The picture above of Kabul is taken from The Sydney Morning Herald. The caption underneath reads:
The land they inherit … a destroyed bus in Kabul becomes a playground for boys in Kabul.
As you discuss Chapters 17 and 18, keep this image and yesterday's images in mind.
76 comments:
I think that worst part of Amir going to back to Kabul is all the memories then finding out that one of his good freinds is dead then finding out that his good friend is actually his brother. I think that is alot to take in all at once
I agree with Kaliegh when she says that when Amir finds out how everything he has ever known was a lie. I think that Hassan and Amir always knew, somehow, that they were brothers because they treated each other like they were brothers.
I think that Amir's trip back to Kabul is hard for him. It was probably very scary too. I agree with Nile that he will be able to see connections between himself and Hassan's son. I think that his trip back is very hard for him because he it is bringing back so many memories and it is allowing him to compare whats happening now to what happened when he was a child.
I think that the worst part of Amir returning to Kabul is the old memories of he and Hassan living together. Amir will also have a hard time dealing with Hassan's death.
I agree with Dylan that the worst part of Amir going back to Kabuk is all of the memories that it brings back and the destruction that he sees must make him feel horrible.
I agree with Nile, he is probably going to become really attatched to Sohrab because he will see Hassan in him. It will probably hurt because of everything that had happened between him and Hassan especialy since he never was able to make it up to Hassan. I have a prediction that Amir will probably become really attatched to Sohrab and maybe he will adopt him and take him back to America.
My predition is that Amir will adopt Sohrab because he wants him to get an education and grow up in an environment where it doesn't matter if you're Hazara or not.
I agree with you Annie I think that Amir and Hassan knew they were brothers deep down cause the were as close a brothers.
I agree with Annie's comment that Amir and Hassan have always known that they were somehow related because they were so close as kids and they felt like brothers. Also it must be very hard for Amir to find out that everything Amir has ever known is a lie.
I agree with Nile. If Amir can get through Kabul and find Sohrab, he will ahve a tough time dealing with all of his memories he has of that area and of Hassan. From the letters, we can assume that Sohrab will be quite similar to Hassan, so it will force Amir to come to accept his past and make the best of it. This may be very hard on Amir just because of all the pain he has had over the years.
I think the worst part of Amir going back is that its all of those old memories but also he is very afraid that he could die and I think that that is more than just old memories.
When Amir first finds out about how he and Hassan had been brothers all along he feels betrayed. He feels that his whole life had been a lie and just did not know what to think. But I also think that those feelings were quickly overcome by relief and knowledge. I think deep down he had always known that they were closer than just best friends and finally some of the questions he had been wondering about throughout his whole life were now getting answers.
I think the reason the Hassan and Amir treated each other the way they did was because they always had the connection that they were brothers, they just weren't aware of it. That might be why Amir always felt the way he did towards Hassan.
I agree with Allie that Amir will decide to adopt Sorhab. I think he feels like he can somehow atone for leaving Hassan to be raped by taking care of his son.
I don't think that Amir going back is really karma. I just think that it is a reality check to Amir because no matter how much he ignores it and aviods it he can't escape what he lived in Kabul.
I think that Amir will keep the boy because its what Hassan would do for Amir and because he is the only family he has left.
I think after learning what Amir learned this is a way for him to be a better man. Baba's father adopeted Ali as a son when he was an orphan and that changed everything. Now it is Amir's turn to adopt a child that actually is family.
The worst part for Amir about going back to Kabul is that all the memories he has had and the places he had those memories are destroyed.
I think that Amir is shocked that Hassan is actually his brother and that must have been really hard for him to discover. He realizes that he has been lied to is entire life and another thing that probably took a toll on him is that he drove his own brother away and never was able to discover they were actually brothers until now, and now its too late.
I also agree with Kaliegh when she talked about Amir finding out that he is pretty much living a lie for his whole life. I think that maybe he had an idea that he was brothers with Hassan but it never really conected until now.
I agree with Brian that Amir will keep the boy because he loves Hassan as a brother but also as a friend because they grew up just being friends.
I agree with Nicole when she says that Amir is too hard on himself. In my book, I wrote down that I think Amir was more upset about the rape than Hassan was. So I just think that the guilt ate away at him more than it needed to.
I think that Baba wishes he would have claimed Hassan as his son instead of Amir beacause he wanted a son like Hassan. I think that is why he treated the boys so different
I think that Baba is now less of a whole-hearted man. Even though he took care of Hassan, he cheated Ali, his "brother", and lied to Ali, Hassan, and Amir as well.
Amir, finding out that Hassan is his brother, probably feels even worse about himself because he realizes he treated his own brother horribly all those years.
I agree with Emma. I think that Amir will become attatched to Sohrab especially because of what happened between him and Hassan. He will probably treat Sohrab like he wanted to treat Hassan. He will be trying to make up for lost times and treat Sohrab with the respect and love he anted to treat Hassan with.
Finding all this out made me understand why Baba acted the way he acted towards Hassan. Before it didn't make sense why he treated Hassan so much like a son but now it does. However it also shows that Baba is not anything like the person that Amir thought he was and that he is a hypocrite when it comes to him saying the one sin is stealing because he stole from his entire family for their entire lives.
