I've been teaching high school for 14 years. I have a degree in English education and a Master's in educational technology. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters who are my best friends. I have 2 dogs, a lack lab named Nala (from the Lion King) and a pit bull named Taz (yep--named after the Tazmanian devil from the Warner Brothers cartoons). I have lived and worked in this area my whole life and I love teaching here at LM!
Kite Runner has so many events that are memorable (not always for good reasons), themes that are universal, and lessons that are timeless...what is on your mind as you read?
The thing on my mind the most when reading the book is past regrets and how they affect the things we do in the future even though they happened in the past.
It emphasizes the fact that mistakes you can make can stay with you your whole life and you have to live with your actions, yet even though you can't take them back you can make it up possibly somehow.
I'm not quite finished with the book yet, but so far, I'm enjoying the story. It must be so hard for Amir to live with his past, especially when he hasn't officially told anyone about what happened on the kite competition day. In life, people regret so many things and this story shows how one person copes with unfortunate regrets.
I think it's alot easier to read than previous novels we've had. For instance, this story doesn't make me fall asleep, as Nectar in a Sieve has in the past. It's pretty entertaining, for a school book.
The major theme that sticks out in my mind when reading is that even though you may have made a mistake in the past, it doesn't mean your life in the future is ruined, it means to work hard, be nice to people and you will find ways that you can redeem yourself.
I suppose that because this is written in flashback form and Amir can use a developed vocabulary and explain his complex emotions very well, I keep forgetting that the choices he made where made when he was very young. If a young Amir had been narrating it, the reasons for his actions would have been less complex, making his choices seem more childish and than the reader might not judge him as an adult but as a child... (I kept forgetting how young he was)
Kite Runner shows that no matter how hard you try to live life and push bad memories out of your head, you always have to live with the guilt ad it affects everything you do in the future.
Im not finished with the book yet, but so far it is really good. It shows how small mistakes that you do can affect the rest of your life. Like Amir didnt have to pull away from his "brother", it was a chose he made that further affected him his entire life.
When i started the book i thought that it was going to be boring and that i was going to have to force myself to read it because the beginning of the book is so slow when you go through Amir's childhood. Once the plot thickens in the book it was hard for me to put it down. In the end i was disappointed because i was upset how it ended i was mad that Hassan died i want him to go back to America with Amir and they would start over and it would have been nice for Amir and Hassan's new families together. The book was nice.
While reading Kite Runner the thing that is foremost in my thoughts is Amir's cowardly ways. I think because his father treaded Amir the way he did, Amir became a boy who couldn't stand up for what he believed in and couldn't bring himself to help Hassan in his time of need. Because Baba didn't give Amir the love and attention he needed, Amir became cowardly man who ended up regreting for a long time afterward the fact the he couldn't stand up to Assef in defense of Hassan.
Kite Runner is probably the best book that i have read in my entire school career. I like how the characters are not bland. I feel like the book offers a sense of hope for poeple in regretful situations, by showing that it is possible to redeem oneself
I am really enjoying this book but i cant help feeling bored ever since they left Afghanistan. I want a new conflict to arrive soon so the book gets interesting again. I enjoy the message of the book about not taking things for grantid and living in the moments. Overall, the book is well written and exciting with good twists but it is a tad depressing at times which gives off a bad vibe sometimes when I am reading.
I am really enjoying this book but i cant help feeling bored ever since they left Afghanistan. I want a new conflict to arrive soon so the book gets interesting again. I enjoy the message of the book about not taking things for grantid and living in the moments. Overall, the book is well written and exciting with good twists but it is a tad depressing at times which gives off a bad vibe sometimes when I am reading.
So far I really like Kite Runner. I think even though the culture is different, the themes are easy to relate to. One theme that really stands out is regreting past mistakes.
shourjo said... The one thing on my mind when I read is when is Hassan coming back, becasue he was the only one other than Rahim Khan that i liked. Also he was really nice so i miss him.
When we read the interview with Hosseini, it said people criticized him for having a "happy ending" but I thought that it was really more bittersweet. I love that at the end of a story because at that point it could go either way, things could get better for Amir or they could get worse. Then you can just imagine it how you want it to be and you're always satisfied.
