How does Hosseni portray Hassan ?

Hosseni uses many similes to create the character of Hassan in the audience's mind and which are symbolic to his characters meaning in the novel. Hassan is describes in the novel as being, "like a lamb." This shows, even though he sticks up for Amir and himself in the past, he is still lost, without a mother. It also shows that even though he is a strong character, at times he is also weak like a lamb as he is quite small and fragile.

The Kite Runner, Chapter 2: How is Hassan portrayed and what is the relationship between young Amir and Hassan like? How do we immediately feel sympathy for Hassan?

The Hazaras have a heritage of having a "Broad nose" and if one was spotted they would be treated differently from the start so the reader feels sympathy for Hassan here as he was always going to be lower class and picked on.

Hassan also has a "cleft lip" that hasn't been treated to yet. This just makes his physical appearance easier to make fun of for the Pashtuns and the fact that it hasn't had any treatment tells us what sort of background he is from. This also makes the reader sympathise for Hassan.

The book describes Hassan "like a Chinese doll." This shows that Hassan is Amir's toy or doll as he can make him do what he wants when he wants if he really wanted to.

"Hassan would mumble" shows that he is quite a quiet character that likes to keep himself mainly to himself and it also shows he would not tell Ali that it was Amir's idea to use the mirror and the slingshot, showing his loyalty to Amir and it shows that Hassan is willing to take a bullet for him.

You also sympathise for Hassan as he has no freedom in a sense due to the fact he has to do what Amir does and take interest in what he does. It just happens to be that the two characters have the same interests.

Amir's first word was Baba as he is the most important person to him and he looks up to him for advise and wisdom. This shows that Hassan looks up to Amir as Hassan's first word happened to be Amir.

Baba and Amir treat Ali and Hassan like family as they care for them feed them and have helped them survive. However they all still know the difference in class between them meaning Baba and Amir will always have the last say.

Amir reads to Hassan but doesn't teach him how to read for himself. Even though Hassan is his friend, Amir likes having the intelligence and the power in the relationship as it makes him feel in charge, just like Baba is in charge of things.

Hassan has to wait on Amir which he could find annoying, however he was born into it so he doesn't know any better and the attention from Amir is the attention that Hassan may crave and need.

A Streetcar Named Desire- How does Williams portray Stanley?

Williams use of stage directions brings out Stanley's animalistic behaviour towards others and to help give the audience an understanding to how he might move on stage. In scene 10 when Stanley is about to attack Blanche the stage directions explain "he springs towards her." The springing motion makes him sound like some sort of a jungle cat, pouncing on its pray. It gives the audience an idea that Stanley is some sort of predator that only wants one thing from Blanche as he says it was destiny that he was going to rape her or attack her in some way.

The Kite Runner Chapters 19-25

In Chapter nineteen, Khan get into contact with a friend called Farid who will take Amir to Kabul. Farid has had first hand experience in battle when fighting the Soviets and he ended up loosing three fingers and to of his daughters. At night they stop at Farid's brother Wahid's house for the night. Wahid has three sons and a wife but still Amir and Farid are given food. Amir tells the family where he is going and gives the children his watch as they seem interested. However when Amir and Farid leave, he realises he ate their food that night and that they  are quite poor so he gives them some money.

At the start of chapter twenty, Amir and Farid are just entering Kabul but Amir is shocked at how much it has changed as it is literally unrecognisable.  They bump into a beggar on the street who used to be a literature professor and apparently knew Amir's mother. With interest he asks as many questions about her but time was short so he had to leave. When the got to the orphanage, we discover that Sohrab has been taken by the Taliban for money. Amir is angry at this so he lashes out on Zaman when he hears this but he shortly stops as there are children about. Zaman says they will be able to find him at Ghazi Stadium.

