Chapter 1-5 References & Quotes

Henry Kissinger:  "American political scientist, who, as adviser for national security affairs and secretary of state, was a major influence in the shaping of foreign policy from 1969 to 1976 under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford. In 1973 he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace with Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam for their efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam War." (©2014 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.).
In The Kite Runner: 'At one point Baba pointed to someone. "Amir, do you see that man sitting up there with those other men around him?" I did. "That's Henry Kissinger." "Oh," I said. I didn't know who Henry Kissinger was, and I might have asked.'

Steve McQueen: "Terence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American actor. Called "The King of Cool", his "anti-hero" persona, developed at the height of the Vietnam War-era counterculture, made him a top box-office draw of the 1960s and 1970s." (Wikipedia).
In the Kite Runner: "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 Bullitt, a film that played in one theater for six months."

Zahir Shah: "Mohammed Zahir Shah (Pashto: محمد ظاهرشاه October 15, 1914 – July 23, 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973. Following his return from exile, he was given the title 'Father of the Nation' in 2002, which he held until his death.<sup>[2] " (Wikipedia).

"There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft." (pg.17) 
Baba, who was talking to Amir about sin, stated this quote. This quote means that every wrong thing we do relates to theft in some way. Not just stealing something physically like an object, but a feeling or like, stealing someone's trust or faithfulness, things like that. 

"A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything." (pg.22)
Baba, who was talking to Ali about Amir, also stated this quote. This quote means that there will come a time in life where you will need to stand up for yourself, and if not yourself, stand up for anything. If you don't learn at a young age to stand up for yourself, then when you're older and have more complicated problems, you won't be able to stand up for anything. 
"...a person who wastes his God-given talents is a donkey." (pg.32)</sup> 

