Thursday, October 14, 2010

Kite Runner Fishbowl #1: Chapters 7-8

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85 comments:

  1. Do you think that the rapping will put a hole in Amir and Hassans relationship

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  2. I agree with what Blake said about the question about why Amir didn't help Hassan. He is finally getting Baba's love, and he doesnt want to ruin it,no matter what

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  3. zach k

    what if it happened to amir what would hassain have done?

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  4. Zach H-
    I really do because i think Hassan will figure out that Amir just sat there and watched.

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  5. How does the rape scene describe who Amir really is?



    Would anything have changed in the rape scene if Amir had intervened?


    In your own thoughts, Why did Hassan get raped?

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  6. Zach-
    I think the rape already has put a hole in their relationship because Amir feels guilty about not helping Hassan. Amir in chapter eight really distances himself from Hassan.

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  7. I disagree Tristan, I believe he did not help Amir because he was just scared of getting beat up and raped too.

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  8. Zach-
    Yes, I do believe it will put a hole in their relationship. They have always been best of friends, but now Amir feels nothing but guilt and sadness, as he explained in the first chapter. I believe something happens where they eventually might completely lose their relationship.

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  9. Zach I think that the rapping will put a hole in Amir and Hassan's relationship because Amir just sat there when he could have stopped it. Hassan is going to remember this for the rest of his life and Amir could have stopped it.

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  10. Zach H-
    It definitely affected their relationship. Afterwords, in ch. 8 there are a whole bunch of lines saying things like, "Oh Hassan is sick today" and "He decided to go back to sleep"

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  11. Zach I do think that this is going to put a huge hole in this relationship because Amir did not even try to stop him or do anything.

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  12. I disagree with what Tommy said about the question would have Amir stepped in if Hassan was the same religion. I think that Amir's personality is just like that, he isnt outgoing. So even Hassan was the same religion, Amir wouldnt help him

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  13. In response to Logans question in the inner circle-
    I think that if hassan was not a hazara then Assef and his friends would have treated him nicer and not of gone as far as raping him.

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  14. David-
    The rape scene shows that Amir has some cowardly tendencies. He seems to always want to run and not face his problems.

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  15. Zach H. Yes, it will put a hole in their relationship because in chapter eight, Hassan and Amir act differently when they are around eachother.

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  16. Why did Amir watch instead of defend Hassan?

    Do you think Amir wanted Hassan to get beat up?

    From the start of the book, it starts telling how Amir felt bad he didn't step in. This seems like a friend-like charectaristic. Do you think maybe Amir decides to be there for Hassan later on in the story?

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  17. I think that Amir is in denial about not helping Hassan, that is why he is just trying to forget about it. Even though it is still making him feel more guilty.

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  18. I think Hassan would of still been raped if amir would of had said something or done something. Amir might of been scared that they would rape him or hurt him. So he didn't want to say anything.

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  19. I agree with Tommy he does feel very guilty but is trying not to show it to everyone.

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  20. David H

    I agree with the inner circle and I believe that Hassan was raped because
    1.) he did not give the kite to Assef
    2.) he is a Hazara

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  21. David-
    In response to your top question, Amir is shown as a kind of coward through the whole book. He always backs away from a fight and he never stands up for himself. He dicided to not help Hassan probably because he was scared of getting beaten up and raped too.

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  22. Zach K-
    If Amir was the one being raped then Hassan would have helped him. Hassan has an unnatural love and loyalty to Amir which makes Amir not helping Hassan that much worse.

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  23. if hassan had not have pointed the slingshot at Assef, would chapter 7 turn out different and less severe.

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  24. If this scene was switched, and amir was that was raped then hassan would have stepped in and tried to help his friend. Hassan is a good kid and seems like he would do anything.

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  25. Zach H. I think it will put a hole in there relation ship because he could of went and gotten help or have tried to do at least something to stop Assef.

