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The Birth of Amir and the Death of his Mother
In the first chapter, Amir describes the death of his mother "While my mother hemorrhaged to death during childbirth"(Hosseini 6). Before Amir is even 1 he is behind the ball and that day his father saw the death of his wife not the birth of his son. For this Amir is always trying to redeem himself and earn Baba's respect. -
Baba's Orphanage is Built
As Baba proudly opens his orphanage Amir recollects "Outside the orphanage, the next day, they ran out of chairs a lot of people had to stand to watch the opening ceremonies.-He motioned me to hold his hat for him and I was glad to because everyone would see that he was my father, my Baba"(Hosseini 15) This quote shows the pride that Amir is feeling because that is his father that is opening the orphanage. He is proud of him because of the good deed and is happy to be associated with it. -
Hassan tells Amir he will become a Great Writer
After Amir reads Hassan his first story Hassan enjoys it and says "Someday Inshallah, you will be a great writer," Hassan said. "And people all over the world will hear your stories." "You exaggerate, Hassan," I said loving him for it" (Hosseini 33). He is finally receiving the admiration for his stories that he longs for from his father but instead receives it from Hassan. I think the quote is significant because it shows Amirs personality when he accepts his praise but denies his criticism. -
Hassan and Amir take on Assef
After Hassan threatens Assef with the slingshot and he backs down he threatens "You should know something about me, Hazara," Assef said gravely. "I'm a very patient person. This doesn't end today, believe me." He turned to me."This isn't the end for you either,Amir. Someday,I'll make you face me one on one" (Hosseini 43). Assef threatens them so harshly because he feels embarrassed that Amir and a Hazara disrespected him in front of his friends. This isn't a dry threat and he gets revenge later. -
Amir and Hassan win the Kite Fighting Competition
After he cuts the final kite he looks up to Baba on the roof and sees "Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on the roof, proud of me at last" (Hosseini 66). Amir finally feels like he has made Baba proud and he has. Baba after the victory won't stop bragging about his son. -
Hassan's Life Changes Forever
As Assef assaults Hassan Amir watches and has a decision to make "I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan-they way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past-and accept what would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran" (Hosseini 77). This event and his decision change the entire course of the book. I think Amir decided to run because he has just won the competition and Baba is finally proud of him and this has clouded his judgement. -
Afghanistan was a peaceful country.
In the article from the New York Times about Afghanistan it states "Three decades ago, Afghanistan was a stable relatively prosperous and relatively secular country" (New York Times). -
Ali and Hassan leave Kabul
After Amir falsely accusing Hassan of stealing that was the last straw and Ali tells them "We are leaving, Agha sahib," Ali said. "What?" Baba said, the color draining from his face. "We can't live here anymore," Ali said "But I forgive him, Ali, didn't you hear?" said Baba. "Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving" (Hosseini 106). Hassan has obviously told Ali about all the bad things Amir has done. Despite this, he still decides to take the high road and admit to his lie. -
The Soviet Union Invasion
The turmoil and extremism that have dominated it's history since then can be traced to the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union and the reaction both by the Afghans and by their allies in the United States and Pakistan" (New York Times). -
Baba and Amir move to Pakistan
Once they arrive in Pakistan Amir reflects and says "My eyes returned to our suitcases. They made me sad for Baba. After everything he built, planned, fought for, fretted over, dreamed of, this was the summation of his life: one disappointing son and two suitcases" (Hosseini 124). Here Amirfeels bad for Baba because he worked very hard to develop a good life in Kabul but all that is gone. Although this is good for them because Kabul is getting dangerous and now Amir has sins to leave behind. -
Russia's rule over Afghanistan
After the Soviet Union invasion "Soviet troops stayed in the country for more than nine years, fighting a conflict that cost them roughly 15,000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles, while undermining the cherished image of an invincible Soviet Union army" (New York Times). -
Baba Dies
After a battle with cancer Baba passes away and as people pay their respects Amir realizes "My whole life, I had been Baba's son. Now he was gone. Baba couldn't show me the way anymore; I'd have to find it on my own. The thought of it terrified me" (Hosseini 174). Amir doesn't really realize how big a difference Baba made on his life until he saw the effects he had on others. But now he has Soraya and her family to guide him. -
Amir marries Soraya
After the ceremonies have concluded Amir thinks to himself "And I remember wondering if Hassan too had married. And if so, whose face had he seen in the mirror under the veil? Whose henna-painted hands had he held" (Hosseini 171). Throughout Amir's life, he continues to think about Hassan and this is evidence that his guilt of his actions towards Hassan still weighs down on him. Even on what's supposed to be the happiest day of his life he still thinks about it. -
Amir Publishes his First Book
After years of hard work, Amir says, "The novel was published the following year, 1989" (Hosseini 183). Due to the fact that Amir's career is writing, and so is his legacy, he relies on writing to pass on his past. Amir has worked hard and fought through Baba's expectations for him to achieve this. -
The Soviet Union negotiates peace with the U.N.
