Metacognition: Kite Runner Essay

We recently started work on a Kite Runner essay in english class. At first, I was a little bit intimidated by the assignment. It was our first essay in sophmore english class and our only direction was to go on the google website and write a possible thesis in accordance to the posted essay topics. I wasn't really sure where to start. I looked at all the possible essay topics and chose to write a possible thesis for the topic of social class/position throughout the novel. I immediately thought of the obvious representations of social class, such as the idea that Hassan and Amir were both different social classes and how this affected their relationship. However, then I went a little bit deeper into the relationship between Hassan and Amir and discovered that social class was at the root of Amir's guilt and problems throughout the novel. I was surprised that I could think past the obvious , on the surface problems with social class and move into the deeper, individual problems with social position. I thought this would also make my essay more effective because it focused on something/someone more specific than a relationship. Then, I started gathering evidence to support my thesis. I discovered that there was a lot of text evidence which showed that social position affected many parts of Amir's life, not just his relationship with Hassan. This is the point where my essay switched from focusing solely on the Hassan/Amir relationship to focusing on all of the guilt and problems in Amir's life. I liked that although I was just shifting the focus of my essay very slightly, it provided a more solid base for the essay. I hope that my thinking continues to get stronger as we review our essay plans and our writing.

Best of Week: Did Amir really earn his redemption?

This week, someone brought up the question: did Amir really earn his redemption, or was it just given to him? I thought this was a very good thought. When I thought about it, I found that I thought that Amir did not earn his redemption. He left Afghanistan and his whole situation with Hassan and moved to the United States, and hoped to bury his memories of what happened with Hassan. By forgetting about his mistakes and not trying to help himself, Amir was not attempting redemption. Then, years later, Rahim Khan called him and offered him a chance at redemption. He specifically said, "There is a way to be good again." Amir felt so much better when he went to Afghanistan and fought for Hassan's son. However, what did Amir do to earn this redemption? He never actually said he was sorry to Hassan, and he never went back to Afghanistan to try to see Hassan or help him years later. At the very least, he never even looked for a way to receive redemption. He does get some credit because he (physically and mentally) fought for Hassan's son. I just don't believe that Amir deserved or worked for his chance at redemption. It was simply handed to him.

Change of Mind: Memoirs

I had never read a memoir before reading Kite Runner. I had always assumed that memoirs were just boring reflection pieces, written by a person who thought other people would be interested in one of their memories. This is why I was so hesitant to read Kite Runner. Even though Kite Runner is a fictional memoir, it has changed my view of memoirs in general. I think it was good for me that my first memoir was actually a fictional memoir because it introduced me to the style of writing used in memoirs, while actually keeping my attention. I found that I actually really enjoy memoir style writing, and it is different than the style of writing I usually read. Kite Runner has made me think that I might I enjoy reading other memoirs, and my previous view of memoirs as being boring reflection pieces has been changed.