by the student in their schools because of their thick Dominican Accent. Is this not a sign of hardship that the girls had to endure to assimilate into the new culture? “His powerful hands clasped her jaw. He shoved two fingers into her mouth and pried it open, the forced the cold, hard pebbles into it.”(Hosseini, 94) This is also shown in (TSS) when Mariam had to endure the grief of Rasheed’s beating to have a place to sleep and food to eat. This is one comparison between the two books. Another would be the fact that in both books there are characters that make one dislike them. In (GGA) the boys that were making fun of one of the Garcia girls would make anyone’s blood boil. Even after the girl begged them to stop making fun of her they continued. “‘Actually, your father has already given Rasheed his answer,’ Afsoon said. ‘Rasheed is here, in Heart; he has come all the way from Kabul. The nikka will be tomorrow morning, and then there is a bus leaving for Kabul at noon.’”(Hosseini, 45) In (TSS) Jalil gave away his own daughter to Rasheed right after he mother died. This would be an act unthinkable for most parents and it definitely put Jalil on top of our hit list.
Now I must say that (TSS) is jam-packed with many choices and consequences. Every single character in the book made a choice that lead to devastating repercussions. “‘I’ll die if you go. The jinn will come, and I’ll have one of my fits. You’ll see, I’ll swallow my tongue and die. Don’t leave me, Mariam jo. Please stay. I’ll die if you go.’”(Hosseini, 26) Even though Nana warned Mariam that something bad would happen to her if she went into the city, she didn’t listen and it lead to Nana’s death. An example of acting causes reaction, a sad reaction at that. Mariam’s actions had a heavy price and she experienced it at full force. While I was reading this part of the book I must say I was completely devastated. This was a disturbing punch to the side that I was not expecting, a complete change from Khaled Hosseini’s previous novel The Kite Runner where it took a while to get into the real action of the book. I’m even bold enough to say that this part extracted some tears. “Babi tried again to convince Mammy to leave Kabul. ‘They’ll work it out.’ Mammy said. “This fight is temporary. They’ll sit down and figure something out.”(Hosseini, 159) Once more the choices that the characters in (TSS) made leads to horrible repercussions, because Fariba would not agree to leave Kabul earlier her husband and herself where killed by a bomb that landed in their house. Her stubbornness took away one of the only things she had left life. At this point in the book I am filled with rage at Fariba and the war going on in Kabul, but mainly Fariba. What arrogance she displayed during her last days. She didn’t know all the trouble she would be placing her beloved Laila into, all the beatings, the depression, and inner pain. “And, with that, Mariam brought down the shovel. This time, she gave it everything she had.”(Hosseini, 311) Mariam had just made the ultimate sacrifice for Laila, she killed Rasheed. Rasheed was going to kill Laila because she talked to Tariq, her childhood friend and lover. Mariam was not going to allow Rasheed to take away one of the only people that ever really loved her, so she killed him. I must admit while I was reading this part I was overtaken with joy. I, as many other who have read this book I am suspecting, developed a deep disgust for Rasheed, and to read that the Mariam was finally going to do something about him I literally leaped with joy! But I was not aware at the moment what this would cost Mariam, her life. To hear that Mariam was going to be executed made me feel sympathy, anger and put me in a melancholy state. The book began with Mariam and I was actually hoping that it would end with her. I guess it all Khaled brilliant ending, but I still can’t help to feel like it ended wrong. Mariam’s life was filled with so many sorrows that I wanted to hear a happy ending for her. Now apart from those feeling I enjoyed the book a lot. The author is definitely going in my must read category.
