Summary+Response

Mitch Lueders Ackerman-3 Honors American Lit. 9 April 2009 Summary The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini and published in 2003 tells the story of a boy and his family who live in Afghanistan. The main character Amir lives with his father, his fathers’ servant, and the son of the servant. The two sons become best friends until one day when something happens and their relationship starts to die. However, the book does not only depict the boys’ life, it also describes some of the conflicts and atrocities committed in Afghanistan. Because this book was written so recently, and how the setting is not too long ago, many of the crimes still are a major problem in Afghanistan today. Some crimes such as rape, child molesting, murder, and stealing play extreme factors throughout the book. One critic states that the author only gives “A selective, simplistic, even simple-minded picture of what the conflicts are in Afghanistan.” Hosseini has demonstrated to a very fine point what can really happen to a “nation steeped in the Middle Ages.” Response The Kite Runner, is written so recently, that it does indeed have direct relations between what conflicts are described in the book and to what life is really like in Afghanistan. Some crimes such as murder or things like public beatings are conflicts that happen regularly. These conflicts are not put to an end because the citizens are unable to do anything about it. The Taliban commit key crimes committed in the book as well as in real life. The Taliban were responsible for killing Amir’s half-brother and his wife because of discrimination. In actuality the Taliban really do kill people for being the wrong kind of person. Works Cited Noor, Ronny. "Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner." __World Literature Today__. 78.3-4 (September-December 2004): p148. __Literature Resource Center__. Gale. ARAPAHOE HIGH SCHOOL. 10 May 2009 . "Afghanistan." __US.gov__. 10 May 2009 . 