I think of things I have done that still bring on guilt. It brings me closer to the book and closer to the experiences in the book. It also makes me think of the what is to come in the book and in my own life
I may or may not have been depressed for 2 days after finishing this story. I also may or may not have come out of my bed for 2 days while I was reading this story. One detail that stuck out in my mind was when Amir meets up with Assef and see's little Sorhab in his outfit dressed up as a doll. It was actually so upsetting reading this part of the story.
As I read, I was constantly thinking about that one big mistake that Amir made. It hanged on my mind for pretty much the whole book until Amir redeemed himself. The whole story was definitely very well written but also very depressing.
I don't like how the symbol of kites went away in the middle of the book. Maybe the lack of kites is a symbol in itself, but i still think that a book with the word "kite" in the title should have had more kites in it.
It must've been really tough for Amir to come back to the place he grew up and find it a barren, war-ravaged wasteland with poverty everywhere and people being shot in the streets.
I think that this book was written really well to show what Afghanistan was like before and during Taliban rule particularly because its expressed through the eyes of a child, who is naive and conflicted, and then later through the same persons eyes, after he hasn't been in Afghanistan for a while. I think that these two windows into AFghanistan are really good for giving a blanaced picture of AFghanistan.
So far, I have really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about human behavior and how some people respond differently to pain and guilt. I think this book is also really helpful because it provides an intimate perspective of a different country.
Today read 150 pages because I couldn't put the book down! I like this book a lot because it expresses so many important themes such as forgiveness and guilt. The most memorable scene for me were the kite competition day. All of the events that take place that day, Hassan telling about his dream, Amir winning the contest, and of course Hassan getting rapped and Amir not doing anything about it, made it such a memorable part of the book.
The thing on my mind is just how haunting Amir's memories are with Hassan being attacked. That type of thing would create so much regret and guilt, I couldn't imagine the pain Amir goes through. You can tell it has affected him as an adult, but it's absolutely horrifying.
Honestly while i read i can not help but think about the "scene" in the alley. It does not leave my head. Also I can not help but being mad at Amir for being such a bad friend to Hassan. Also it must be very hard fo Amir to live with himself after what he did to Hassan. The past never leaves you. I also really enjoy reading this book
I think that it shows how one mistake can affect the course of your life, whether it leaves you feeling guilty or upset. It does also show though that despite making a mistake as serious as Amir had made, you're life will still go on, as we see when he happily marries Soraya.
I really liked this book. One thing that bothered me a little was how Hassan let Amir walk all over him. Some may call this love or loyalty but after a point it got a little hard to read. On top of that, I really didn't like how Amir treated Hassan so badly. Overall though, i loved this book.
i am sick of the dramtic endings to the chapters... there is just too much drama and it is annoying, it does not seem at all realistic, but i do like the book, but that is just inhibiting my appreciation of the novel.
I think a major theme is Self Sacrifice. That's the basis of Hassan's character, and it's also why Amir get's so bad. He never sacrifices himself for anything.
This book is by far the best school assigned book I have read. It is one of the few school assigned books that I have really enjoyed. Every time I think to myself, "Okay, I'll just finish this chapter, and then I'll put the book down for a while," I always end up reading for an extra hour or two. I have so much trouble just putting this book down.
When I am reading Kite Runner I constantly am thinking about what's going on with Ali and Hassan, will we ever hear about them again? It think they are very meaningful characters and I want to know if they are ok or if they have troubles.
As I read my mind is on whether Amir will confront what has haunted him for his entire life: his conscience. So far, all Amir has done is get farther in farther away and run away to San Francisco.
As I read my mind is on whether Amir will confront what has haunted him for his entire life: his conscience. So far, all Amir has done is get farther in farther away and run away to San Francisco.
I feel the same emotions Amir feels. Both Baba's equal treatment of Amir and Hassan and Hassan's hitting himself with a pomegranate frustrated me and made me angry. I also felt frustrated when Amir recognized that Soraya had told her secret but he had not told his. Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, I read each sentence once and understood it the first time I read it.
