Hello, fishbowlers!
If you have questions about Afghanistan you'd like our long-distance friend, Rob, to answer, feel free to post them here, and he will respond to them tonight.
Also, I've posted a picture that Rob sent to us two years ago from Afghanistan.
You have the same two goals today, my friends:
(A) Bring at least one quotation into your responses.
(B) As an outer circle, we need to make sure that at least five different people get into the hotseats today.
Enjoy, and keep up your strong work!
On page 227 it says, "Then I told him I was going to Kabul. Told him to call the Caldwells in the morning." Amir accepts the challenge to find Sohrab, does this "redeem" Amir?
ReplyDeleteROBIDOB:wat up is it hot there were in in the military
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think the man at the orphanage was selling the kids to the Taliban for?
ReplyDeleteRob, what happens if you get caught doing drugs in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteRob-
ReplyDeleteFor what reasons would some one be executed in the stadium mentioned in the book?
DO you think Farid has similarities to baba?
ReplyDeleteRob what is the punishment for doing drugs
ReplyDeleteTimmy,
ReplyDeleteI think it does "redeem him" because earlier Rahim said he has a chance to be "good again" and I think him accepting this challenge is how he will redeem himself.
Opps i didn't see someone already asked that question.
ReplyDeleteRob- What do kids do for fun in Afghanistan?
ReplyDeleteIs there really a "means to the end" or the philosophy of "sacrifice one for the good of many"?
ReplyDelete-Rob
ReplyDeleteIn Afghanistan, how are most of the people affected by the presence of the Taliban and are they happy that our military are there to try and help?
If I were Amir, I would definitely be extremely upset. Its as if all of his childhood was a lie. He always was frustrated with Hassan and how Baba always favored him. If he knew that Hassan and him were related, his life would be completely different. He wouldn't have just watched Hassan were related and he wouldn't try to kick him out of his life.
ReplyDeleteKrysta-
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the exact same thing! I really have no idea though, I just think it's not something good. I also think that they might have taken Sohrab for a reason because on page 256 it says "He usually takes a girl" meaning taking Sohrab is weird.
Timothy-
ReplyDeleteAlso on page 227, right under your quote its states, "I'll pray for you, Amir jan," He said." (Hosseini 227). I think it will redeem Amir because, if he was praying for Amir it must be a big task that he is about to endure.
Timothy
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question, I don't think it redeems Amir because he doesn't really want to go back. Rahim Khan kinda guilt-ed him into going back and finding Hassan's son.
On page 240 it says "I see the face behind the plume of smoke swirling from the muzzle. I am the man in the herringbone vest." Why do you think that Amir imagines himself as the man who killed Hassan?
ReplyDeleteKrysta-
ReplyDeleteI think the man at the orphanage was selling kids for the sake of his life and also for the rest of the kids lives. In the book, he says that if the director did not give the Taliban man a girl, he would take ten, so in the end, that would destroy one mentally.
Yea Jessica your right, I think Amir and Hassan would get along like normal and instead Amir was always jealous of how Baba favored Hassan and I just think it would have eased some tension if Amir knew. GOOD POINT
ReplyDeleteRob: what are the main sports played there? soccer?
ReplyDeleteRob- Has the violence increased in Afghanistan in last year?
ReplyDeleteJessica-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! I think that if Amir had known he might have stood up for Hassan when he was getting raped. I also think Amir would not have treated Hassan so horribly after basically forcing him to leave.
Did Farid Lose his fingers in the war against the soviets or did he lose them just living in Afghanistan?
ReplyDeleteTimmy,
ReplyDeleteI think that it could be his redeeming moment. I think this book talks all about his struggle and he wallows. But now that he hears of Sohrab and the truth, I think that this will be his time to be a hero.
Krysta-
ReplyDeleteI think that the orphanage was giving the kids away for the money; and with that money he buys food for the children- " I haven't been paid in over six months. I'm broke because I've spent my life savings on this orphanage." (Hossenini 257) and "then i go and buy food for the children"
Rob~
ReplyDeleteWhat is your daily life like living in Afghanistan?
Rob-
ReplyDeleteHow is the general opinion in Afghanistan about the American presence? What is the general opinions on the Taliban?