Chapter 1-5 Vocabulary

Affluent: To have wealth, or some types of goods. "Everyone agreed that...a new and affluent neighborhood in the northern part of Kabul."  Ex: President Obama is an affluent person. Syn: Wealthy, Rich. Ant: Poor, empty-handed.
Intricate: Complex, many elements. "Intricate mosaic tiles, handpicked by Baba in Isfahan, covered the floors of the four bathrooms." Ex: The clothing pattern was intricate. Syn: Tricky, difficult. Ant: Simple, direct.
Notoriously: Well known, but infamous. "People had raised their eyebrows, when Ali, a man who had memorized the Korin, married Sanubar, a woman 19 years younger, a beautiful yet notoriously unscrupulous woman." Ex: Kid Angel from Portland is an attractive, notorious young rapper. Syn: Infamous, popular, familiar. Ant: unknown.
 Unscrupulous: Not able to be trusted. "Sanubar, a woman 19 years younger, a beautiful yet notoriously unscrupulous woman." Ex: The unscrupulous man with an overcoat was being watched by the employees throughout the store. Syn: disloyal, untrustworthy, dishonest. Ant: Loyal, trustworthy, honest.
Congenital: Born with a medical condition. "While Sanubar's brilliant green eyes and impish face...Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles." Ex: My mom's boyfriend was born with a congenital paralysis, just as Ali in The Kite Runner. Syn: Inherited, natural. Ant:
Rendered: To submit or present. "A condition that rendered him, unable to smile, and left him perpetually grim-faced." Ex: Once picked for an Emmy, I rendered him the award. Syn: Deliver, hand over. Ant: Hold, keep.
Oscillating: To move regularly back and forth. "I have heard that Sanubar's suggestive stride and oscillating hips sent men to reveries of infidelity." Ex: The fan is oscillating. Syn: Spin, turn. Ant: Steady, stay.
Reveries: To daydream. "I have heard that Sanubar's suggestive stride and oscillating hips sent men to reveries of infidelity." Ex: Channing Tatum's in shape body has many guys filled with reveries of hope. Syn: Dream, Fantasize. Ant: Nightmare.
Garrulous:  Tiresomely talking. "As confided to a neighbor's servant by the garrulous midwife, who had then in turn told anyone who would listen, Sanubar had taken once glance at the baby in Ali's arms, seen the cleft lip, and barked a bitter laughter." Ex: The garrulous child would not stop talking during class. Syn: Chatterbox, talkative, chatty. Ant: Quiet, silent.
Veracity: Truthfulness. "But no one ever doubted the veracity of any story about Baba." Ex: Never over exaggerate the veracity in a story. Syn: Truth , honesty. Ant: Lies.
Obstinate: Difficult to manage. "Of course, Baba refused, and everyone shook their heads in dismay at his obstinate ways." Ex: The fact that her son was gay was very obstinate. Syn: Convinced, Unmanageable. Ant: Helpful, Manageable.
Havoc: Devastation. "He was preparing his speech for the next day, flipping through a havoc of handwritten pages, making notes here and there with a pencil." Ex: The girl was going through a state of havoc when her friend ditched their plans. Syn: Wreck, chaos. Ant: Blessing, peace.
Virtuous: Moral excellence. "When people scoffed that Baba would never marry well, after all, he was not of royal blood- he wedded my mother, Sofia Akrami, a highly educated woman universally regarded as one of Kabul's most respected, beautiful, and virtuous ladies." Ex: Marilyn Monroe was a beautiful, virtuous lady, that has been an inspiration to many. Syn: Noble, honorable. Ant: Dishonorable, Bad.
Chortle: A snorting laugh or chuckle. "But a chortle escaped through my nose, and made a snorting sound." Ex: My friend made a joke, and I immediately chortled. Syn: Laugh, giggle.
Aloofness: To be distant, physically or emotionally. "That was how I escaped my father's aloofness, in my dead mother's books. Ex: A long distance relationship is full of aloofness. Syn: Far, Distant. Ant: Close, near.
Melee: Violent free-for-all. "A chapandaz, a highly skilled horseman, usually patronized by rich aficionados, has to snatch a goat or cattle carcass from the midst of a melee." Ex: In high school, there are sometimes random melees. Syn: Brawl, fight. Ant: Agreement, harmony.
Valiant: To be brave, case of bravery. "Mostly, I will never forget Baba's valiant efforts to conceal the disgusted look on his face as he drove in silence." Ex: The skydiver was very valiant. Syn: Adventurous. Ant: Scared, Fright.
Contrite: Feeling regret or sorrow for another's actions. "The police brought the somewhat contrite young men and the dead couple's 5 year old orphan boy before my grandfather." Ex: The man was filled with contrite after he stole the money. Syn: Regret, Sorrow, Sorry. Ant: Careless.
Impeccable: Flawless. "Before my grandfather, who was a highly regarded judge and a man of impeccable reputation." Ex: The Lord is impeccable. Syn: Perfect. Ant: Imperfect.
Vehemently: Forced emotion or expression. "Their father argued, but not to the word vehemently, and in the end, everyone agreed that the punishment had been perhaps harsh but fair." Ex: When my coworker got the promotion instead of me, I vehemently smiled and clapped. Syn: Angrily. Ant: Happy, glad.
Imbecile: A stupid or silly person. "Imbecile." Ex: The boy caught smoking in the boy's bathroom is an imbecile. Syn: Stupid, Idiotic. Ant: Smart, intelligent.
Nemesis: An enemy you will never overcome. "Rostam mortally wounds his valiant nemesis." Ex: On Phineas and Ferb, Perry's nemesis is Dr. Doofensmirtz. Syn: Enemy. Ant: Friend, Acquaintance.
Feigned: Not real, fiction. ""

