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Hassans Birthday Present
Baba, extremely courteously get's Hassan his dream gift "meet your birthday present'... 'oh' Hassan said. He looked from Dr. Kumar to Baba to Ali. His hand touched his upper lip. 'Oh', he said again. 'It's an unusual present, I know"'. (Hosseini 45-46) Baba demonstrates his imminent power over Ali and Hassan by getting Hassan a surgery that he could not pay for, as a gift. This will make Hassan in debt to Baba because he will never be able to return the gift. -
Hassan get's raped
After the kite flying contest, Amir watched as “ Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan's hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan's back and undid his own belt buckle” (Hosseini 75). This is the moment that I'm here will regret for so many years to come and it finally he atoned for. -
Period: to
Kite Runner Time Line
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Soveit's invade Afghanistan
the first major event that broke the peace was "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." (New York Times) -
Ali and Hassan leave the house
After Ali announced that he and Hassan will leave the house “Baba stood up, a shein of grief across his face. “‘Ali haven’t I provided well for you? Haven’t I been good to you and Hassan? You're the brother I never had, Ali, you know that. Please don’t do this.”’ “‘Don’t make this even more difficult than it already is, Agha. Salib.”’ Ali said. His mouth twitched and for a moment I thought I saw a grimace.” (Hosseini 106-107). Amir at this moment finally understands how he hurt others. -
Baba defends woman against soldier
On the way to Pakistan, a Russian soldier is trying to abuse a woman on their caravan in order to pass "Tell him I'll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place" (Hosseini 116). This proves Baba's dedication to defending others even at the cost of his own life. -
Baba and Amir arrive to San Fransisco
After months of travel Amir and Baba finally made it to California “ Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer.” (Hosseini 125). After fleeing Kabul for the idea of America Baba and Amir learn what it is truly like to be an Afghani American. -
Amir and Soroya get married
During the wedding service “we were seated around a table, Soraya and I dressed in green- the color of Islam, but also the color of spring and New Beginnings. I wear a suit, Soraya the only woman at the table a vailed long-sleeve dress. Baba, General Taheri in a tuxedo this time and several of Soraya's uncles were also present at the table.” (Hosseini 170). After all of these years, Amir feels the utter joy that he has found finally found a bride and someone to spend the rest of his life with. -
Baba Dies
After the wedding ceremony, Soraya, as usual, came to put Bubba to bed “‘I'll come back with your morphine in a glass of water',, Soraya said. ‘Not tonight he said. ‘There is no pain tonight’. ‘Okay’, she said she pulled up his blanket. We close the door. Bob and never woke up. After spending his entire life with Baba and having a difficult relationship with him Amir saddened to let him go. Baba can rest in peace knowing that his son got married and carried on the family name. -
Soveit's leave Afghanistan
Eventually, the Soviet's evacuate Afghanistan " after peace talks moderated by the United Nations, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal. They left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists from across the globe who had come to assist in the fighting, including Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda." (New York Times) -
Afghanistan Divided
Slowly, after the soviet's left "Afghanistan descended into vicious internecine strife; by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms. But one group would eventually gain control." (New York Times) -
The creation of the Taliban
People needed a leader at this time, "the Taliban grew out of a student movement dedicated to purifying the country, based in the southeast, the home of the dominant ethnic group, the Pashtun..... Mullah Omar, a Pashtun who had lost an eye fighting the Soviets, gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head. By the end of 1994 Mullah Omar had nearly 12,000 followers " (New York Times) -
Taliban Takeover
People began to follow those who brought Islam back into the common culture "Beyond by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict - enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing" (New York Times) -
The beginning of Ben Laden
By 1996 one of our world's most well-known terrorists had arrived in Afghanistan "The Taliban also provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda. Western diplomats say Al Qaeda helped persuade Mullah Omar to order the destruction of the 800-year-old Buddha statues at Bamiyan, an act condemned around the world. International criticism of the Taliban's harsh measures had little effect on the regime" (New York Times) -
Hassan and Farzana are killed by Talibian
