Thursday, October 8, 2015

Shake the Dust: October 8, 2015

Focus: What does it mean to "shake the dust," and how does this apply to Amir?

1. Warming up with "Shake the Dust"

As you listen to and watch this spoken-word poem, jot down (or type up) the words and phrases that stand out to you the most. Aim for at least FIVE, I'd say.

Who is this poem for? Why?

What does it mean to "shake the dust?" Close read these two simple words...

  • Why "shake" instead of "sweep," or "wipe," or "clean," or "destroy"?
  • Why "dust" instead of "dirt" or "grime"?
  • According to this poem, we have to _________________ in order to _______________.
  • According to this poem, we have to _________________ but also ________________.

1st hour: Pick one line from yesterday's "Directions To Where I Live" exercise to read aloud.

Making a prediction: What must Amir do in order to "shake the dust," and why?

2. Entering Fishbowl #4: Chapters 17 and 18

3. Wrapping up

HW:
1. Bring your independent reading book to class tomorrow, as well as your Kite Runner annotations/journal entries.






133 comments:

  1. After reading the quote on page 218, "If you do, you will find and old faithful friend waiting for you." Hassan is writing to Amir and shows yet again his loyalty. Why does he refuse to give up on Amir?

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    1. He refuses to give up on Amir because he still feels like Amir is his friend and he feels like he still needs to full fill Amir and Babas needs.

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    2. I think it is because Hassan doesn't know all of the horrible things that Amir has done to him behind his back. And Hassan can't really be mad at Hassan for going to America.

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    3. I think thats just Hassan's personality to not be angry but more forgiving. Especially to Amir.

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    4. After they reunited, Hassan probably realized that he was set free and living his own life so he forgave Amir. Also, Amir and Hassan have been close friends when they were younger and Hassan was treated as a friend rather than a servant.

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    5. I think Hassan maybe is being nice to Amir still because he's trying to make him feel more comfortable to talk about the situation to someone else.

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    6. I agree with Alex, I think that it is Hassan's personality persuading him to stay loyal to Amir.

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  2. Their friendship was very strong and Hassan doesn't want to give up on that. I think that Hassan thinks Amir has changed. He has grown up and matured, so he still does not want to give up on Amir

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  3. I think that knowing Hassan was his brother might make the situation worse for Amir, because now Amir didn't only betray his friend he betrayed his brother.

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  4. Graham has a great point, what is the importance of Hassan naming his kid Sorhab?

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    1. I think it is because of the book, but it is a cool aspect of foreshadowing, because of finding out that Baba is Hassan's real father

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    2. I think the importance to Hassan is that this reminds him of his past with Amir, I think Hassan wants to be back with Amir and become friends again. Do you think Amir would change his mind about Hassan is he found out that they were brothers?

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    3. I think something would change, it's like when you are out in public with your friends you act a little differently but then wen you find out your parents are around you try to act normal and play it cool. I think Amir would apologize for all he has done to Hassan and they would be closer after that.

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  5. When talking to Rahim Khan, Amir states that, "Rahim Khan had summoned me here to atone not just for my sins but for Baba’s too". This shows that him and Baba "had both betrayed the people who would have given their lives for us". He has to atone for his and Baba's sins back in Kabul. However, even though he knows that he has to, he is unwilling to go get Hassan. He has to atone for their sins because like Graham stated, Amir was the reason that Hassan left so why do you think Baba was to blame for their disappearance?

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  6. I think Baba will get really mad at Amir because Baba will start blaming Amir for everything and their relationship will fall apart.

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  7. There is a quote on page 218-9 that states, "...ordered him to get his family out of the house by sundown. Hassan protested". Why was Hassan willing to give his life just to stay in the house? In the interest of his family and son, why wouldn't he just the leave the mostly vacant house and save his family?

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    1. He doesn't want to leave the house and let down Amir and Baba he feels pride in standing his ground and staying with the house.

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    2. He wants to stay because he has some connection with the house and Baba and Amir. Leaving would disappoint hose two and thats something he doesn't want to do.

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  8. In the story of Sohrab and Rostam on page 29, could Hassan be Sohrab and Amir be Rostam because Amir and Rostam both hurt someone that turned out to be related to him?

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    1. I think you are right in assuming Amir and Hassan's roles in the story, but I think those roles fit because Amir mortally wounded Hassan only to find he was his long lost son

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    2. I ment to say brother there, I was going to say there was a minor role switch but the idea of the story holds true

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  9. WIth Hassan dead, Who will Amir go to to tell the secret to?

