Outside Reading Book

I chose to read Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I decided to read this book because I have read a lot of his other books that I have really enjoyed (Fight Club, Lullaby), and this one looked intriguing.

Visual Presention of Voice in The Kite Runner

Analytical quote from The Kite Runner

From The Kite Runner:
“If this were one of the Hindi movies Hassan and I used to watch, this was the part where I’d run outside, my bare feet splashing rainwater. I’d chase the car, screaming for it to stop. I’d pull Hassan out of the backseat and tell him I was sorry, so sorry, my tears mixing with rainwater. We’d hug in the downpour. But this was no Hindi movie. I was sorry, but I didn’t cry and I didn’t chase the car. I watched Baba’s car pull away from the curb, taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been my name. I caught one final blurry glimpse of Hassan slumped in the backseat before Baba turned left at the street corner where we’d played marbles so many times.
I stepped back and all I saw was rain through windowpanes that looked like melting silver.” (108-109)

This quote really speaks to the voice of the book because of the tone and diction Hosseini uses. The way he describes the rain and the environment closely relates to the emotions of the characters. It is almost ironic that it is raining and stormy outside, while such a sad event is occurring. This is a major turning point in the book and the way Hosseini describes it makes the reader completely involved in the book. When he says, “my tears were mixing with rainwater” it painted an image of the despair that Amir shows for Hassan leaving. The reference to the Hindi movies ties in this quote to the rest of the story and creates Amir’s fantasy life. Hosseini continually reflects on past experiences between Hassan and Amir, many times during the book. The tone of his writing is always very melancholy and deep, even when he is talking about joyful things. This creates a very serious but understanding theme of the book. This style of writing causes the reader to connect their life experiences to the book.

Interview with Khaled Hosseini

Interview with Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner:

O: Its great to be speaking with you Mr. Hosseini. You've just written a new novel called The Kite Runner. Could you tell us a little bit about the plot of the book?

KH: Thank you very much, I'm glad to be here too. The novel is set partly in Afghanistan, and partly in the U.S. It follows the story of a boy who witnesses a horrible crime while "running" a kite in the annual kite festival. He soon moves to the United States with his father and begins his life there in the Bay Area.

O: What was the overall message you were trying to convey in telling this boy's story?

KH: I was trying to show the convictions and attitudes of different cultures. I closely related my own personal experience with that of the main character, Amir. I was born and raised in Afghanistan and moved to the U.S. in 1980, just as Amir is in the book. By making this deep connection with the character, I was able to convey his emotions and outlooks much more sophisticated, as apposed to if i had no emotional connection to the character at all.

O: I understand that in the beginning of the book, Amir witnesses an extremely difficult scene involving his best friend Hassan. How does the beginning of the book affect the rest of the novel?

KH: I chose to show the reader that scene in the beginning to show where Amir gets his character from. That scene is what truly changes who he is, and his entire life. The tone of the novel becomes much more melancholy after Amir and his father leave Afghanistan because of the war. However the idea of hope, is always present throughout the entire book.

O: Was it your own childhood that inspired the character Amir?

KH: It was definitely a large part of it. He was a very haunted character and i saw so many people like him, scarred by the images of war and suffering. I wanted to show in The Kite Runner, that no matter what or where people go in life they always know and respect their roots. Respect is something that is one of my greatest ideals, respect for ones possessions, respect for ones ideals, and respect for ones country. A saying that i truly believe in is "home is where the heart is". Where you grow up, and grow into the person you will be for the rest of your life is eternally sacred.

O: Why is Hassan so important to Amir in the book? Even after Amir tried his hardest to push him away?

KH: Friendship, brotherhood, are extremely imporant in all cultures, especially in Afghanistan. Amir sounds so harsh to Hassan, because he loves him so much that he can't accept what has been done to him with his recognition. Guilt and Forgiveness are two main themes in this book. Constantly people are doing wrong, and then forgiving. One example is when Amir hides money under Hassan's mattress and blames it on him so that his father will send Hassan and his father away. Surprisingly, Amir's father forgive him because of their strong relationship. Without the hope of forgiveness, many of us would be very lost in this world.

O: Well it has been so great to have you here today! I hear that they have made a motion picture of The Kite Runner! Are you pleased with it?

KH: Yes, very much so! The actors they cast are extraordinary. It follows the book very closely and the visual just brings out so much more emotion. I would highly recommend seeing it.

O: Thanks for being with us today Mr. Hosseini!

KH: Thank you for having me.

O: Here is a link for the trailer for The Kite Runner, in select theaters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm5e6AqrNF8

Adoption of Paired Texts?

This summer I chose to read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. Both books were very important because of their overall theme of fighting against the power. Some schools could see these books as being negative to their education, because school and teachers is an authority. However, I believe that these books would help students understand the meaning of confidence and standing up for what you believe in. These books show life from the perspective of an array of people. From Chief Bromden in Cuckoo’s Nest to Ken Kesey in The Acid Test. Although these novels describe sex and drug use, the descriptions are relevant to the plot, and the overall understanding of the novels. 11th graders are mature enough to read these books and respond to them in a constructive and understanding way. Cuckoo’s Nest and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test would be an interesting addition to the 11th grade English 3 curriculum.