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Amir wins the kite race
After winning the kite race, Hassan said, "'You won, Amir agha! You won!'" (66). This event impacted Amir's life since it was the first time he did something that would win Baba's approval. However, because he was so fixated on getting that kite safely to Baba, he betrayed Hassan by saying that he was just a stepping stone to reach his goal. -
Amir watches Hassan get raped by Assef
After watching Assef, Amir abandoned Hassan in the alley. He ran away because he "was a coward...aspired to be a coward" (77). This event impacted Amir, forcing him to atone later in the story by retrieving Sohrab and getting wounded by Assef. Because he felt guilt for not interfering, he ended his relationship with Hassan while also accusing of him of theft. What Baba considers to be worst crime you can commit. -
Amir and Hassan drift apart as Amir feels guilty about his actions
While screaming Hassan, Amir said, "'I want you to stop harassing me. I want you to go away'" (88) Because Amir never gets the punishment he deserved, he lashed out at Hassan. Since Hassan didn't scream back, Amir tried to make him fight back back as a way of reciprocity and justification. -
Ali and Hassan both leave the day after Amir's 13th birthday
Ali told Baba, "'We are leaving, Agha sahib...we can't live here anymore'" (106). Because his lies affected Baba and his relationship with Ali, Amir's plan backfired. Originally wanting Hassan to plead guilty and yell at Amir, he instead told the truth which only made Amir feel worse.. -
Soviet Union Invasion
To spread communism to west, "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27,1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership" (2) -
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Soviet occupation in Afghanistan
Soviet troops "stayed in the country for more than nine years, fighting a conflict that cost them 15000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles" (2) -
Baba and Amir leave Kabul to escape the Soviet invasion
Because the Soviets occupied the city and enforced strict laws against the citizens, Baba and Amir "left Kabul just after two in the morning" (110). This was a significant event for Amir since he spent his whole life in Kabul and left without any of his personal belongings. This event also shows the struggle the Afghans faced just to leave the country and how Amir, a coward, adjusted to the war surrounding him. -
Amir and Baba move to Fremont
After moving into an apartment in Fremont, Amir said that "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (125). This event was important for both men since they had to completely start over with nothing but the stuff they had in their pockets. It also affected their way of living since Baba now has to deal with a completely different culture with different ethnicities. -
Amir marries Soraya
After meeting Soraya at a swap meet and dating her for months, he tells her, "No Soraya...I want us to marry" (165). This was a significant event for Amir because Amir never had another person to express his feelings to other than Baba who dies shortly after their wedding. -
Baba dies of lung cancer
Once Amir "[closed] the door. Baba never woke up" (173). This was a significant event in the book because Baba defined who Amir was and influenced a lot of his decisions. After he died, Amir is fully responsible for himself and is forced to take care of his new family. -
Soviets finally fall back and leaving Afghanistan in ruins
After spending years occupying the country "The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989...[leaving] a country that was devastated by war" (2) -
The Taliban set out to "purify" the country
During the fight to take over Afghanistan, "Mullah Omar had nearly 12000 followers and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (2) -
Taliban take control of Afghanistan with help from Pakistan
With help from Pakistan and other tribes, "the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law" (3). -
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Taliban take over major Afghan cities and overthrow the government
During the 5 years spent in Afghanistan, the Taliban made it a "haven for Al Qaeda" (3) and enforced "fundamentalist Islamic law" (3). -
Taliban kills Hassan and his wife
Rahim Khan told Amir that the Taliban "'shot him in the back of the head'" (220). Since Amir was unable to forgive Hassan, he had to atone by saving Sohrab. However, since Hassan is already dead, Amir is only atoning for himself to have a clear conscious. -
Amir promises to adopt Sohrab
When Sohrab asked Amir if he has to go back to the orphanage, Amir responded by saying "'I won't ever let that happen. I promise you that" (324). In this quote, Amir is certain that everything would go smoothly without any issues with the adoption. This event is important since this promise is why Sohrab loses his trust towards Amir. -
Sohrab attempts suicide
After Amir broke his promise and told Sohrab that he would have to go back to the orphanage , he "cut himself deeply and lost a great deal of blood" (348). This event impacted Amir because it was his fault for lying Sohrab. Although he survived the incident, he stopped talking all together even when he was brought to the United States. Making Amir feel guilty and to later forgive him -
Amir finds Assef and Sohrab.
After finding Sohrab, he realizes that the Talib was Assef and the only way to retrieve him was to fight. When "I don't know at what point I started laughing, but I did...I felt at peace" (289). This event impacted Amir since he finally atoned for his sins and got what he deserved. Because Hassan never lashed back, Amir always felt guilty for never standing up for him. This ultimately led to him being content after Assef did what Amir always wanted Hassan to do. -
Rahim Khan tells Amir that he and Hassan were brothers
After Rahim Khan told Amir that the Taliban killed Hassan months before, he said that Baba was Hassan's real father. In response, Amir said "I've just found out my whole life is one big fucking lie" (223) and stormed out of the apartment. This event impacts Amir by making him resent Baba even though their relationship ended with Baba dying peacefully. Because Baba kept the secret from both Amir and Hassan, he felt that his relationship with Hassan could've been much better if he knew the truth. -
Amir leaves for Pakistan
After getting a call from Rahim Khan telling Amir that "he is very sick" and that "there is a way to be good again" (190), Amir leaves San Francisco to meet up. In the last sentence that Rahim Khan said, he is referring to Amir finally atoning for abandoning Hassan. However, since Rahim Khan was very ill and Amir's former friend, he also used the opportunity to make Amir go back to Kabul and get Sohrab. -
9/11 attack forces Osama Bin Laden to leave Kabul
After the 9/11 attack that killed almost 3000 Americans, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (3) -
United States military join forces to remove the Taliban
In an effort to capture Osama bin Laden and destroy the Taliban "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 major Afghan cities by the end of the year" (3) -
Hamid Karzai is made the new president of Afghanistan
To replace the Taliban, "In December 2001, Hamid Karzai... was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making the leader of the country" (3) -
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Taliban regroup near the Afghan/Pakistan border in an attempt to later regain control over the Middle East
Taliban troops went into hiding while also making and army that grew larger, better coordinated and more deadly each year" (4). -
Final kite race with Sohrab. He smiles for the first time since he attempted suicide
After Sohrab spends a year being mute, Amir took him kite racing and "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided" (370). This event was important since the book concluded with most major conflicts ending in some way. While Amir lied to him and was the main reason why Sohrab doesn't talk, it seems like Amir finally got him to finally break out of his shell -
After Obama was elected president, 30000 troops were deployed in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban
During a speech months after elected "Obama announced his plans to deploy 30000 additional troops" (4) into Afghanistan to fight the Taliban -
Spent 4 hours trying to finish the KR quotes
My eyes hurt
why do I procrastinate so much
