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.