One lesson that is learned from this book is that you always should be careful of what you do and say. Your actions will always stay with you and you will never forget them either good or bad. This book is one of the better books that I have read and there are many lessons that I will take away from this book.
Although I'm not done this book yet, I am getting a strong sense of the theme and really enjoy the book so far. What I think the main idea that keeps coming up is the power of ones devotion to another person. Such as Hassan's devotion to Amir, or Amir's devotion to Soraya.
I am not finished the book yet but the story has captured me and I find it hard to stop reading. This book is doing a great job of showing how one memory or something that occured in your life can change it forever.
When I read "Kite Runner", I kept coming across events and hints that seemed to have some symbolic meaning. As I read, I tried to think of what the symbolism could mean, and how it related to the story, its plot, and its themes.
For example, the pomegranate tree where Amir and Hassan had once carved their names on it now "did not bear fruit", according to Hassan's letter. As I read this phrase, I realized that this could mean something about Amir and Hassan's relationship.
Amir seems to be trying to live a normal life, but everytime one problem is dealt with another springs up. I have not finished yet, but I have been wondering if by the end he will have less problems and be able to live a more peaceful, and simple life as an author.
I really liked this book. Especially how everything came together in the end. I think its really appropriate to read because it teaches you how the choices you make now can stay with you your whole life.
There are so many themes in Kite Runner, but I believe the one major theme of this book is regret, and that in one moment, your whole life can change. While I am thinking about this book, I believe the author is really trying to tell the reader to live your life to the best, and always remember what is truly important.
I like Kite Runner because it is an interesting book and it is not boring. I like how the author takes you through the time periods and lets you know what is happening and when.
I keep on thinking about what khaled husseini said. How the ending is a look towards the future in the middle east. I think to myself, how can there be hope for a future when all of this is happening. How will these countries see kites in the skies again?
I just finished the book. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I havn't read a book this good in a while. It is incredible how things from the past affect you in the future. I know cliches are bad in writing but they are so true. For example, The past come backs to haunt you. It does. Still after I've read this book i can't help worrying about Sohrab, if he'll ever be happy again. The ending left you with a little hope. Hassan always had a little hope, he was always hoping that Amir would be friends with him. Amir finally accepting this little hope that Sohrab would be happy maybe signified he finally forgave himself for not standing up for Hassan and accepting it.
Kite Runner is very thought provoking. It has made me think about how one set of events can change the entire course of many peoples' lives. If one person reacts badly to a situation it can have huge affects on many people.
As i reader it is very frustrating to watch Amir in his strugle within himself. There are times when i simply hate his character, and can not understand why it is so impossible for him to be honest with himself and the people around him. However we all love to tell ourselves that if we were in Amirs possition we would never make the decisions and mistakes he made. I think this book forces the reader to re-evaluate themselves as people, friends, and sons or daughters, and ask ourselves some tought questions. What would we honestly do in his position? Is Amir really a coward or was his reaction to the events in his life simply human?
So far I like the book. Sometimes while reading i start to dislike Amir for some of the decisions that he makes.I was surprised by the devotion of Hassan to Amir.
What stuck with me at the end of the story was that many decisions, some maybe insignifcant or very significant at the time, will affect for as long as you let it.
I think even though this book is not a difficult as past books that we have read in class, you can go so much deeper into it. While reading the book, i constently wonder what is going to happen next.
I think about how sad it is that times and wars can change a place that used to be so nice. It's sad to me because it's so hard to change it back to the way it was, and so many Afgan people have been hurt by the changes.
i found it interesting about the whole theme about redemption. In the story when they talk about "guilt" then "goodness" really struck me as interesting. Baba made up for his guilt by doing good things for the poor.
68 comments:
The thing on my mind the most when reading the book is past regrets and how they affect the things we do in the future even though they happened in the past.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked how everything came together by the end.
It emphasizes the fact that mistakes you can make can stay with you your whole life and you have to live with your actions, yet even though you can't take them back you can make it up possibly somehow.