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  26. Sean-
    I think that maybe at the beginning of the story, the call from Raheem Kahn is something about Hassan, that is why he says he can finally make up for it. So maybe he goes to Afghanistan to help Hassan

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  27. Zach K
    If it had been Amir getting raped, I think Hassan would have intervened in any way possible. He is always standing up for Amir and he has stood up to Assef before this.

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  28. Responding to Colton's question:
    I think that the Blue Kite symbolizes Amir's and Hassan's friendship because after being raped it wasn't quite the same.

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  29. sean D

    i think amir just sat there because he is weak and that he has always had hassian to protect him but now he didn't know what to do.

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  30. Zach H
    Rape is an emotionally scarring moment in ones life.
    People are known to develope PTSD from it and it could cause a gap in their relationship

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  31. To reply to Colton's question in the inner circle-
    I think the kite symbolizes both love and betrayal. It symbolizes love because Hassan chases after the kite because he loves Amir and it symbolizes betrayal because Amir betrays Hassan when he doesn't help Hassan in the alley.

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  32. in chapter eight Amir admits that he saw Hassan get raped but no one hears him and he then says he is a insomniac what does that mean?

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  33. Zach H
    When hassan got raped i think amir and his relationship was broken at least for a little while. He is hurt from it and amir feels bad but hassan doesn't care. He has been living with it his whole life.

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  34. Zach H -
    "Do you think that the raping will put a hole in Amir and Hassans relationship?"

    Thats a great question, and in response to it I believe that even though Amir didn't think of Hassan as a friend, their friendship still lasted. I think Hassan already knows Amir was there in the alley which will eventually destroy their friendship and possibly drive Hassan mad. Hassan is a great person and a positive character but this kind of betrayal could drive Hassan to avenge himself in his mind. Amir was not only there but instead of doing something about it, he stood there. He watched his 'friend' get raped by their common enemy Assef.

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  35. sean
    I think that Amir watched Hassan instead of defending him because he didn't want to get hurt and was to scared to do anything.

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  36. Zach H-
    I feel like even if Hassan hadn't pointed the slingshot at Assef, chapter 7 would still happen. Assef did what he did because Hassan was a Hazara and he made Assef look foolish.

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  37. Tyler D-
    I agree with you; Amir has made a reputation of cowardice and running, yet Hassan has a strong passion of helping others. This obviously had some foreshadowing and we could have known something like this would happen before it did. Though he does feel shame and guiltiness, I don't think that he believes feeling sorry would be enough to make up for what happened.

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  38. Trevor-
    I do think Hassan would have helped Amir in that situation he is a good and loyal friend i think.

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  39. j.d

    i think hassain has a little anger to amir and his dad because they have more but hassain seems happier

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  40. Alec W-
    I disagree that Amir betrayed Hassan. To me, a betrayal is a direct opposite from an agreement for example. Or a betrayal of trust. I think it would have been a betrayal if Amir had said to Hassan something like I promise I'll always stand up for you and defend you or something.

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  41. Zach H
    I don't think Assef would have gone as far and raped Hassan, but I still think that he would have beat him up pretty badly.

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  42. I dont think that Amir dislikes Hassan because of their differences, i think that Amir just feels like he always needs to be better and cant let Hassan be better than him. I think this because Amir thinks that Baba loves Hassan better so he thinks that if he is better than Hassan that he will gain Baba's love.

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  43. Do you think that this kind of scene will happen again later on in the book?

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  44. David 2nd question

    I believe maybe Amir would seem almost somewhat of a hero if he got involved and helped Hassan. But it may be almost weird for the relationship of Amir and Hassan afterwards

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  45. What do you think would have happened if Amir was the one running the kite?

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  46. I dont see how one could be friends with someone who just watched them get raped. Hassan is just such a nice kid and a TRUE friend that i believe will look was this and still try to make this friendship work. Amir is a coward and if he dosnt want to be friends then he should try to step away from hassan.

