Write a critical appreciation of pages 214-16 of The Kite Runner Essays

Write a critical appreciation of pages 214-16 of The Kite Runner Essays Write a critical appreciation of pages 214-16 of The Kite Runner Essay Write a critical appreciation of pages 214-16 of The Kite Runner Essay Essay Topic: The Breadwinner The Kite Runner In The Kite Runner, the author Khaled Hosseini tells a narrative spanning the lives of characters amid political upheavals and war. Therefore, the themes he presents to the reader are highly prevalent to their understanding of the war throughout the novel, and this scene reflects these themes well. The sheer destruction war causes is a rather established theme throughout the novel and is an important theme in the scene where the protagonist, Amir, returns to Kabul after living in America. It is between pages 214 to 217, that this scene presents how the brutality and violence of war has detrimentally affected both Afghan society and the physical surroundings itself and reinforces the themes presented throughout the novel. The social and historical context surrounding the novel is significantly important in considering the portrayal of Afghanistan, particularly Amirs return to Kabul. Afghanistans history during the latter decades of the 20th century directly influenced the lives if the characters and provides a basis for the readers own understanding of the war. From 1973, when a coup dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½tat ended the monarchy, Afghanistan has been fighting against both foreign invaders and itself. In 1992, Afghanistan was converted into an Islamic state and in 1996, a group of Pashtun supremacists, the Taliban, took control of the country. They massacred Shiites and Hazaras in addition to enacting fundamentalist laws. The strife of war continued and undoubtedly is presented in this scene and throughout the novel as a whole. The placement of this scene within the novel, concerning the plot and movements of the characters, is also highly important in consideration of the war. Historically, Amirs return is during the Talibans control of Afghanistan, after many years of fighting. His memories of Afghanistan and Kabul are from his childhood during peacetime and as a result, his return after many years of war presents a detailed illustration of how Kabul now is. His use of the past continuous tense such as: There used to be shops here and hotels draws references to his experiences from when he was young serving as a reminder that for a long period of time prior to the war, Kabul had many amenities that have now been destroyed. This reinforces the fact it was war that destroyed these amenities and so war that has dealt a serious blow to society, plummeting it into what one would expect from a fledgling third world nation rather than a country rich in culture and tradition. The atmosphere that Hosseini creates is incredibly significant in his portrayal of the key themes of violence and brutality of war. His use of diction, imagery and syntax creates a unique yet alluring style of writing which allows the reader to delve deeply into the atrocities of a war-torn Kabul. Significantly, the opening sentence of the final paragraph on page 214 sets the tone for the remainder of his description of the city. Hosseini deals with the harrowing social problems caused by fighting for he simply states: Rubble and Beggars. This automatically sets the precedent one might expect for a city ravished by war. What is quite intriguing about this statement is its blunt approach to the issue. Rather than skirting around the subject, Hosseini instantly illustrates a city ravaged by fighting. He demonstrates the poor conditions Afghans are living in simply by stating: beggars which suggests an enormity of poverty-stricken people living on the streets (of which have turned to rubble) and shortly after by saying: they squatted at every street corner. This reinforces the idea that there were large amounts of people displaced by the war and the term squatted suggests that these people are close to the earth and so seen as dirt by the Taliban. These are the victims of the wars much as the Hazaras were victims of the Taliban. This is an excellent use of empathy to convey Hosseinis outlook on war and helps to contribute to the readers understanding of it. It allows the reader to experience from the victims point of view of war how it was indiscriminate, that it was not only the racial targets of the Taliban that suffered but also society overall. It shows that the war indiscriminate and so reflects one of the novels chief concerns: the idea of brutality of and its destruction li ves. Hosseini makes it clearly apparent that the victims of the war were the innocent, evidently remarking upon how the war was indiscriminate. The war did not care who it hurt, for it ruined the lives of children who were left without fathers for: fathers had become a rare commodity in Afghanistan. The use of the word commodity suggests an item of value to be bought or sold and in this sense is a metaphor for the value of a father. It suggests that fathers are very important and valuable to a child, as stereotypically (yet especially real in Afghan society) men are the breadwinners and provide for their children. The men have fought in the wars leaving their children without fathers, without a means of support and subsequently must rely on supporting themselves. This idea relates to the novel as a whole for Amir returns to Kabul in search of Sohrab, Hassans son, who has been orphaned by the war. In a sense Amir is this rare commodity, somebody looking to help and provide for a child whos e life has been destroyed by the war. It is quite ironic that this person should be Amir, the one who witnessed yet did nothing to stop the rape of Sohrabs father by Assef, who has subsequently sexually abused Sohrab. This shows how the war has hampered Afghanistans future, for the new generation must not only be burdened in the future with looking after the old, but will have had the burden of looking after them up until that point. It contributes to my understanding of the war; that the war has not only destroyed the current society of Afghanistan but its legacy will continue to destroy future generations as well. The war severely affected Afghanistans culture, traditions and society through physically destroying many of the amenities and through impoverishing much of the population. Hosseinis powerful descriptions and literary techniques allow the reader clearly to empathise with both the characters but more importantly with the victims of war. He allows me to understand that the war was indiscriminate, many of the victims being children. This means that the war has severely hampered Afghanistans survival in future years because of the enormous strife the younger generations have been through caused by the war.

