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Baba is born; Amir's grandfather adopted Ali
In the year of 1933, "Baba was born and...Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan..." (Hosseini 25). This was a very important year because it was the year that Amir's grandfather adopted Ali. This was the start of a strong friendship between Baba and Ali, and eventually Amir and Hassan as well. -
Zahir Shah's reign of Afghanistan ended
While Zahir Shah, the king of Afghanistan, was away in Italy, his cousin, Daoud Khan, took over and "ended the king's forty-year reign with a bloodless coup" (Hosseini 36). This caused a lot of confusion in the Afghan govermnment. This date was just the start of the conclusion of Zahir Shah's reign. -
Hasaan was violated during the kite competion
It was a huge turning point of the story when "in the winter of 1975, [Amir] saw Hassan run a kite for the last time" (Hosseini 55). This event shaped most of the book, which was when Hassan was violated by Assef. This changed many future relationships and experiences between Amir and Hassan, because Amir was guilty for not helping Hassan. -
Afghanistan's last summer of peace
Amir was thirteen during Afghanistan's "...last summer of peace and anonymity" (Hosseini 93). This was also a time when Amir tried to get rid of Hassan by getting new servants. This demonstates that Hosseini was trying to show the reader that life wasn't only getting harder for Hassan and Amir, but also for Afghanistan as a whole. -
Daoud Khan is assasinated
Shortly after the start of the reign of Daoud Khan, he was assasiniated by communists in the war. This assasination occured in April of 1978, "...with the communist group d'état..." (Hosseini 36). This was considered as the real end of the war. It caused quite a scare for Amir, and Hassan especially. -
The Russian war begins
The tough times in Afghanistan continued when "...Russian tanks [rolled] into the very same streets where Hassan and I played..." (Hosseini 36). This caused many Afghans to lose hope about the era that they were living in. This major event marked the time when there was lots of confusion and rivalry in the Afghan government. -
Soviet troops entered Kabul.
Soviet troops entered Kabul "to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become the president is a coup within Afghan Communist leadership" (Afghanistan 2). -
Period: to
Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan
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Ali moved into Baba and Amir's old home
Rahim Khan "...lived in Baba's house since 1981" (Hosseini 199). This event proves that Amir felt a emotional sensation from Rahim Khan that kept him close to Baba, even after he had passed. Knowing that Rahim Khan was associated to Baba gave Amir the sensations of love that he used to get around Baba. -
Baba and Amir moved to America
Amir and Baba had "...left Kabul just after two in the morning..." in a Russian truck to move to America (Hosseini 110). This was very important because it was the start of a new life for Amir and Baba, where they could leave the past behind them. However, they mainly did it to get out of the war going on in Afghanistan. -
Amir graduated from high school
In the summer of 1983, "...[Amir] graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarbaord on the football field that day" (Hosseini 131). This event was extremely important because it made Baba proud of Amir, and therefore gave them a sense of hope to get through their troubles in America. It also showed how tough it was to make the shift that they did when they moved to America, because Amir graduated from high school so much later that usual. -
Soviet Air Force got missles from the US.
After 1986, the United States provided "advanced Stinger antiaircraft missles" for the Soviet Air Force to use against Afghanistan (Afghanistan 2). -
Final Soviet troops left Afghanistan.
The soviet troops left Afghanistan in withdrawal "after peace talks moderated by the United nations..." (Afghanistan 2). -
Northern alliance took over Kabul
Rahim Khan infromed Amir that "...the Northern alliance took over Kabul between 1992 and 1996, different factions claimed different parts of Kabul" (Hosseini 199). This event was important becasue it was one of the things that Amir didn't have much knowledge on since he had lived in America. This exposed how Amir was so detatched from the reality of Afghanistan. -
Mullah Omar began gaining followers dedicated to his movement.
In the summer of 1994, Afghanistan's power was "divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms. But on group would eventually gain control" (Afghanistan 2). In the end of the year, Mullah Omar (a man who was against the soviet union and the leader of a group who raped a woman and was against the Soviet Union) gained many followers "and was rolling up the warlords to the north and east" (Afghanistan 2). -
The Shorawi was defeated
In 1995, ",,,the Shorawi were defeated..." (Hosseini 312). After this, Kabul belonged to Massoud, Rabbani, and the Mujahedin, which gave the people of Kabul a sense of giving up. This was because the rivalry between the factions showed Kabul the place they were in as a society. -
Osama bin Laden arrives in Afghanistan.
Osama bin Laden arrived "at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda", where the Taliban made a safe home for bin Laden (Afghanistan 3). -
Amir's finishes his first novel
In summer of 1998, "...[Amir] finished [his] first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul, written mostly with the typewriter the general had given [him]" (Hosseini 182). This was a very important event because it helped Amir fiancially in America, and emotionally. This was the start of his career as a published novelist. -
Soraya's father broke his right hip
Soraya's father had unfortunatley "...broken his right hip" (Hosseini 192). This showed the reader a turning point in the book becasue Soraya had to now help to take care of her own father, instead of her father taking care of her. This proves that Soraya and Amir were really starting to get into the lifestyle of adulthood. -
Amir visited Rahim Khan to pay for his sins
When Rahim Khan called Amir, Amir knew it was his to pay for his "...past of uunatoned sins" (Hosseini 1). This proves that this event was Amir's last chance to pay for what he did. It helped him to pay for not helping Hasann when Hassan was violated by Assef. -
Soraya and Amir got a dog
Life was getting better for Soraya and Amir in America, and they even got a dog named Aflatoon. Soraya got a job as a teacher and was correcting papers when "Aflatoon leapt dwon from the couch" (Hosseini 190). This demonstated a sense of happiness and joy for Soraya and Amir, and was also displayed to the reader. -
Attack of World Trade Center in NY.
The Al Qaeda attacked the twin towers in New York and eventually, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden" (Afghanistan 3). -
Hamid Karzai became the leader of Afghanistan.
Hamid Karzai became leader of Afghanistan when he defeated the Taliban and "took office as interim president...saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan ans win the country much-needed international aid" (Afghanistan 3). -
Gen. David H. Petraeus went in command of American forces in Afghanistan.
President Obama "put Gen. Dvaid H. Petraeus, the architect of the 2007 'surge' in Iraq, in command of American forces in Afghanistan, and the pace of American operations stepped up enormously, intially in the Taliban's strongholds in the South" (Afghanistan 1). -
Gen. Petraeus became the US Central Commander.
General Petraeus became US Central Commander, "...with responsibility for military operations in Iraq , Afghanistan and across the region" (Afghanistan 4). -
Obama agreed to end the war in the middle portion of 2011.
President Obama of the United States "...vowed to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan in the middle of 2011..." (Afghanistan 4).