the kite runner
what error does hassan point out in amir's first story?
a plot hole, the man could just chop onions to cry
means sir or master
agha
the children call him babalu
ali
in arabic, it means god is great
allahu akbar
the narrator of the novel
amir
what was hassan's first word?
amir
what does amir carve into the pomegranate tree?
amir and hassan: sultans of kabul
he kills a man and a woman at a soccer match
assef
he wishes to get rid of the hazaras out of afghanistan
assef
amir's father
baba
means father
baba
what was amir's first word?
baba
describe the relationship of baba and amir
baba and amir are very distant in the beginning, baba is very manly and does not understand amir, they are connected through kite running, their relationship grows when they move to america and baba starts to see amir become successful there
this means boogyman
babalu
what birthday gift does assef give amir?
biography of hitler
amir's friend and driver
farid
persian language that amir's mom teaches
farsi
hassan's wife
farzana
amir's father in law
general taheri
what physical defect does hassan have?
harelip
amir's hazara friend and servant
hassan
the ethnic group in afghanistan that has asiatic features
hazara
why is hassan loyal to amir?
he loves him and sees him as his brother
how does amir frame hassan?
he puts money and a watch underneath his mattress
why is amir jealous of hassan?
he sees all the attention going to hassan, hassan also has all of the traits he wish he had, he's brave and athletic
when amir says at the beginning of the novel he's been "peaking down that alley for twenty-six years," what does that tell us about him?
he's feeling guilt from childhood trauma
how does the author use scars and disfigurement in the novel?
if you have an external scar, you're good on the inside, vice versa, assef strongly represents internal scars, hassan/ali represents the opposite, sanaubar starts like assef and ends like hassan, same with amir when his lip is split
amir's mother in law
jamila
capital and largest city of afghanistan
kabul
what city do amir and hassan grow up?
kabul
he is raped as a teenager and dies in gas fumes
kamal
who is it that tells amir that his mother was fearful for her happiness while pregnant?
one eyed beggar
what ethnic group mostly makes up the upper class?
pashtun
how are pashtun and hazara different?
pashtun is sunni, middle eastern, high class, literate, power; hazara is shia, asiatic, servants, illiterate, less power
baba's business partner
rahim khan
at the beginning of the story, amir thinks of himself as superior to hassan because he can do what?
read
what is the significance of the pomegranate tree?
represents amir and hassan's friendship, begins fruitful and then it's bare when amir moves away but it still has potential, will never bloom again when hassan dies but it's not dead because of sohrab
which country invaded afghanistan in 1979?
russia (ussr)
at the beginning of the novel, where is amir living?
san francisco
she abandons her husband and child
sanaubar
why did amir never know his mother?
she died during childbirth
what happened to hassan's mother?
she runs away with a group of dancers
how does hassan die?
shot defending amir's house
hassan's son
sohrab
amir's wife
soraya
why is the book called the kite runner?
starts with it being hassan, ends with it being amir, the kite runner saves/catches things that are falling before they crash
in arabic it means student
talib
islamic fundamentalist political movement that took control of afghanistan
taliban
what does baba believe is the greatest sin?
theft
what promise does rahim khan make to amir at the beginning of the book?
there is a way to be good again
how are amir and baba similar?
they both have a lot of guilt for betraying those who love them; guilty of theft, baba stole the truth from amir and hassan, amir stole hassan's innocence and place in the house
when amir goes back to afghanistan, what does he see at the halftime performance?
two people being stoned to death for adultery