Chapter twenty one starts of with Farid and Amir going back to Baba's house which has nearly fallen apart. Amir visits the pomegranate tree Hassan and Amir used to go to but Farid suggests they leave. They stay in a hotel that night and go to the stadium the next day where a soccer game is going on. At half time a Taliban official drags a man and a woman out of a truck. They are buried to their wastes in the dirt and the official throws stones at them whilst announcing they are carrying out Gods law. Amir and Farid have suspicions to believe that the official knows where Sohrab is and they are allowed to talk to him.

In Chapter twenty two Amir goes to the house of the official and enters. They have a conversation about the Taliban killing all the innocent Hazaras. The official calls in Sohrab and he comes in with bells around his ankles. Amir asks to take him and the official says yes but only if Amir leaves alive.  We then find out that the official is actually Assef, the old neighbourhood bully and he puts on his brass knuckles, hitting Amir. Sohrab steps in and hits Assef in the left eye with his slingshot. Sohrab and Amir then both run away but Amir passes out in Farid's truck.

Amir wakes up in a hospital in Chapter twenty three and sees Sohrab and Farid waiting for him to come back on conscious. He has many injuries including a ruptured spleen. Farid explains that Khan is dead and he has left him a letter and a key for a safety deposit box with money to cover Amir's expenses. The letter explained why Baba did not tell Amir about Hassan and how more good had come from it than bad. The next day Amir gives Farid the names of the American couple who run the orphanage that are looking after Sohrab. Amir and Sohrab do not speak yet but Amir decides to take him to Islamabad where it is safer.

In Chapter twenty four, Amir and Sohrab get to Islamabad and find a place to stay. Sohrab tells Amir he feels dirty for what they did to him and asked if he would be forgiven. Amir then asks if he would like to stay with Amir and his wife Soraya in America instead of going into an orphanage again. It takes Sohrab a week to reply and Amir speaks with Soraya telling her about Sohrab being adopted. They are told it would be impossible to adopt Sohrab because there is no proof he is an orphan however Soraya says she knows someone who can help if he's in the country. Amir goes to tell Sohrab but finds him bleeding in the bath.

The final chapter, chapter twenty five, Sohrab is rushed to hospital where Amir waits for days until he wakes up. There is a lot of silence between Sohrab and Amir as Sohrab wanted to end his own life. When they get back to America there is a family meet and Amir stands up to General Taheri, telling him never to call Sohrab a Hazara. One day Amir takes everyone to an Afghanistan meet up where there are kites in the sky. The still silent Sohrab is stool in the rain when it suddenly becomes clear. Amir buys a kite from a kite vender and shows Sohrab how to fly it. He first is not interested but when there is a battle with another kite Sohrab gets stuck right in. Amir teaches him some or Hassan's favourite moves and when they finally win Amir asks if he should run after the kite. Sohrab replies yes and when Amir is about to run of he says "for you, a thousand times over."

The Kite Runner Chapters 12-18

In chapter twelve, nearly a year has past and Amir finally gets the courage to speak to General Teheri's daughter Soraya when the general went away. He tells her stories and is about to give her one but Teheri comes back and takes the story away from him. After, he forgets about speaking to Soraya for the moment as Baba has become ill with lung cancer but would not seek treatment. Baba soon finds himself in hospital as the cancer has spread to his brain. Amir asks Soraya for his hand in marriage as he has fallen in love with her. Soraya agrees, however she first tells Amir about her past relationship with another Afghan man she ran away with when she was 18.

Chapter thirteen Starts with Baba preparing for Amir's wedding. They wanted it soon so they could have Baba there to whiteness it. He spends nearly $35, 000 on the wedding as he wants it to be good for Amir. Shorty after the wedding, Baba dies and many people turn up to his funeral to pay their respects. Amir then learns about Soraya's father, General Teheri for the first time. He finds out that he is very strict and protective over his family. Time then moves forward to the summer of 1988 and Amir and Soraya soon move into a house in San Francisco. Amir is able to afford it as his first novel was a great success. They try to have a baby, however for some unknown reason they cannot conceive. Amir talks about adoption, however Teheri does not agree.

