A Thousand Acres

Imagine a kite, effortlessly flying high in the sky. At times taking powerful dives as a reaction to a change in weather or in the control exhorted by the kite flyer. The connection is so strong between the flyer and the kite, it may only be compared to a relationship that notions love through a greater sacrifice. With each reaction or movement with the wind, the flyer most make their adjustment to place the kite in a stronger position for flight. This is not unlike the relationship showing…

All works of literature and art entwine in a common thread that connects the stories by a universal and malleable outline- the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell’s the Hero’s Journey, or the monomyth, applies to all stories to some degree through its 17-stages. The stages divide into 3 major components- separation (the Call to Adventure), initiation (the Trials), and return (the Aftermath and the Return)- that can pertain to individual journeys of self-actualization or endeavors of resolving…

birthday, he sees his best friend and servant, Hassan, get raped. Hassan is raped, after the biggest kite flying tournament, when he goes to run the kite Amir had cut. Hassan tells Amir, “...Right now, I’m going to run that blue kite for you...for you a thousand times over!” (Hosseini 67). Hassan tells…

stories can actually be found to possess parallel structures to each other. The 12 Stages of The Hero’s Journey is a form of structure commonly found in Romance Narratives and was introduced in Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth from his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell shows that many journeys, either literal or metaphorical, follow a similar structure. The hero starts in an ordinary, known world but is called to adventure and passes through into an extraordinary, unknown world where he…

The Hero’s Journey is a basic pattern that every hero goes through in order to achieve a goal. This pattern consists of a quest, challenges, and then ends with a change in their life forever. Throughout their journey, the hero encounters challenges but also has allies to help them out. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Hero’s Journey, consisting of the departure, initiation, and then the return, is clearly displayed throughout the whole story. Gilgamesh’s journey started with the departure stage,…

I want to hate Amir. I really, really want to hate Amir. Beginning in 1975, Khaled Hosseini’s intriguing novel, The Kite Runner, highlights the differences in the Pashtun and Hazara cultures of Afghanistan. Specifically, the uncommon friendship between Amir, a Pashtun, and his Hazara servant, Hassan. The two young boys grew up together, and were even breastfed by the same woman. They are almost always inseparable. Both of their mothers are out of the picture: Amir’s dead and Hassan’s somewhere…

The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini is based on an Afghanistani boy named Amir that tries to redeem his all the mistakes he has done in his life. This novel conveys strong themes of guilt and is incredibly apparent to the chosen passage, located on page 98. This passage also shows the protagonist, Amir, to be lacking courage. It also develops the plot to move forward, as Amir’s road to redemption gets more complicated. The style that the author writes sets the tone to be sad throughout…

While reading The Kite Runner, I have had a few reactions to the text. One of my reactions is being shocked about the rape of Hassan in chapter 6. After Hassan retrieved the flag he was soon cornered by Assef and his two other bully friends. They told him to give the flag to them but he refused so they began to assault him then rape him. It was very disturbing to read. A personal connection that I can make with some characters is how Amir is always trying to please his father. Throughout the…

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel “The Kite Runner,” Baba portrays himself as compassionate, giving, and courageous man who yearns for his son to be more like him one day. He essentially sets the moral bar for his son Amir, by risking his life for a stranger on their way to America and building an orphanage despite others opinions. Not to mention he is one of the most wealthy and respected men of Kabul, making him the father many dream of having one day. However, Baba was a liar, a hypocritical man as…

In the first few chapters of Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the stark contrast between Amir and Hassan’s strong relationship and its demolition highlights one of the book’s major themes, which is even explicitly mentioned by Rahim: if people form a relationship which is actively being deterred by society, societal pressure will inevitably destroy it (99). Furthermore, it establishes some of the book’s most prominent motifs, those of betrayal and deception. Prior to their falling out, Amir…