Quotations Chapter 6-9

"Afghans abhor customs but cherish rules." p. 52

•  Amir speaks about the Afghans customs and what they find important. This means that Afghan people will custom before anything else, for example religion. Their cultural tradition is vital.

"But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie." p. 58

• Baba says something that may not be the truth, but refers politically to Afghanistan but could also silently be connected with his life as well. The significance of this quote is that Amir wants to get that he saw Hassan get raped off his chest, and he would be at a better state if he told someone, even though he would probably be shunned, it's better than living a lie. 

"In the end, the world always wins. That's just the way of things." p. 99

• Rahim Khan talks to Amir on the day of his birthday party about life. What Rahim Khan is trying to say is, is that sometimes life throws you curves, and you have to deal with them, it's that simple. Life is what it is. You can't do anything about it, just deal with things. This relates to Amir's problems with dealing with his history with Hassan.

Questions - Chapters 6-9

1. The boys of Afghanistan have gashes on their fingers because of the kite racing tournament that is held in the winter, because the kite cuts their hands. Tar is the string for the kite that they make on their own.
2. Amir feels as if he is looking at two faces when he looks at Hassan, one he is familiar with and has grown up beside, the other who was lurking beneath the surface. But also, looks up to him. When Amir says "my life as a ghost," he means the thinks if he wins the tournament, he won't be invisible to his father anymore, he will feel like he matters.
3. The proudest moment of Amir's life so far was being the last kite standing, and winning the kite fighting tournament.
4. After the race, Hassan runs away with the blue kite and ends up getting cornered by Assef, Wali, and Kamal and they rape him.
5. Amir says, "I opened my mouth and almost said something...The rest of my life might of turned out differently if I had." This is important because he was being a coward, and he should've been more loyal to Hassan. Amir's behavior show that he is a coward and he is not loyal to Hassan. He could have prevented it, instead of watching it happen.
6. The memories significance is that Hassan and Amir were raised by the same nurse, they went through brotherhood together, they have known each other for ever. Also, they show how scared Hassan was.
7. The family takes a trip to Jalalabad.
8. Amir asks Baba if they could get new servants, and Baba gets angry because he likes Ali and Hassan a lot as a part of their family and would never want to get rid of them.
9. At the pomegranate tree, Amir and Hassan start to fight and their friendship starts to fall apart, they were supposed to be friends forever. Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan, Hassan squishes one on his forehead.
10. Assef gives Amir a book on Hitler, this is important because it makes Amir uncomfortable and makes him think of Hassan.
11. Amir puts the watch that Baba gave him plus money under Hassan's mattress, he did this to get Ali and Hassan out of his house. I couldn't believe Amir would betray Hassan that badly.
12. Hassan falsely admitted to stealing Amir's things.
13. Baba completely forgives Hassan, this shocks Amir because his motto is theft is basically the worst of the worst.
14. Hassan and Ali leave and move away.
15. It's a turning point at the end of chapter nine because Amir and Hassan are separated.

Vocabulary - Chapters 6-9

Abhor: to regard with extreme adversion

• "Afghans cherish custom but abhor rules." p. 52
• The man had a very abhor talk with his wife; they were getting a divorce.
• Synonyms: despise, hate
• Antonyms: loathe, love, admire

Indignation: strong displeasure at something considered insulting or offensive

• "'I'd sooner eat dirt,' he said with a look of indignation." p. 54
• The lady's face was in shock and indignation, she couldn't believe that man would embarrass her the way he just had.
• Synonyms: displeasure, resentment, wrath, scorn
• Antonyms: calm, cheer, delight

Integrity: soundness of moral character

• " If I was going to toy with him and challenge his loyalty, then he'd toy with me, test my integrity." p. 54
• He did the right thing by turning himself in, at least he still had his integrity. 
• Synonyms: honesty, principle, sincerity
• Antonyms: dishonesty, disgrace

  Curtly: rudely brief in speech

• "'Why don't you ask him, then? He's so smart,' I said, more curtly than intended." p. 60
• She answered the teacher very curtly, because her grandfather had passed away the night before.
• Synonyms: bluntly, harshly, crudely
• Antonyms: politely

Shirked: to evade

• "...on stage or at parties, he shirked the austere and nearly morose stance of older singers and actually smiled when he sang-sometimes even at women." p. 61
• He shirked the responsibility of baby sitting his sister, saying he had to be somewhere important.
• Synonyms: cheat, dodge, elude
• Antonyms: confront, encounter