The Soviet Union's rule over Afghanistan lasted nine years and "Eventually after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal" (New York Times). -
The Taliban Takeover
After the Russians left a new group appeared: "The Taliban grew out of a student movement dedicated to purifying the country based in the southeast, the home of the dominant ethnic group, the Pashtun.-----By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east"(New York TImes). -
The Aftermath of the Soviet Union Invasion
Their rule lasted nine years and "After Soviet Forces departed, Afghanistan descended into internecine strife; by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms. But one group would eventually gain control" (New York Times). -
Aftermath of the 9/11 Attack
Our president decided that this group needed to be eliminated and "After the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted the Taliban Rule, notably the Northern Alliance. An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year" (New York Times). -
The Karzai Government
After the Taliban had been eliminated from Afghanistan briefly "In December 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named the chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country" (New York Times). -
Amir visits Rahim Khan and his Life Changes
After Rahim Khan tells Amir Hassan is his half brother Amir is enraged and exclaims "I'm thirty eight years old and I've just found out my whole life is one big fucking lie! What can you possibly say to make things better? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing" (Hosseini 223). Amir is so mad because everyone has been lying to him all these years and now everything makes sense of how Baba treated Hassan like a son. Amir now realizes all the "good deeds" Baba did were just to atone to his sin. -
Amir fights Assef to get Sohrab
After Amir takes a major beating from Assef he begins to laugh and explains why "I hadn't been happy and I hadn't felt better, not at all but I did now. My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn't find out until later -but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed" (Hosseini 289). Amir is laughing because he feels he has finally atoned for his sins towards Hassan and a major weight has been lifting of his shoulders. Sohrab represents Hassan and Amir has just saved Sohrab to make up for Hassan. -
Sohrab trys to commit suicide
After Amir Breaks his promise Sohrab says "I want my old life back"(Hosseini 354). This shows that Sohrab wants to be with Hassan and his wife before all of the complications. This hurts Amir because he is just trying to provide a better life for him and after this Sohrab becomes mute. -
The Return of the Taliban
The absence of the Taliban in Afghanistan didn't last long and "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage a guerilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan Afghanistan border. As the American military focus was diverted to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan"(New York Times). -
Sohrab smiles while they fly Kites
At the end of the book in America Amir takes Sohrab to a park and they fly kites and Amir says "For you, a thousand times over"...It was only a smile, nothing more"(Hosseini 371). This is a reference to what Hassan said to Amir when they won the kite competition. To Amir Sohrab represents Hassan and after all these years they have repaired their friendship. -
The War Obama Waged on the Taliban
After a couple years of Obama trying to fight the Taliban they state. "Yet in a move away from that July 2011 deadline, the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014. Administration officials are trying to convince Afghans that the United States is not walking away and to warn the Taliban that aggressive operation against them would continue" (New York Times).