And I have to say that the part where Laila got the box from Hamza where Jalil put in it the movie Pinocchio was amazing. Such a little detail like that hit me real down deep because that was what Mariam wanted all along. To be taken to see Pinocchio be her father, and to not be thought of as a harami. If I had to choose any part of the book to remember it would be this part, because it shows that in the end Jalil did care. This book guy is a beautiful story that will hurt any human feelings. I give it a four out of five starts and recommend it to anyone who simply wants to be touched. “One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”(Hosseini, 172)
Rosemary Onofri
ReplyDeletePersonally I liked the Kite Runner however some parts were so emotional that I couldn't stand reading for an extensive amount of time. The part where Hassan was raped and Amir just stood by like a coward made me want to cry because Hassan would never have let something like that happen to Amir.
With Garcia Girls, I liked it but it didn't have the same impact that the Kite Runner had on my mind or heart for that matter. Certain parts jumped out at me and made me angry or just baffled. However it was interesting to see how other people think.
I felt that each relationship between a parent and a child in the books were different. Amir and Baba had a tortured relationship, especially in the beginning because Baba wanted Amir to be manly, strong and much more violent. It seemed as if Ali and Hassan had a normal relationship considering, it never seemed like they fought.
Throughout the book I didn’t care for Amir, I just thought it was rude, cowardly and not a true friend. Especially in the beginning I felt that Amir wouldn’t do anything unless it benefitted him in some way. However I liked Hassan a lot because he was kind, thoughtful and didn’t let revenge consume him after he was brutally attacked. I didn’t have a big opinion of Ali, for me he was just kind of there, he wasn’t a big part of the story that stood out in my mind. However Baba was another story. I liked that he wanted Amir to be able to stand up for himself but I didn’t like his opinions on how men should act to be considered manly. When Amir first got married I liked how much she cared for Baba when he got sick, I felt that if I got married I’d want my spouse to do that for my family.
1) Psychological oppression
* When the neighborhood kids use to call Hassan absurd and hurtful names. That was an example of psychological oppression because by calling Hassan mean names they are hurting him mentally and making him feel worse about him and think that he is just a worthless as everyone has told him.
2) Stereotype
* Amir refused to play any contact sport because it was not his talent or interest. However Baba use to tell him on a regular basis that real men play sports. This is an example of a stereotype because it is practically saying if you don’t play sports, like Amir, you are not a real man. Implying to be a man you must play sports.
* People use to tell Baba that running a business was not in his blood. This is an example of a stereotype because it is as if telling you that no one in his family can run a successful business.
* Amir always read books non stop however his fellow peers and elders thought that because he read and loved literature so much he was not a real man. This is an example is stereotype because it is practically telling you that to be a man you can not like to read, and that if you are a man and like books you are not a true man.
3) Class
* People would call all Hazara’s mice eaters, unintelligent. This is an example of class because if the Hazara’s are so simple minded then the others must be so much smarter. As if implying that one class of people were smart and another was dumb.
* Since Amir was a Pashtun and Hassan was a Hazara their relationship had to be hidden from the world, Amir would treat Hassan badly just to show that he knew his place. This is an example of class because if it didn’t matter that Hassan and Amir were of different classes they wouldn’t have had to hide their friendship.
* Amir would use the fact that Hassan didn’t have much of an education because of his class against him and tell lies that made him feel superior. This is an example of class because if Hassan wasn’t apart of the lower class he would have understood all that Amir told him and Amir would be less likely to lie and pull the wool over Hassan’s eyes.
Comparison between the Kite Runner and the Garcia Girls
1). Both Amir and the daughters in the Garcia family were Americanized when they traveled into the United States of America.
Examples:
A) The Garcia girls went to a school in the U.S and began to take part in what their family thought was American culture, by smoking and doing drugs. By doing drugs and smoking they were Americanized because in their home country they would have never done that because they were taught it was wrong but once the got to the U.S they saw other people doing it so why can’t they.
B) One of the Garcia girls married a man who was not from the Dominican Republic therefore disregarding her heritage as her father would say because she then passed on new traditions, most that were American traditions. She was being Americanized and made her family more American by passing on traditions from America.
C) In the book the Kite Runner Amir finished school in America, learning more and more English every day. Amir was Americanized because he was taking part in the English language, thus in the American culture.
