Literary Devices in the Kite Runner

Metaphor
"It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb."
(Page 81)

Simile
"Little shapes formed behind my eyelids, like hands playing shadows on the wall"
(page 89)

Personification
"silver lions guarding the wrought-iron gates"
(page 143)

Assonance
"the clothes he'd worn on the last day of his life"
(page 271)

Epithet
"Assef the Ear Eater"
(page 45)

Paradox
"My body was broken... but I felt healed"
(page 303)

Repetition
"But I was laughing and laughing"
(page 302)

Alliteration
"the spool spinning in Hassan's..."
(page 129)

Allusion:
"I could recite dozens of verses from Khayyám, Hāfez, or Rumi's famous Masnawi"
(page 20)

Foreshadowing
"I'm a very patient person. This doesn't end today, believe me"
(page 46)

I Before U, No Exceptions

Everyone has his or her own set of morals, something that influences every single decision that is made. Just as each person has his own set of finger prints, so does each person have his own set of morals; I am no different. However, I dare say that my morals are quite different than that of most other people. For instance, I do not believe that there are "right and wrong" choices; I believe that there are only choices that are smart, and choices that are stupid. Smart choices are those which yield more benefit than harm to you, and stupid choices are the exact opposite; there are no gray areas. An often used example of this belief is the question "If you saw someone drop a wallet with a hundred dollars in it, what would you do?" Personally, my reaction would depend on the owner of the wallet. If this person is someone that I consider an enemy, or someone that I do not know and have never heard of, I would keep the money and either pawn or throw away the wallet.  However, if this person was a friend or someone with power or influence, like celebrities, politicians, CEOs, I would immediately return the wallet. My reason for this being that I would not harm a friend, and a person in a position of power may one day come in handy. And since people remember those who have helped them, there is a chance that these people may just remember me. And of course, for those in the other group, what have they ever done for me to deserve my help in return? In short, my morality in this and similar situations centers around self-gain; how I can benefit from the situation, and how those I love can benefit from it. Also, I have been called Machiavelli, which I think is true, to a certain extent. For example, I believe that "the end justifies the means", but only to the extent where it doesn't result in any major consequences, whether judicial or social. I do, however, strongly believe that "it is better to be feared than loved, if both cannot be achieved". My reason for this being that love and familiarity breeds contempt, and it also inspires disobedience, while fear urges the person to obey any command, for fear of punishment should an order go unheeded. After reading this, most people would think that I am a selfish person, but this is not so; I do not mind helping those in need. In fact, sometimes it can be quite enjoyable. However, before you can help anyone else, you must first help yourself, and that is all that I'm doing; I'm looking out for myself. And as any elementary school student can tell you, "I" comes before "U".

Be afraid, be VERY afraid....

      "Only the dead fear nothing, for they have truly nothing to fear". This quote was, as far as I know, made up by me about eight years ago, when some random boy was teasing me about my fear of skeletons; as it turns out, he had many more fears than I did. There are many reasons for fear, and many things that people fear. Many of these things are psycological, inflicted upon us due to some event that has happened in our past.
      Some people fear things which might harm them, usually arachnids and serpents, this is mostly due to exageration by the media. Others fear new things, because they are strange and unknown to them. Still others fear exposing themselves and performing in front of others. Me, my biggest fear, I'd say, is failure. Since as far back as I could remember, my family has emphasized the importance of success; doing well in school, getting into a famous university, getting a high paying job and having a huge house, basically, the typical asian parent's dream. Because of this, I've always strived for success; failure is not an option. And because of this, I get extremely nervous whenever marks come out.
     My other fear, perhaps my only other fear, is of skeletons. This stems from when I was about five. My parents were really into Chinese dramas, and I had the misfortune to watch a few episodes of a certain drama with them. From what I can remember, the drama involved supernatural forces and humans who were transformed into the living dead. Needless to say, those few hours of television scared the living hell (no pun intended) out of me. Although I dare say I've mostly gotten over my fear of skeletons.

Quotes from The Kite Runner

        Finding quotes in my book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a simple matter. Finding  important quotes, is just as easy. But taking just three quotes which I think are the most important, however, is quite difficult, as it is quite difficult to judge what is and what isn't important. The following three quotes might not be the most important quotes, but they are quite important nevertheless. The first important quote is found on page twelve; Amir reflects on his and Hassan's infant days and says that "Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name". This is a very significant quote as it shows who is most important to these two main characters; this also foreshadows events in the future, because it shows Hassan's devotion to Amir, and Amirs love for his father.
         Another important quote is found on the first page of the story: "it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years". This quote is important because it shows Amirs guilt for what happened to Hassan, and how he just stood there and let it happen. This is also the main reason that drives Amir to go back to Afghanistan to bring Hassan's son to America, the guilt of what happened to Hassan.
        The final quote is found near the end of the book, where Amir says that he "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there" (page 391). The smile shows that Amir was starting to make amends for what he has done in the past, and that his conscience is finally starting to clear.