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  47. Tyler D-
    You said that it would have been the same in chapter 7 even if he did not point the slingshot at him because he made assef look foolish but wasnt it the slingshot that made him look foolish.

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  48. Colton-
    When you asked if the kite competition was a symbol of their friendship i think it is. It showed that Hassan is the one who is treated badly in the relationship and he hassan to get the flag why didn't amir get the flag and Amir is a coward it proves that when he doesnt help Hassan.

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  49. I also disagree that Amir helping Hassan was betrayal. Amir was frozen with fear and afraid that if he would have intervened that he would have gotten raped as well.

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  50. On the last page of chapter eight. Amir sees Assef grinning at Hassan while he is serving drinks. Do you think Assef will tease Hassan for the rest of his childhood?

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  51. Tristan

    Amir likes Hassan, but he seems a little jealous because of how Baba paid more attention to him and sows more love. Also Amir feels that he has to be better than him because he is rich and upper class while Hassan is a peasant.

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  52. The pomegranate fight shows me that Amir feels guilty that he let Hassan get raped. He wants Hassan to fight back to punish Amir and cause him as much pain as what happened to Hassan

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  53. lane


    i think if they just ignore it, there mite be another scene like it because once the rape happened it can happen again maybe to a different person.

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  54. I think if Hassan didn't point the slingshot at Assef than he would have never got raped because Hassan embarrassed Assef so Assef got revenge and made him look even worse.

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  55. Lane-
    I really think that is a good question. I dont think it will because i think later in the book someone will stand up to Assef and put him in his place so it might but overall Hassan is Assefs biggest victim i think.

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  56. Lane-
    I think that something like this will happen again and it will keep on going but i think that eventually something will happen that will put an end to this. i also think that Ali will find out some way either through hassan or amir

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  57. Alec W-
    I think Assef feels this dominance over Hassan now and because of that he will always be cruel towards Hassan.

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  58. Responding to Kiely's Question on the inner circle:
    I think that Hassan maybe knew that Amir was there because Hassan and Amir's friendship was different after he saw that happen.

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  59. Zach
    Hassan kept asking Amir if he wanted to do stuff (Go to the hill, read, etc.) but Amir was always saying no. So I beleive that maybe it is more on Amir then Hassan that the relationship may have ended

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  60. Kiely
    When hassan was being raped i think he could of had an idea of amir watching and thats why he is sad about this and so depressed. I think they are both trying to forget about it so they can move on and just let it go so their friendship can be the same again.

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  61. Eduardo P-

    "I agree with the inner circle and I believe that Hassan was raped because
    1.) he did not give the kite to Assef
    2.) he is a Hazara"

    Those are good responses but I believe there is a deeper meaning as to why Hassan was actually raped. Assef stripped Hassan of dignity and honor which is a huge disgrace. Assef wanted to rape Hassan to prove a few points: Hassan is a Hazara and Hazara's are no good. The next point is that Amir is not your true friend and he will not come save you.

    Assef wanted to rape Hassan for more than just the kite. The kite was now a symbol of the removal of his honor and dignity. The kite is only a bad memory and Assef wanted Hassan to keep it for that reason.

    John N -
    "In response to your top question, Amir is shown as a kind of coward through the whole book. He always backs away from a fight and he never stands up for himself. He dicided to not help Hassan probably because he was scared of getting beaten up and raped too."

    I agree, Amir is a coward but I believe this scene was to really drive who Amir is to the readers. Amir is a coward, he is selfish and that they really aren't friends (Amir & Hassan). No man would ever willingly let his friend get raped which proves that Amir doesn't think of Hassan as a friend or even as a person. Amir, I think, believes Hassan is more of a possession sort of like a toy he could play with when he felt like it. This scene was to prove that Hassan is like a robot to Amir and that Amir is only worried about himself.