Austere: severe in manner or appearance

• "...on stage or at parties, he shirked the austere and nearly morose stance of older singers and actually smiled when he sang-sometimes even at women." p. 61 
•  The boy's austere manner made it hard for him to make friends at his new school.
• Synonyms: exacting, forbidding, formal
• Antonyms: flexible, calm

Morose: expressing gloom

• "...on stage or at parties, he shirked the austere and nearly morose stance of older singers and actually smiled when he sang-sometimes even at women." p. 61 
• The faces at the funeral were all very morose.
• Synonyms: cranky, gloomy, glum, sullen
• Antonyms: bright, cheerful, content

Havoc: great destruction or devastation

• "A havoc of scrap and rubble littered the alley." p. 75
• The little girl's parents had left her in such havoc after telling her they were getting a divorce.
• Synonyms: chaos, devastation, confusion, distruction
• Antonyms: blessing, miracle, calm

Imminent: likely to occur at any moment

• "I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose." p. 77
• It's imminent for someone to read a book in the library.
• Synonyms: immediate, likely, probable
• Antonyms: avoidable, escapable

Guileless: sincere, honest

• "Or, God forbid, what I feared most: guileless devotion?" p. 78
• Abraham Lincoln is known for his guileless. 
• Synonyms: unsophisticated, candid, genuine
• Antonyms: clever, dishonest

Insomniac: difficulty falling or staying asleep

• "That was the night I become an insomniac." p. 86
• After the divorce which scarred him emotionally, he became an insomniac.
• Synonyms: alive, attentive, sleeplessness
• Antonyms: sleepy, unaware

Harried: to attack or annoy

• "He was hanging clothes to dry in the yard I saw his eagerness in the harried way he finished the job." p. 91
• The teenager was harried by the constant thought of his grades. 
• Synonyms: agitated, bothered, stressed
• Antonyms: calm, collected, untroubled

Anonymity: the state of being anonymous 

• "I turned thirteen that summer of 1976, Afghanistan's next to last summer of peace and anonymity." p. 93
• The boy told the principal that he wanted to stay in anonymity so the class didn't know it was him who told.
• Synonyms: anonymous, invisibility, nameless
• Antonyms: -

Interlude: an intervening episode, period, etc

• "I regretted saying it- I really did-but I think even if I hadn't, our happy little interlude would have come to an end." p. 93
• I didn't want this interlude to end, it was perfect.
• Synonyms: lull, recess
• Antonyms: continuation, continuation

Embodiment: the act of embodying

• "On the surface, he was the embodiment of every parent's dream, a strong, tall, well-dressed well-mannered with talent and striking looks, not to mention the wit to joke with an adult." p. 96
• The new girl was the embodiment of every subject, she was going to have a successful school year.
• Synonyms: exemplar, apothesis
• Antonyms: exclusion, disorganization

Facade: illusion of something

• "When I looked into them, the facade faltered, revealed a glimpse of the madness hiding behind them." p. 97
• The facade on the big screen started to make me dizzy.
• Synonyms: false front, fake
• Antonyms: reality, truth

Alter ego: a second-self

• "I've always thought of him as Baba's quiet alter ego, my writing mentor, my pal, the one who never forgot to bring me a souvenir, a saughat, when he returned from a trip abroad." p. 98
• I think of my best friends as my alter egos.
• Synonyms: second-self
• Antonyms: -

Blood money: a fee paid to a hired murderer

• "That was the only one that didn't feel like blood money." p. 102
• Blood money is paid by people who don't want to murder that person by themselves.
• Synonyms: -
• Antonyms: -

Grimace: an ugly or contorted facial expression

• "His mouth twitched and, for a moment, I thought I saw a grimace." p. 107
• By the grimace on his face, I could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation.
• Synonyms: scowl, sneer, smirk
• Antonyms: grin 

Quotes Chapters 1-5

"There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft." (p. 17)

•  Baba speaks to Amir to try to bring to his attention the reality of the situation and how his actions affected other people.
• Amir took so much from Hassan. Especially his self-respect. Amir watched Hassan get raped yet didn't say anything about it, he couldn't really have prevented it from happening, but he could have helped Hassan out in the situation.

"A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up for anything." (p. 22)

• Baba frustratedly spoke about Amir to Rahim Khan to explain Amir's coward like behavior.
• Baba is frustrated with Amir's lack to stand up for himself. Amir is afraid and a coward. Amir exemplified being a coward when he let Assef rape Hassan.