So what do you think the Talib official does with the children that he takes...? :S
ReplyDeleteTimmy-
ReplyDeleteI do think that Amir is starting to redeem himself by going back. Even though Rahim Kahn does talk him into going he still makes the final decision to go. Amir could have also turned around and forgot about Sohrab when he learned how difficult it was going to be to get him back- yet he doesn't.
Timmy-
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think that Amir plans to "redeem" himself by traveling to Kabul and rescuing Hassan's son. If he succeeds this journey, he will probably feel a lot better about his life because he has finally done something significant.
Jessica-
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, if Amir would of known that Hassan and them were related then things would be very different i think.
Rob-
ReplyDeleteIs there much fighting in Afghanistan now? If there is, where does it take place?
Krysta-
ReplyDeleteAmir sees himself as the killer of Hassan because he thinks that because he didn't react to Hassan getting raped it made Hassan leave, then Hassan came back to Amir's house and died defending AMIR's household.
I think its not right that the Taliban can kill someone and when they killed Hassan, he didnt even do anything, they just thought he did.
ReplyDeleteBrendan~
ReplyDeleteFarid lost he fingers in kinda both ways because on page 230 it says "...the same explosion had severed toes from his feet and three fingers from his left hand."
Farid does not seem very nice to Amir because he told him he was not a true Afghanistan and said he has always been a tourist.
ReplyDeletePeyton-
ReplyDeleteThe Taliban official probably turns the children into soldiers like the rebellion did in Africa.
Rob:
ReplyDeleteWhat stories and personal experiences have you had with the Taliban? How would you describe them?
Rob
ReplyDeleteIn Afghanistan is the law enforced by the government or by another group like the Taliban?
Rob-
ReplyDeleteIs "The Kite Runner's" portrayal of Afghanistan accurate?
Rob-
ReplyDeleteAre the Taliban supported by the general public in Afghanistan?
What is the currency of Afghanistan?
ReplyDeleteIs alcohol/drugs sold/allowed in Afghanistan?
Rob
ReplyDeleteHow many people are part of the Taliban?
Rob-
ReplyDeleteHow much power does the Taliban have in Afghanistan and in the government?
Timmy:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pierce's quote, it clearly shows that he will be redeemed if he sais he will pray for him.
What is the currency of Afghanistan?
ReplyDeleteIs alcohol/drugs sold/allowed in Afghanistan?
Rob,
ReplyDeleteIn our book the orphanage is suffering greatly, so the director is selling the children off to Talib officials- and in a way that just gets to me... who would do that!?! but then again I don't really understand the ways of the Talib officials. But are there things like this that are going on out there?
Whahid seems like an honerable person because he stood up to Farid when he insulted Amir and he told Amir that Amir was a true Afghanistan and his proud that Amir is staying in his home.
ReplyDeleteI think that Amir begins to become a hero later in the story,
ReplyDeleteStep 1: Loses Baba, is alone.
Step 2: Returns to Afghanistan, leaving the comfortable family life for a now alien world to him.
Rob-
ReplyDeleteWhat seems to be the people's greatest fear while living in Afghanistan?
Rob,
ReplyDeleteWhat is day like in Afghanistan? How is different from a day spent in America?
What do you think the significance of the old beggar knowing Amir's mother?
ReplyDeleteConner~
ReplyDeleteThey use Afghanis as their currency.
Rob-
ReplyDeleteIn Afghanistan, is the relationship between families and their children like the same as ours? I mean like are they as close to each other and are they treated in the same general way we are like getting punished for what you have done wrong and making them feel good when they do the right thing?
I feel bad when Amir says: Why? What can you possibly say to me? Im 38 years old and i've just found out my whole life is one big fucking lie!"
ReplyDeleteI am not even sure what I would do if i was in Amirs position.
Do you think that the dreams or visions that Amir keeps on having symbolize something? If so, how is it significant?
ReplyDeleteTyler- I think they are some sort of foreshadowing for later in the book possibly
ReplyDeleteDoes Amir feel that he is responsible for Hassans death because he saw himself shooting Hassan in his dream or what does his dream show?
