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=**Table of Contents**= 1. Timed Writing Essay: //The Kite Runner// 2. The Piano Lesson: //Racism in the 1930s// 3//.// Racism In the 1930s PowerPoint 4. //A Thousand Splendid Suns//: Eastern v. Western Ideals 5. //Things Fall Apart// Close Reading 6. Final Presentation PowerPoint

Timed Writing Essay: //The Kite Runner//
Troy Nickens

In the book //The Kite Runner// there is a great emphasis on father-son relationships. In the book’s web of family relationships we can find the similarities between family members. The saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” can easily relate to Amir, Hassan, and Sohrab, and how they were similar to each other as well as being similar to Baba.

For most of his life Amir aspires to be like his father and to be accepted by him. Although it takes a while, Amir becomes more like his father, especially after the move to the United States. Just like Baba was selfless throughout his life, helping many people through their time of need, Amir Shows that trait when he goes back to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He also acts like Hassan when he takes Sohrab from Aseef.

In the beginning of the story Baba treats Hassan like his own child. Amir gives reasons why he would think that he was Baba’s son because he was brave and stood up for Amir when neighborhood bullies would harass them. This resembles Baba when he stood up for the lady that was being harassed by the German soldier. The author doesn’t reveal that Hassan was actually Baba’s son and Amir’s half-brother until later on in the book. This explains why Hassan had a personality similar to Baba’s and why Baba favored him.

Sohrab is in many ways like Hassan when he was young. Sohrab was sexually abused by Aseef; the same person that raped Hassan. Both Sohrab and Hassan protect Amir with their sling shots. When Amir and Sohrab are flying the kite the reader can almost replace Sohrab with Hassan, because they both take an interest in fighting kites.

The cliché “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” perfectly sums up all of the father-son relationships that occur throughout the story. These relationships affect how each son grows and how they turn out.

Racism in the 1930’s
During the time period preceding the American Civil War, three groups of white people emerged with three very different views on the social placement of African Americans in our 1930’s society

A large majority of the white men in the South believe blacks needed to learn their place and remain there.

This next grouping of whites, though fewer in number, condemn all views held by the first group. They believe that blacks should have equal legal rights, but that he should be denied equal political and educational rights. They believe the Bible to be the universal remedy for all the ills of the Negro. In order to support this analysis, this group of whites often reverts to the time when, they say, there was no race problem. This was during slavery, when the master taught his slaves the beneficial influence of the Holy Bible.

third class of white men in the South, who believed that blacks are just men, nothing more and nothing less. They believed that under similar circumstances blacks would act as other races do. These whites contended that they should have equal rights in every respect; there should be equality in voting for worthy blacks and whites and none for ignorant whites and blacks; that the school money should be divided equally among the children of the state regardless of race; that blacks deserved the same justice in the courts

Black people also had three extremely different views on the role they should play in the social order. A large group of “low class” blacks just wanted to get by, the older generation was content with the current societal arrangement, while the majority desired equality but went after it in a peaceful manner.

The south saw the majority of the problems because of its extremely low economic status. Since the North has spent the previous century buildings its manufacturing and textile industries, there were still some jobs available for the common man to do. The South had been depending solely on its agricultural power, fueled by slavery, and the destruction of this slave society sent the farming industry into a tailspin. Since there were no factory jobs really to speak of, except in the larger cities of Charleston and Birmingham, finding a job was next to impossible

Booker T. Washington

W.E.B. Du Bois [] [|http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture09.htm]
 * ===Black Population Trends=== ||
 * || ** 1890s ** || ** 1960s ** ||
 * **Southern** || 90.3% || 10% ||
 * **Rural** || 90% || 5% ||
 * **Northern** || 9.7% || 90% ||
 * **Urban** || 10% || 95% ||



