A Thousand Plateaus

Anyone whose heart strings were pulled by Khaled Hosseini's first, hugely successful novel, The Kite Runner, should read his second book; A Thousand Splendid Suns. This book is the best he has ever written. I guarantee you that you will be more than satisfied, after reading this impressive novel. Hosseini is one of the few writers who has talent when it comes to describing unbearable events, such as violence, misery and abuse. The novel is about two women: Mariam and Laila. They live in a war…

Jospeh Campbell, an American mythologist, has popularized the idea of the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey is something that every hero is required to go through. According to Campbell, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Campbell 1). A hero must also accomplish one of two deeds. The first deed is the physical deed, where “…the hero performs a courageous act in battle and saves a life” (Campbell 1). The second deed is the spiritual deed, where…

How does one’s culture affect their lives? Can culture influence one’s behavior? How do people escape the shackles of society? These questions are all explored in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. This book contains a heartwarming story about two women confined by Afghan culture. In this novel, Hosseini emphasises the struggles women have to endure such as arranged marriage, lack of freedom, and war due to the conservative culture in Afghanistan. Arranged marriage is common in…

The American scholar Joseph Campbell explains that every hero on a quest goes through specific stages. “Ancient myths were designed to put the minds, mental system into accord with this body system….to harmonize” (Campbell). The mind can want things the body does not want. In accord with the way nature dicatates, Well, because that’s what’s worth writing about. I mean, even in popular novel writing, you see, these the main character is the hero or heroine, that is to say, someone who has found…

“Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami.” (Hosseini 2007, p. 1) The opening sentence of Hosseini’s novel A Thousand Splendid Suns already gives the audience a sense of inferiority and cruelty that Mariam experiences in the world, as well as foreshadowing the unfortunate events to come later in the novel. A book that represents the poor treatment of Islamic females in other countries, this is one of Hosseini’s best works; it puts life through the eyes of two girls…

The Kite Runner Analytical Writing Task The term “sacrificial lamb” is someone being made to suffer the consequence of a wrongdoing by another. In the book, The Kite Runner, Hassan symbolizes the sacrificial lamb. Amir sacrifices Hassan many times for his own benefits. For example, when Amir sacrificed Hassan for the blue kite, he was able to get the kite back and make Baba proud for winning the tournament. Another scenario where Hassan was the sacrificial lamb was when he took the blame for…

Afghan women fare well in America compared to in Afghanistan. They are given more opportunities when it comes to education and jobs. However, in many cases they are still restricted. In Afghanistan, most of the women would stay home and take care of the family while their husband worked. Their main goal being to marry off to an honorable family and have children. Afghan women in America are allowed more freedom, but are still limited due to the Afghan community in America. Gossip is very…

grand acts of courage and altruism, he asks Sohrab to fly the kite with him. He says, “[Sohrab’s] Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed. The wind lifted his hair. I thought I saw him nod. ‘For you, a thousand times over,’ I heard myself say” (Hosseini, 371). The phrase “for you, a thousand times over,” symbolizes Amir’s transformation into a more selfless and more loyal character like Hassan, for Hassan always said that phrase to Amir. Amir has come full circle, from a weak boy to a heroic…

Joseph Campbell made an accurate conclusion by studying heroes from ancient mythology. He realized that many heroes went through a very similar cycle throughout their journey. This was the beginning of the Hero’s Journey. My life is very similar to the Hero’s Journey as well. My life’s journey of getting through my depression is very similar to Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey because I had a call to action. I also met mentors, went through tests, and faced allies/enemies; in the end it was…

The demons of Afghanistan possess the many characters in The Kite Runner. Amir, our protagonist, is a very flawed character, with so many things wrong with him even though we must root for him, which could be an entirely different essay in itself. Baba is built up so much throughout the book, but turns out to be a fraud. He has a secret that he feels guilty about his whole life, which causes him to act the way he does. There are other characters like Sohrab (who has had many terrible things…