In chapter fourteen it is now 2001 and Amir receives a phone call from Rahim Khan. He wants Amir to meet him in Pakistan as he has fallen ill and he has something to tell him. Amir and Soraya still try to have a baby but they are faced with other problems like work. He tells Soraya that he needs to leave for Pakistan and 7 days later, he leaves.

In chapter fifteen, Amir visits Khan and he has been living in Baba and Amir's old house, keeping it tidy and secure. He tells Amir what has happened to Afghanistan and what the Taliban have done to the place. He then goes on saying that he will die very shortly and he has to tell Amir something. Khan has been living in Baba's old house with Hassan.

Chapter sixteen changed the narrator as Khan is telling Amir how he came across Hassan. He found him living in a mud hut with his new wife Farzana who is pregnant. Khan offers Hassan and his wife space up at the house and he needs help refurbishing it. They first decline but soon after accept. Hassan's child was then born but at a still birth, so the bury their dead child out in the yard by the house. One night Hassan's mother is seen injured at the house gates. Hassan helps her get her health back and by the winter of 1990, Hassan and Farzana have a baby boy called Sohrab, Amir's and Hassan's favourite character from the stories. Hassan teaches his son how to kite run, however the Taliban then ban kite flying in the area.

They in chapter seventeen, it is then Amir who is talking again. Khan gives him an envelope left for him that told what has happened to Hassan and his family. One day the Taliban came to Baba's house where they found Hassan caring for it for a friend. They did not believe he was and shot him in the head. Farzana then tried to run but they shot her to. The Taliban then took Sohrab to an orphanage where Amir plans to adopt him. We also learn that Ali was not Hassan's real father.

In chapter eighteen, Amir is trying to add up the evidence and accepts that Baba was Hassan's father. He doesn't want to believe it because it means Baba has kept two best friends apart. He finds Khan praying and states that he will find Sohrab, the last remaining part of Hassan, his brother.

The Kite Runner Chapters 6-11

I have just read chapters 6-11 in The Kite Runner, here is a summary of what has happened. In chapter six, we are introduced to the winter months. Amir believes this is the best time of year due to the fact that there is a kite-fighting tournament where many boys gathers with their kites. The string is covered in glass to cut the opponents kite away. Other boys would then chase down the kites until they hit the floor. These are the kite runners and Amir describes Hassan as the best in Kabul.

In chapter seven, we learn that Amir's neighbourhood is hosting the competition and he thinks it will be a good way to make Baba proud. In the end Amir wins the contest and Hassan goes of to get Amir's kite back. However Hassan gets into trouble with Assef and others as they ask for the kite. Amir sees that Hassan is in trouble but does not help. Amir runs away without helping Hassan and Hassan ends up getting raped by Assef.

Chapter eight starts of with Amir and Baba going to visit Baba's cousin and when they get back, Amir does not want to speak to Hassan and he wouldn't play with him anymore. He even asks Baba if they were ever going to get new servants. Time then skips forward to Amir's 13th birthday. Baba organises a party where over 400 people are invited. Assef turns up and gives Amir Hitler's biography. Amir goes into another room and throws it away. However Khan comes in and tells Amir about his love with a Hazara. He then gives Amir a leather bound notepad so he can write his stories.

In chapter nine Amir decides that either him or Hassan has to leave as it is not working out between them. He gets his birthday money and the watch Baba gave him and puts it under Hassan's pillow, framing him to say he stole it. But when Baba questions Hassan, he admits taking Amir's things. Amir realises that Hassan saw him in the alley that night. The chapter ends with Ali and Hassan leaving.

Chapter ten skips to March 1981, Amir and Baba are on a truck being transported to Jalalabad. Russian soldiers hold checkpoints at different parts of the road. One of them says the payment to pass is 30 minutes with a wife on the truck. Baba stands up to the solider and saves the woman. After the husband of the wife thanks Baba. When they get to Jalalabad the truck they need to switch to isn't their so they stay in a shelter for a while where Amir recognises a boy called Kamal. Kamal was weak and he has the same experience that Hassan had with Assef. They finally had a truck but it was a fuel truck. Kamal stops breathing so his father wrestles a gun of a soldier and kills himself.