I think that the affair with Ali's wife made Baba the way he was. Baba was so disapproving of Amir but I don't think he was very approving of himself because of what he did to Ali.
I agree with Nicole that it makes Baba a hipocrite because he says theft is the worst sin and that everything is a variation of theft. Here, Baba stole the truth from Amir and Hassan.
I disagree with Nichole. I don't think that Baba is a hypocrite because he fathered Hassan and told Amir his views on sin. I think that when he told Amir he felt guilty about what he did to Ali so he wanted to prevent his son from making the same mistake in his life. Parents are not there to be perfect and then tell us to be perfect, they are there to teach us to learn from their mistakes.
I agree with Nile that Amir going back isn't karma. I think Amir is going back because he owes Hassan. And I also think it is interesting that Hassan had a son and Amir didn't and now Hassan is dead and Amir is going to look out for Hassan's son.
By knowing that Baba had an affair makes me realize why he was the way he was towards Hassan, but I still don't understand why he wasn't as good to Amir as he was to Hassan. I also see him as a hypocrite because he always told Amir not to lie because that is theft, when him his self did just that.
I disagree with nicole that Baba is a bad person because he lied to Hassan. He was trying to help his friend so that he could have children. But he did contradict himself when he told Amir never to lie. I think that he should have told Amir the truth because he deserved to know but that doesn't make him a bad person
Baba having an affair changes how I view his character. I always viewed him as the strict, up tight father. The affair makes me see him as a man trying to hide his true personality from his son. Through the book, I thought that there may have been more to his character and this shows the softer side of Baba. I would have viewed this book so differently if I knew about the affair from the very begining of the book.
I disagree with Nicole when she says that Baba is a hypocrite. I think that it wasnt the right thing to do by keeping it from them but I think that he had good reason to do it. I dont know what the reason was, but I just think that he probably had a good reason.
I think Amir feels hatred towards his father but not Hassan because Hassan was just as innocent as Amir was, but Baba knew and chose not to tell him even on his death bed.
finding something out that is that heavy probably but alot of sress on Amir. Amir would have probably been a completly diffrent person had he known that he was related to Hassan.
A part that I don't really understand is that when Ali was leaving why did he take away Hassan especially if he knew that Hassan was really Baba's son. Has Ali adopted him or was he pretending to be Hassan's father. I don't really get that part.
I think that Baba was wrong to keep the secret from them because it would have changed the way Amir treated Hassan as well as how Hassan treated Amir. Amir would have been nicer and Hassan would have stood up for himself when Amir was mean to him.
I agree with the inner circle when they mention how Amir felt when he realized that Hassan was also his brother and servant. He might also be a little jealous because the way he treated him at the end was like a servant and if he would have known about this earlier he probably would have treated him better. This also makes him regret the way he treated him and realize how much of a coward he was.
I totally agree with Nicole in seeing Baba as a hypocrite now. It makes sense now why Baba treated Hassan the way he did. I never understood why he treated Hassan like more of a son but now it makes sense. It makes Baba look like a very large hypocrite because he stressed to Amir that stealing is the worst sin, but he essentially stole from his family.
I think Amir was hurt that Baba did love Hassan as a son, and he no longer had the fact that he and Baba were blood related over Hassan, so he was afraid that Baba really did love Hassan more.
I agree with Nile when he said that Amir is very upset with himself that he treated his own brother that awful for his whole life. I believe the relationship Hassan and Amir had was a brotherly relationship. I think that Hassan was extremly loyal to Amir and really defined what family was about.
I found Hassan's letters (page 215-218) interesting because of what they showed about the different characters. Hassan maintains his unwavering loyalty towards Amir, even after everything that happened earlier in the book and them living so far apart. Hassan says, "I am hopeful that one day I will hold one of your letters in my hands and read of your life in America" (215-216). It is evident that Hassan still thinks about Amir and is concerned for him. This contrasts with how Amir has tried to forget about Hassan, forget about Afghanistan, and forget about his previous life. Hassan cares about Amir, and Amir cares about him, but does not show it at all (until he decides to rescue Sohrab).
I agree with Nile that finding out that he has been treating his older brother so badly for so long but it wouldn’t change his actions that he did while Hassan was in the ally.
I think that Amir felt even worse about everything that he did to Hassan. Amir treated Hassan so horrible throughout his life, he never stood up for him and he never called him a friend and now he is finding out that Hassan and him were brothers. Hassan was always good to Amir even though he didn't know that they were brothers but Amir never treated him good.
I agree with Nile when he says that Amir is really upset with himself more than anything when he figured out that Hassan was his brother because then he realized that he treated his brother badly even when Hassan was the most loyal being Amir will probably ever come in contact with.
I agree with Nile. He said that once Amir found out about Hassan, I think that he feels now even worse about the way he has treated Hassan his whole life. I also think that he also realized that the way he treated Hassan was not ok even if he wasnt his brother.