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    1. I think Amir might talk to Hassan's son about his past mistakes. He owes it to Hassan to do all he can to bring him up to be the man Hassan would want him to be. He is the perfect person for Amir to share his secret with.

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    2. Soraya because she can comfort him and wont judge.

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    3. I don't think he would tell Hassan's son because that would scar the kid almost as bad as these things scarred Amir as a child. I think he should tell Soroya, because I think since she has gone through many experiences herself, so she of all people would understand. I think she will be mad because he didn't tell her until later on, way after the wedding, but she will forgive him

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  10. On page 218, Hassan said, "And I dream that someday you will return to Kabul to revisit the land of our childhood. If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you." Who do you think is waiting for Amir?

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    1. He was talking about himself here, because Hassan wanted to see Amir again

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  11. Along with what the inner circle is talking about, we were talking about dust in the class. I think because he hasn't told anyone about what happened to Hassan, now that he has died, how badly would that affect the outcome if he told someone what happened?

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    1. Well a few people already know what happened but if he told other people, they would probably be disappointed in him because he never addressed the situation throughout his whole life.

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  12. To answer the question from the circle I think Hassan is the manliest person in the book because he treated everyone with dignity and stood up for the house when there was no reason to.

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    1. I agree with this because in every situation I believe that Hassan chose forgiveness over revenge

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    2. But what about how he treated Hassan?

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  13. "Now everyone in that room was either dead or dying. Except for me."(Hosseini 219). What do you think of the impact of this is to Amir? Do you think he will try to move on, and start a family, or do you think he will keep this weight on his shoulders for his whole life?

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    1. I think that he will try and move on. He has aged and is in the process of becoming a real man. I think he will move on, but when he sees Hassan again he will remember the past and be stuck in it.

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    2. Probably both. He'll try and make a happy family with Soraya but on the other hand, he will still have to deal with all the guilt and pain inside because those who were in that room and died/dying were significant people to him.

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  14. Do you think that Amir will take Sohrab to the Caldwell's or adopt him himself?

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    1. I think he will adopt him. Raising him as his own would be the best for Sohrab and Amir.

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    2. I think Amir will adopt Sohrab himself. He could be the child that he was unable to have with Soraya. They have been trying for a child and have been unable to. He could take Sohrab in as his own and raise him.

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  15. What do you guys think about Jackson's question?

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    1. I think he would have gone and done something to help Hassan if he had known. You act differently when it's family and when you see family in need, you jump in and try to help them.

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  16. I think that Amir will be different and treat Hassan differently because he didn't know that their brothers and treat Hassan very nicely.

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  17. I strongly agree with Matt because Amir regrets the way he acted with Hassan and I think that it would have changed so many things

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  18. Do you think Amir's age affected why he never told anyone about the alley?

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    1. I think that it did affect it but I also believe if he was older he would have only told Hassan about it.

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  19. How will Amir get over the guilt of not being by Hassan's side through all of his struggles?

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    1. Now that Amir knows that he is Hassan's brother and that he treated Hassan so bad, I feel like Amir will not really get over the guilt. The best he could do is adopt Hassan's child, but that alone will not make up for the awful things he had done to his brother.

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    2. I don't think he can. Like there is no solid answer as to how Amir can overcome that guilt. But I think if he rescues Hassan's son from the orphanage and take him to America so Sohrab can live in a better condition and house, it might shed some guilt off of Amir's chest.

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  20. I think Amir does regret that he could never tell Hassan that he is sorry for not doing anything, now he has to deal with the guilt.

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    1. An example of him trying to shake the dust too late

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  21. On page 216, Hassan's first sentence in his letter for Amir states, "Alas the Afghanistan of our youth is long dead." In your perspective, do you think Hassan was not only comparing how Afghan was from the past to the present, but he was also referring to the incident that happened when they were young? I feel like he wanted to signify to Amir that he could move on, it was a long time ago and it is now "dead."

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    1. I agree, I think maybe Hassan feels as though he gave Amir many chances in the past and clearly it didn't work. I think that it makes complete sense if that was what Hassan was also going for when he said that in his letter.

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  22. Does Amir's discovery that Hassan is his brother affect Amirs guilt about the day in the Alley?

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    1. It probably heightened the feeling of guilt about what happened in the alley way. I think he also feels even worse about saying he wasn't his friend and not thinking of him on the same social level.

