Select a meaninful quote from the book thus far. Type out the quote with proper punctuation. Ex: One of the most meaningful quotes from The Kite Runner is "Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name" (11).
Then explain why/how this quote is meaninful.
15 comments:
LaTausha:
"I became what I am today at teh age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.", was one of the most significant quotes for me from this novel. Not only was it on the first page but it is extremely powerful and gives some insight into the mind of Amir. Amir was very young and the incident that happened to him as a young boy changed his life forever. In Amir's mind he will never live down this fate that he caused for himself. However, as said by Rahim Khan "There is a way to be good again." Amir is unaware that the past is only part of the person you are. The present makes you the person you will be in the future. So for Amir he has been living in the past, which in turn causes him pain and a lack of self-respect later in life.
Tasha, interesting point about the relevance of the present.
Katie
"'But I wonder,' he added. 'Would you ever ask me to do such a thing, Amir agha?' And just like that, he had thrown at me his own little test. If I was going to toy with him and challenge his loyalty, then he'd toy with me, test my integrity."
This qoute was on page 54 but it stood out to me and is one of those quotes that you think about long afterwards. This quote, to me, finally showed Amir that there was more than a boy to toy with inside Hassan. It said that there was an intelligent being that could just as quickly rebuke all of Amir's prying.
Tiffany Friedlund
To Tausha
Although the past is only part of who you are, it can still be a major part. Traumatic pasts will not go away very easily. It's hard to tell if they will ever go away at all. I don't know if you're saying that if Amir lives in the present, not the past, then he won't have as much pain and self-respect, but I have a feeling it will be very, very hard for Amir to let that go. And even if he does live in the present, the past can still come back to haunt him.
Sara Olson
"Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My Name." This quote has stayed in my head throughout the entire book. It is just one of the most meaningful quotes that I read from The Kite Runner.
For Amir, Baba is his world. He would do almost anything for Baba. He even sacrificed Hassan for a kite to impress Baba.
For Hassan, Amir is his world. He would do anything for Amir. He took all the blame. He even got the kite despite what happened and finally he purposely took the fall for Amir when Amir framed him for stealing his watch and birthday money.
LaTausha:
To Tiffany,
I agree completely that the past plays a major role is one's life, such as Amir. However, I believe that if you accept the mistakes you have made, you are no longer held down by the fear that the past creates. For Amir this has been extrememly difficult because what he did "could" never be forgiven but he should also not live his life according to that mistake. He is no longer teh twelve year old boy that watched his horrific scene happen in the alley. He is a grown man and it is time to forgive his past and not forget but learn from his experiences.
Ashlie McGuire
"There is a way to be good again."
Just looking at these words, there doesn't seem to be much of anything spectacular about them. But when looking at these words from Amir's point of view they have a meaning far larger than their small size. These words represent everything that he has ever done for the wrong reasons. These words tell him that he can be fixed, that maybe he won't have to bare these guilty feelings much longer. These words say that he won't have to feel horrible about what Assef did to Hassan, about Amir setting Hassan up to get Baba to make them leave, about how Hassan always took what was hurled his way even when all Amir wanted was for him to tell Amir how wrong he was. Maybe Amir could be free after all those years of being held prisoner by his guilty conscience.
Tiffany
To Tausha,
Okay, I understand more where you're coming from now and I agree. If you accept your mistakes, it is easier to forgive yourself. But in this case, to completely free himself from the guilt and horrors of the past, it will at least take Hassan's forgiveness as well as his own. But I do agree with your view on the situation.
Excellent discussion Tiffany and Tausha!!!
Haley White
Although there are so many applicable quotes in this novel upon digging, my favorite quote is so far possibly on page 107 when Amir tells us "Then I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried. It scared me a little, seeing a grown man sob. Fathers weren't supposed to cry." This is meaningful to me because it is so directly on cord with my unjust, slightly sexist ideals. I have a hard time seeing grown men, or teenaged guys for that matter, cry. It's just something about the idea that men are supposed to be tough and strong, kind of like a lighthouse that shows you the shore and that you aren't that far gone, that makes me lose my nerve. Especially with my own father, who I thought of as haveing been strong as an ox, who when in tears sent me past the wayside. So in such a sence, Amir's distress is relatbable.
Katie
to Haley
Oh my god! I never thought of that. I agree completely. When I see a guy I want to see a man who can stand up and be strong when others aren't. Inside they may be going through hell but when it comes down to it they are supposed to be strong for everyone who can't. I loved your lighthouse analogy also.
Bethanie
"For you a thousand times over." Is what Hassan told Amir when he was about to run the last kite for him. This quote was so meaniful that it was actually a motif throughout the book. Hassan was there for Amir more times than Amir could count. Whether Hassan was fighting off bullies, running kites, or lying for Amir, Hassan was there. I really think there was nothing Hassan wouldn't do for Amir even now after decades of regret and guilt. Hassan will always be there for Amir, a thousand times over.
Carole Surfus...
My dearest Haley,
I would completely agree with that being the most meaningful quote. I, too, hold your slightly sexist and have a hard time seeing any specimen of the male species shed a tear. My father, like yours, was a burly man who could get his arm stuck in a corn head and not shed a tear. But when he did, my world was turned upside down. Any guy/man crying just makes me want to fix their problem so that the world can seem "right" again. My father's sorrow did the same to me! and i too can relate to Amir in that sense!!!! good job haley :D
Kierstynn Combs
Ahhh Bethanie that was mine for sure. "For you a thousand times over." This whole book is based off Hassan and Amir and what they did. Amir wanted to be as close to Baba as possible and Hassan wanted to be as close to Amir as possible. Hassan's loyalty and unconditional love for Amir is something amazing. Hassan would have eaten dirt for Amir but instead pays a much horrible price. The fact that Hassan tells Amir he will do anything is so deep. I just wish that Amir felt the same way about Hassan.
Haley
to Katie
Thanks :)
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