The Kite Runner: Like Father, Like (Actual) Son

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Baba and Amir seem to come from two different worlds. Baba is tough and strong, and Amir is weak and timid. In actuality though, they are the same: " 'Your father, like you was a tortured soul, Amir jan" (Hosseini, 301). Both Amir and Baba contained secrets that, if revealed, would completely change the world they lived in. Amir's secret is the winter of 1975. Hassan revealed to Ali and Rahim Khan what had happened then. Baba also held a devastating secret: he was Hassan's real father. Ali happened to be infertile and Baba cheated on his wife, giving Ali, Hassan. All those years, Baba held onto that terrible secret, driving a wedge between him and Amir. He took his frustration out on Amir, creating a gap between them. In return, Amir became angry at his father for this gap and created a cycle of anger. In the end, they became angry at themselves too. To the end, they were much the same.

The Kite Runner: Like Father, Like (Adopted) Son

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, Hassan, and Sohrab are connected in a more abstract and parallel way. The friendship between Hassan and Amir was, at first, great. Hassan loved Amir greatly while Amir slowly grew to dislike and hate Hassan because of jealousy and hatred for what he (Amir) failed to do.When Hassan left, it was essentially the end of their friendship. Fast forward several years, Amir and Sohrab have a similar relationship except, Amir is like Hassan and Sohrab is like Amir. Amir is given a chance to make up for his past by taking care of Sohrab. He wants to adopt the child and at first, the child agrees. Then, their relationship shatters and almost end completely because Sohrab attempted suicide. Sohrab wishes that " 'you [Amir] had left me in the water' " (Hosseini, 355). Amir decides to not let this relationship end like it did between Hassan and him. Amir does everything he can and eventually Sohrab begins to accept him again, like Amir eventually realized that he still wanted to be with Hassan.

The Kite Runner: The Kite Runner

Parallelism defines the last fourth of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Amir has several encounters that resemble his past incidents, that give him a chance to prove himself. One such encounter, was the last scene involving kites. In the beginning, kite running was a fun pastime for Amir and Hassan. They became stronger friends through this activity until the winter of 1975. That destroyed the relationship they had, and they ended up never seeing each other again. Now, Amir had another chance to redeem himself. He introduces kite flying and kite running to Sohrab, who is reluctant to try it. Amir is able to draw a quick-lopsided smile from him, the first in about a year. With that, Amir pieced his past back together and made things right again. "I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran" (Hosseini, 371).

The Kite Runner: For Redemption and Honor

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, the central ideas of honor and redemption are prevalent. These themes come to light especially in Amir's encounter with Assef in Wazir Akbar Khan. Assef, to no surprise, has become a high ranking member of the Taliban. He has Sohrab under his control, and Amir seeks to free Sohrab of Assef's control. Amir confronts Assef, paralleling their encounter at the beginning of the novel. Amir and Assef finally have the fights that was supposed to happen when they were children. The fight ends in the same way that Hassan ended the scuffle all those years ago: with a readied slingshot. In the end, Amir was glad that he fought Assef: "For the first time since the winter of 1975, I felt at peace" (Hosseini, 289). Amir's past tormented him until this day. He choose the path to redemption and honor. Rather than running away during the first fight, this fight was ended with a brass ball in Assef''s eye.

The Kite Runner: Afghanistan Life

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, many aspects of Afghanistan life are mentioned. Many Arabic words are given, along with their English equivalents, in the text. The Koran is alluded to several times with rites, prayers, and passages that must be read of followed  Some Afghan customs are included, such as an Islamic wedding. This immersion of Afghan culture helps to explain and further the plot. Understanding their culture explains many features of the plots, such as General Sahib and honor that Afghans have: "and suddenly everyone is talking nang and namoos" (Hosseini, 179). It explains why so many Pashtuns showed up to Baba's hospitalization and funeral. The numerous allusions to Afghan life help to clarify and advance the plot.