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    2. In retrospect, yes. Amir only looked at Hassan as a servant when they were young. So I feel like he felt extravagantly guilty, but now that he's aware Hassan is his brother, his feeling of guilt became sooooooooooooooo much heavier because he realizes, Hassan, a family member, took the bullet for him in the alley.

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    3. I think so. I feel like when it comes to siblings, or family in general, your protection for them goes so much higher. I think Amir maybe would have been a little nicer to Hassan in their childhood.

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    4. I think it increases the amount of guilt he has because growing up as a friend is different than knowing it is his brother. He could feel like he stabbed his brother in the back.

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    5. I think that it does add a lot of weight to him because I know if I was watching that and didn't do anything I couldn't even live with myself even if it was a complete stranger. I think that Amir feels even worse now because he thinks that he was a failure already and then this knowing that Hassan is his brother is even more awful then he felt before.

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  23. Is Amir upset, Hurt, sad, or secretly happy?

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    1. I think he is very upset. His whole perspective on life has been completely altered for the worse, and he may never be able to forgive himself.

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    2. I think that Amir shows glimpses of all of those in just one little part of the book. On page 218 Amir reads the letter from Hassan, "If you do, you will find and old faithful friend waiting for you". The part that I feel like Amir really felt hurt, sad, upset, and even happy was when Hassan said "faithful friend". I believe that Amir probably feels upset that he was rude to Hassan even though Hassan treated him like the brother he truly was. Not only upset, but sad that he couldn't see him, hurt that he conflicted so much pain on Hassan, and secretly happy that Hassan showed him so much love.

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  24. "There is a way to be good again, He said. A way to end the cycle. (226-227) I think this quote that was mentioned in the very first chapter. I think that Rahim is telling Amir that if he helps Hassan's son than he will be able to move on from what he did to Hassan years ago.

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    1. I agree. This quote finally makes sense to us and it shows us what Amir has to do to make things right

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    2. I also agree. I think that when he talks about ending the cycle, that could be referring to Baba AND Amir. I think Amir will need to help Hassan's son in order to help feel like he can forgive himself.

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    3. I believe that Rahim is saying that Hassan needs to go back to Afghanistan to resolve a lot of long lived problems. Not only with Hassan, but with everyone that he harmed on the way to adulthood, deserves an apology. Amir needs to show that he is truly sorry for what he did.

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  25. Do you guys think that Rahim Khan has the same sickness that Hassan has? In the letter Hassan wrote to Amir said "Rahim Khan sahib is quite ill. He coughs all day and I see blood o n his sleeve when he wipes his mouth."

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    1. I don't think Hassan was sick like Rahim Khan, but I believe Rahim Khan could be suffering form the same disease has Baba

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    2. I agree with Collette, I do not think Rahim Khan mentioned anything about Hassan being ill. Hassan died by a Taliban because he protested against them, whereas Rahim Khan is probably suffering from the same thing as Baba because he smoked just as much as Baba.

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  26. On page 214 " It hit me again, the enormity of what I had done that winter and that following summer." This quote truly shows how Amir realizes what he had choses to do and now their is no way to change what he had done.

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    1. I think that after seeing what Baba did to protect that woman while traveling it makes Amir rethink a lot of his choices as a kid.

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  27. I feel the more truth that Amir finds out about the more guilty he feels, but also the more he wants to fix things and make things right.

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    1. I agree, Amir has grown a lot throughout the story. I believe that the move to America was what really hit home for him. Especially when Baba got sick. He had to learn to fend for himself, and without anyone to be by his side he found the need to become a better person.

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  28. How will Amir go on with his life knowing that he can not directly say sorry to Hassan?

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    1. I think that he will go trough the rest of his life not letting go of the past I feel that in order for amir to move past this that he needs to let go of his past

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    2. Knowing how much the situation bothers Amir, I think it will be stuck in his head forever... Really like Talia said his only thing to do, is try his best to move on.

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    3. I don't know if it'll happen because I have not read ahead, but I feel like Amir will keep Sohrab and raise him as if he was one of his own children. Since Sohrab is like a mini Hassan, maybe Amir will think tha tif he treats Sohrab with much care, Amir would feel slightly better and a shed of his guilt might disappear.

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    4. I think that because Amir has felt the guilt for so long, that it will never go away. I feel like it may be lighter if he takes care of Sohrab, but I think it will always be there. It's almost like if you've been maybe injured from a sport for so long that you get so used to it.