Battle of Hastings and Williams Conquest

Battle of Hastings and Williams Conquest The Battle of Hastings was part of the invasions of England that followed the death of King Edward the Confessor in 1066.  William of Normandys victory at Hastings occurred on October 14, 1066. Armies and Commanders Normans William of NormandyOdo of Bayeux7,000-8,000 men Anglo-Saxons Harold Godwinson7,000-8,000 men Background: With the death of King Edward the Confessor in early 1066, the throne of England fell into dispute with multiple individuals stepping forward as claimants. Shortly after Edwards death, the English nobles presented the crown to Harold Godwinson, a powerful local lord. Accepting, he was crowned as King Harold II. His ascension to the throne was immediately challenged by William of Normandy and Harold Hardrada of Norway who felt they had superior claims. Both began assembling armies and fleets with the goal of supplanting Harold. Gathering his men at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, William initially hoped to cross the Channel in mid-August. Due to foul weather, his departure was delayed and Hardrada arrived in England first. Landing in the north, he won an initial victory at Gate Fulford on September 20, 1066, but was defeated and killed by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge five days later. While Harold and his army were recovering from the battle, William landed at Pevensey on September 28. Establishing a base near Hastings, his men constructed a wooden palisade and commenced raiding the countryside. To counter this, Harold raced south with his battered army, arriving on October 13. The Armies Form William and Harold were familiar with each other as they had fought together in France and some sources, such as the Bayeux Tapestry, suggest that the English lord had sworn an oath to support the Norman dukes claim to Edwards throne while in his service. Deploying his army, which was largely composed of infantry, Harold assumed a position along Senlac Hill astride the Hastings-London road. In this location, his flanks were protected by woods and streams with some marshy ground to their front right. With the army in line along the top of the ridge, the Saxons formed a shield wall and waited for the Normans to arrive. Moving north from Hastings, Williams army appeared on the battlefield on the morning of Saturday October 14. Arraying his army into three battles, composed of infantry, archers, and crossbowmen, William moved to attack the English. The center battle consisted of Normans under Williams direct control while the troops to his left were largely Bretons led by Alan Rufus.  The right battle was made up of French soldiers and was commanded by William FitzOsbern and Count Eustace of Boulogne. Williams initial plan called for his archers to weaken Harolds forces with arrows, then for infantry and cavalry assaults to break through the enemy line (Map). William Triumphant This plan began to fail from the outset as the archers were unable to inflict damage due to the Saxons high position on the ridge and the protection offered by the shield wall. They were further hampered by a shortage of arrows as the English lacked archers.  As a result, there were no arrows to gather and reuse. Ordering his infantry forward, William soon saw it pelted with spears and other projectiles which inflicted heavy casualties. Faltering, the infantry withdrew and the Norman cavalry moved in to attack. This too was beaten back with the horses having difficulty climbing the steep ridge. As his attack was failing, Williams left battle, composed primarily of Bretons, broke and fled back down the ridge. It was pursued by many of the English, who had left the safety of the shield wall to continue the killing. Seeing an advantage, William rallied his cavalry and cut down the counterattacking English. Though the English rallied on a small hillock, they were ultimately overwhelmed. As the day progressed, William continued his attacks, possibly feigning several retreats, as his men slowly wore down the English. Late in the day, some sources indicate that William altered his tactics and ordered his archers to shoot at a higher angle so that their arrows fell on those behind the shield wall. This proved lethal for Harolds forces and his men began to fall. Legend states that he was hit in the eye with an arrow and killed. With the English taking casualties, William ordered an assault which finally broke through the shield wall. If Harold was not struck by an arrow, he died during this attack. With their line broken and king dead, the many of the English fled with only Harolds personal bodyguard fighting on until the end. Battle of Hastings Aftermath In the Battle of Hastings it is believed that William lost approximately 2,000 men, while the English suffered around 4,000. Among the English dead was King Harold as well as his brothers Gyrth and Leofwine. Though the Normans were defeated in the Malfosse immediately after the Battle of Hastings, the English did not meet them again in a major battle. After pausing two weeks at Hastings to recover and wait for the English nobles to come and submit to him, William began marching north towards London. After enduring a dysentery outbreak, he was reinforced and closed on the capital. As he approached London, the English nobles came and submitted to William, crowning him king on Christmas Day 1066. Williams invasion marks the last time that Britain was conquered by an outside force and earned him the nickname the Conqueror.