Shortly after Rahim Khan had left the house the Taliban found Hassan and began to argue with him “So they took him to the street-’ no,’ I breathed. ‘ and ordered him to kneel’ ‘no. God, no’. ‘And shot him in the back of the head.’” (Hosseini 2190. When Amir found this out he was in deep denial and shock. Hassan and his wife were murdered by the Taliban and Amir never got a chance to amend for his sin, he will have to live like this forever unless he can make it up some way. -
Taliban Resurection
Post 9/11 the Taliban continued to create conflict in Afganistan "Despite their defeat in 2001, the Taliban continued to wage a guerrilla warfare from a base in the mountainous and largely lawless tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. As the American military focus was diverted to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan." (New York Times) -
Sohrab almost dies in the tub
Sorab feels as if there is no one left for him so he attempts to commit suicide "I pushed the door open. Stepped into the bathroom. Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip and my chest explode". (Hosseini 343). Sorab believes that he is worthless and will be put into an orphanage, what he does not understand is how much Amir values his life and carrying on Hassan's memory through him. -
Amir and Sorab defeat Assef
Amir and Assef are fighting to the death for whoever can make it out alive while Sorab watches from the sidelines Amir is about to lose when "The slingshot made a thwiiiit when Sorab released the cup. Then Assef was screaming." (Hosseini 291). Amir could have almost lost both his life and dignity in this battle if not for Sorab coming into save the day with the slingshot that so many years ago Hassan had threatened to protect Amir with. -
We learn Baba is Hassans Father
Shortly into his visit with Rahim Khan, Amir learns of a key secret lied about his entire life " I felt like a man sliding down a steep cliff, clutching at shrubs and tangles of brambles and coming up empty-handed... 'Did Hassan know?''' (Hosseini 222). Amir feels like everything and everyone he has ever known is a lie because he had a secret brother the entire time right under his nose. Everything now clicks with the relationship between Baba and Hassan. -
Amir goes back to Kabul
Around ten years after their wedding, Amir receives a call that informs him "'I have to go to Pakistan.' She stood up now. 'Pakistan?'. 'Rahim Khan is very sick'.(Hosseini 191). Amir has been happily living in America for several decades now we Rahim Khan alerts him that he must go and visit his past life in Kabul and Afghanistan to do something that he has not yet disclosed. Amri is surprised to hear from his father's old friend so long after his passing, even though he always liked Rahim Khan. -
Amir asks Sorab to live with him
Amir finally finds Sorab hiding in the courtyard of the mosque crying and he poses the question he's been wondering for a while '" Would you like to come live in America with me and my wife?''' (Hosseini 320). Amir has been thinking about asking this question for a while and seeing what Sorab's reaction will be. He ends up neither saying yes or no but not giving an answer at all which worries Amir slightly. -
Rahim Khan Dies
When Amir gets back from Kabul he tries to find Rahim Khan but instead receives this letter " As for me, it is time to go. I have little time left and I wish to spend it alone. Please do not look for me. That is my final request of you. I leave you in the hands of god." (Hosseini 302). This brings everything full circle, we know that Rahim Khan lied to Amir to make him find Sorab which turned out positionally and came out in everyone's favor. However, Amir will miss Rahim Khan deeply. -
Post 9/11
Following the devastating attack "on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept 11, 2001, President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. Ben Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule, notably the Northern Alliance, which represented minority tribes. An air and ground campaign began that drove the Taliban out of the major Afghan cities by the end of the year." (New York Times) -
A leak in the truth of American Forces
The American public was horrified when "A six-year archive of classified military documents, released by Wikileaks, painted a bleak, ground-level view of the conflict. They amounted to a daily diary of an American-led force often starved for resources and attention as it struggled against an insurgency that grew larger, better coordinated and more deadly each year" (New York Times) -
Amir and Sorab fly a kite
Amir and Sorab finally seem to bond after his first smile while flying a kite " The wind lifted his hair. I thought I saw him nod. 'For you a thousand times over,' I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran. (Hosseini 371). The author chooses to close the book with Amir finally repenting and making amends to his wring doing. He uses what Hassan said to him when they were boys to make a powerful statement to Sorab, which proves his unconditional love. -
American Forces Stay In Afghanistan
Obama made the dision to engage in conflict in Afganistan "In a speech delivered Dec. 1, 2009, 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...in a move away from that July 2011 deadline, the Obama administration changed its tone to increasingly emphasize the idea that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014". (New York Times)