I'm not quite finished with the book yet, but so far, I'm enjoying the story. It must be so hard for Amir to live with his past, especially when he hasn't officially told anyone about what happened on the kite competition day. In life, people regret so many things and this story shows how one person copes with unfortunate regrets.
I think it's alot easier to read than previous novels we've had. For instance, this story doesn't make me fall asleep, as Nectar in a Sieve has in the past. It's pretty entertaining, for a school book.
The major theme that sticks out in my mind when reading is that even though you may have made a mistake in the past, it doesn't mean your life in the future is ruined, it means to work hard, be nice to people and you will find ways that you can redeem yourself.
I suppose that because this is written in flashback form and Amir can use a developed vocabulary and explain his complex emotions very well, I keep forgetting that the choices he made where made when he was very young. If a young Amir had been narrating it, the reasons for his actions would have been less complex, making his choices seem more childish and than the reader might not judge him as an adult but as a child...
(I kept forgetting how young he was)
Kite Runner shows that no matter how hard you try to live life and push bad memories out of your head, you always have to live with the guilt ad it affects everything you do in the future.
I can really relate to the themes, specifically forgiveness.
Im not finished with the book yet, but so far it is really good. It shows how small mistakes that you do can affect the rest of your life. Like Amir didnt have to pull away from his "brother", it was a chose he made that further affected him his entire life.
When i started the book i thought that it was going to be boring and that i was going to have to force myself to read it because the beginning of the book is so slow when you go through Amir's childhood. Once the plot thickens in the book it was hard for me to put it down. In the end i was disappointed because i was upset how it ended i was mad that Hassan died i want him to go back to America with Amir and they would start over and it would have been nice for Amir and Hassan's new families together. The book was nice.
The major thing on my mid throughout the book is how the past has such a great affect on the future and the actions we make.
I agree w/ pete how in such a small amount of time (when Amir did nothing about Hassan's rape) someones relationship can be altered forever.
While reading Kite Runner the thing that is foremost in my thoughts is Amir's cowardly ways. I think because his father treaded Amir the way he did, Amir became a boy who couldn't stand up for what he believed in and couldn't bring himself to help Hassan in his time of need. Because Baba didn't give Amir the love and attention he needed, Amir became cowardly man who ended up regreting for a long time afterward the fact the he couldn't stand up to Assef in defense of Hassan.
Kite Runner is probably the best book that i have read in my entire school career. I like how the characters are not bland. I feel like the book offers a sense of hope for poeple in regretful situations, by showing that it is possible to redeem oneself
I am really enjoying this book but i cant help feeling bored ever since they left Afghanistan. I want a new conflict to arrive soon so the book gets interesting again. I enjoy the message of the book about not taking things for grantid and living in the moments. Overall, the book is well written and exciting with good twists but it is a tad depressing at times which gives off a bad vibe sometimes when I am reading.
I am really enjoying this book but i cant help feeling bored ever since they left Afghanistan. I want a new conflict to arrive soon so the book gets interesting again. I enjoy the message of the book about not taking things for grantid and living in the moments. Overall, the book is well written and exciting with good twists but it is a tad depressing at times which gives off a bad vibe sometimes when I am reading.
So far I really like Kite Runner. I think even though the culture is different, the themes are easy to relate to. One theme that really stands out is regreting past mistakes.
I like reading this book although it can get boring from time to time but it has many good themes and is well-written
shourjo said...
The one thing on my mind when I read is when is Hassan coming back, becasue he was the only one other than Rahim Khan that i liked. Also he was really nice so i miss him.
When we read the interview with Hosseini, it said people criticized him for having a "happy ending" but I thought that it was really more bittersweet. I love that at the end of a story because at that point it could go either way, things could get better for Amir or they could get worse. Then you can just imagine it how you want it to be and you're always satisfied.
I think of things I have done that still bring on guilt. It brings me closer to the book and closer to the experiences in the book. It also makes me think of the what is to come in the book and in my own life
I may or may not have been depressed for 2 days after finishing this story. I also may or may not have come out of my bed for 2 days while I was reading this story. One detail that stuck out in my mind was when Amir meets up with Assef and see's little Sorhab in his outfit dressed up as a doll. It was actually so upsetting reading this part of the story.
