Connection: Stand By Me

I have noticed that this book is really similar to the movie The Kite Runner. The characters have almost identical personalities and are face with very similar problems.

Just Kidding!

After watching the 1986 film Stand by Me over the weekend, I couldn't help but resemble it to Khaled's Hosseni's The Kite Runner. But how could an old American fictional narration and a new popular fictional Afghani memoir be any thing alike? What, if anything, could they share in common?

First off, as one might have noticed, they are both fictional first person stories. Both are told in the same way that allow the author to truly engage the viewer in the story and make the story more meaningful and real to the viewer on a personal level. As a viewer, this perspective of story telling allows the viewer to relate to the main character and go through his problems as if there were his own.

Besides the perspective of The Kite Runner and Stand by Me, both have similar characters and the characters have similar roles in the story. Starting with Amir and the other main character Gordie, they both are good writers. Both, in their respective story, love to write and have a specific talent for it. Also, both of the characters have negative and awkward relationships with their fathers. Amir because of Baba's secret, and Gordie because of his brother's death. Both Amir's father and Gordie's father pay little attention to their sons and never acnowledge or show interest in their talent for writing. Though there is no friendly encouraging Uncle to Gordie, there is a Rahim Khan figure who is also is his brother. In the story, supports Gordie's passion for writing by complimenting him and constantly advertising it to his family and friends all the while his father thinks of writing as a waste of time and a silly thing to do. This situation is very comparable to that of Kite runner as both main characters receive a lack of interest in their writing from their father's but encouragement from other family in their writing. Continuing further, we can see that both also have confidence issues. Both when it comes to advertising their writing and standing up to bullies.

Like the main characters, the bullies in the stories are similar. Both Assef and Ace are blond haired blue eyed bullies aided by loyal but not always agreeing cronies (both start with A too :)). Also, each bully has a weapon that they are known for having and puts fear in the main character's eyes and the eyes of others. For Assef, it is the brass knuckles: For Ace, it is the switchblade. Each weapon is distinct to the bully and makes each encounterment with the main character more suspenseful and frightening. Both bullies also are a great source of fear in the main characters' lives and pick on them until they are stood up to by the main characters.
The character similar to Hassan is the character Chris. Chris is the best friend of Gordie and defends him as if he was his brother. He, on numerous occasions, stands up for Gordie when the bully, Ace, picks on him, thus, like Hassan, he receives the punishment for the main character.

One scene in the movie that screams resemblence to that of the book The Kite Runner, is the one of the final scenes of the movie where Ace, like he promised, finds and is ready to hurt Chris and Gordie for getting away earlier from him unharmed. However, for the first time in his life, Gordie stands up for himself and Chris by holding a gun to Ace and telling him to leave. Eventually Ace leaves and Chris and Gordie are safe. I related this scene to the scene in the book where Amir finally stands up against Assef and Assef is threatened to stop when the slingshot is held to his head. However, in this story, the weapon is held not by the main character but instead his loyal friend's son Sohrab.

Overall, these two stories are more alike than they are different. With similar characters, similars scenes, similar character relations and roles, and a similar format and perspective. Though the comparisson to the movie the Kite Runner might be stronger, the comparisson to the book, The Kite Runner, and the movie, Stand by Me, are not too far behind. All in all, The Kite Runner and Stand by Me, despite their different time periods and area the stories take place, are connected, and because of that, help to understand the author's message and emotions.

P.S. Watch the movie and you will see what I mean :)

The Best of the Week: Assef and Why?

Having to think of a time this week when I was truly interested in a conversation in class didn't take me a long time. After all, Friday's conversation of Assef was not that easy to forget. I specifically remember our class talking about how we agreed with Amir that Assef falls into the category of a sociopath. This was about the time Roman argued that Assef was not a sociopath because he was aware of the pain his actions gave others. The more I thought, the more I agreed with Roman.

Sociopathic: Unconcerned about the adverse consequences for others of one's actions.