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  62. I agree that Amir avoided Hassan because he felt guilty. He doesn't want to see Hassan because that will remind him of what he didn't do and how he could've stopped it. I think also the if Amir looks at hassan, the Hassan will be able to tell that Amir was there, and did nothing.

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  63. Why do you think that Assef's parents were acting so weird at the party. what impact does Assef have on them

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  64. logan

    i think amir started to ignore hassian because he wants to forget what happened but if he tells hassian their friendship will be over.

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  65. I think one of the children need to tell Baba or Ali because this is out of hand and Assef is smiling at Hassan and tormenting him i think one of the parents need to take this into their own hands and take action and punish Assef severely.

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  66. I don't think amir betrayed Hassen because Amirs personality is that he never sticks up for anything, but i don't think Assef would rape them both. But if Amir stepped in Hassan might of started to fight back aswell, Or Assef would panic that Amir saw and it would be a whole different story.

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  67. To reply to Logan's question in the inner circle-

    I think Amir is avoiding Hassan because he is guilty about what happened in the alley and every time he sees Hassan he thinks of what happened in the alley.

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  68. Alec,

    I think he will get teased but it won't effect him much because of what has happened and it wouldn't make sense for Assef to make fun of Hassan because Assef raped a boy and that is nothing to be proud of.

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  69. Tyler D-
    I strongly disagree; Amir does not feel any dominance over Hassan; he thinks of them as best friends. He is being cruel to Hassan because he would want him to fight back, to punish Amir for what he did, or better yet, what he didn't do. He feels he can't go on without being punished, yet he is going about it the wrong way.

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  70. Lane I do think that something like this may happen again because of how crazy it has been and also because of the relationship Amir and Hassan have.

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  71. I agree with John that Amir is avoiding him because he is scared to face the truth of what happened.

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  72. Out of all the cruel things Assef could have done, why did he choose rape?

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  73. Amir keeps seeing the image of Hassan's brown pants sitting on a pile of bricks. Why do you think this image is so powerful to Amir?

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  74. Would Hassan and Amir remember this incident as well if Hassan just had been beaten up rather than raped?

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  75. Zach H-
    Assef scares his parents. At the party, on page 96 it says "and I wondered if, on some level, their son frightened them." I think Assef scares his parents with his tormenting of people, his love of Hitler, and his overall personality.

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  76. Eduardo-
    I think he chose rape because it will scar him for life and it will leave him with no pride at all for the rest of his life he will trust no one and be scared.

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  77. i think the author added the scene in the book was to tell people what happened but also bring it to a different perspective to hit the hearts of people.

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  78. Mike-
    If hassan would have been beaten up instead of raped then his dad would have noticed the bruises and he and baba would have got involved and assef would have gotten in trouble.

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  79. Tyler
    I think the reason this symbolic image is reappearing for Amir is because it was a symbol of what was happening to Hassan

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  80. I agree with what Kiely said about how Assef is a symbol of Hitler. I think Assef actually views Hitler as a role model because in an earlier chapter he talked about how he was a great leader.

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  81. Tyler D,
    I think Amir keeps thinking of Hassan's brown pants sitting on a pile of bricks because this was what he saw right before Hassan was raped.

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  82. Mike-
    I dont think they would remember it as well because its not as big of a deal. Amir wouldnt be as guilty therefore it wouldnt haunt him for the rest of his life.

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  83. Mike T-
    "Would Hassan and Amir remember this incident as well if Hassan just had been beaten up rather than raped?"

    This is an excellent question. Hassan would remember the incident really well if he was beaten but Amir would not. This scene was implemented to scar Hassan as well as Amir for a lifetime.

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  84. Mike,

    I think the entire book would be different because the rest of the book was based on this scene and it has made the author who he is today.

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  85. Does Amir think that by not intervening it is more like what Baba would want him to do?

    I think that Amir is afraid of himself and not wanting to do anything that Baba would not want him to do.

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