The Future of Language

     I never thought it would come to this, never thought that slangs and colloquialism would actually be an accepted part of formal works of writing. But, alas, I was wrong; they're made their way into our writing, and, worse of all, they've made their way into great works of literature, Shakespeare's works being the most obvious and most discussed. However, it would appear that society has done one better, and implemented abbreviations into such works of literature as well. Although this may not be rock bottom, I truly believe that we can hardly sink any lower.
     Scientists who have analysed our society would agree that society as a whole is becoming less and less intelligent and more and more impatient; I see people on a daily basis who are angered if somebody prevents them from walking up an escalator, or people who don't know the geography of their own country. However, instead of raising the bar and attempting to increase education and teach patience, we're simply dumbing things down and lowering ourselves to their level. I really despise the idea of converting such great works of literature such as Shakespeare into short lines of "textisms" just so those who are impatient or not as well educated. To deface literature as great as Shakespeare's should be a crime; to condense his works is to rob the reader of the beauty and elegance that is his work and to remove all the intricate details and witty puns that Shakespeare has woven into his tapestries.
     Throughout my life there have been numerous events which people have claimed will be the end of the world as we know it, like Y2K, SARS, and the avian flu. However, all of these events either failed to become reality, or failed to bring the world even close to the brink of destruction. I do not believe that the world will end as a result of new strains or viruses or the failing of our technology. In fact, I didn't think the world would end at all. However, I am starting to have doubts; while I know for a fact that Earth will not be destroyed for a long time, I believe that civilization as we know it could very well be deteriorating. A well educated population is one of the keys to a strong and flourishing nation, and right now I'd would say that much of our population is anything but educated, globally as well as nationally. And despite this, we choose not to slow it down and stop it, but instead to speed it up. The Earth is like a fine china store, and we are putting its future in the hands on five year olds.

Amir

Amir, the main protagonist of my book, The Kite Runner, seemed like a very immature little kid to me. He was friends with his Hazara servant, Hassan, yet he refused to even be seen with him when his father's friends were over. Amir also deeply resents Hassan because Amir's father treated Hassan like another son; Amir wanted his father's love all for himself. I don't think Amir truly considered Hassan a friend, since he would only spend time with Hassan when nobody else was around. Amir also tormented Hassan at times, taking advantage of Hassan's illiteracy by teaching him the false meaning of words. And as well, Amir was extremely proud of his father's achievements; he spoke of them often, and usually in a slightly awed tone of voice, with just a slight hint of arrogance which, to me, seems like gloating. In my opinion, Amir seems quite selfish and perhaps just a little bit shallow. I think that Amir is definitely a relatable character; there are probably a lot more people in this world who are just like him, selfish and just slightly shallow. Amir's character seems real enough too; he behaves like most twelve year olds do. They care only about what they themselves get and forget everyone around them unless it happens to impact them directly. Twelve year olds also tend to be immature, a little bit shallow, and love to gloat, exaggerate, and lie. There is one thing I find quite interesting though, and that is the fact that Amir, unlike a lot of twelve year olds, loves to read, particularly poetry; most children of his age just want to run around and play. I don't think Amir is very sympathetic, perhaps to those who are around him everyday, but definitely not to those who he either does not know, or does not know well. And I definitely feel no sympathy for him. A lot of his actions tend to be selfish, and the consequences he later suffers are, quite honestly, much deserved. With that said, Amir, for me, is definitely a likeable character, mainly because he reminded me of myself when I was his age. Although I dare say that I wasn't as shallow as he is, I was definitely quite selfish, and needless to say, I was incredibly immature. Nevertheless, Amir is a very interesting character to read about, especially as he starts to uncover the truth about his and his Baba's lives and escapes the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