2) Both fathers of both Amir and the Garcia daughters rarely showed how they felt; they usually ignored emotions and decided to hold it in. However, all the children wanted their father’s affection.
A) One of the Garcia daughters always wanted her father to notice her so one day she had a party with her family and they were playing a game. However throughout the entire party the father would avoid this particular daughter.
B) Amir use to fly the kite mainly to impress Baba however he never so much smiled at his victory, he could never show affection towards Amir, only Hassan the “servants child.”
C) When Amir received a compliment about his writing Baba would never acknowledge his ability if anything he’d ignore it or say it was a waste of time. All in all he rarely gave Amir any sense of pride or self confidence.
I agree with Karen, it was interesting how Hassan was so loyal to Amir yet Amir usually turned his back on him.
I feel like The kite runner was really good, but so heart breaking at most times. I think I liked the kite runner the best. how about you guys?
Rosemary♥
ReplyDeleteps. sorry mariah, at least we are all writing on the blog now :)
for a couple days I tried to get on this website but it never worked. finally it worked and I could respond too!
Hope all is well everyone! Have a nice day off!
Mariah Guevin
ReplyDeleteWilne, I thought that your thoughts on choices and consequences were very interesting. I completely agree with you that it was one of the central themes of the novel. I think that Hossieni used these choices to familiarize us with the characters of the novel and to make us feel pain with them, empathy for them, and sorrow when we understood their resoning and the deth of thier choice. I feel that this was a relevant theme in How the Garcia Girls Lost thier Accents aswell. The girls chose to distance themselves from thier own culture and become Americanized, for some this would cause chaos, and for others it would end delightfully. The authors also both delved into the consequences set on us through no fault of our own. Gender caused brutality in A Thousand Splendid Suns, and in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents it was race. The consequences these women faced through discrimination, abuse, and solitude in the world were emense and diverse. One may say that my current situation is parallel to these. Will my grade be lowered because through no fault of my own you guys waited until midnight to post any comments... or is it a consequence of my own actions-- going to bed instead of staying up intil the last possible minute?
Anyways, I thought that the last quote you posted Wilne was beautiful, "One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls." (Hossieni 172) but also a metaphor for the hero of the novel, Marium. Though she was burdened with abuse and hate, and lived a life littered with hardships far too mature for her, she was beautiful and strong. Each bruise and scrape her body held was a scar from a battle fought and lived through. These bruises were "moons that shimmer on her roofs," (Hossieni 172). And, though she may have grown ugly, hard, and tired on the outside, within her was a heart piercing with love, living to serve, praying for tomorrow, and hoping to heal and be healed. Marium's sweat emotions and divine sacrifice were "the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls" (Hossieni 172). What a trgically lovely book!
I love the breadth and depth of dialogue everyone. I may chime in at the end. And no Mariah, your grade won't be lowered; the assignment is due by the end of today. I can't to hear from everyone else.
ReplyDeleteMs. Brown
Anya Eacmen
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mariah: How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and The Kite Runner were tragic but I think the circumstances were different in how the characters evolved as individuals and how each character’s choice affected their adult personalities. How the Garica Girls Lost Their Accents explored the separation of the Hispanic girls from their parents who expected the girls to behave as they would have as children in the Hispanic culture. This emotional separation is something that all of mankind experiences when establishing their own identity –severing the ties of dependence with their parents thus becoming adults. That separation between generations is shown in both The Kite Runner and How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents.
However, I found The Kite Runner to be more tragic because it dealt with the separation between Amir and the some of the restraints of his society and his father’s family beliefs. In The Kite Runner Amir did not seem to belong in the culture of his homeland because he was timid and literature-oriented unlike his father, Baba, and the other adult males. Baba’s was successful and he made a beautiful home for his family in a wealthy neighborhood. His father’s expectations of physical strength, honor and courage, which he himself possessed, were not part of Amir’s natural character traits. Unfortunately, Amir knew his father was disappointed with him. While still a young boy, Amir and his father had to flee their homeland because of political unrest due to the Russians invasion of their country.