Frankly, that is not Assef. Assef clearly means to hurt others when he says things. "I'll let you keep [the kite] so it will always remind you of what I'm about to do. "I'll ask the president to do what the king didn't have the quwat to do. To rid Afghanistan of all the dirty, kasseef Hazaras." These quotes from Assef may show hatred and confused views on race and equality but they obviously don't show signs of a sociopath. Hatred, especially, is the emotion that has ruled Assef and has made him into the source of others pain. But how and why did this source of hate come to materialize in Assef's life?

This is where another argument took place about "Nature vs. Nurture". Was it the environment that shaped Assef or was it his DNA that made him what he was? Though genes may help decide who you are, I believe that it is the environment that shapes you. Assef is obviously a bully that knows no limits. Searching for the "Why" we go back to the section of the book when Amir meets Assef with his parents. In the conversation, it's apparent that Assef both physically and emotionally dominates over his parents. This lack of control over Assef allows him to have no limits and gives him the sense of power that he craves. Nature can also explain Assef's particular strong dislike for Hazarans and his affection for Hitler. During Assef's life, Afghanistan is constantly in a state of conflict between the Pashtuns Hazarans and other ethnic groups. The fighting must have had a negative impact in Assef's life causing him to resent Hazarans and wanting to eliminate them from Afghanistan. This is similar to what happens to Baba during the Soviet invasion. When the Russians invade Afghanistan, Baba and Amir are forced to flee and live the next years of their lives in filthy conditions. There, Baba sees children and people he knows raped or dead. After this experience, Baba maintains his hate against all Russians throughout his life, and when he is referred to a partly Russian doctor, he refuses to cooperate. Something similar also happens to Hitler during World War One. During the war, the conditions and the economy in Germany were extremely bad. Many people starved to death. Hitler, however, observed that the Jews in his town were still succeeding during this depression and he hated them for it. You know what happens next. Many times, it is the environment that decides who you become. In Assef's, Baba's, and Hitler's life the environment creates extreme racism. The environment in which you live and the people that surround you are the key contributing factor in what you become.

The Best of the Week:

Carry it forword; Kite Runner

I had only heard reviews of Kite Runner before starting the book, but through reading and discussing it in class, I have witnessed a powerful story and message it conveys. After the first few chapters, the story has snatched me into its intriguing characters and plot. During chapters 7, 8, and 9, Hoseinni has had me yelling of built up frustration at Amir and almost in tears of pity for Hassan. But almost more important then the emotions I had was the lesson I learned.
In the book, the main character, Amir, is faced with the dilemma of letting his best friend and Hazaran servant, Hassan, take the beating for him once more. In the end Amir decided that Hassan was not his friend but a servant and that he was to much of a coward to fight his own battles. Throughout the book there is a trend of Amir failing to stand up for his friend and speak his mind. Time and time again Amir chooses not to act and lets others decide what happens. Ultimately it causes Amir to loose a good friend in Hassan. Malcolm X best describes the lesson I learned in these chapters when he says "If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything." Constantly, Amir lets the bully, Assef, choose for him what he stands for, who his friends are, and what he stands for because of his lack to stand up for himself his friend, or for that much, anything. Fortunately, by taking this quote and lesson and applying it into my own life I am able to not make the same mistake as Amir. Though I might not be faced with as extreme situations as those of Amir's, this lesson can still be applied to my life as well. When I am faced with situations in school similar to Amir's, I will be sure to stand up for what I believe in: religion (Christianity), family, friends, peace, equality, anti-racism, anti-judging, and fairness. Not only will I have to defend these ideas but it is also my responsibility to promote them as well. In my life I hope to represent all of these ideas and have others share my beliefs. The spreading of these ideas could be done by word of mouth, a speech, a book, an essay, or even a blog post :). Overall it is important for both Amir and I to know that we need something to stand up for and represent what we believe in or we will let others, like Assef, choose our beliefs and ultimately, choose our lives.