Examples Of Imbalance Of Power In The Kite Runner

In Afghanistan, there is a divide between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras; the Pashtuns are upper class citizens who are treated with respect while the Hazaras are lower class, minority citizens who are treated poorly. Because of the contrasting history of the two groups, their responses to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul were complete opposites. The Pashtuns “danced on [the] street,” (Hosseini 200) while the Hazaras cried “God help the Hazaras now” (Hosseini 213). The conflict between the Pashtuns and Hazaras in “The Kite Runner” directly reflects the real life issues in Afghanistan starting in the late 70’s and continuing on past 2001.

Power abuse is typically associated with corruption in the government or dictatorships. It is not commonly attributed to people on an everyday scale, and especially not to children. Yet, the abuse of power can be present in many different situations, most of which stem from the same root issues. Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner illustrates how the abuse of power originates when people have felt insecurity and a lack of power in their own lives, and it can happen on many different scales, shown through Amir, Assef, and the Taliban.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is set mostly in Afghanistan both before the Taliban takes control and after they take control. The main character of the book is Amir, who is also the narrator of the story. The novel’s plot centres around interactions between Amir and his friend Hassan along with the struggles they face in their lives. Even though Amir and Hassan have grown up together in the novel, there is a noticeable difference between them. Hassan's social position is solely based on his being a Hazara. It examines his relationships with people at different levels in society and different social backgrounds, and the implications of the decisions he makes.The novel The Kite Runner provides ample evidence of the oppression of the minorities

In every society, social divisions occur inevitably and each class therefore builds certain expectations that people need to adhere to. Unfortunately, these requirements sometimes cause the power-hungry “superior groups” to exploit the “inferior groups.” Ignoring the essence of being just, the high-class subjugate the lower-class by treating them unfairly or sometimes even inhumanely. Not at fault, the lower class thus remains powerless and fights against the higher class in vain. Being human not only entails internalizing principles of compassion but also taking a stand against inequity. While Amir, in the acclaimed novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, stays silent to the atrocities, Assef, the antagonist, actively engages in oppressing

The Hazaras are a minority and the Pashtuns are a majority. The social classes of Afghanistan were influenced by factors such as wealth, religion, and the Taliban uprising. Wealth in Afghanistan was a prominent factor in the levels of the social classes.

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, discrimination and prejudice is everywhere and nowhere. The Talibans do not seem to care who they are beating, torturing, or even executing. The novel The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini tackles the issue of ethnic discrimination in Afghanistan with an example of the relationship between Pashtuns and Hazaras. For several centuries, the Pashtun majority is treating the Hazara population as second class citizens, who are unworthy of education or decent employment because Hazaras are a minority ethnic group; this leads to many Hazaras suffering. The social and economic conditions in Afghanistan demonstrate the imbalance between the superior Sunni Muslims and the inferior Shi 'a Muslims and how people discriminate against each other because of their physical features and religious beliefs. The estrangement between the two causes many deaths. Furthermore the significant distinction between Hazaras and Pashtuns in Afghanistan is the major factor because it determines not only Amir and Hassan’s role in Afghan society but also determines how Hassan himself suffers and dies because of his religion. The physical and emotional division of prejudice between the Pashtuns and the Harzaras in the novel The Kite Runner is destructive and results in death because of the suffering the people endure.

The root of discrimination founds on the lack of similarities. Everyone is different in some ways, but dehumanization allows exploitation of the differences for self interest and satisfaction. Human history is littered with tainted footprints of prejudice and discrimination, and they all contain one thing in common: dehumanization.Dehumanization is a psychological process that makes individuals and groups seem to not deserve moral consideration by viewing them as less than human. All human have fundamental rights that should not be violated, and innocent people should not be subjects to violence and brutality. In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, excessive violence and ethnic conflicts question moralities. Hosseini is able to reflect how these real-world issues are revolved around dehumanization. The novel highlights genocide, violence, and violation of human rights, and most importantly, how these terrible deeds originates from one psychological process: Dehumanization. Dehumanization is the cause of violence and discrimination because it asserts superiority, assuages guilt, and denies individuality; ultimately, it is the cause of human rights violations.

