Saturday, 31 January 2015

The Kite Runner - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

  • The importance of a new setting - 
    • Cultural contrast
    • linguistic signifiers
    • Baba's response
    • What America means to Amir
Chapters 11-12:
  • Flea market
    • significance to the Afghan community
    • Explore new characters
    • plot Amir's behaviour towards and impression of General Taheri
    • Amir's response towards Soraya (semantic field associated with love).

The importance of a new setting
  • Baba and Amir: America and Afghanistan is a contrast - Baba is struggling to fit in, whereas Amir adopts the American ways.
  • "For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his" - connotations to death "bury" and "mourn" - shows strength because they don't go back.
  • Seeing the value of a strong leader - hanging the photo on the wall (page 110) of Ronald Reagon.
  • America is a relief, after everything that happened in Kabul, though it pains him to see his father struggling with their new life in America.
  • America - an escape - The Land of Dreams and opportunities, though the theme that the past is inescapable is brought forward: "I wish Hassan were here with us".

Significance of the flea market
  • The General and Baba become important again at the flea market.
  • The linguistic language creates an atmosphere of Afghanistan, where in which General Taheri and Baba can again, like in Kabul, become powerful - this contrasts to Baba in the gas station.

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