Monday, November 30, 2015

Kite runner part 2

As we make our way further to the story, we seem to unfold more information about the "friendship" between Amir and Hassan. We find out the Baba and Ali were also very close in their upbringing. Amir's grandfather had adopted when he was dropped off at the as a baby boy. From this point, Ali began his life is a servant of Baba. We find out that Baba and Ali had a very similar relationship. For example, Baba conviced Ali to do very mischievous things and just like Hassan, Ali didn't know how to refuse. Amir also points out that Baba never refers to Ali as a friend and he says that he doesn't think of Hassan as a friend either. Then we compare the daily routines of the two boys. Amir lives the life of a bratty rich kid who complains when he has to be responsible. However, Hassan, wakes up early and get some self be prepared to clean up after Amir and prepare his breakfast and clothes for the day before Amir even decides to get himself up and ready. This all lead me to believe that Amir thinks of Hassan as just his servant and not equal. Was bringing me closer to my guess on what he did to make him feel so guilty about the end to their relationship. I feel as though Amir is a selfish and very immature kid who needs to be enlightened on how he treats his peers. It seems to have been instilled into his personality every since a boy.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Kite runner

The story Kite runner starts off with the introduction of the narrator, Amir, and he begins to reminisce about his childhood friend who lived back in his old country in Afghanistan. Amir had received a phone call from someone in Afghanistan that told him that there was a way to right his wrongs with his old best friend, Hassan. Amir than thinks back to his old times in Afghanistan. He was born rich and his father was known as the most one of the most admirable men in the city. Hassan and his father lived on the land that I'm here Amir's father owned. Amir expressed how the sun would do whatever he had asked him to without hesitation. If what Amir asked him to do was something bad and Hassan got punished, he would never tell that it was Amir's idea. While reading the book I noticed several things about Amir that separates from his Hassan. On page 11 is says that Amir's first words was "Baba". Hassan's first words just so happened to be "Amir". Hassan's father Ali said that there's a special bond share between two boys that drank from the same breast. On page 13 Amir remembers that one time his father asked that him and Hassan joined him on the trip to the lake and he lied and told his father that his son had the runs so that he could have father all to himself. This showed selfishness because they both enjoyed his company but he was too selfish to share his father with his bestfriend. This book had me wondering what was it that Amir did wrong that hurt Hassan.



Thursday, November 5, 2015

Middle of the Story




In my previous blog I further explained the introduction unto about the middle of the book. Matt had just found out that he is a clone. After being held prisoner in the big house, and being mistreated by Rosa, Matt met the owner of not only the house but the owner of his genes. Matteo Alacran was a clone of El Patron: a 140 year old man. When he met El Patron he liked him very much. We also saw a bit of a change in Matt since the first blog: Matt developed asthma after being held in a cage filled with sawdust and he became a lot less social. However as I continued to read on he begins to develop a good friendship with a kid named Tam Lin. Tam Lin and Matt went horseback riding and on this ride Matt learned a lot about his surroundings. Tam Lin told him that the horse was a cloned horse that was programmed to do whatever he said much like the dead farmer they had passed on the way there. He died because he was told to work and never told to stop working so he worked himself to death. This is when Tam Lin tells him a secret, which was that he was El Patron's clone which is why people do not like him. Because he was different and people don't like that about him. Matts settling into a nice routine with Celia and Tam Lin, but he's constantly bothered by the fact that he's a copy of another person. It's okay, Matt, we would be, too. He's also haunted by the dead eejit he saw. MarĂ­a still visits, but now brings her annoying dog, Furball with her, which only serves as a reminder to Matt that people think of him as an animal. When he hears Tom and Steven's mother, Felicia, playing the piano, Matt becomes interested in the instrument, and music in general. Felicia, we learn, is an alcoholic and seems very depressed. One day, Matt has to hide in a closet to listen to Felicia play. The closet is actually a secret passage, and Matt starts to explore it. It goes all over the Big House and has peepholes into various rooms. After a while, Matt starts to play the piano himself in secret, but Tam Lin discovers him and decides to get him a proper piano teacher. They find a music teacher who has gone deaf and really needs a job. His name is Mr. Ortega and he agrees to teach Matt, even if Matt is a clone. Figuring that if he excels at school people will forget he's a clone, Matt throws himself into his studies. At El Patron's 143rd birthday,Matt, who really cares about El Patron, is sad to see him so aged. Celia seems nervous about El Patron's party and tells Matt to find her if anything seems weird. Matt kind of likes El Patron's birthday, because it means that his friends are celebrating it as his birthday, too. It's the one-day of the year that the Alacrans have to pay attention and be polite to him. A creepy redheaded guy from California is also at the party. His name is Mr. MacGregor. El Patron arrives and appears to be in much better health. He thanks his new doctors for their awesome treatment with million dollar checks. He then proceeds to tell the story he tells all the time, about how his family was very poor and how all of his eight siblings died before reaching adulthood. Matt overhears a conversation among the adults. El Patron is talking about things like "fetal brain implants" and makes fun of his grandson, El Viejo, for not hopping onboard the modern medical technology bandwagon. It turns out El Viejo is the man with cancer, whom Matt stumbled upon while roaming the secret passageway in Chapter 9. This part of the book was interesting because it didn't seem to uncover much more about who Matt was but it seems to show who he is becoming. His strange behavior was glaring in certain parts such as demanding a birthday kiss from Maria in front of everyone. I have new questions now. What is up with the Fetal Implants? How is El Patron staying strong at 143? How long do they expect him to live? What is Matt's destined future in his society?