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    5. I think that Amir might try to do his best to raise Sohrab as kinda like a mini Hassan and that might make it a little easier for Amir to let go. But I think that Amir will always feel that he owes Hassan something that he can't do because Hassan is died. I think that Hassan knows that Amir is sorry about that night in the alley.

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  29. "...from the right to know I had a brother..." (p.225) I think finding out that Hassan was Amir's brother makes Amir feel more guilty. Not only did Amir betray his closest friend, but he betrayed his brother. He now realizes he had an obligation to be there for Hassan in a deeper way.

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  30. Do you think Amir would have acted differently if he knew that Hassan was his brother?

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    1. I think that maybe Amir would have acted a little nicer to Hassan knowing that he was a brother and could fight back if he wanted to because they are brothers. But do you think that Amir would act that much different if he know that they were brothers? I kinda think that he would have acted worse if he know.

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    2. Honestly no, because although he would be aware that Hassan was his brother, it does not impact Amir's fears he had in the alley way. But I think if he knew Hassan was a family member, letting go of Hassan the day they left - I think Amir would definitely be more heartbroken and depressed.

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    3. I absolutely think he would have grown up differently. Because Hassan grew up in a different house, Amir had to fend for himself since his dad was not very fond of him. If Hassan had been with him he would have learned how to correctly communicate with people, let his feelings out, and even love someone.

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  31. I think with this new information on Hassan, Amir will be very upset and his guilt will only get worse.

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    1. Amir may have became more guilty, but also has a clearer chance to make things right. If Hassan was still alive I think Amir wouldn't know how to apologize, but now he can right his wrongs without having to go into depth and face that night again.

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  32. Did Hassans "dad" know that he wasn't actually his father?

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    1. Yes because Ali knew he was sterile

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    2. I don't know. But I don't think he did. I think that if Ali knew he would have acted differently towards Baba. Also I don't think Ali would have taken Hassan away from his father and brother if he knew.

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  33. To answer Mrs. Leclaires question, things change completely between the relationship between a friend and siblings. I am very close with my younger sister and if we fight we are fine the next day. Friends come and go

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    1. I agree with you because family will always be your family. You can't change that. So if Amir would have known that Hassan was his brother then I feel like their relationship would be totally different.

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    2. I agree that family is always going to be related to you, but sometimes your friends are better family than your real family. In Amir's case he wasn't good at either.

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  34. To answer Ms. Leclaire's question I think that having bothers and sisters close in age means that you have less respect for them just because you are so close in age. They would also with friends you can't be friends and you don't really have role models (Parents) If you have much older sibling you kinda of have parents that aren't your parents they are just your brothers and sisters that are much older than them.

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    1. Being someone that has a sister close in age I can say that it doesn't necessarily mean we don't have respect for each other. It is more of a battle of authority and power. I also have sisters that are 8 years younger than I am, and to them I am like another parent. I basically am a second mother.

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  35. "I just found out my whole life is one big lie" Page 223. I can't even imagine being in his spot. If I found out something like that I would be so angry and confused.

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  36. Do you think he would have reacted differently at the alley if he knew Hasaan was his half brother?

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    1. I think he might have done the same thing but later would try to help Hassasn after what happened

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    2. I think if Amir knew that Hassan was physically related to him then he would of felt obligated to intervene in the situation.

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    3. I think he would, but not out of being a good person, but because he wouldn't want Baba to get mad at him for letting his brother get hurt.

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  37. Do you think that Hassan knew that him and Amir were brothers?

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    1. Rahim Khan talks about how Hassan was oblivious to the fact that Ali wasn't his father

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    2. I don't think that he thought they were brothers. I think that it was just Hassan's friendly nature to treat Amir as he was because they were always together.

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    3. But if they were so close growing up and the acted as if they were brothers when they really are then Amir should of felt the same emotions either way.

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    4. Even if he did know, I think it wouldn't have affected how he acted toward Amir. He treated him as well as you would treat a brother anyway.

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    5. That's true because Hassan acted almost as if they were brothers. And I'm sure that when Amir would read to him and things like that, Hassan felt like Amir was a brother to him.

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  38. "There is a way to be good again, he'd said" (226) Did Rahim Khan say this because he wanted to give Amir a hint that his dad tried to be good by giving Ali and Hassan a home? Or did he say that because he wants Amir to make up for what happened in the alley? Why does Amir think that by doing almost exactly what Baba did would have different results (giving a home to the child of those they have wronged)? What would have happened if they admitted to what they felt guilty about? How would things have been if they did so? Would it be better or worse if they told the truth?