Sofia Cartaya Mr. Ceddia H English 10- Period D October 6, 2014 The Kite Runner Essay Mankind was not born with the internal inclement to hatred, but was taught to do so by his parents. For this reason the class distinctions in Afghanistan aids in the creation of the conflict between the young generations of characters in the novel. Written by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is an all-time classic about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the personal view of just as small group of family and friends as they lived through it. To understand the novel, you must first understand the reason for the conflict between the Hazara and Pashtun classes.

Because these writings may be new territory for certain readers, this political writing may seem “programmatic, pushing a single cause or concern or party position, or it’s tied into a highly topical situation that doesn’t transfer well out of its own specific time and place” (Foster, 117). However, the core of these examples describe issues that discusses issues with mankind, such as oppressive government - a theme found across literature. Another example includes the class struggle between the Shia Muslims, (known as Hazaras) and the Sunni Muslims (known as Pashtuns) in Afghanistan. From childhood to maturity, Amir notes that many Pashtuns look down upon Hazaras, such as Assef, his teacher, soldiers, and General Taheri. At times, this influences the interactions between Hassan’s family and other Pashtuns. As a result, the Kite Runner discusses an important cultural class struggle, which permeates throughout the span of the novel and points out it’s lack of footing. Since the world has many factors (political, economic, social, cultural, etc.), many political influences find their way into a writer’s work, even when it seems it

Throughout most of human history, humans have had a tendency to judge people on the basis of clearly defined qualities, in an attempt to characterize and classify society into more easily understood “black and white” groups. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the characters, representative of the surrounding cultures portrayed, frequently participate in acts of inclusion and exclusion on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and lifestyle as a means of dividing the population into clearly defined, mutually exclusive groups. This underlying expression of discrimination serves as a modern critical analysis against society’s prevalent tenets of inequality.

Lastly, another situation in which the theme, abuse of power and bullying, is evidently portrayed is when society’s power is abused and bullies Hazaras. Racial conflict is common, especially in Kabul, when those

In the literature, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, the idea and representation of justice, and its relationship to that of the treatment of women in Afghan society, the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan, and the desired results of redemption and forgiveness, become illustrated through the novel’s characters and motives. Justice can be defined as the quality of being guided by truth, reason, and fairness. The Kite Runner illustrates the power of influence from an outside power and its effects on society, and the minds and lifestyles of the people. In relationship to the Cheverus High School Grad-at-Grad profile the actions and wrongdoings that take place in the The Kite Runner and in Afghanistan prove to be injustice.

The Taliban implemented laws restricting the movements and actions of women in Afghanistan in public places. While attempting to visit her child in a home for young girls, Laila is beaten within an inch of her life as a consequence of walking outside without a male escort (Hosseini). The extreme course of action, beating a woman for walking alone, demonstrates the illogical and unjustifiable actions the Taliban promotes the practice of in Afghanistan. The women and men have dramatically unequal rights.

In his novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini depicts his homeland Afghanistan as a host to many different cultures and classes, such as Pashtun and Hazara, Sunni and Shiite, with this dichotomy of beliefs and attributes being powerful enough to shape diverse, sometimes negative relationships amongst the characters of the novel and their behavior to each other, as well as establish that individual’s identity. Each person interprets the impact of the role of belief and social status differently, while all living in the same setting, adding to their complexity and depth as a character in the novel with many different figures tied together by the same geographical and cultural conditions.

incomprehensible extent. In Afghanistan, Hazaras–the ethnic minority–have experienced ethnic discrimination by Pashtuns–the ethnic majority–because of a revolt dating back to the 18th century.Another form of discrimination in Afghanistan arises from the distinct religious groups–Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims. Shi’ite Muslims correspond with the Hazara ethnic group, but the Sunni Muslims correspond with the Pashtun ethnic group. This discrimination affects every age group in Afghanistan, and affects each of those individuals, “mental and physical health” (Pascoe). In his 2003 novel The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini exposes and discusses the ethnic and religious discrimination found in past and present day Afghanistan. By creating tense situations that originate, whether consciously or subconsciously within the characters, the author uses these conflicts to illustrate the impacts that stem from the masculine stereotypes associated with Afghan culture, the dire need for a father’s approval, and the on­going effects of a child’s jealousy. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini uses these intense conflicts to develop characters’ relationships and forces the reader to consider how the main character’s loss of innocence stems from a need of approval and ethnic and religious discrimination.