taken 10/19/07Friday, October 19, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Second Outside Quarter Reading Post
Hi,
I would like to take some time to answer some of the questions that we were asked about my outside quarter reading book, The Kite runner:
The main characters in this book are Amir, Hassan, Baba, Rahim and Soraya (so far).
- Amir is the narrator of this book; the book starts out when he is a child living in Afghanistan. His mother died in childbirth and so he lives in a large house with his father and servants. His father manipulates him the most, Amir feels that Baba isn’t proud of him and wishes he were more like him. When Amir would rather read a book than play soccer or doesn’t win the kite running race, Baba acts disappointed and distances himself from Amir. This causes Amir to be resentful and eventually gets into a lot of trouble trying to win his father’s love. Every decision that Amir makes is influenced by what he thinks his father will think of him.
- Hassan is Amir’s family’s servant. He lives with his father Ali (his mother ran away after giving birth to him) in a small hut outside Amir’s large house. Hassan is completely devoted to Amir; his first word was Amir’s name. Hassan has a mysterious way of knowing exactly what Amir is thinking and what he needs. Having grown up with Amir his whole life and being taught such obedience and loyalty at such a young age, Hassan would never leave Amir, even after Amir betrays him in the most traitorous way. Amir and Hassan’s lives eventually lead them to part, Amir goes to America and Ali takes Hassan away from Baba’s household, Hassan is loyal to Amir to the very end, his dying words were to Amir.
- Baba is Amir’s father; he was an athlete, a scholar, bold, popular and was the leader in everything he did. Baba is also loving (not always to his son) thinks of others and is loyal to those who are loyal to him. When Amir came home after school and told Baba that he had learned that Iranian people are greedy, evil and two-faced, Baba sat him down and told him his philosophy of life and that his old teachers of the Koran know nothing other than how to serve Allah. He is a modern thinker, not bound to the ways of ancient Afghanistan.
- Rahim is Baba’s best friend and business partner. Rahim understands Amir and his love for reading and nature. Rahim gives Amir a leather notebook where Amir eventually gets his idea for his best-selling novel. Rahim loves Afghanistan, and doesn’t leave to go to America even when the Taliban are taking over and ruining life in Kabul.
- Soraya is Amir’s wife that he met in America. She is also Afghani and comes from a well known family. They love each other, but unfortunately she is barren and they cannot have children.
The End
Monday, October 8, 2007
Blog Assignment #3
Why do people write memoirs?
What power is there in telling our own stories?
Why do people write memoirs? Bragging rights perhaps, an outlet to your creativity, a life-long dream, maybe just because you think the world needs to know. Memoirs are written for a variety of reasons, some valid, and some are definately not. Memoirs tell a story completely original, no one else could ever have experienced what you did, or just never a book about it. Memoirs are refreshing, hearing real stories from real people gives us insight to the real world outside of our very limited American boundaries of culture.
There is imense power in writing a memoir. For yourself and a power instilled in the reader is also visible. Writing a memoir for youself can be a freeing experiance. It is where you can reveal the secrets of your passions, sufferings and events from your life that you regret or are proud of. Having a book out there that reveals everything about you on the shelves of bookstores, however, can be daunting. For the reader, reading about someone else who may have similar experiances to yours can be aggravating, funny, or bring tears to your eyes. Having such power of a person in the form of a memoir is very invigorating and ultimately powerful. It takes a courageous person to write a memoir.
What power is there in telling our own stories?
Why do people write memoirs? Bragging rights perhaps, an outlet to your creativity, a life-long dream, maybe just because you think the world needs to know. Memoirs are written for a variety of reasons, some valid, and some are definately not. Memoirs tell a story completely original, no one else could ever have experienced what you did, or just never a book about it. Memoirs are refreshing, hearing real stories from real people gives us insight to the real world outside of our very limited American boundaries of culture.
There is imense power in writing a memoir. For yourself and a power instilled in the reader is also visible. Writing a memoir for youself can be a freeing experiance. It is where you can reveal the secrets of your passions, sufferings and events from your life that you regret or are proud of. Having a book out there that reveals everything about you on the shelves of bookstores, however, can be daunting. For the reader, reading about someone else who may have similar experiances to yours can be aggravating, funny, or bring tears to your eyes. Having such power of a person in the form of a memoir is very invigorating and ultimately powerful. It takes a courageous person to write a memoir.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
First Outside Reading Post
Hello everyone!
The book that I am reading for our outside reading book is called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
I have only read a few chapters of the book, but so far, it is about a boy named Amir who lives in Afghanistan. He is wealthy and lives with his father whom he fears and revers. His father does not understand him because Amir would rather write a story than play soccer. Amir also cannot stand up for himself, his personality is such that he would rather agree with the bully and leave then fight with him and get hurt. His servant Hassan and Hassan's father Ali, live in the small shack next to their house. He has grown up with Hassan and Hassan's first word was Amir's name. They play toghether and have known each other since birth, but Amir does not consider him to be a real friend. Hassan always fends off bullies with his sling shot. Ali was crippled by polio when he was very young so he is picked on often, Hassan has a cleft lip which he is ridiculed for. All this and they are Hazara. This a people who are a minority in Afghanistan and are very persecuted in their home country. Recently in the book, a bully name Assef who is half german and half persian confronts Amir and Hassan. He has an unknown psycological problem and Nazi tendancies, supporting what Hitler did to the Jews and wants the president of Afghanistan to do the same with the Hazaras.