As I read, I was constantly thinking about that one big mistake that Amir made. It hanged on my mind for pretty much the whole book until Amir redeemed himself. The whole story was definitely very well written but also very depressing.
I like the book a lot because it has a great plot and is not predictable at all. The problems are also deep and complicated.
I don't like how the symbol of kites went away in the middle of the book. Maybe the lack of kites is a symbol in itself, but i still think that a book with the word "kite" in the title should have had more kites in it.
It must've been really tough for Amir to come back to the place he grew up and find it a barren, war-ravaged wasteland with poverty everywhere and people being shot in the streets.
I think that this book was written really well to show what Afghanistan was like before and during Taliban rule particularly because its expressed through the eyes of a child, who is naive and conflicted, and then later through the same persons eyes, after he hasn't been in Afghanistan for a while. I think that these two windows into AFghanistan are really good for giving a blanaced picture of AFghanistan.
So far, I have really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about human behavior and how some people respond differently to pain and guilt. I think this book is also really helpful because it provides an intimate perspective of a different country.
Today read 150 pages because I couldn't put the book down! I like this book a lot because it expresses so many important themes such as forgiveness and guilt. The most memorable scene for me were the kite competition day. All of the events that take place that day, Hassan telling about his dream, Amir winning the contest, and of course Hassan getting rapped and Amir not doing anything about it, made it such a memorable part of the book.
The thing on my mind is just how haunting Amir's memories are with Hassan being attacked. That type of thing would create so much regret and guilt, I couldn't imagine the pain Amir goes through. You can tell it has affected him as an adult, but it's absolutely horrifying.
Honestly while i read i can not help but think about the "scene" in the alley. It does not leave my head. Also I can not help but being mad at Amir for being such a bad friend to Hassan. Also it must be very hard fo Amir to live with himself after what he did to Hassan. The past never leaves you. I also really enjoy reading this book
I think that it shows how one mistake can affect the course of your life, whether it leaves you feeling guilty or upset. It does also show though that despite making a mistake as serious as Amir had made, you're life will still go on, as we see when he happily marries Soraya.
I really liked this book. One thing that bothered me a little was how Hassan let Amir walk all over him. Some may call this love or loyalty but after a point it got a little hard to read. On top of that, I really didn't like how Amir treated Hassan so badly. Overall though, i loved this book.
I love how you can find a piece of irony on every page. Sometimes you really have to look, but it's there
i am sick of the dramtic endings to the chapters... there is just too much drama and it is annoying, it does not seem at all realistic, but i do like the book, but that is just inhibiting my appreciation of the novel.
I think a major theme is Self Sacrifice. That's the basis of Hassan's character, and it's also why Amir get's so bad. He never sacrifices himself for anything.
This book is by far the best school assigned book I have read. It is one of the few school assigned books that I have really enjoyed. Every time I think to myself, "Okay, I'll just finish this chapter, and then I'll put the book down for a while," I always end up reading for an extra hour or two. I have so much trouble just putting this book down.
Anonymous is me, because I forgot to fill in my name.
Regret and ghosts of the past consume this but, and for this I love it. No. but really, it's pretty well written and rather intereseting when reading.
When I am reading Kite Runner I constantly am thinking about what's going on with Ali and Hassan, will we ever hear about them again? It think they are very meaningful characters and I want to know if they are ok or if they have troubles.
As I read my mind is on whether Amir will confront what has haunted him for his entire life: his conscience. So far, all Amir has done is get farther in farther away and run away to San Francisco.
As I read my mind is on whether Amir will confront what has haunted him for his entire life: his conscience. So far, all Amir has done is get farther in farther away and run away to San Francisco.
I think this book ties together beautifully with some themes that really aren't what you'd expect in a book for high school students.
I feel the same emotions Amir feels. Both Baba's equal treatment of Amir and Hassan and Hassan's hitting himself with a pomegranate frustrated me and made me angry. I also felt frustrated when Amir recognized that Soraya had told her secret but he had not told his.
Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, I read each sentence once and understood it the first time I read it.