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    1. I beilieve that he said this to make Amir make up for what happened in the alley.

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  39. In the beginning of the book Amir made it very clear that he was not friends with Hassan. The author made sure that the reader understood that. So when Amir finds out that Hassan was he brother he guilt grew because for years he thought that he let down his servant but really he let down his brother.

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  40. Was Hassan's mom a Hazara? Does that have something to do with knowing Ali wasn't the dad and that Hassan was clearly a Hazara?

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    1. and her leaving soon after he was born but coming back later

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  41. ¨Then I told him I was going to Kabul.¨ PG 227
    How is Amir going to react going back to Kabul? Is it going to bring up the good memories from his childhood? The bad? Both?

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    1. I think Kabul brings up all of the events of his childhood but especially being haunted by the bad memories that happened there.

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    2. Probably both but more bad memories rather than good ones. Most of their good memories erased back in Kabul like the pomegranate tree no longer grows fruits whereas the alley Hassan was harassed in still remains.

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  42. In their culture they take honor and pride much more seriously than America does, so I wonder how much more they value blood relations than in America

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  43. The last page of Chapter 18, Amir finally agrees to go retrieve Sohrab from the orphanage. Do you think Amir would still go rescue Hassan's son if he never found out that Hassan was his brother?

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    1. I don't think that he would. Knowing that this kid is his nephew he probably feels more obligated to help him.

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    2. I think Amir would have put up more of a fight to go to Kabul, but he would have gone eventually.

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  44. What do you think will happen once Amir finds Hassan's son? If he does take him back to America how do you think Soraya will react?

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    1. I think she would accept it. If I recall correctly, I believe they were trying to have a child at one point.

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    2. Soraya might want to keep Sohrab because I think her desire of having kids overpowers her want for having a kid she birthed.

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  45. The fact that they were together all the time as kids, if they grew up knowing they were brothers not much would have changed because they acted like brothers anyway, just in different houses. But the alleyway part would have been different for sure.

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  46. What do you think that the kite in the book symbolizes

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    1. I think it symbolizes a lot of things. It holds good value because it was one of Hassan's and Amir's hobbies they shared together, but it also caused the two to split. Because of that one blue kite, Hassan got harassed and Amir had to witness it. Also, kites might remind Amir of all of the guilt he has within himself if he ever sees one.

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  47. To answer Lizzies question I think for sure Amir would have changed what he would have done in the situation of the rape... I think Amir always looked down on him because he was the "servant" and not as important as Amir, but if Amir would have known Hassan was his brother it would be a totally different situation. Not necessarily in the situation of the rape, but in any other situation would you do something different if it was your sibling? Or would you act in the same way towards your friend and sibling?

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  48. I'm agreeing with the inner circle right now...seems like the author is criticizing the caste system, which enabled the abuse, the losses, etc.

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  49. If kite running wasn't at all involved and had nothing to do with the story, do you think Amir would have acted differently on that day of the situation with Hassan?

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    1. I believe it would have.
      They may have not even got in that situation in the first place because they first wanted to get Amir kite I believe. It may have been different if he didn't win as well.

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    2. I think there wouldn't even be a story line. Like, what reason would Hassan go chasing after a kite if it didn't involve the whole game of kite flying/running?

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    4. If kite fighting was not part of the story then the situation with Hassan wouldn't have occurred. I do think that a similar problem would have occurred because Assef would still be a part of the conflict.

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  51. On page 221 Rahim Khan says "Im a dying man and I will not be insulted! It has never been about money with me, you know that. And why you? I think we both know why it has to be you, don't we?" What does he mean by this?

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  52. When Amir and Rahim Khan were talking on page 221-222 Amir realized that he constantly blamed himself for things he couldn't have changed. Like when he blamed himself for Hassan not having a home, family, career etc. he was still beating himself up even though he didn't really decide what Hassan would have when he became an adult. Also their conversation reminded me of how in one of the past chapters we read Amir said that he didn't really think Hassan as a friend but maybe even though he didn't know they were brothers by blood they were still brothers by heart and it wouldn't really matter if they were related or not. Also it ties to when the general told Soraya that "blood is a powerful thing" and it was probably the reason that Amir was more drawn to protecting his nephew. Did Amir decide to get Sohrab because he felt guilty or because he wants to protect his family? Why did he originally say no? Was it because he felt that he wasn't worthy of doing something good? How is the relationship between friends and siblings different from each other?

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  54. Now that Amir knows Hassan is his brother, do you think it bothers Amir that Hassan was favorited?

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