I really like my book so far, but I am afraid that everything will go downhill, I have heard it is a wee bit depressing.
Bye,
Lauren Christiansen
The book that I am reading for our outside reading book is called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
I have only read a few chapters of the book, but so far, it is about a boy named Amir who lives in Afghanistan. He is wealthy and lives with his father whom he fears and revers. His father does not understand him because Amir would rather write a story than play soccer. Amir also cannot stand up for himself, his personality is such that he would rather agree with the bully and leave then fight with him and get hurt. His servant Hassan and Hassan's father Ali, live in the small shack next to their house. He has grown up with Hassan and Hassan's first word was Amir's name. They play toghether and have known each other since birth, but Amir does not consider him to be a real friend. Hassan always fends off bullies with his sling shot. Ali was crippled by polio when he was very young so he is picked on often, Hassan has a cleft lip which he is ridiculed for. All this and they are Hazara. This a people who are a minority in Afghanistan and are very persecuted in their home country. Recently in the book, a bully name Assef who is half german and half persian confronts Amir and Hassan. He has an unknown psycological problem and Nazi tendancies, supporting what Hitler did to the Jews and wants the president of Afghanistan to do the same with the Hazaras.
I really like my book so far, but I am afraid that everything will go downhill, I have heard it is a wee bit depressing.
Bye,
Lauren Christiansen
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Blog assignment #2
What types of things does Richard "hunger" for
and what are the effects (positive and negative) of hunger?
First of all, Richard hungers for an education. He is always ready to learn. Earlier in the book he regrets not having a full year of school before he moved in with his grandmother. Also, he was the one who initiated learning to read and write, not his parents. Even at an early age his seeking for knowledge was apparent. A positive effect of this is that he will be able to think for himself and be able to get jobs that require literacy (such as writing applications for insurance companies). A negative effect of this is that being african-american in the south, even educated, he will be limited to the type of education and quality of jobs he will get.
Secondly, Richard hungers for a job. Getting a job makes him independant, no longer leaning on his Grandmother and slew of unhappy aunts and uncles to support him. A job gives him a way to be useful in the household, and also not present in the household. It gives him a sense of importance and independance. A positive effect of this is that he is making money for his family and learning new things about society and social hierarchy. A negative effect of this is that he sees how badly blacks are treated and how white people are the source of all his suffering. Also he can not get a decent job with a decent pay because he is black and he is not helping the household enough for them to be grateful for him.
and what are the effects (positive and negative) of hunger?
First of all, Richard hungers for an education. He is always ready to learn. Earlier in the book he regrets not having a full year of school before he moved in with his grandmother. Also, he was the one who initiated learning to read and write, not his parents. Even at an early age his seeking for knowledge was apparent. A positive effect of this is that he will be able to think for himself and be able to get jobs that require literacy (such as writing applications for insurance companies). A negative effect of this is that being african-american in the south, even educated, he will be limited to the type of education and quality of jobs he will get.
Secondly, Richard hungers for a job. Getting a job makes him independant, no longer leaning on his Grandmother and slew of unhappy aunts and uncles to support him. A job gives him a way to be useful in the household, and also not present in the household. It gives him a sense of importance and independance. A positive effect of this is that he is making money for his family and learning new things about society and social hierarchy. A negative effect of this is that he sees how badly blacks are treated and how white people are the source of all his suffering. Also he can not get a decent job with a decent pay because he is black and he is not helping the household enough for them to be grateful for him.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Blog Assignment #1
Is Richard a "bad" boy?
When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?
I do not believe that Richard is a "bad" boy morally. In chapter 1, Richard killed the kitten, burned a house, got drunk in saloons and wrote obscenities on windows. These are all "bad" things to do, but considering the situation Richard was in and the hardships he has endured, I would not label him as being bad.
Most of what Richard has done was wrong, but he was motivated not by his own evil conscience, but by certain events and surroundings. For example, when Richard first moved to Memphis, he was surrounded by a completely different environment. He grew up being sheltered from drunkeness, perversion, and most evil things that occur in big cities. He was enticed into the saloons by sheer curiosity of something new and different (and the entertainment of watching drunks). He did not want to drink at first because he saw it's ill effects, but was persuaded to by adults (an authorty that his mother taught him not to disobey). The writing of profanities around the city was also an effect of his drinking, which he is 100% responsible for, but not enough to brand him as an insane alcoholic.
When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?
I do not believe that Richard is a "bad" boy morally. In chapter 1, Richard killed the kitten, burned a house, got drunk in saloons and wrote obscenities on windows. These are all "bad" things to do, but considering the situation Richard was in and the hardships he has endured, I would not label him as being bad.
Most of what Richard has done was wrong, but he was motivated not by his own evil conscience, but by certain events and surroundings. For example, when Richard first moved to Memphis, he was surrounded by a completely different environment. He grew up being sheltered from drunkeness, perversion, and most evil things that occur in big cities. He was enticed into the saloons by sheer curiosity of something new and different (and the entertainment of watching drunks). He did not want to drink at first because he saw it's ill effects, but was persuaded to by adults (an authorty that his mother taught him not to disobey). The writing of profanities around the city was also an effect of his drinking, which he is 100% responsible for, but not enough to brand him as an insane alcoholic.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
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