The Kite Runner: Past Guilt

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir cannot forget his past. The central theme of how the past claws its way out of your repressed memories still holds true. Amir recalls the night in the alley, Hassan, and his unatoned sins. He connects this with his wife's infertility. He believes that "Maybe this was my punishment" (Hosseini, 188). His wife's infertility was retribution for abandoning Hassan. The thought of adoption comes up and sirs some emotions in the family. Soraya wants to adopt. Her father advises against it. Amir decides, for the moment, to not adopt because he believes that he is being denied his fatherhood. It all comes back to his past and his abandonment of Hassan.

The Kite Runner: Foil Relationship

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Baba and Amir act as foils. Baba is tough and strong. A story of him tells how he wrestled a bear and won. Amir is weak and timid. He writes stories instead of going outside and playing sports. The only part of culture that Baba and Amir share a passion for is the annual Kite Flying Tournament. While they are on the refugee truck, Baba defends the helpless woman and threatens the Russian soldier, while Amir tries to calm his father down and save his life: " 'Baba, sit down please,' I said, tugging at his sleeve. 'I think he really means to shoot you.' Baba slapped my hand away. 'Haven't I taught you anything?' " (Hosseini, 116). This difference between father and son further contributes to Amir's struggle for confidence. In the end, Baba becomes proud of Amir when he marries Soraya. Amir has gained Baba's acceptance, so now he has to renew his friendship with Hassan.

The Kite Runner: Hassan vs Baba

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir has an inner conflict between Hassan's friendship and Baba's acceptance. Amir always like Hassan, yet he never once called him his friend. Amir was always jealous of Baba's approval of Hassan. Whenever Amir had the choice to choose between being alone with Baba during an outing or bringing Hassan along, he would choose to be alone with Baba. Furthermore, Amir feels guilty for the way he treated Hassan. He feels guilty for treating him like dirt. Now, Hassan and Ali are moving away fro some "unexplained reason". Baba is upset and Amir feels even more guilt. "This was the part where I'd run outside, my bare feet splashing rain water. I'd chase the car, screaming for it to stop. . . . But this was no Hindi movie." (Hosseini, 109). Amir now has Baba to himself, but is unhappy and is still without his acceptance.

The Clashing of Sight and Sound

In Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold, the imagery between sight and sound clash. Sight is described as calm, full, glimmering, and vast. It is described pleasantly and creates a peaceful and relaxing scene. The sound, however, paints a different picture. The sea has a grating roar, perpetual sadness, and an unpleasant harshness. This sea is then compared to a sea of faith and ultimately the world. "Faith/Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore" (Arnold, 892). Faith has become like other seas, becoming harsh and sad. The world is a harsh and "stinko" place. The fourth stanza indicates that love is the only solution to surviving this harsh world. It only appears to be good and awesome because of our eyes, but our ears reveal the truth that this world is harsh.

Love and Laundry

In Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritchie, the speaker makes metaphors comparing her love to doing laundry. The speaker wants to bring this person into her life, like she folds clothes.She goes through the rest of their lives like she folds the rest of the laundry. They have dinner, they share and chase their dreams, and they develop a respectability for themselves. The poem then shifts from a light-heartened and lovely tone to a more sad and depressed tone. They cannot throw away bad habits and features about themselves. They start to fight and grow apart. Eventually, the speaker discovers an affair: "the strangely tailored shirt left by a former lover" (Ritchie, 842). The speaker does not want to left alone and would be forced to fold her own clothes. The mountains of unsorted laundry or the joys and adventures to come would not be able to fill the emptiness that she would feel.

Drunk by Nature

I taste a liquor never brewed by Emily Dickinson features an extended metaphor comprised of elaborate diction and imagery. Her metaphor compares her love of nature to being drunk. Nature fills her with such a joy that it is only comparable to being drunk. Her imagery reveals several scenes of nature. Pearls as clouds, the Rhine river, air, dew, molten blue, endless summer days, bee, butterflies, snowy hats, and the sun all suggest nature. Her diction reveals how she compares nature to alcohol. tankards are filled with pearls. The speaker has become an "Inebriate of Air. . . And Debauchee of Dew" (Dickinson, 797). Bees are drunk and butterflies stop drinking their drams. In the last stanza presents an image that God approves of this drunkenness. Seraphs and Saints run to the window to watch and not to judge, while the speaker leans on the sun, rather than a lamppost.