1/25/12

Eastern v. Western Ideals
In the book //A Thousand Splendid Suns//, there are historical references throughout the book. Hosseini uses most of these references to show some of the differences between Eastern and Western cultures. Afghanistan is frequently compared to “Western” culture. These cultures include countries such as Great Britain, the United States, and Russia. Cultural differences such as the social placement of women, the influence the government has on the people of Afghanistan, and the religious influence on the government are stressed in this book. Before the Taliban rose to power in Afghanistan, the view on female education was different than after the Taliban’s rise to power. Girls were allowed to go to school and get an education. Laila’s father had planned for Laila to get a good education. However, when the Taliban took over the Afghani government they banned the education of females and put them into a position where education seemed impossible. The Soviet Union was in power before the Taliban and created laws that required families to send their female children to schools. This shows how Russia and Western culture valued education more than Afghanistan, whether a person is male or female. In Eastern culture, and especially in the Afghani culture, being able to give birth is very important and one of many duties a wife has to carry out. As we see in the book, producing a male heir is important in the Afghani culture. Rasheed resented Mariam for not being able to bare children. Miriam was practically useless in Afghani society. Once married to Laila, Rasheed resented Laila at first because she gave birth to their daughter, Aziza. However, she later then had a son. Child-birth is not as important in Western culture as it is in Eastern culture. Contraception plays a big role in controlling birth rates in Western culture. The move from agrarian to an industrial society also has to do with the significance of birth. Western cultures are more industrialized so there is no need to have a large number of children to help on farms. Although males are more preferred by some people to pass down the family name, it is not as drastic as the want of a male heir in Eastern cultures. Infertile women like Mariam probably would not have been resented by their husbands like Mariam was by Rasheed. When the Taliban came to power, they administered strict laws and regulations on citizens of Afghanistan. These laws stated in the book were more focused on limiting the opportunity of females in Afghanistan; virtually putting them on house arrest. When Rasheed’s store was destroyed, Mariam and Laila were not permitted to find work to help make extra income. In result Rasheed made Aziza beg on the street and eventually move into an orphanage to save money. Women in the west have more opportunities and selections of work. Since education is valued in these countries, Women who are trying to find jobs have a broader horizon than those that reside in Eastern countries. Women in Eastern culture are expected to get married. These marriages are usually pre-arranged. In Mariam’s instance, she was expected to marry a middle aged man that she had never met before when she was only 14 years old. Laila was forced in to marriage in a different way. Rasheed and Mariam saved her from the explosion that demolished her house and killed her parents. Rasheed expected her to marry him because she could go nowhere else without her parents. Western culture does not necessitate marriage, since both males and females plan to build on their own professions before settling down in a family. Education and the status of women play a big role in marriage and child birth in both Eastern and Western cultures. The Taliban did not have a huge role to play in how women dress but how they were punished if they did not dress right. Before the Taliban, Rasheed required that Mariam wear a burqa because he was a strict believer of Islamic religion. The penalties that the Taliban government administered included the beating by Taliban officers. Dress for women in Western cultures is not at all like that of Eastern culture, mainly Islamic cultures. Women in modern times have the freedom to wear whatever they want. They do not have to wear veils or headdresses like the women in Islamic cultures. In the book, Rasheed beats Mariam and Laila multiple times. The women in Afghani culture could not go to the government or any authority figure to seek protection under the law like how women can in most Western cultures. When Mariam kills Rasheed the Taliban Judges probably would still find her guilty even though it was an act of self-defense and to save Laila’s life. Hosseini give historical event of the Taliban destroying the Bamiyan Buddhas showing how the Taliban’s rise to power effects the lives of the main characters in the story. Before the Taliban, Laila, her father, and Tariq went to go see the Buddhas. When they reached the top of one of the Buddhas head they felt peace and silence. The destruction of these Buddhas under the rule of the Taliban represent the peace being disrupted. Afghanistan is 99% Muslim. The destruction of the Buddhas is a representation of the purge of the other religions within the region. Religion plays a big role in Afghani society in reality and in //A Thousand Splendid Suns//. Religion dictates the laws that are administered and the punishments that are carried out. On the other hand, Western governments have become more secular. Religion does not play a big role in government and different religious beliefs are welcomed. Western cultures were based on mostly Christian beliefs while Middle-Eastern, and Far-Eastern culture are based on religions such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. In the book, The Taliban banned the sales of televisions, VCRs, and movies to inhibit citizens of freedom of speech. Actions such as writing books, watching movies, and creating art were banned so citizens could not express how they truly felt about the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Taliban wanted to keep full control over Afghanistan. People of Western culture have the privilege of the freedom of speech. Things such as movies, art, and literature are used to express how individuals feel about the government or anything controversial without worrying about being persecuted. Throughout the history of Afghanistan many different countries invaded the country. Once a stable government was established another one would rise to replace the previous one. Afghanistan was invaded by Greece, Mongolia, Britain, Russia, and other countries. Afghanistan has been war-torn for ages. //In A Thousand Splendid Suns// it is clear to the reader that the quality of life and the standards of living decrease drastically immediately after the Taliban come to power. Powerful countries such as Britain and the United States have created a stable government based around more democratic ideals. Although these countries were strong, they still could not full conquer Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been constantly invaded by different countries, more Western countries than others, multiple times. Cultural differences between Western countries like the United States and Middle-Eastern Countries like Afghanistan are stressed multiple times in A Thousand Splendid Suns. The Taliban’s resentment of Western culture is a result of the multiple invasions of Afghanistan throughout history.

Things Fall Apart Close Reading

 * Read and analyze the passage. Determine how this passage relates to the themes that occur in the novel using examples within the text. **

"It is not our custom to fight for our gods," said one of them. "Let us not presume

to do so now. If a man kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut, the matter lies

between him and the god. We did not see it. If we put ourselves between the god and his

victim we may receive blows intended for the offender. When a man blasphemes, what

do we do? Do we go and stop his mouth? No. We put our fingers into our ears to stop us

hearing. That is a wise action."

"Let us not reason like cowards," said Okonkwo. "If a man comes into my hut and

defecates on the floor, what do I do? Do i shut my eyes? No! I take a stick and break his

head That is what a man does. These people are daily pouring filth over us, and Okeke

says we should pretend not to see." Okonkwo made a sound full of disgust. This was a

womanly clan, he thought. Such a thing could never happen in his fatherland, Umuofia.

"Okonkwo has spoken the truth," said another man. "We should do something.

But let us ostracise these men. We would then not be held accountable for their

abominations."

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Everybody in the assembly spoke, and in the end it was decided to ostracise the

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Christians. Okonkwo ground his teeth in disgust.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">