Kite Runner and History of Afghanistan

By 20pianimj41

  • Shah Begins His Reign

    In 1933, "Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan..." (Hosseini 24). They started killing innocent Hazaras, and got an poor reputation from it. The brothers made Afgans racist towards Hazaras, which caused majority of them to get abused and not respected.
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    Kite Runner and History of Afghanistan

  • Hassan's Birth

    In Amir's house, "in that little shack, that Hassan was born in the winter of 1964" (Hosseini 6). Amir and Hassan were both born and raised in the same house, fed from the same breast and grew up together. This is significant because over the years they grew a brotherly bond that made them extremely close.

  • Baba Builds an Orphanage

    When Amir was around the age of 5 or 6, "Baba decided to build and orphange" (Hosseini 13). Baba surprised everyone with his success and he was very respected in his community. This impacted Amir's actions because people always had high expectations for him since his father was superior.

  • Baba Takes A Break From Construction

    In 1970, Baba takes a break from construction, and flies to another country to watch soccer. Baba signed Amir up for soccer teams, "but [he] was pathetic... [T]he harder [he] tried, [he] was ignored" (Hosseini 20). This shows how Amir never met Baba's expectations, and was always a disappointment. He felt like no matter what he did, he would never gain Baba's respect.

  • Amir Tricks Hassan

    Amir takes advantage of Hassan by reading another story than Hassan thought. Hassan did not realize what was happening for he was illiterate, and Amir used this to mock him. He "had abandoned the text altogether...Hassan was, of course, oblivious to this" (Hosseini 30). This proves that Amir was inconsiderate and just wanted to make a joke out of Hassan, even though Hassan would never do the same to him

  • Hassan's Cleft Lip Surgery

    After Baba gave Hassan the cleft lip surgery as a present, the narrator states that "The surgery went well... Then [Hassan's] lips twisted, and, that time, I knew just what he was doing. He was smiling. Just as he had, emerging from his mother's womb" (Hosseini 47). This is significant because it is a present from Baba. Even though Hassan is a Hazara and servant, Baba treats him the same as his own son.

  • Hassan's Rape

    Hassan gets raped to save Amir's kite because he was a very loyal friend. Confronting Hassan, Assef states, "Because today, it's only going to cost you that blue kite" (Hosseini 72). Even though this was not Hassan's kite, he did not even consider giving away Amir's kite to protect himself. Witnessing the situation, Amir was not courageous enough to stand up for Hassan.

  • Soviet Union Invasion

    On Dec. 27, 1979,"The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul.. to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist Leadership" (NYT).

  • Trip to Jalalabad

    In 1981, Amir and Baba are on their way to Pakistan. After spending a week "in the rat-infested basement," Karim states that "There would be no truck... The truck was beyond repair" (Hosseini 120). Since their truck is not working, everyone is forced to get along. Amir realized the struggles of other families and how fortunate he is.

  • Amir and Baba Live in America

    When Amir and Baba move to America, Amir says, "For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his" (Hosseini 129). This proves that Baba moves to America for Amir to have a better life. Baba misses Kabul because it is where he grew up and was respected.

  • Amir Goes to Find Hassan

    Reflecting on his past experiences, Amir states that "There were a lot of reasons why [he] went to Hazarajat to find Hassan in 1986. The biggest one...was that [he] was lonely." Reconnecting with Hassan would give Amir closure, and would make him feel like he had his friend back. He felt lost in his own city, and being with Hassan would make him feel like he was not a stranger.

  • Soviet Troops Depart from Afghanistan

    In February 1989, "after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan..." (NYT).

  • Sanaubar visits with Hassan

    When Sanaubar visits Hassan she states, "I have walked long and far to see if you are as beautiful in the flesh as you are in my dreams" (Hosseini 210). Seeing his mother since she left when he was born was emotional for Hassan. She was trying to atone for her wrongdoings, so she came back to her son.

  • Northern Alliance Takes Over Kabul

    When Amir comes back to Pakistan to visit Rahim, he finds out that, "people just stayed put, prayed the next rocket wouldn't hit their home" (Hosseini, 199). This is significant because it proves how much times have changed since Amir left. He realizes how thankful he should be.

  • Afghanistan Land is Divided

    After Soviet troops left Afghanistan. "...by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms" (NYT).

  • Pakistan Supports Mullah Omar

    Intervening with Omar's movement, the "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle" (NYT).

  • Mullah Omar Gains Popularity

    The New York Times Article describes Omar's popularity saying, "By the end of 1994, Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to north and east. With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality."

  • Taliban Takes Control of Afghanistan

    By 1996, the Taliban "had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law..." (NYT).

  • Taliban Shelters Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda

    The New York Times article states that "The Taliban also provided a safe haven for Mr. bin Laden...and for Al Qaeda."

  • Taliban is Driven out of Afghanistan

    The New York Times articles explains how the Taliban is defeated, It states, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule... An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities..."

  • Amir Goes Back to Pakistan

    In 2001, Amir says, "I have to go back to Pakistan... Rahim Khan is very sick" (Hosseini 191). Going back is significant because he catches up with his family friend, and finds out everything that is going on in Afghanistan that he missed. It is important for him to visit Rahim because he needed to know how to help Rahim, since he was there for him for all of his childhood.

  • Arriving Home With Sohrab

    In August 2001, "Soraya picked up [Amir and Sohrab] at the airport" (Hosseini 357). When Sohrab came home, he was traumatized from everything he had been through. He was not excited for life in America since he missed his old life so much, and was very quiet for a long time.

  • Amir Reflects On His Past

    In December of 2001, Amir reflects on his past by saying, "That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years" (Hosseini 1). The day Hassan got raped impacted Amir's life not only in that moment, but also as he was growing up in America.

  • Hamid Karzai Becomes Leader of Afghanistan

    Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative to the former king of Afghanistan, "took office as interim president in June 2002, saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid" (NYT).

  • Obama's Plan to Intervene in Afghanistan

    In a speech addressed at West Point, "Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops. He vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011..." (NYT).