Transcript The Kite Runner - cloudfront.net

The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
Khaled Hosseini
• Born in Kabul in 1965
• His family moved to San
Jose in 1980
• Graduated from Santa
Clara University and UC
San Diego School of
Medicine
Kite Running
• Kite running (gudipran
bazi) has been a favorite
pastime in Afghanistan for
100 years
• Two-person affair: one
person is the charka gir,
who holds the wooden
kite spool; the other is the
gudiparan baz, who
controls the movement of
the kite in the air
• Kite flyers stand on tops of
buildings, fighting with kites
from all over the city
• The object is to strike down the
kite of your opponent with the
string of your kite
• Strings are made with wire or
string coated with glass
Afghanistan
• Ethnically diverse country – reflects
geographic locations as well as
history
• Pashtu and Dari are the official
languages, spoken by 85% of the
people
• 99% of population is Muslim; 84% of
Muslims are Sunni
• Long history of ethnic hierarchy,
creating imbalances of wealth,
influence, and education
• Traditionally Pashtuns
have dominated the
country because they are
the presumed majority of
the population
• Many other ethnic groups
have not had a strong
voice
• Society has a firm and
structured hierarchy
which dominates the
inter-ethnic interactions
and relations
Pashtuns
• Majority ethnic group, constituting
approximately 42% of the population
• Highest ethnicity on the social ladder and
dominate governmental bodies
• Pashtu is their native language
• Consist mainly of Sunni Muslims
Hazaras
• Resides mainly in the central Afghanistan
mountain region known as Hazarajat
• Make up approximately 9% of the population
• Seem to have Mongolian origins, as evidenced
by physical attributes, culture, and language
• Most are Shi’ite Muslims
• On the lower end of the socioeconomic scale
A religion based on the interpretations of
God’s word by the prophet Muhammad
found in the Qu’ran (sometimes spelled
Koran)
Followers of Islam, Muslims, are devoted to
daily prayer (five times a day facing
Mecca, the holy city).
Islam
• There are two major Islamic sects: Sunni and
Shiite. The two groups are very similar, although
the two sects have also had sharp political
differences. The split stems from the early days
of Islam and arguments over Mohammed's
successors as caliph or leader.
• Sunni comprise about 85 percent of all Muslims.
• Shi’a are the second-largest sect. Iran is the only
nation with an overwhelming Shiite majority.
• There are several tenets of Islam, but
there are three mentioned early on in the
book:
• Zakat – charitable giving
• Hadj – pilgrimage to Mecca
• Namaz – 5 daily prayers facing Mecca
The Taliban
• Very conservative Islamic fundamentalist faction. Set up
what it considered to be the world's purest Islamic
government. Based on its strict interpretation of Islamic
law, the Taliban:
– Banned movies and television, photographs of people and
animals, statues, stuffed toys, use of the Internet, non-religious
music and musical instruments, dancing, kite-flying, playing
cards and chessboards.
– Said women are not allowed to work outside the home, attend
school and must be covered in public.
– Stated men must wear untrimmed beards and pray in the
mosque.
• Religious police enforce these rules, often whipping
violators.
• In the 19th century, Afghanistan ceded
many territories to Great Britain.
• In 1919, the Anglo-Afghan wars returned
the ruling power to the Afghani monarchy.
• In 1973, the king’s brother staged a coup
to create a Republic.
• In 1978, communists overthrew the ruler
and took over the government.
• In the beginning of The Kite Runner, the
monarchy is still in place and the country
is relatively calm. However, chaos starts
to erupt as the king is overthrown by his
brother.
• In the second half of The Kite Runner, the
Taliban is in power, creating a much more
volatile and dangerous Afghanistan.
• The Kaaba or "Cube" is a circular building
located inside the al-Masjid al-Haram mosque
in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The mosque was built
around the original Kaaba.
• The Kaaba is the holiest place in Islam.The
qibla, the direction Muslims face during prayer,
is the direction from their location on Earth
towards the Kaaba. It is around the Kaaba that
ritual circumambulation is performed by
Muslims during the Hajj (pilgrimage) season as
well as during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage).
• Islam is divided into two denominations, Shia
and Sunni. Because of the differing views of
these two groups, they maintain a rather tense
and hostile relationship.
• The Pashtun (majority) are typically Sunni, and
the Hazara (minority) are typically Shia.
• Thus, the racial differences are compounded by
the religious differences.
• The Hazaras are most
easily identified by their
tendency to have light colored
and almond shaped
eyes and round faces.
• They are possibly direct
descendents of Genghis
Khan, who invaded
Afghanistan in the 13th
century.
• Thus, they are seen as
“invaders” and not true
Afghanis.
The Hazaras typically function as the
servant class and partake in few of the
freedoms enjoyed by the Pashtun upperclass.
• jan – a term of endearment often used
after a person’s name: Baba jan
• agha – leader, ruler, master, lord
• sahib – friend (original), lord
• naan – bread