I agree with Ms. Leclaire when she said that Amir treated Hassan as a brother all along. However, I think that Amir viewed him as a brother at some times, and a servent below him at others. I'm sure that Amir would have treated Hassan as more of an equal if he knew that Hassan was his brother.
I think that Amir would treat Hassan better but I think Hassan wouldn’t be loyal like he was. I think that he would be the same as their relationship level because they treated each other like brothers but Hassan and Ali wouldn’t have moved out if Amir knew this.
Yes, I think that Hassan leaving beind a son is foreshadowing the events that are going to take place in the next chapters. Amir is not able to have children and this would be a perfect oppourtunity to have a son, and it would also give a little back to all that Hassan had done for Amir while he was alive.
I agree with Nowlan. Amir and Hassan where like brothers and I think that Amir felt bad about what he did to Hassan. But now I think that Amir feels even worse because he found out that Hassan was truly his brother.
I think that one thing that has created distance between him and Soraya is that he still hasn't opened up about everything that happened in his past.
I feel that Amir's wife not being able to have a child and Hassan dying and leaving behind a child does not foreshadow anything because that question doesn't really make sense to me, but I feel that it is an unseen blessing for Amir, it isn't someone could just predict or wish to happen because Hassan dying is a horrible tragedy.
If Hassan wasn't so laoyal, he woulud probably just act as any other afgan child. Hassan was caged in obidence and this kept him from opening up to his emotions. Hassan had to have been upset with alot of things in his life but because of the way he was rased he could never let Amir or anyone for that matter the way he really fealt.
I agree that for Amir to find out that Hassan is his brother and then for him to think about what he did to Hassan as a child, that had to have been hard for him. On the other hand though, I don't really think it would have made much of a difference with how Amir reacted in that ally way. He still looked at Hassan as his brother even though he didn't know he really was but he still didn't do anything to help.
Mrs. Leclaire, i think that it is the fact that Hassan and Amir both grew up without mothers is what is holding their relationship back. Maybe it is hard for him connect with women.
I agree with Allie because Amir and Soraya are unable to have a child, and Sohrab has no parents.
I think that the thing missing in Amir and Soraya's marriage is the fact the Amir won't tell Soraya about Hassan who was a big part of his life that he isn't telling the one that he has loved for many many years.
For Amir to keep all of these secrets from his wife, that must have put a large amount of strain on their relationship. His guilt has to be taking over because now his secrets are coming out.
I think part of the emptiness in Amir's marriage is also part of the secrets that he has kept from his wife. She has told him everything about her past but he still hasn't told anyone about his secrets of his past and it is creating an empty space in their life together.
I agree with Nicole in that Amir and Soraya's marriage is empty because Amir will not admit about his past and wont reveal the secrets of his past. He is keeping his past away from Soraya and that created the emptiness.
When we were in the last fishbowl I think that we talked about when they were at Rahim's house and there was that awkward topic that everyone was trying to avoid. And i think that the secret was that amir and Hassan were brothers and everyone knew it needed to come out but no one wanted to say it.
I agree with Jason when he says that the passage Mrs. Leclaire read was Amir finally forgiving himself for everthing that happened with Hassan. And like Nicole said, since he messed up back then, when Amir didn't help Hassan, he can fix it now through Sohrab.
I agree with Jason. I think Amir will find Hassan's son and take care of him and raise him as his own. This is a chance for him to not make up for what he did to Hassan but to give a little back.
I think that Amir will take in Sorhab as his own son. I think that he will see Hassan in him and it will make him not want to lose Sohrab too. I think he will become really close to Sohrab. When they were talking about how similar Hassan and Sohrab was i think that they were trying to show that Amir will see the similarities in them and Sohrab will remind him a lot of Hassan.
I agree with Jason that raising the boy to be as good hearted and kind like Hassan would hae wanted is a way that Amir is trying to get rid of some of his guilt.
I think that Amir wanting to take care of the son is Amir's way of asking for forgivness for everything that he ever did to Hassan. It is Amir's way to show how he is sorry and how he wants to make everything again.
How do these two chapters connect back to the tilte of the book?
The cycle is how Baba took in a child and now Amir is taking a child in as Baba did.
I agree with Jake b y doing this it won't take away all his guilt but it will make him feel he is doing something better for Hassan. In Hassan's letter it said how he didn't want his son to be an orphan so this is doing something for Hassan, making up for the things he didn't do for Hassan in Amir's past.
I agree with Megan. The adoption of Sorhab would start the cycle that began with Baba's father and ALi.
I think that Amir thinks that if he does good by raising a child it will make everything better and his guilt disappear
Amir really does forgive himself and Hassan knows that and he always did.,
On 222-223, when Amir finally finds out the truth about Hassan, Ali, and Baba, some of the roles seem reversed. Previously, it seems that Amir is the one who has been dishonest and created issues. While this is still true, we find out that Baba and Rahim Khan are not as honest as we thought they were. Were their lies justified? Throughout almost all of the story, families help each other out and are honest to each other. Honesty is supposed to be part of the honor and pride that the Pashtuns seem so crazy about. By telling these lies that Ali was Hassan's father, Baba kept his "honor" by not ruining his reputation from letting people know the truth. I think that is dishonorable.
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