The Kite Runner: Innocence of Childhood
In the novel The Kite Runner, like Persepolis, children are put into situations and are forced to deal with them that no child should ever have to do. Childhood is supposed to be about innocence, not having to deal with responsibilities, and being care-free about the world because as soon as you grow up, all of that goes away and if you don't live your childhood to the fullest then you will regret it as you become older.
Amir and Hassan are two children in this book that go through traumatic experiences forcing them out of their childhood and into adulthood way before it should have happened. Hassan went through the horrible experience of being raped and Amir was there to witness it. I could never imagine any child having to go through this but I can definitely see how these experiences pushed them right out of their childhood. If this event did not happen, Amir and Hassan would have continued on in their innocence and spend their childhood kite running like any other child in Afghanistan should be doing.
Image of a child in Afghanistan kite running
(http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46678)
Unfortunately for Hassan, his childhood ended after a traumatic experience he had that would never have happened if he wasn't just trying to be a good friend to Amir. If he had never offered to run that kite for Amir, he never would have been raped by Assef. This whole situation was extremely overwhelming for Hassan and also Amir who had watched it happen and was incapable of doing anything to stop it. This experience is one that no person should ever have to go through, especially a child. I can't imagine how horrifying something like this would be for a child, not really understanding exactly what's going on just knowing that it shouldn't be happening, and not being able to do anything to stop it. It is completely understandable that this experience would push a child closer to adulthood and away from their innocence.
I agree with your opinion that their childhood ended because of the rape. I too think that that is the main thing that pushed them out of adulthood, for if I ever experienced such a thing myself, I would be traumatized. I like your title and I like the fact that you compared this book to Persepolis. Comparing a book you're reading now to another book you have previously read is always a smart and affective thing to do (so good job with that). Your introduction drew me in and interested me to further read on. The picture of course, helped your blog out and the link to the citation of it was remembered. You formed a straight forward and to the point opinion on the book, and the blog was not long at all, making it not hard to want to read. I can tell you wrote this. Nice.
ReplyDeleteI love that you compared the Kite Runner to Persepolis because it shows a really good understanding of both stories and how they connect. I completely agree that what happens to them as children is what ends their childhood, however does not really put them into adulthood. I believe the way Amir is acting is still childish so even though he's no longer a child he is not really an adult either. Being in this "gray area" is what changes his whole life, he never really deals with what happened so he can never move on. I really liked your post, it was short and to the point but still successfully got your ideas across.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you have said in this blog. You have a very good voice that comes through in your writing. I was able to understand what you were thinking all throughout your blog entry. I also enjoyed the addition of the image of a child kite running. It was a nice break from the text. The blog is easy to read and visually appealing. Everything that is said is simple and to the point. I think that comparing The Kite Runner to Persepolis was a good idea because you tied in another book about childhood. I think this was an overall very nice looking blog and an easy to read blog.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you connected the two books we've read together to prove your point. It makes your opinion even stronger because you now have two sources to back up the point your trying to make. I also agree with your point because I can also see how they are forced to grow up so quickly. Great job on this block I really enjoyed reading and connecting with it!
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