ReplyDeleteA couple chapters back on page 221 Rahim Khan says, "'Rahim, a boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything.' I wounder, is that what you've become?...What I'm asking from you is to grant an old man his dying wish." This quote is that "push" for Amir to prove society wrong. I don't think his conscious would allow him to let another person down.
ReplyDeleteBrendan I agree with you about Whahib because him and his family gave up there dinner for the night so Amir and Farid could eat that night. That is extremely honorable.
ReplyDeleteHow does the conflict shift from an Internal conflict to an External one as the story progresses? Why is this?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think would have happened to Wahid's family is Amir had not have given them the money and the watch? Do you think that they would have some huge issues including the environment that they live in.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing i thought was interesting is in the beginning of the book Amir asked Hassan about his dream and in chapter 19 he has a dream about the death of Hassan and he is the shooter. But i thought it was important cause i think the dream symbolizes that Amir still has guilt about Hassans Death.
ReplyDeleteJenny~
ReplyDeleteI think that the significance of Amir meeting the old beggar that knew his mother is that it was the information that Amir never knew about his mother so it was kinda like his mother coming back to share little things about herself with Amir because Baba never told Amir about her.
Jenny-
ReplyDeleteI think the beggar shows that Amir and his family were a well known family when they lived there.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMatt-
ReplyDeleteI think Amir feels guilty for Hassan's death because he sat there and watched it even though Amir couldn't have done anything it probably brought back all the guilt from not helping Hassan when Assef was raping him.
Amir is always getting car sick-- I understand that he is probably just sick, but this happens numerous times to him... What or is there a significance to this?
ReplyDeleteBrad,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. It would be hard to grasp the idea that the kid you always thought about as your "servant" was actually a sibling. That would be crazy especially because Amir never thought of him as a friend and he only tried to protect himself.
Do you think that because Whahid stood up to Farid that is why Farid apologized for insulting Amir?
ReplyDeleteAlex,
ReplyDeleteI think his guilt has finally cracked Amir. He then uses this to drive his determination to help Hassan's son because thats the closest thing he can do to helping Hassan now.
Rob - Whats the population of Afghanistan?
ReplyDeleteRob-
ReplyDeleteWould you think that most of the Taliban are actually not bad people? Like maybe they have been taken from an orphanage, taught and trained and made to believe what they believe. Like in World War Two, the Nazi soldiers for the most part were not bad people like we actually view them, like us most of them were fighting for their country and what they may have believed in and i do know some like my grandfather who was raised in an orphanage and went into the military so he could have a meal two time a day and he was not a bad person.
Do you think that Amir will stay in Afghanistan after he finishes his job there. The way he talks on page 231 makes it sounds like he is not planning on coming back to America.
ReplyDeletePeyton-
ReplyDeleteI think they would have ended up having to sell everything for food, like there donkey. It made me so sad when I read on page 241 ""-to find something tomorrow." She sounded near to tears. "What do I feed-""
Peyton-
ReplyDeleteI think Amir sees Afghanistan now and thinks it has turned to a terrible country and he doesn't like it.
How is Amir's inability to have a child significant compared to Hassan?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think would happen if Amir didn't go on the journey to find Sohrab?
ReplyDeleteDo you think that Amir is crazy to travel to the deadly Kabul and risk getting killed or do you think that he is heroic for doing so?
ReplyDeleteRob:
ReplyDeleteCould you please tell us a little bit about the economy now in Afghanistan. (Is it good or bad?) Thanks. :)
Hi Class,
ReplyDeleteI will attempt to answer all your questions, if I miss one let me know. I also had to break this into a couple of posts.
Nouhad,
There are multiple economies here. Corruption fuels one, and it is found almost everywhere. The government pays very little in the way of salaries so people have to take bribes to survive. Those who don't work for the government often struggle to make a living. The military is beginning to spend more money on products bought from Afghans which helps. One can live here well on $500 a month. Most rurual people raise everything they need and then sell what they can to purchase items that they need.
Sully,
Interesting point. To many people the Taliban are not bad. They represent the people of an earlier time and have the ability to make things simple for the peasant. Since most of these people do not have an education that makes life easy for them, they are willing to what is necessary to be safe and secure, something the Taliban provides.
connorm,
There is no accurate count of the people who live here, but it is believed to be about 22 million.