"...a person who wastes his God-given talents is a donkey." (p. 32)

• Amir reads his letter that Rahim wrote him regarding his story he wrote.
• Rahim doesn't want Amir wasting his great talent in writing stories by not pursuing them. Amir has great potential and Rahim doesn't want his talent to go over looked, he wants him to take what he has and bring it to the world.

References - Chapters 1-5

Henry Kissinger;

• "'Oh,' I said. I didn't know who Henry Kissinger was, and I might have asked. But at the moment, I watched with horror as one of the chapandaz fall off his saddle and was trampled under a score of hooves. His body was tossed and hurled in the stampede like a rag doll, finally rolling to a stop when the melee moved on. He twitched once and lay motionless, his legs bent at unnatural angles, a pool of blood soaking through the sand." p. 21
• Henry served as the 56th Secretary of State, assisted the president, recipient of a noble prize, and many other things. While he was in office he was accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and offenses against law.

Steve McQueen;

• "Then, Baba and I drove off in his black Ford mustang- a car that drew envious looks everywhere because it was the same car Steve McQueen had driven in Bullit, a film that played in one theater for six months." p. 27
• Steve was an American actor, most popular in the 60's&70's, received an academy award,

Bullit;

•  "Then, Baba and I drove off in his black Ford mustang- a car that drew envious looks everywhere because it was the same car Steve McQueen had driven in Bullit, a film that played in one theater for six months." p. 27
• Bullit is a 1968 dramatic thriller film, was made by McQueen's Solar Production Company, the film was a critical and box office smash, won the academy award for best film editing, and is remembered for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, "one of the most influential in movie history."

Zahir Shah;

• "The king, Zahir Shah, was away in Italy." p. 36
• Zahir Shah was the last king of Afghanistan, reigned for 4 years, was given the title 'Father of the Nation' until he died.

fall of Afghan monarchy July 1973;

• "As it turned out, they hadn't shot much of anything that night of July 17, 1973." p. 36
• While the king was on vacation, Khan seized power. There was rioting and shooting.

Chapter 1-5 Vocabulary

Affluent: having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods.

• "Everyone agreed that my father, my Baba, had built the most beautiful house in the Wazir Akbar Khan district, a new and affluent neighborhood in the northern part of Kabul." p. 4
• The business man was very affluent, his family was financially set for life.
• Synonyms: rich, teeming, upscale, upper class,
• Antonyms: poor, lacking, suffering, needy, unsuccessful 

Intricate: having many interrelated parts

• "Intricate mosaic tiles, handpicked by Baba in Isfahan, covered the floors of the four bathrooms." p. 4
• The corn maze had lots of intricate paths, which made it hard to make it to the other side. 
• Synonyms: complex, tangled, tricky, difficult
• Antonyms: easy, clear, direct, obvious, simple

Notoriously: publicly or generally known for a specific trait

• "People had raised their eyebrows when Ali, a man who had memorized the Koran, married Sanaubar, a women nineteen years younger, a beautiful but notoriously unscrupulous woman who lived up to her dishonorable reputation." p. 8
• Justin Bieber has been notoriously in the tabloids for his not so great actions.
• Synonyms: infamously, notably, especially
• Antonyms: -

Unscrupulous: unrestrained by scruples, unprincipled

•  "People had raised their eyebrows when Ali, a man who had memorized the Koran, married Sanaubar, a women nineteen years younger, a beautiful but notoriously unscrupulous woman who lived up to her dishonorable reputation." p. 8
• The students were acting unscrupulous, because there was substitute teacher. 
• Synonyms: unprincipled, scandalous, sly, unfair
• Antonyms: good, honest, fair, moral, trustworthy  

Congenital: of or pertaining to a condition at birth, whether inherited or caused by the enviornment

• "While Sanaubar's brilliant green eyes and impish face had, rumor has it, tempted countless men into sin, Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him perpetually grim-faced." p. 8
• The baby was diagnosed with the congenital disease autism. 
• Synonyms: inherited, natural, ingrained, 
• Antonyms: contracted

Rendered: to cause to be or become

• "While Sanaubar's brilliant green eyes and impish face had, rumor has it, tempted countless men into sin, Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles, a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him perpetually grim-faced." p. 8
• The loss of his job rendered his family to poverty. 
• Synonyms: accomplished, carried out, done
• Antonyms: -

Oscillating: to swing or move to and fro

• "I have heard Sanaubar's suggestive stride and oscillating hips sent men to reveries of infidelity." p. 8
• In the summer, my oscillating fan keeps me cool.
• Synonyms: fluctuate, sway, swing
• Antonyms: stabilize, stay, be still

