English 30-1

Khaled Hosseini

 Born in Kabul, Afghanistan: March 4 th, 1965  Mother was a high school history teacher and Father was a diplomat  Led to living in Iran, Paris and eventually, the United States  Hosseini became a M.D. in 1993, specializing in internal medicine

Khaled Hosseini  The Kite Runner is his first book  Although the work is fiction, some of the aspects deal with events from the author’s life  Currently, he is a Goodwill Envoy for the U.S.A. High Commissioner for Refugees  He lives with his wife, Roya, and two children in Northern California

What comes to mind when...

Background to the Novel...  The novel deals with life in Afghanistan from the 1970s until 2002  The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul.

Background to the Novel...  From 1933 until 1973, Afghanistan was a monarchy. The ruler was King Zahir Shah.

Background to the Novel...  On July 17, 1973, Mohammad Daoud Khan, the king’s cousin and former Prime Minister of the country, seized power from King Zahir Shah while he was on vacation  Khan ruled the country as Prime Minister and President for six years until he was overthrown and killed by the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on April 27, The PDPA was closely allied to the Soviet Union.

Background to the Novel...  The PDPA abolished religious customs and many Afghans were upset by these laws because their traditions were destroyed  In 1979, the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan and occupied the country for ten years. Muslim forces resisted this occupation, as did the U.S.A.

Background to the Novel...  The Soviets withdrew in 1989, but the PDPA controlled the country until  Afghanistan was converted to an Islamic state in 1992 when the Soviet Union collapsed.  There was much in-fighting until 1996 when the Taliban, a group of Pashtun supremacists, took control of Kabul. They massacred the Shiites, brought about extreme fundamentalist laws, and used violence to control people.

Fundamentalist Laws...  Banned listening to music  Banned the watching of movies, television and videos  Banned celebrating the traditional new year  Ordered that all people with non-Islamic names change them to Islamic ones.  Forced haircuts upon Afghan youth.  Ordered that men wear Islamic clothes and a cap.  Ordered that men not shave or trim their beards, which should grow long enough to protrude from a fist clasped at the point of the chin.  Ordered that all people attend prayers in mosques five times daily.

Fundamentalist Laws...  Banned the keeping of pigeons and playing with the birds, describing it as un-Islamic. The violators will be imprisoned and the birds shall be killed.  Ordered all onlookers, while encouraging the sportsmen, to chant Allah-o-Akbar (God is great) and refrain from clapping.  Anyone who carries objectionable literature will be executed.  Anyone who converts from Islam to any other religion will be executed.  All boy students must wear turbans. They say "No turban, no education".  Non-Muslim minorities must distinct badge or stitch a yellow cloth onto their dress to be differentiated from the majority Muslim population.  Ban on certain games including kite flying which is "un-Islamic" according to Taliban.

Fundamentalist Laws...Women  Complete ban on women's work outside the home. Only a few female doctors and nurses are allowed to work in some hospitals in Kabul.  Complete ban on women's activity outside the home unless accompanied by a mahram (close male relative such as a father, brother or husband).  Ban on women dealing with male shopkeepers.  Ban on women being treated by male doctors.  Ban on women studying at schools, universities or any other educational institutions.

Fundamentalist Laws...Women  Requirement that women wear a long veil (Burqa), which covers them from head to toe.  Whipping, beating and verbal abuse of women not clothed in accordance with Taliban rules, or of women unaccompanied by a mahram.  Whipping of women in public for having non-covered ankles.  Public stoning of women accused of having sex outside marriage.  Ban on the use of cosmetics. (Many women with painted nails have had fingers cut off).

Fundamentalist Laws...Women  Ban on women talking or shaking hands with non-mahram males.  Ban on women laughing loudly. (No stranger should hear a woman's voice).  Ban on women wearing high heel shoes, which would produce sound while walking. (A man must not hear a woman's footsteps.)  Ban on women riding in a taxi without a mahram.  Ban on women's presence in radio, television or public gatherings of any kind.

Fundamentalist Laws...Women  Ban on women playing sports or entering a sport center or club.  Ban on women riding bicycles or motorcycles, even with their mahrams.  Ban on women's wearing brightly coloured clothes. In Taliban terms, these are "sexually attracting colors."  Ban on women gathering for festive occasions such as the Eids, or for any recreational purpose.  Ban on women washing clothes next to rivers or in a public place.

Fundamentalist Laws...Women  Modification of all place names including the word "women." For example, "women's garden" has been renamed "spring garden.”  Ban on women appearing on the balconies of their apartments or houses.  Compulsory painting of all windows, so women cannot be seen from outside their homes.  Ban on male tailors taking women's measurements or sewing women's clothes.

Fundamentalist Laws...Women  Ban on males and females traveling on the same bus. Public buses have now been designated "males only" (or "females only").  Ban on flared (wide) pant-legs, even under a burqa.  Ban on the photographing or filming of women.  Ban on women's pictures printed in newspapers and books, or hung on the walls of houses and shops.

Background to the Novel...  Following the destruction of the Twin World Trade Towers in New York, the U.S.A. Invaded Afghanistan. The Taliban government was overthrown at that time.  The novel ends in 2002 when a provisional government is in power. The conflicts and fighting continue in the country.

Themes & Motifs The Kite Runner

Courage

Love, Betrayal & Redemption

Racism, Ethnic Inequality & Discrimination

Fathers & Sons, Brotherhood & Friendship

Violence

Atonement

Kites

Literacy & Writing