Chapter 1-5 Questions

1.) The novel begins with a flashback. What do you think is its purpose? What do you learn about the narrator? To give some history behind the story, to give some background information about the author. I learned that he doesn't have a mother, and that his father is very popular in his town.
2.) Who is Hassan? Describe him physically. What is a cleft lip? Describe him by his relationships. What was his first word? Why is it important? How did he come into Amir's life? What contrast is made between Amir and Hassan? Hassan is described as a "Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood: perfectly round face, broad nose, slanting/narrow green eyes, cleft lip. Cleft lip is a big split in the center of the upper lip. Hassan and his family are poor, and he doesn't have a lot of people he's close to. Amir and Hassan were nursed by the same woman, and people who were fed from the same breasts have a kinship and share a brotherhood. Hassan's first word was "Amir", which is important because they grew up together and it shows how close Amir and Hassan really are.
3.) What does it mean to be Hazara, Shi'a Muslim, Afghanistan's minority group? Who, in the story thus far, is Hazara? So far in the Kite Runner, Hassan, Sanubar, and Ali are Hazaras. Hazaras are mogul descendants, but get described as mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys.
4.) What does it mean to be Pashtun, Shi'a muslim. Afghanistan's majority group? Who, in the story thus far, is Pashtun? Baba, and Amir are Pashtun.
5.) How does Amir describe his home? Why do you think he elaborates this description so much? What do the details of the family pictures in Amir's house reveal? Baba built the house they live in, and it's known to be the biggest house in the town. Amir elaborates to show how his family's wealth.
6.) Who is Sananubar? How is she contrasted to Amir's mother? Sanubar is Hassan's mother, a young, beautiful woman, who left Ali and Hassan while Hassan was a baby.
7.) Who is Ali? What do the neighborhood children call him? What does it mean? Why do they call him this? Ali is Hassan's father, who is also very close to Baba and Amir. Children call him babalu, meaning Boogeyman. Ali has a congenital paralysis of lower face muscle, making it hard to have any facial expressions like smiling or frowning.
8.) How does Amir feel about his father in these chapters? He doesn't feel very close to him, there's a lot of distance between them.
9.) Who is the king's cousin? What did he do and why? His cousin is Daoud Khan, who had ended the king's forty-year reign with a bloodless coup, because the king, his cousin, was away in Italy.
10.) Who is Baba? Describe him. What are his values? How does he relate to extremely religious leaders? Baba is Amir's father. He built the most beautiful house in Kabul, and also built and owns an orphanage. He is wealthy, adventurous, and trustworthy.
11.) What does Baba give Hassan for his birthday? What does his present suggest about his character? How does Amir react to this present? Why did the present turn out to be ironic? Baba shows his present, which is not a gift, but a man standing next to Ali name Dr. Kumar, a surgeon to fix his cleft lip (plastic surgery). Amir was angry that Baba had never done anything special and meaningful for him as he's doing with Hassan, and he seems very jealous. This present became ironic, because once he had the surgery, making him able to smile, he stopped smiling.
12.) Who is Assef? What is his ancestry? What is he famous for? What is his political vision?  Assef is the son of one of Baba's friends. His father is an airline pilot, his father Afghan and mother German. Assef's famous for his stainless-steel brass knuckles.
13.) Who are Wali and Kamal? Wali and Kamal are friends of Assef, who take part in the bullying with him. Look up to Assef as a "God".
14.) What happens between Assef/Wali/Kamal and Amir/Hassan? What does Assef threaten (foreshadow)? Assef starts picking on Hassan and calling him names, Amir stands up for Hassan, then Assef begins picking on him. Hassan takes a rock against Assef's slingshot, and stands up for himself. Assef says that he's a very patient person, that this isn't the end, and that Hassan made a big mistake. He'll be back.
15.) Hassan has plastic surgery to be able to smile "normally" by the following winter. Why does Amir think that is ironic? Amir finds it ironic because once Hassan's mouth is fixed, making him finally able to smile, he stops trying to smile.
16.) What does Amir want to tell Assef about Hassan when Assef bullies them about being friends? Amir wants to tell Assef that Hassan isn't his friend, that he's his servant and only that. i