In chapter eleven there is a huge skip in time as Amir and Baba now live in the U.S. Baba now has a job at a gas station. They are in America because Amir is at college. He tells Baba he wants a degree in writing and he has made up his mind. Next we learn Baba has bought a small van and him and Amir buy things from the gas station and sell them for a profit. Amir makes eye contact with General Taheri's daughter and falls in love with her.

The Kite Runner chapters 1-5

I have just started to read The Kite Runner and I am 5 chapters in, here is a small summary of what I have read so far.
In chapter one we are introduced to the protagonist, Amir and we find out the time period he is speaking in is in 2001 however the story so far is about his time as a twelve year old child in 1975 in Afghanistan. Amir lives in San Francisco at the time and when he is taking a walk he sees some kites in the sky and refers to his friend Hassan. Hassan is a boy from Pakistan and we find out he has a cleft lip, Amir calls him a kite runner.

Chapter two gives the reader a much more detailed look at the relationship between Amir and Hassan as children. He explains how they used to use shards of a mirror to reflect sun into the neighbours houses whilst they were in a tree. We find out that Hassan and his father Ali lives with Amir and his father Baba as Ali works for Baba as a servant. Also both Hassan and Amir have lost their mothers but for different reasons. Amir's died when giving birth to him and Hassan's ran of a week after he was born. The reader also finds out that Ali is very week and does not have good health. The reader also finds out the difference between the Hazaras and the Pashtun and how they are treated differently. Hassan is a Hazara and gets treated badly because of this. The theme of class is shown here.

In Chapter three we are introduced to Baba more as a character and we find out he has built an orphanage and we are introduced to his appearance. Amir always looks up to Baba and just wants to please him. He tries to take up football, Baba's favourite sport but finds he is no good at playing or watching it, which upsets Baba. We then see Baba's worry for Amir as he does not stand up for himself when he needs to.

Chapter four goes back to 1933 and the reader then sees how Baba and Ali first met. They did everything together like friends but Baba never called Ali his friend due to class issues. We then find that Amir and Hassan's relationship is quite the same to Baba and Ali's. Amir reads to Hassan underneath a pomegranate tree next to a cemetery as Hassan loves stories and Amir loves to read. We see that Amir uses Hassan's illiterate mind to play tricks on him when reading. Amir makes up his own story and writes it down eager to show Baba but he is not interested, however Baba's friend Rahim Khan reads his story and writes a note for him to say how good it was. He then tells the story to Hassan but he comes up with a more logical explanation for part of the plot which Amir didn't like as it outsmarted him.

In chapter five there is gunshots heard from the streets as there is a war going on between the republicans and royalists due to the new republic government. After Amir and Hassan decide to go to the pomegranate tree but are stopped by the street bully Assef. He threatens to beat up Amir and Hassan but Hassan pulls out his slingshot, protecting Amir and making them walk away. Several times did Assef make insulting remarks to Hassan about being a Hazara. The reader then finds out that Baba is very nice to Hassan and gives him a Christman present every year and this year he had hired a Doctor, Dr. Kumar to fix his cleft lip. The chapter ends with irony as because when the scar healed, Amir describes the winter that "Hassan stopped smiling."

The Last book I read "Heroes"

I recently have read the book Heroes by the author Robert Cormier. The book sets place in a small town in Canada called Frenchtown when an older Francis Cassaavent returns to visit his past and embark on his own quest to seek revenge on a man who destroyed his past. Just coming back from the war with battle scars and bad memories, he sneaks around Frenchtown trying not to be recognised by the people of his past, but trying to find the love he has lost.

The book is a good read and it takes an insight of what the effects of war are, I enjoyed the book because it was interesting to see the effects of war on different people.

welcome to my blog

Hello, my name is Nathan and this is my reading blog. I am a English lit/lang student and I am going  to read and comment on books I have read and ones I am currently reading.

I am taking English because I find it interesting and I would like to do something with it in the future.

Enjoy!

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