Belonging - the Kite Runner Essay - 1399 Words

An individual’s sense of belonging stems from their notions of identity, personal context, and place. A lack in any of these areas may result in a thorough sense of alienation and pose as a barrier, which prevents belonging and facilitates an individual’s decision to exclude themselves from their surroundings. However, ironically, these barriers that present hardship can truly liberate an individual and help them in finding a more fulfilled state of belonging. These ideas are explored in Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It and Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner. Barriers to belonging are evident in the play in ‘As you like it’ and are explored through gender paradigms, and social structures. Particularly through the relationship†¦show more content†¦In dressing as Ganymede, she acquires a certain freedom to move around, give advice, and associate as an equal among other men. Breaking free of an external factor and gaining a sense of attachment. Thus her projection of control affects her sense of belonging by challenging the traditional sense of gender roles. Comparatively, ‘The kite runner’, explores the disparity created by differences in cultural backgrounds. This connection manifests in the relationship between Amir and Hassan, though Amir is true to Hassan in private, he feels the need to relate to Hassan according to the prevailing social hierarchy in public. â€Å"Afghanistan is the land of the Pashtun’s†¦not the flat-nosed Hazara’s, these people pollute our homeland. They dirty our blood.† The inclusive language at the beginning of the quote is aimed at the Pashtun’s whereas the negative connotations of ‘pollute’ and ‘dirty’ emphasise the subservient position of the Hazara’s in the Afghani society and thus losing their sense of placement within society. Amir has to face that fact he is disloyal to his relationship with Hassan and begins personal growth. â€Å"He’s my servant! Had I really though that?† â€Å"Everywhere I turned I saw sign s of his loyalty, his goddamn unwavering loyalty.† the absence of conjunction emphasises his thorough regrets that act as a barrier preventing him fromShow MoreRelatedBelonging Romulus, My Father and the Kite Runner Essay1189 Words   |  5 PagesYear 12 Assessment Task 2: Area of Study- Belonging â€Å"We all strive to belong† To what extent is this statement true with regard to your SET text and at least ONE related text of your own choosing? One’s understanding of belonging can broaden their understanding and acceptance of themselves and the world around them. The statement that we all strive to belong is true, however it may take time to belong to a certain person, place, group, community or even the larger world. This issue is exploredRead MoreThe, As You Like It, And Khaled Hosseini s The Kite Runner1486 Words   |  6 Pagesof belonging is undoubtedly linked to their connections with not only people, but places, groups, communities, and the larger world. These connections help to develop a sense of affinity to a person’s surroundings, thus strengthening both one’s sense of belonging, and sense of self. Both William Shakespeare’s comedy, As You Like It, and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, explore the concept of belonging and it’s varying aspects based on different social contexts, the perspectives of belonging beingRead MoreAlienation Amidst Dissimilarity: The Kite Runner1 212 Words   |  5 Pageswithdraws or becomes isolated from other people in his or her environment. People who are alienated will often reject loved ones or society, and feel distant and estranged from their own emotions† (Alienation 1). Multiple times in the novel The Kite Runner, the protagonist, Amir, lives through an alienation that causes him to search for alternative routes in order to feel accepted. Amir struggles to stand up for himself which concerns his father, Baba, about his future well-being as an adult. TheRead MoreThe Kite Runner Analysis1526 Words   |  7 PagesKabul, in his novel The Kite Runner. He narrates the turbulent journey of a man named Amir, who is haunted by his past and the ghosts of his sins. The novel is not just the history of Afghanistan before the Taliban took over, but it is also the story of redemption. Throughout the novel, Hosseini explores important topics and ideas, including the complications of friendship, the dangers of prejudice an d discrimination, the search for salvation, and betrayal. The Kite Runner has relied on influentialRead MoreInfluences on Social Mobility in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini875 Words   |  4 PagesThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Amir lives in a nice home in Kabul, Afghanistan, with his father. They have two servants, Ali and his son, Hassan. Ali and Hassan are Hazaras, which is an ethnic minority. Hassan is often teased and harassed by a group of boys, one in particular named Assef, who wishes to get rid of all Hazaras in the future. One day an incident happens between Hassan and Assef that changes Amir’s relationship with Hassan forever, bringing Amir to ultimately cause Ali andRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1313 Words   |  5 Pageswas also poor as she started writing the saga on napkins in coffee shops. This way of writing, however, is not unique to just J.K. Rowling. Khaled Hosseini also incorporates life experiences into some of his novels. A p rime example of this is The Kite Runner. The storyline of this novel reflects his past to create a journey of a young Afghanistan boy, whose name is Amir. This boy changes drastically throughout his lifetime from a close minded, considerably arrogant boy to an open hearted and mindedRead MoreEssay The Kite Runner and To Kill a Mockingbird Comparison1010 Words   |  5 PagesIn both The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, literacy and education play a key role. The education of a man gives him power, and can determine his stature or influence in the community. Literacy gives a man an insight to knowledge that can be important. By developing characters with different levels of education, Khaled Hosseini and Harper Lee develop and strengthen the idea that literacy and education are dangerous tools, and can make the difference betweenRead More The Kite Runner Essay1476 Words   |  6 PagesThe Kite Runner Reading for leisure provides valuable insight into the author’s imagination or prior experience giving the reader a different perspective on a certain topic or culture. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, we are introduced into a world of privilege in Afghanistan for the main character, Amir, combated with his best friend and half brother Hassan, their lowly Hazara servant. The two boys were raised together but being a Hazara is seen as an inferior race to many of the otherRead MoreThe Kite Runner: Forgiveness, Loyalty, and the Quest for Redemption2381 Words   |  10 PagesThe Kite Runner: Forgiveness, Loyalty, and the Quest for Redemption Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is an award-winning novel and considered one of today’s most popular, contemporary classics. The story is one of familiar themes such as loyalty, forgiveness, betrayal, love, and redemption. It follows the tale of Amir and how he must atone for his sins and find a way to â€Å"be good again† (Hosseini 2). The quintessential message of this book relies on the idea of second chances. Themes of redemptionRead MoreDifficult Choices in the Kite Runner1725 Words   |  7 PagesIn Khaled Hosseini’s book, The Kite Runner, the author brings the reader on a journey where we are introduced to two young boys, Amir and Hassan. It is a story about their friendship and the choices they make while growing up in Kabul. Although, Amir and Hassan are raised in the same household, and are fed from same breast, they grow up in different realities: Amir is a Pashtun and the son of a rich and noble man, Hassan is a Hazara and Amir’s ser vant, whose father also served for Amir’s father.