Years later in America, as an adult, Amir was still unable to separate himself from his father expectations as well as the other Afghani peers’ expectations when it came to the customs of dating. Amir admired one of father’s friend’s daughter. Amir’s father warned him to be respectful of the traditions of their culture before initiating any relationship. His Arabic culture dictated that he must not speak with the friend’s daughter, Soraya, until he asked permission from her father. At first, Soraya’s father acted as though he did not approve of Amir. Her father, General Sahib and his wife Khala Jamila eventually allow Amir to speak with Soraya. Amir asked his father to request Soraya’s parents’ approval to marry. Although permission is granted they must not be alone at any time before the wedding. Amir and Soraya honored the wedding tradition which meant that they must be chaperoned by her Mother or another adult at all times before the wedding.
When Amir’s father, Baba, was sick Amir and Baba disagreed about the ability to trust the American medical system. Baba was assigned a Russian doctor for his treatment and Baba was disgusted by the doctor’s Russian nationality. Baba physically pushed the doctor away from him while being examined when he found out he was Russian. Amir found his father a new doctor despite the fact that Amir knew the Russian doctor was perfectly able to treat his father.
Amir must face his childhood demons when he learned that he was to return to Afghanistan. After arriving in his homeland, he was told by his father’s closest friend that Hassan, his childhood friend who he had betrayed, was really his brother. He also learned that Hassan’s child was the only survivor of Hassan’s and must be found and united with Amir. After a long dangerous search, Amir redeemed himself after facing and overcoming his childhood fears and rescuing his deceased brother's child. After his courageous rescue of Sorhab, Hassan’s son, Amir was then able to realize a self esteem and pride that he had never felt before. After his return to America with Sorhab, he asserted the new-found self-esteem that his father had wanted for him since childhood. After repeated questioning about the new boy from his father-in-law General Shabib and the general’s wife Khala Jamila, Amir spoke firmly to his father-in-law explaining who Sorhab is and insisting that the child be honorably accepted as a family member.
Anya Eacmen
ReplyDeleteIn How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, the girls became disconnected from their Hispanic culture but adapted to their new life by assimilating into American culture. Their self destructive actions were initially disturbing before they found emotional stable ground. What confused their family was how the girls seemed to be content being ‘American’ girls. This was completely different from the situation in Kite Runner. Amir and Hasssan were best friends and acted like brothers until Hassan was sexually assaulted. Amir’s decision not to save his friend from the humiliating sexual assault and to then lie about not knowing about the incident would subconsciously haunt Amir well into his adult years. After this tragedy, both were unable to communicate with each other and sadly, Hassan left Amir’s home. The two never see each other again. Amir must live with this tragedy and is only redeemed after his return trip to Afghanistan where he saved Hassan’s son Sorhab from a humiliating life with the Taliban and adopted Sorhab.
Because Amir chose to save himself instead of protecting his friend he must live with his secret shame until he returned to Afghanistan and bravely endured days of tense war experiences until he found and captured Hassan’s son. Amir realized the Taliban captor was Assef, one of the three of Hassan’s sexual attackers. I agree with Rosemary's point that both the Garcia girls and Amir internalized their emotions when they looked for approval from their parents. The relationships in both novels were difficult because the children were growing and adapting to the new cultures in which they were being raised. Amir looked toward educating himself in America. The Garcia girls tried to find themselves outside of the Hispanic culture’s traditions by marrying outside of their own Hispanic culture, using tampons and smoking marijuana.
I agree with Karen but disagree at the same time. I think if Amir hadn’t feared for his own life he would have immediately defended Hassan from his physical and emotional pain. However, Amir’s fear fully engulfed him, robbing him of the courage necessary to save Hassan. Although Hassan probably felt ashamed and hurt, I found it astounding that through all of his feelings of betrayal he still managed to be completely loyal to Amir. Ultimately, Amir betrayed Hassan because of his own fear.