Undersea Riches

In The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy, points out an irony in the sinking of the Titanic. The richest people planned and built the safest ship in the world. It was given bright jewels and opulent mirrors. With all of their money, the rich could not prevent their own deaths. Their vanity and pride prevented them from seeing their future: "No mortal eye could see/The intimate welding of their later history" (Hardy, 779). The passengers could not see that their ship was doomed to fail. The iceberg was meant to destroy the ship. The damage could have been less severe, if more money was put into safety and precaution, rather than jewels and mirrors. Their pride prevented them from seeing this truth believing it to be invincible. Vanity and pride always meet their downfall, no matter how invincible they may seem.

Murderous Misery

In A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell, the most ironic thing in this story is that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are the better investigators. The men treat the women as inferiors. The county attorney diminishes the role of women and talks to them as lesser people. He makes insulting jokes about them and comments on how terrible of a housewife Minnie is. Mr. Hale makes a comment wondering if the women would recognize a clue if they saw one. Ironically, the women were the only ones who made any progress in finding evidence. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters end up finding the incriminating evidence: " 'It's the bird. . . . Somebody wrung its neck.' " (Glaspell, 421). Ironically, the women keep this to themselves and decide to let Minnie live. This is where the title explains their motive to let Minnie seem innocent. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters judged Minnie to be innocent because her husband was cold and hard. He was a terrible husband and made the house reek of loneliness. The only reason Mrs. Hale did not meet Minnie at her house was because the house seemed cold and lonely. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were empathetic toward Minnie and decided she had suffered enough in her life.

Dying for Perfection

In Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy, the speaker satirizes the pursuit to become perfect and gain social acceptance. The title Barbie Doll highlights the girlchild's desire to become a barbie doll. She was healthy and intelligent. She had strong arms and back, an abundant sex drive, and manual dexterity. She had great traits for a woman, yet her nose and legs were a problem: "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy, 835). She focused on that sole thought and it ruined her life. She changed herself and figuratively died. She killed her old, true self to be accepted by the people around her. The most ironic thing is that puberty was not done yet. Puberty created her nose and leg problems and puberty was going to change the rest of her body later. Her desire to be socially accepted destroyed her original and unique self.

Honest Love

In My mistress' eyes by William Shakespeare, the speaker contrasts his description of his woman with the descriptions of women in other love poems. His woman's eyes are not like the sun. They do not shine with a radiant beauty. Her lips are a pale red, with coral having a redder hue. Her skin is darker than that of pure white snow. Her hair is black and not golden, what love poems seem to prefer. Her cheeks lack color and other smells please the speaker more than her breath. Her voice is not pretty or perfect and she is not a goddess. Yet, the speaker still loves her. He may be brutally honest, but he has a love for her that he believes to be rare and genuine : "I think my love as rare/As any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare, 885).

You Killed Kenny. You Illegitimate Child!

In Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff, Frank's character contributes to a rather ambiguous ending. Frank is characterized as a forgetful friend. He forgets what Tub says several times. " 'I guess I wasn't paying attention.' " (Wolff, 196) shows that Frank forgets and does not focus his attention. He then apologizes to Tub about his problem. They begin to have a meaningful conversations at the several rest stops. Frank tells Tub about his wanting to have an affair with the babysitter. Tub explains how he hates being ridiculed for his weight and Frank buys him several pancakes to stuff his face. However, Kenny is still in the truck, waiting to go to the hospital. Frank and Tub forget about Kenny. They do not pay attention to what they are doing. They takes his blankets and end up driving in the opposite direction of the hospital. They barely even acknowledge him at the end of the story. As Kenny thinks that he is going to the hospital, Tub and Frank have completely forgot about his injury and took that turn far back in their journey.