Sully,
ReplyDeleteFamilies are both the same and different. Here they children are treated much the same until about the age of 12 to 14. Then the girls are left out of most family activities, boys are given privileges. In the country the girls are usually married by the time they are 16. If there are schools available the boys can continue their education. In the cities the girls fare much better and life for both is about the same. Although I see boys on the streets flying kites, playing soccer and so forth, I seldom see girls except those on their way to and from school.
Timothy G,
Being able to make it. In the cities life is much easier for the people, including the refugees. In the countryside it is harder to survive, the weather is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. There are both floods and dry spells that kill animals, crops and destroy villages. It is also hard to travel throughout the country, there are few roads and the mountains are much taller than the ones you have outside Denver (some are over 20,000 feet tall).
Molly,
The days are much different. Most people who work do so from early in the morning till dark. There is daily shopping (almost all food is bought the day they use it since there are few refrigerators) to be done. If you go to school then that takes place (the school year is from March to November, they do not go to school during December, January or February because of the weather). The kids play or try to beg or sell items to foreigners. This is done everyday but Fridays.
Peyton,
There is a belief here in what they call the greater good. If a few people need to be given so that a larger number can survive, then it is acceptable. The Taliban would turn these children into fighters, make them take care of other people and do work to support the group. If they died then it was always the will of Allah and just accepted.
connorm,
The currency is called Afghani, there are about 45 Afghani to the dollar. Drugs and alcohol are both forbidden by Islam but there is a large addict population and alcohol is generally available to foreigners in the larger cities (a large number of Afghans also drink, but not in public).
ryanh2013,
ReplyDeleteIn the southern rural areas the Taliban have a great deal of power because of the corruption of the Karzai government. In the cities, with the exception of Kandahar, they are not very powerful. In the eastern provinces (called P2K) of Paktika, Paktiya, and Khost, the Taliban are present and in some areas have complete control. In isolated spots in the north there are Taliban strongholds. Overall, they have some political power (although they are not part of the government) which is why the government is trying to talk to them now.
MattJ,
Only a small part of the population are Taliban, but a larger portion supports them over the government and allow them to move, train, and conduct attacks in their areas. The Taliban see it as a religious war and thus the people will generally support them.
bryceB,
In some areas they are supported by the people, generally in the south and east. With the exception of Kandahar, most of the larger cities do not support them. This is because the populations of the cities is not usually Pashtun, who make up the Taliban.
Tyler,
For the time it when it was written, yes, it is very accurate. This was the end of the civil war and the beginning of the Taliban's rule.
MattJ,
There are government police (very corrupt), local police (not quite as corrupt) and the Taliban (not corrupt at all). In addition, there are military and national police organizations (with varying degrees of abilities).
bryceB,
Most of the fighting is in the south and the east. There are attacks elsewhere in the country but not to the degree found in the south.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteThe people's attitude toward Americans and the Taliban always depend on where you are. Both are liked and hated, depending on what has happened. Where innocent people are killed the population hates the people who did it, regardless who they were.
Jessica,
The Taliban range from people who are trying to earn a living (they pay better than the Army), to people who really believe that the Infidels must be killed to ones who are just trying to provide for their family or village. The mix is great and there is no one type of Taliban.
Krysta,
In some ways not very different from anyone else. I am currently teaching the Afghan military how to protect themselves from IEDs and ambushes. It is difficult since very few of them can read or write. We also have language classes for them as well as classes to teach them to read and write. I travel through Kabul from my house to their military school so I get to see a great deal of the people out everyday.
conorm,
Soccer is very popular as is kite flying.
jamieb,
Yes to a degree it has increased. The big question will it continue during the winter season which is just starting. Normally the fighting drops off because the weather makes travel very difficult. This is also the time that the Peace Talks should be undertaken.
Brad,
They play street games (soccer mostly) and the boys fly kites (while the others are runners).
Tyler,
Most of the executions in the Stadium where for crimes against Shiria Law, normally adultery, or failing to wear the proscribed dress (burqas for women, beards for men - but only after a warning for the men). Thiefs had their hands cut off.
Drew,
Today, if the government catches you doing drugs, you are sent to a hospital, the Taliban may still execute you (even though they support growing poppies).
Thanks for the questions....
Rob