Reveries: a fantastic, visionary, or impractical idea; daydream

•  "I have heard Sanaubar's suggestive stride and oscillating hips sent men to reveries of infidelity." p. 8
• The little girl had reveries running through her mind about her future. 
• Synonyms: dreaming, fantasy, trance
• Antonym: nightmare

Garrulous: excessively talkative in a rambling manner

• "As confided to a neighbor's servant by the garrulous midwife, who had then in turn told anyone who would listen, Sanaubar had taken one glance at the baby in Ali's arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter." p. 10
• When someone gets nervous they might start to become garrulous.
• Synonyms: chatty, babbling, loose-lipped
• Antonyms: quiet, silent, reserved

Veracity: conformity to truth or fact

•  The man confessed he had to improve his own veracity, before insulting someone else's.
• Synonyms: accuracy, honesty, fairness
• Antonyms: dishonesty, lying, unfairness

 
 Obstinate: firmly or stubbornly adhering to one's purpose or opinion

• "Of course, Baba refused, and everyone shook their heads in dismay at his obstinate ways." p. 13
• The leader was very stressed and annoyed at the children and their obstinate attitudes.
• Synonyms: convinced, headstrong, hardened, firm
• Antonyms: flexible, obedient

Havoc: great destruction or devastation

• The little girl's parents had left her in such havoc after telling her they were getting a divorce.
• Synonyms: chaos, devastation, confusion, distruction
• Antonyms: blessing, miracle, calm

Virtuous: conforming to moral and ethical principals

• I hope to lead a virtuous life.
• Synonyms: honest, honorable, principled
• Antonyms: bad, dishonest, sinful

Chortle: to chuckle gleefully

• "But a chortle escaped through my nose and made a snorting sound." p. 17
• I chortle most of the time that I'm with my friends, we always have fun.
• Synonyms: cackle, giggle, snicker
• Antonyms: -

Aloofness: the state of being distant, cold, or uninterested

• "That was how I escaped my father's aloofness, in my dead mother's books." p. 19
• After her parent's died, her friends questioned her aloofness. 
• Synonyms: remoteness, indifference, standoffishness
• Antonyms: -

Melee: a confused hand to hand fight or struggle among several people

• "A chapandaz, a highly skilled horsemen usually patronized by rich aficionados, has to snatch a goat or cattle carcass from the midst of a melee, carry that carcass with him around the stadium at full gallop, and drop it in a scoring circle while a team of other chapandaz chases him and does everything in its power- kick, claw, whip, punch- to snatch the carcass from him." p. 20
• On Christmas eve, there were parents involved in a melee over the last toy in stock that they wanted to get their child.
• Synonyms: brawl, ruckus, tussle
• Antonyms: calm, peace, agreement

Valiant:  boldly courageous

• "Mostly, I will never forget Baba's valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted look on his face as he drove in silence." p. 21
• The character Ralph was very valiant throughout the whole book, "The Lord of the Flies."
• Synonyms: courageous, fearless, gutsy
• Antonyms: afraid, cowardly, timid, weak

Contrite: caused by or showing extreme remorse

• "The police brought the somewhat contrite young men and the dead couple's five-year-old orphan boy before my grandfather, who was a highly regarded judge and a man of impeccable reputation." p. 24
• The contrite group of people went to the funeral to show their respect to the family.
• Synonyms: humble, apologetic, sorry, remorseful
• Antonyms: hurtful, indifferent, mean

Impeccable: faultless; flawless

• "The police brought the somewhat contrite young men and the dead couple's five-year-old orphan boy before my grandfather, who was a highly regarded judge and a man of impeccable reputation." p. 24
• In my opinion, country music concerts are impeccable.
• Synonyms: immaculate, faultless, unblemished
• Antonyms: flawed, imperfect, blemished

Vehemently: strongly emotional or passionate, characterized by anger

• "Their father argued, but not too vehemently, and in the end, everyone agreed that the punishment had been perhaps harsh but fair." p. 24
• The couple fought rather vehemently, but in the end agreed to disagree.
• Synonyms: angrily, boldly, forcibly, wildly
• Antonyms: calmly, kindly, gently

Imbecile: a dunce; blockhead

• "Imbecile." p. 28
• The boy stood there like an imbecile while he watched people trample over all his stuff.
• Synonyms: idiotic, slow, deranged, dull
• Antonym: intelligent, brainy, smart