Othello Acts IV-V

Oh, the IRONY! In Othello by William Shakespeare, the end is filled with dramatic irony. Considering the entire play, Iago has been quite successful. He seemed unstoppable. None of the characters could have guessed Emilia's character shift between Act IV and Act V. In Act IV, she decides to speak her mind with Desdemona, which sets her up as the flaw in Iago's plan in Act V. The revelation of Iago's evil was quite ironic for the characters. The entire play he was called Honest Iago. His animosity and villainy were kept hidden from the characters for the entire play before this moment. Othello's transformation into a frenzied murderer thirsting for revenge certainly surprised the other characters. He completely destroyed his reputation that we first learned about in Act I. In the end, and through all the irony, the play comes to a just conclusion.

Othello Acts IV-V

In the final scene of Othello by William Shakespeare, Desdemona has perished at the hands of Othello. Interestingly enough, they still had love for each other till the very end. Othello loved Desdemona for her looks but had to kill her to justify her falseness. He does not want to kill her, but he has to so that she will not  tempt other men. Desdemona accepts her death and continues to love Othello. She tries to persuade him to not kill her, but she has no luck. Although she has had many chances to escape and live, she chooses not too. She is overly loyal and obedient to her husband, to a fault. In her last act of life, she pardons Othello, "Nobody, I myself. Farewell" (V.ii.123). Desdemona truly loved Othello and Othello loved her, even among Iago's lies and corruption.

Othello Acts IV-V

In Othello by William Shakespeare, foreshadowing appears once again. This time, all the evidence points to the death of Desdemona. Othello believes that Cassio was mocking Desdemona when in fact he was mocking Bianca. Bianca, then, appears with Othello's handkerchief, infuriating Othello even more. Othello swears to kill Desdemona and plots with Iago on how do it: "Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated." (IV.i.191-192). Furthermore, in scene three, Desdemona sings a peculiar song. A maid of her mother's was singing it and died while singing the song. This happens after Othello commands her to go to their chambers. Desdemona asked Emilia to place the wedding sheets on the bed. Desdemona has accepted death and if she is going to die, she wants to die on the same sheets that were on the bed on her wedding night.

Othello Acts IV-V

In Act IV of Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago's wife Emilia  has begun a shift in her character. Earlier in the story, she was shy, inward, and unquestioning. She accepted the abuse from Iago and did nothing to stop him or seek help from her friends. She did everything that he demanded of her, especially taking the handkerchief. By the end of Act IV, Emilia shifts into a more outspoken character. Throughout scene three, she converses with Desdemona about what has happened, and the subject of men. Emilia begins to voice her opinion and vents her frustration with men: "Let Husbands know/ Their wives have sense like them." (IV.iii.89-90). This dynamic shift in character is surprising, since Emilia has played a very minor role throughout the play. I believe that she is the flaw in Iago's plan. He would never suspect that his obedient wife would become dynamic.

Othello Acts I-III

Othello by William Shakespeare contains many examples of foreshadowing. All of those examples come from Iago's elaborate plan. His plan is flawlessly coming together, but what will exactly happen? This is the first act in which Iago does not conclude with a soliloquy, so he does not have any thing new to reveal. I believe that Othello will end up murdering Desdemona because it is a tragedy and because he wants to kill her: "To furnish me with some swift means of death/For the fair devil." (III.iii.479-480). Also, I believe that Othello will commit suicide because it seems that all of Shakespeare's tragic heroes commit suicide. After he kills Desdemona, he realizes the shame he has brought to Italy, and commits suicide, so that people will remember his good name. The villain, however, will not live either. He will  go to kill Cassio to tie off loose ends and blame the death of Cassio on Othello. Cassio will actually kill Iago and expose him for the true villain he really is. That, I believe, is how this tragedy will finish, based upon foreshadowing and Shakespeare's other plays.

