Ok so part of today's lesson was reading chapter seven.... the rape scene. Not very nice, but a really cool bit of literature from Hosseini.
He uses loads of foreshadowing of the rape, e.g:
'reports of a fight breaking out'- violence is present and fairly accepted on the day of the tournament
'blood trickled... blotted my finger against my jeans'... like the bloodstain on Hassan's corduroy trousers
'Cut him! Cut him!'- the neighbourhood urging the violent atmosphere along
'shadows started to lengthen'- connotation of bad things happening in darkness
There's also loads of irony in the fact that the event, winning the tournament, results in the 'greatest moment of my twelve years of life' for the present Amir, is the same event that results in Hassan getting raped, and therefore Amir's worst moment in life.
So much more, but I'll write it aaaall in the essay :)
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Lesson 15/10
Today was tres bon! My favourite parts of Chapeter Five:
1. I realised from the quote 'Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close, clutched him with tenderness' that Ali and Hassan's relationship is the perfect opposite to the relationship Amir and Baba have, and Hosseini probably did this to make Amir's lack of attention from Baba seem all the more sad, and so the reader feels sorry for Amir.
2. I also liked that descriptions of Baba in chapter three, 'towering Pashtun specimen' are used again for Assef in chapter five, 'towered over the other kids'. This contrast could be used to show how somebody dominating and powerful can use it these characteristics to be kind (like Baba) or evil (like Assef). However, the same description used for them both could also be used to suggest that the two characters aren't that dissimilar... And that if you're dominating in society, you will be able to easily hurt people (in Amir's case with Baba and Hassan's case with Assef). Hmmm. Interesting stuff.
1. I realised from the quote 'Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close, clutched him with tenderness' that Ali and Hassan's relationship is the perfect opposite to the relationship Amir and Baba have, and Hosseini probably did this to make Amir's lack of attention from Baba seem all the more sad, and so the reader feels sorry for Amir.
2. I also liked that descriptions of Baba in chapter three, 'towering Pashtun specimen' are used again for Assef in chapter five, 'towered over the other kids'. This contrast could be used to show how somebody dominating and powerful can use it these characteristics to be kind (like Baba) or evil (like Assef). However, the same description used for them both could also be used to suggest that the two characters aren't that dissimilar... And that if you're dominating in society, you will be able to easily hurt people (in Amir's case with Baba and Hassan's case with Assef). Hmmm. Interesting stuff.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Lesson 13/10
My favourite quotes about Baba's character from chapter 3:
1. 'I could never tell Baba from the bear'.... raises the question about whether Amir means that he admires his father, thinks his father is strong and powerful, or fears his father? Or all three??
2.'I mean to speak to you man to man. Do you think you can handle that for once?' ...........Baba seems to treat Amir quite harshly, and doesn't seem to give him much of a chance to prove himself before becoming impatient. However, this seems to only be towards Amir- noone else who knows him receives that kind of harshness. A key point of Baba's personality.
3.'I wasn't like that'.... shows his desperation in trying to make Amir more like himself. Suggests he's not a brilliant father if he's doesn't love Amir for the individual that he is.
Overall Baba seems to be an intelligent, kind, generous man... to everyone except Amir.
1. 'I could never tell Baba from the bear'.... raises the question about whether Amir means that he admires his father, thinks his father is strong and powerful, or fears his father? Or all three??
2.'I mean to speak to you man to man. Do you think you can handle that for once?' ...........Baba seems to treat Amir quite harshly, and doesn't seem to give him much of a chance to prove himself before becoming impatient. However, this seems to only be towards Amir- noone else who knows him receives that kind of harshness. A key point of Baba's personality.
3.'I wasn't like that'.... shows his desperation in trying to make Amir more like himself. Suggests he's not a brilliant father if he's doesn't love Amir for the individual that he is.
Overall Baba seems to be an intelligent, kind, generous man... to everyone except Amir.
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Lesson 9/10
Today was good because I liked analysing chapter 2 of T.K.R...... massive amounts of foreshadowing were revealed that I definitely haven't noticed before!
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Research into Russians in Afghanistan
Well. In Christmas 1979, Russian troops invaded Kabul (the capital of Afghanistan).
Reasons:
-The Soviet people were told that they were going to liberate Afghan communists.
-The Soviet Union wanted better access to the Indian Ocean for trade and their naval fleet. Control of Afghanistan would make trade with India and the Middle East easier.
-Afghanistan has important natural resources such as: natural gas, uranium, iron ore and copper; all which the Soviets wanted.
The Russians claimed they had been invited in to support the 'legitimate' government, lead by prime minister Hazifullah Amin. He led a communist based government, a belief which rejects religion, which explains the discontent among the Afghans. The Afghans formed a group which they called the Mujahideen, who declared jihad to overthrow the government. The Soviet government called the Mujahideen 'Islamic Extremists'
In 1979 Amin was shot by the Russians, and replaced by Babrak Kamal. Many Afghan soldiers had deserted to the Mujahideen, so 85,000 Russian soldiers were needed to keep Kamal in power.
However, the Afghans knew the surrounding countryside extremely well, so although the Russians resorted to napalm and poisonous gas, they could not eradicate the Mujahideen, and by 1982 the Mujahideen controlled 75% of Afghanistan. The Russians then left, because their weak economy was being crippled by the massive expense of the troops in Afghanistan. By the end of the 1980s, the Mujahideen had started war with itself as the Taliban began to gain power.
Reasons:
-The Soviet people were told that they were going to liberate Afghan communists.
-The Soviet Union wanted better access to the Indian Ocean for trade and their naval fleet. Control of Afghanistan would make trade with India and the Middle East easier.
-Afghanistan has important natural resources such as: natural gas, uranium, iron ore and copper; all which the Soviets wanted.
The Russians claimed they had been invited in to support the 'legitimate' government, lead by prime minister Hazifullah Amin. He led a communist based government, a belief which rejects religion, which explains the discontent among the Afghans. The Afghans formed a group which they called the Mujahideen, who declared jihad to overthrow the government. The Soviet government called the Mujahideen 'Islamic Extremists'
In 1979 Amin was shot by the Russians, and replaced by Babrak Kamal. Many Afghan soldiers had deserted to the Mujahideen, so 85,000 Russian soldiers were needed to keep Kamal in power.
However, the Afghans knew the surrounding countryside extremely well, so although the Russians resorted to napalm and poisonous gas, they could not eradicate the Mujahideen, and by 1982 the Mujahideen controlled 75% of Afghanistan. The Russians then left, because their weak economy was being crippled by the massive expense of the troops in Afghanistan. By the end of the 1980s, the Mujahideen had started war with itself as the Taliban began to gain power.
Saturday, 2 October 2010
Lesson 1/10
The best thing about Friday's lesson was probably reading more Enduring Love extracts.... Good book! I've also researched the Pashtuns and the Hazara, and found out some pretty interesting stuff about the conflicts between the two groups, which gives a bit of useful background to the Kite Runner... I've printed it off on a sheet rather than blogging it because it's useful to keep research in my folder.
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