Nemesis: something/someone that a person cannot conquer or achieve

• "Rostham mortally wounds his valiant nemesis, Sohrab, in battle, only to discover that Sohrab is his long-lost son." p. 29
• You never want to come in contact with your nemesis, it wouldn't end well.
• Synonyms: rival, opponent, adversary
• Antonyms: advantage, happiness

Oblivious:  unaware

• "Hassan, of course, was oblivious to this." p. 30
• The man she was talking to looked familiar, she was oblivious to the fact that it was her cousin.
• Synonyms: inattentive, unconcerned, unfamiliar, unobservent
• Antonyms: attentive, concerned, aware

Feigned: pretended

• "Baba nodded and gave a thin smile that conveyed little more than feigned interest." p. 31
• Her friend got the job over her, so she portrayed feigned enthusiasm.
• Synonyms: fake, pretended, sham, fictitous
• Antonyms: genuine, true, real 

Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literate meaning

• "But the most impressive thing about your story is that it has irony." p. 32
• The woman was killed by her favorite car, the irony in the situation was uncanny.
• Synonyms: humor, paradox, twist, satire
• Antonyms: seriousness, approval, praise

Subtle: fine or delicate in a meaning

• "But Hassan's face was my earliest memory and I knew all of its subtle nuances, knew each and every twitch and flicker that ever rippled across it." p. 42
• The new girl was wearing a very subtle smile.
• Synonyms: indirect, slight, profound,
• Antonyms: ignorant, stupid, harsh

Nuances: a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning or response

• "But Hassan's face was my earliest memory and I knew all of its subtle nuances, knew each and every twitch and flicker that ever rippled across it." p. 42
• The nuances of her appearance is what made her beautiful. 
• Synonyms: distinction, refinement, hint
• Antonyms: brightness, information

Trepidation: tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation

• "Neither one of us said much of anything as we walked home in trepidation, certain that Assef and his friends would ambush us we turned a corner." p. 43
• My heart beat in trepidation as I saw a stranger at the doorstep of my home.
• Synonyms: alarm, terror, fright, shock
• Antonyms: calmness, composure, ease

Chapters 1-5 Questions

Chapters 1-5 Questions

1. I think the novel begins with a flashback so it eases into the book. It gives a little background of the narrators life and we learn a little about his family's past. 

2. Hassan is Amir's servant, and is very strong. Hassan has a cleft lip, which is a genetic disorder where tissues fail to meet at the top of the lip under his nose, where the tissue should be, there is a gap which causes the cleft. Hassan always knows what's going on with Amir and is stubborn in the way he holds grudges over people. 

3. To be Hazara means to be low in society and poor. The Hazara were oppressed by the pashtuns and tried to revolt, which got very violent. Thus far, Hassan, his parents, and Ali are Hazara.

4. To be Pashtun, is high society and wealthy. Thus far, Amir, Assef, Wali, Kamal, Baba, and Rahim Kahn are Pashtun.

5. Amir describes his home as the most beautiful place of all of Kabul. He elaborates when describing it so the readers understand how his father's accomplishments get him nice things like his home. The details in the pictures of Amir's family reveal that his family is so important to history and how elegant they are.

6. Sanaubar was Ali's wife, Hassan's mother, who left shortly after he was born. Sanaubar tested men and was very unscrupulous.

7. Ali is Hassan's father. The children of the neighborhood call him "Babalu", which means boogeyman. They call him this because the kids are made fun of him. 

8. Amir feels as if his father doesn't take care of him nor pay attention. He also feels like he disappoints him and doesn't live up to his expectations. He also shows more love for Hassan.

9. The kings cousin is Daoud Khan, who made it a republic and gave himself power.

10. Baba is Amir's father, who is strong, values family and religion. He relates to religious leaders by his generosity and never talking back.

11. Baba gives Hassan the opportunity to fix his lip for his birthday. This gesture suggests that Baba is caring and treats him like a son. Amir doesn't like this because he thinks Hassan doesn't deserve it. The present is ironic because Hassan doesn't smile again for awhile.

12. Assef is the son of an Afgani man and a german woman, and is known as a bully. He doesn't believe in minorities.

13. Kamal and Wali follow Assef around all day.

14. Assef, Kamal and Wali try to beat up Hassan and Amir, but Hassan threatens them with his slingshot. 

15. Amir thinks it's ironic because he has a life changing winter.

16. Amir wants to tell Assef that Hassan and him aren't friends, he is just is servant.