Blog 2: The Kite Runner

• Why is childhood such an important time of life?  When does it end?

                      Childhood plays a huge role in this book. The beginning of this book is all about what Amir and Hassan used to do for fun when they were children. There fun would range from sitting in trees with a sling shot flinging things at the dogs to climbing popular trees and roaming through the fields to read books. Here’s a quote that shows some of what they used to do "…we taught each other to ride a bicycle with no hands, or to build a fully functional homed camera out of a cardboard box. Never mind that we spent entire winters flying kites, running kites."(Hosseini25)This shows that they have great imaginations and they are very creative. By using their imagination and creativity, Hassan and Amir are escaping reality but at the same time they are starting to understand reality. In the "Wall Street Journal" there was a page on child imagination; the title is "The power of magical thinking". It states, "For years, imagination was thought of as a way for children to escape from reality, and once they reached a certain age, it was believed they would push fantasy aside and deal with the real world. But, increasingly, child-development experts are recognizing the importance of imagination and the role it plays in understanding reality. Imagination is necessary for learning about people and events we don't directly experience, such as history or events on the other side of the world". Hassan and Amir use their imaginations when thinking about their mothers. They imagine what she would be like and by doing that they are using their imagination to learn about people that they haven't directly experienced. I think childhood ends when you "Push fantasy aside and deal with the real world". Going into adult hood brings many responsibilities that you never had as a child. Childhood ends because you finally understand your responsibilities and act on them. According to studies done by ABC news, childhood is very brief. Half of British parents believe childhood ends at 11 years old; they think of 11 year olds "young adults". On BBC news they say that children that are under peer pressure tend to have a shorter childhood. Overall, I think it’s different for every child. The end of childhood depends on the child's environment, home life and the different circumstances that they have to deal with at an early age; some situations require children to grow up faster.

Coughlan, Sean. "Modern Childhood 'ends at Age 12.'" BBC News. BBC, 5 Mar. 2013. 
     Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bbc.com/news/education-21670962>. 

Ibanga, Imaeyen. "When Does Childhood End?" ABC News. ABC News, 5 Mar. 2008. 
     Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4388308>. 

Wang, Shirley S. "Children's Imagination Important for Cognitive Development." 
     The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 22 Dec. 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 
     2014. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/ 
     SB10001424052748703344704574610002061841322>. 

The Kite Runner(Chapter 1 to Chapter 5)

                       So far I have read up to chapter 5 in "The Kite Runner". These few chapters have been very descriptive and they contain a lot of information on the different characters. Chapter 2 introduces Hassan, Amir's childhood friend. Religion wise, Amir was a Pashtun and Hassan was a Hazara. Here’s a quote that explains this "Never mind any of those things. Because history isn't easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi'a, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing…But we were kids who had learned to crawl together, and no history, ethnicity, society, or religion was going to change that either"(Hosseini25) One powerful quote that really stuck out to me was when Amir said "Then he would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break…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"(Hosseini11). These quotes explain perfectly how society affects people. Even as a little boy Amir knew the difference in social classes. Amir seems to accept the fact that even though he doesn't see a difference between them, society does; Amir sees Hassan as a brother. Amir talks about Hassan’s father, Ali. Ali was Amir’s father’s childhood friend. Amir’s father would always talk about the mischief they would get in and the things that him and Ali used to do growing up.  He said how his father never referred to Ali as a friend and as he started thinking he realized the he never thought of Hassan his friend either. Every time Amir says something that makes them seem not equal he will back it up with something that makes them seem the same. I feel as if Amir sees how many talents they share and doesn't understand why Hassan is treated differently if he is the "same" as him. This book defiantly shows a contrast in social classes. On page 27, Amir talked about waking up to go to school and how Hassan and Ali were already awake making his breakfast and cleaning the house. Amir says "While I ate and complained about homework, Hassan made my bed, polished my shoes, ironed my outfit for the day, packed my books and pencils". Amir also says "Hassan stayed home and helped Ali with the days chores: hand-washing dirty clothes and hanging them to dry in the yard, sweeping the floors, buying fresh naan from the bazaar, marinating meat for dinner, watering the lawn.” Those quotes show that lower social class children had it harder then higher social class children. As Amir (Higher-class) went to school and got an education, Hassan (Lower-class) stayed home and cleaned Amir’s house and never got a real education. As I read more of this book I'm sure I will see more of how society and social classes affect someone’s life.

Persepolis Film V.S. Persepolis Book

                                     In my opinion, the Persepolis film was more powerful than the book. The Persepolis book was powerful, but it was hard to really hear her “voice” throughout the novel. There wasn’t a difference between the “little” Marji voice and the “adult” Marji voice.  I feel like the film  captured her thoughts as both a child and an adult. During the film, when Marji was a young girl, I understood her point of view as a child by the way they made her voice younger and put it in her perspective as a child. I think the way Marji looked back and voiced her adult thoughts and opinions while she was still a child in the film made it very understandable; I was able to see both sides of her and how her thought process changed as she grew older. The film bettered my understanding of the book because I got to hear everyone’s opinions through their own voices.

                   The opening of the film is Marji sitting on an airport bench smoking a cigarette; looking very gloomy. A short while after she starts to imagine a "little" Marji running by. At this time she starts to look back at how her life was and what she thought as a child. The little Marji running by seemed to be happy and energetic. As the "adult" Marji looks back she states, "I remember…I led a peaceful, uneventful life...as a little girl". Marji says this very sadly and her facial expressions show that she wished she were still a naive child that didn't understand what was really going on around her. By Marji saying that it shows that her life wasn't as smooth as she grew older.

                   By watching the film and seeing her as a little girl helped me to understand her point of view and how she felt during this time. In many parts of the film they would do a close up of Marji as a child listening to her elders talk. Marji's facial expressions showed a lot of what she was thinking; her eyebrows would raise or she would squint her eyes and move her eyes. At one point in the film it shows her peaking out of her bedroom door while her grandmother was talking to her parents. After overhearing her parents and grandmother talk about the Shah and what was happening to people that would rebel against him, Marji comes out of her room saying "Down with the shah, Down with the shah". I think this scene shows how her elders influenced a lot of what she would say and think as a child. After watching the film it was clear to me that what Marji heard as a child influenced her later in life. I defiantly prefer the film over the book because I think it captures the meaning of Marjane's story.