Othello Acts I-III

In third scene of act three of Othello by William Shakespeare, the handkerchief is introduced. The handkerchief is the love of Othello and Desdemona. He first gave it to her as a keepsake for their love: "This was her first remembrance from the Moor." (III.iii.301). Emilia gives the handkerchief to Iago and it will become his tool for evidence. The love that Othello and Desdemona have for each other is symbolized by that handkerchief. When she uses it on him, she is giving him her love. Othello believes that her love is two small and drops it, showing that he has no more love for her. Now that Iago has it, he holds the power of their love in his hand (symbolically). By using it to continue to corrupt Othello, Iago will obtain Othello's position. Iago's maniacal plan seems to be unstoppable. Maybe he is the greatest villain ever created.

Othello Acts I-III

Throughout Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago twists the words of the characters he interacts with and uses it to undermine them. Cassio tells Iago that he cannot handle alcohol but Iago encourages him anyway. Iago tells Montano that Cassio is an alcoholic and drinks himself to sleep every night: " 'Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep./He'll watch the horologe a double set,/If drink rock not his cradle." (II.iii.110-113). Mantano believes every word of this and insults Cassio by calling him a drunkard. Cassio fights him and Othello strips him of his rank, all according to Iago's plan. This example of dramatic irony contributes to Othello's demise. The reader knows of Iago's lies and schemes, yet the characters believe him to be honest and good. Cassio has now lost his position in the army and must now seek Othello's forgiveness. With Iago's help, he decides to ask Desdemona to pursuade Othello; however, Iago will use their interactions to accuse them of having an affair. Every occasion of dramatic irony foreshadows the demise of Othello.

Othello Acts I-III

Throughout Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago changes the way he speaks. He switches between prose and iambic pentameter. This switching of voices shows his two-faced nature. When speaking in prose, Iago is enacting his scheme to somehow sow the destruction of Othello. He tells his plan with many lies and changes so that the character undoubtedly accepts his advice. When speaking in iambic pentameter, except for his soliloquies, Iago is speaking as the noble, loyal, and honest character that he is made out to be. No one suspects him of sowing the seeds of Othello's destruction. Rather, Othello and the other characters turn to Iago for advice to prevent Othello's and their destruction. During Iago's soliloquies, he explains his plans: "Cassio's a proper man. . . . After some time, to abuse Othello's ear/ That he is too familiar with his wife." (I.iii.372-377). Iago plans to conjure a false affair and use it to take Othello's position. It will be through his two-faced nature that he plans to accomplish this feat.

Biting Humor

In You're Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore, Zoe uses jokes extensively. She tells them with no regard to the current situation. They tend to be cynical and sarcastic. For example, Zoe's favorite joke is rather dark and 

depressing: " 'You want a second opinion? OK, ' says the doctor. 'You're ugly, too.' " (Moore, 360). Zoe's humor comforts her and helps her to escape her feeling of loneliness and alienation. Those jokes, however, also cause her to become alienated and lonely. While talking with Earl, a potential prospect, she tells a rather crude joke that concludes with a girl shooting herself with a shotgun. Earl feels dismissed and defeated and has lost some interest in Zoe. Zoe, in the interest of joking even more, nudges Earl as he leans over the rail. Although it was meant as a joke, Earl is shocked and has now lost almost all of his interest for Zoe. Zoe's humor, although comforting, contributes to her alienation and feelings of loneliness. 

Mine

Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver symbolizes modern American family life. The father and mother enter into a divorce and fight. They cannot agree upon most things and end up with a custody battle. They are figuratively tearing the child apart, trying to win his affection to one side. The child suffers and becomes torn apart, not knowing what to do. The parents are selfish and are harming the one thing they both dearly care about: "In this manner, the issue was decided" (Carver). Their selfishness creates only more pain. Furthermore, the title indicates the commonality of this situation. The fighting, divorces and custody battles are very common or "popular" and have become the normal procedures or "mechanics". Many children are being torn apart because of their parents' selfishness.