The Not-So-Uncertain Future

       When most people think of a typical teenager, they picture a burly sixteen-year old boy to whom the purpose of life is to chase after girls, and to whom planning ahead means wondering that the next show is going to be. This is not true, or at least not for me. I guess you can call me eccentric, or perhaps many teenagers do this, but I do actually take my future into consideration, at least when it comes to school. Deciding what you want to be when you graduate, however, can be tough. So many things must be taken into consideration, the salary, your interests, job availability, and the stability of the job. These problems are often further complicated by parents, who usually wish for their child to select a high paying career. But these things can easily be overcome; the toughest part comes when you are torn between two completely different career paths. Not so long ago, I was faced with this challenge.
      I had just turned sixteen, and was half-way through completing my grade ten year at Steveston-London Secondary School. It was lunch and I was playing cards with my friends when, out of nowhere, one of them brought up the subject of our future; what we wanted and dreamed to be.
      I don't remember what they said anymore, but I do remember fading out of the conversation; the voices dimmed, the images blurred, and my mind stepped though a portal. It felt like a dream. I was suddenly looking at a forty year old version of myself; I had on a pale white lab coat, and all around me were rows upon rows of fish tanks. In them dwelled a large assortment of sea creatures: fiery red clownfishes, majestic purple corals, golden yellow sea horses, ghostly white jellies, and much, much more.
      Suddenly, the noise returned, the images focused, and I was snapped back to reality. My friends had become impatient because it was my turn to play a card, but I didn't care; the game of Big Two was the last thing on my mind. I smiled to myself. I don't know why, but from the moment I was born, I was in love with the sea, this world of violent serenity, a place where almost every creature meets a violent death, yet at the same time, a place that is so beautiful, so peaceful, so calming.
      Unfortunately, this is where the dream ends, and the nightmare begins. I have two fish tanks of my own at home; they bring me joy when I'm sad, and calm me down when I'm angry. I told my parents of my dream, that I wanted to be a marine biologist. In fact, I reminded them of this constantly. But my parents were very traditional, and very conservative. They were born and raised in China. To them, success meant getting straight A's in school, graduating from university, and finding a high paying job.
      My dad, before we came to Canada, was a well respected lawyer. He was familiar with the legal system, and knew the benefits and prestige that came with being a good lawyer. Needless to say, he wanted me to become a lawyer as well, but I said no. After months of trying to convince them that marine biology is better for me, and several arguments, often with both parents yelling at me, I finally put my foot down. I told them that I wanted to be a marine biologist, and that if they were not okay with that, then they can find themselves another son.
      I thought, at the time, that the matter was settled and that I had won, but I was wrong. The problem arose one day, several months later, when I was at home alone and bored out of my mind. I decided to search up a few random topics on my laptop. I was not pleased with what I found; as it turns out, a marine biologist makes very little money; most marine biologists make about fifty thousand dollars a year. This price also fluctuates greatly, as most of the money comes from government funding, and during times when funds are low, the science department is one of the first to receive budget cuts. A lawyer, on the other hand, makes hundred of thousands of dollars a year, and never has to worry about budget cuts. There was also the difference in the work load. Marine biologists often spend months in the middle of nowhere, isolated and alone, and for hours on end, often carrying on well into the night. While most lawyers work from the comfort of their home or office, and usually for a few hours a day.
      At that point, I realized something; marine biology may be my passion, but it is probably not the best career path for me to take. The worst part of this was, perhaps, the realization that my parents were right; I hated being wrong, worst of all, I hated being certain about something, and then be proven otherwise. On that day, something changed. I no longer felt the same about marine biology; I still loved it, but that burning bonfire had died down to a small ember, its once sky high flames now nothing but pieces of smouldering wood.
      I was torn; it was like someone had sliced me in half with a machete, the sharp blade tearing through my flesh, the cold blade cleanly slicing muscle, severing nerves, crushing bones. I felt like I didn't know anything anymore. And at night, I would often lie in bed, wide awake, gazing emptily at the ceiling, wondering just how my future would turn out.
      This continued for weeks. At night, I would often have the same dream; I dreamed that I was forty again, but instead being a well respected scientist, I was a filthy beggar living in a homeless shelter. I had nothing, no money no fortune, no fame, and worst of all, no knowledge, and no passion. I'd often wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. The lack of sleep made me cranky, and a lot more impatient.
      And then, one day, as I was heading to class, I passed by the counselling office. I decided to drop in and have a quick chat with my counsellor. We talked for a bit; I told him about my little dilemma, and he told me that, in order to get into law school, I must first spend four years as an undergrad. These words were like a cool gust of wind, blowing though the embers and bringing much needed oxygen to the dying fire. Almost at once, the tiny pile of smouldering ashes was once again a towering inferno.
      I thanked my counsellor and went to class, but math was the last thing on my mind. My mind was made up; I'd spend a few years studying marine biology as an undergrad, and later an intern, seeing how I like being a marine biologist. As I have four years to choose, I can always switch to law if I do not like having marine biology as my profession.
      That night, as I lay in bed, I thought to myself. I felt strange; this was one of the toughest decisions I've had to make so far, one of the toughest obstacles for me so far in my life, and it was against myself. This time, unlike all the rest, there wasn't a real opponent, at least not physically. There was no person to defeat, no mountain to conquer, and no elusive item to hunt for. This time, there was really only myself; I guess, sometimes, I really am my own worst enemy.