The major theme that I was thinking about as I read Kite Runner, was how one negative thing can change your life so drastically.
One lesson that is learned from this book is that you always should be careful of what you do and say. Your actions will always stay with you and you will never forget them either good or bad. This book is one of the better books that I have read and there are many lessons that I will take away from this book.
Although I'm not done this book yet, I am getting a strong sense of the theme and really enjoy the book so far. What I think the main idea that keeps coming up is the power of ones devotion to another person. Such as Hassan's devotion to Amir, or Amir's devotion to Soraya.
I am not finished the book yet but the story has captured me and I find it hard to stop reading. This book is doing a great job of showing how one memory or something that occured in your life can change it forever.
When I read "Kite Runner", I kept coming across events and hints that seemed to have some symbolic meaning. As I read, I tried to think of what the symbolism could mean, and how it related to the story, its plot, and its themes.
For example, the pomegranate tree where Amir and Hassan had once carved their names on it now "did not bear fruit", according to Hassan's letter. As I read this phrase, I realized that this could mean something about Amir and Hassan's relationship.
As I read, I think most about all the things Amir has done wrong. He has made a lot of mistakes in the past that really affected his future.
Amir seems to be trying to live a normal life, but everytime one problem is dealt with another springs up. I have not finished yet, but I have been wondering if by the end he will have less problems and be able to live a more peaceful, and simple life as an author.
I thought the story was good and well-written, but I found it contrived that Amir had the perfect opportunity to redeem himself in the end.
As I read, I am thinking about everything Amir has done and how it affected his life, positively and negatively.
I really liked this book. Especially how everything came together in the end. I think its really appropriate to read because it teaches you how the choices you make now can stay with you your whole life.
There are so many themes in Kite Runner, but I believe the one major theme of this book is regret, and that in one moment, your whole life can change. While I am thinking about this book, I believe the author is really trying to tell the reader to live your life to the best, and always remember what is truly important.
I like Kite Runner because it is an interesting book and it is not boring. I like how the author takes you through the time periods and lets you know what is happening and when.
I keep on thinking about what khaled husseini said. How the ending is a look towards the future in the middle east. I think to myself, how can there be hope for a future when all of this is happening. How will these countries see kites in the skies again?
I just finished the book. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I havn't read a book this good in a while. It is incredible how things from the past affect you in the future. I know cliches are bad in writing but they are so true. For example, The past come backs to haunt you. It does. Still after I've read this book i can't help worrying about Sohrab, if he'll ever be happy again. The ending left you with a little hope. Hassan always had a little hope, he was always hoping that Amir would be friends with him. Amir finally accepting this little hope that Sohrab would be happy maybe signified he finally forgave himself for not standing up for Hassan and accepting it.
Kite Runner is very thought provoking. It has made me think about how one set of events can change the entire course of many peoples' lives. If one person reacts badly to a situation it can have huge affects on many people.
As i reader it is very frustrating to watch Amir in his strugle within himself. There are times when i simply hate his character, and can not understand why it is so impossible for him to be honest with himself and the people around him. However we all love to tell ourselves that if we were in Amirs possition we would never make the decisions and mistakes he made. I think this book forces the reader to re-evaluate themselves as people, friends, and sons or daughters, and ask ourselves some tought questions. What would we honestly do in his position? Is Amir really a coward or was his reaction to the events in his life simply human?
So far I like the book. Sometimes while reading i start to dislike Amir for some of the decisions that he makes.I was surprised by the devotion of Hassan to Amir.
What stuck with me at the end of the story was that many decisions, some maybe insignifcant or very significant at the time, will affect for as long as you let it.
I think even though this book is not a difficult as past books that we have read in class, you can go so much deeper into it. While reading the book, i constently wonder what is going to happen next.
I think about how sad it is that times and wars can change a place that used to be so nice. It's sad to me because it's so hard to change it back to the way it was, and so many Afgan people have been hurt by the changes.
i found it interesting about the whole theme about redemption. In the story when they talk about "guilt" then "goodness" really struck me as interesting. Baba made up for his guilt by doing good things for the poor.
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