Free At Last

In The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, irony conveys an idea of personal freedom. Mrs. Mallard received  news that her husband has died. She became melancholy for a brief moment of time, then realized the true implications of the husband's death. She was no longer imprisoned by the marriage. She became free: "She said it over and over under her breath: ' Free, free, free!' " (Chopin). She had lover her husband, but she loved freedom more. She could now live for herself and live her hopes and dreams. Then, her husband comes home and she dies of heart disease. The doctor believes that she died from an abundance of emotions, mainly joy, when she saw her husband alive. This is mistaken since the reader knows she praised the death of her husband. What caused her death was the realization that her hopes, dreams, and freedom had vanished.

A Rash Marriage

In Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis, a young married couple is divorcing. In question 2, it asks about the one detail about their marriage: their eyes and hair. Their marriage became too confining. The marriage was based on infatuation, not love. Their only commonality was their matching eyes and hair. The couple had no deep for love for each other. Furthermore, the last line contributes to this: "Taking hands we walked apart, until our arms stretched between us. We held on tight, and let go." (Mathis, 896). Holding hands is very superficial. Most loving couples kiss or hug. This couple has a very basic form of intimacy and shows that they were emotionally naive and unprepared for marriage.

16 pages of junk. . . or is it?

In How I Met My Husband by Alice Munro, I was sure that Chris Watters was going to marry Edie. The plot made it seem like it was going to happen. She talked with him many times. He complimented on her beauty: "Just because you looked so nice and pretty." (Munro, 135). They talk more, end up kissing, and then he leaves. He promises to mail her a letter and it never comes. She ends up marrying the mailman, a nice fellow, but not the man of her obsession. Her interaction with the mailman was described in about two paragraphs whereas the other pages describe her interactions with Chris. It seems that about sixteen pages of the story is a waste and the ending makes no sense; however, Edie's interaction with Chris is needed and the ending is inevitable. If Edie never met Chris and interacted with him, she never would have waited at the mailbox everyday and she would not have married the mailman.

Fear of Change

In Eveline by James Joyce, the protagonist Eveline, wants to lead a new life. She wants to leave an abusive father, more respect, more money, and an easier life. She does not want to live unhappily and end up insane like her mother. As she is about to leave and experience a new and possibly better life, she cannot abandon the life she has. She imagined Frank's desire to drown her and let her fears plague her mind and impulses. She experiences a spiritual paralysis. This theme of fearing change plague Eveline's heart to the point that she cannot live the life she dreams about. Several instances foreshadowed that she would find her life inescapable. Her life was not that bad: "now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life." (Joyce, 220). Her journey began with her body becoming distressed and nauseous. She desires change and happiness, but she cannot overcome her fear of the unknown.

Eternal Transience

In  Bright Star by John Keats, the speaker wants to emulate the star, but only its eternity: "would I were steadfast as thou art" (Keats, 792). The star hangs in the sky in a state of loneliness. It is always watching and looking upon the universe. The star is personified as a hermit, existing far away from anyone or anything. The star looks upon the changing of time and the vanishing of human generations of one after another. The star could also be gazing at the snow falling and covering the mountains and moors, lonely and desolate places on the Earth. The only aspect of the star the speaker wants is its eternity because he wants to feel and live intimate and special moments forever. The speaker wants his transient moment with his love to seem like an eternity. The speaker does not want to be lonely, know and see everything, live distant from society, or see the changing of time and places. If he cannot feel eternity in his transient moment, he would rather last an eternity in death.

Love The Imperfect

In Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick, imperfections attract the speaker. The disorder in one's clothing allures the speaker. Paradox conveys the theme of loving imperfections. People want order, structure and perfection. They spend their live perfecting machines, organization, the people around them, and even themselves. The pursuit of perfection is drilled into the minds of every person by the world around them. The speaker states the opposite: "Do more bewitch me than when art is too precise in every part" (Herrick, 979). Rather than seeking the person with the perfect qualities, the speaker finds that the person with imperfections is perfect. The imperfections make people unique and contribute to their attractiveness. The perfect person happens to be the one without every perfect quality.