Introduction

Quick Summary: The Kite Runner easily divides into three main sections: Amir's childhood in Kabul; Amir and Baba's years in Freemont, California; and, finally, Amir's return to Kabul. The plot covers multiple betrayals and offers the possibility of redemption – though by no means is redemption assured. We'll spend a little more time on the first section since it really sets the rest of the book in motion. It's like the Big Bang – the rest ofThe Kite Runner's universe takes shape around the early events of the novel.
     Summary Credit: http://www.shmoop.com/kite-runner/summary.html

On this website, we are going to explore the different levels of loyalty and betrayal that happen throughout the story. 

Loyalty

1. Loyalty - 2 examples with support (25 points)
   

       Loyalty is the quality of being loyal to someone or something or a strong feeling of support or allegiance. Throughout The Kite Runner, Hassan shows endless loyalty to Amir, without expecting anything in return. Here are a couple of examples to show Hassan’s allegiance to Amir.

1.    1. During the middle of chapter five, the boys get stopped by the deranged bully, Assef. He starts to talk about how the world would be better off without people like Hassan, or Hazaras and without the people who treat the Hazaras as equals, like Amir and Baba. As Amir almost blurted that Hassan was not his friend, merely a servant, (betraying their friendship) Hassan whipped out his slingshot to defend Amir. Hassan risked himself by stepping in between Assef and Amir. He showed allegiance to Amir and dedication towards the friendship when he refused to let Assef hurt Amir. Even though Amir didn’t show signs of any loyalty in return, Hassan continued to be loyal to him until the day he died.

2.    2. Another example of Hassan’s loyalty is at the end of chapter seven. Although Hassan had shown a tremendous amount of loyalty towards Amir when standing up for him against Assef, he was not repaid for that loyalty when he needed it the most. After the kite race, Hassan promised Amir that he would get the last kite that was cut down, until he was met by the patient Assef. Assef had not forgotten about the earlier episode with the slingshot and demanded to take the kite that Hassan had found for Amir. Hassan, being loyal again to Amir, refused to give it to Assef, and in return got raped. Hassan’s loyalty to his friend went so far as to get physically violated by another person, just so Amir could have his kite.

3.    3. Lastly, another great example of Hassan’s loyalty towards Amir is in the middle of chapter eight. After the incident in the alley, which Amir witnessed, Hassan tried to get things back to normal with Amir. Amir’s guilt was eating him alive, but Hassan did everything he could to try and win back Amir’s friendship. During this scene in chapter eight, Amir threw a pomegranate at Hassan, asking for the same in return. Hassan refused to throw the pomegranate back at Amir, and instead, smashed it on his own head, trying to satisfy his friend. After everything that had happened, Hassan remained loyal to Amir, and showed it when he allowed Amir to fire pomegranates out of frustration and especially when he smashed it on his own head.

Betrayal

1. Betrayal - 2 examples with support (25 points) 
   

Betrayal is to be false or disloyal to, to lead astray, or to deceive. Throughout the book, there were a couple intense actions of betrayal, mainly between Amir and Hassan. Here are some examples of betrayal in the book, The Kite Runner.

1.    1. The most obvious betrayal by Amir is in the middle of chapter 8 when Amir just sits on the side and watches as Hassan gets raped by Assef. “I had final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan—the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past—and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran” is a excerpt from the stories that describes the decision he had to make. Although Hassan had proven his loyalty to Amir endlessly, Amir still chose to betray his friend and run.

2.    2. Another example of betrayal by Amir is in the beginning of chapter nine. Amir felt so full of guilt and disgust whenever he thought of that night in the alley. Instead of standing up for his friend, to give maybe a little of what Hassan had given to him, he wanted Baba to dismiss them so he could move on with his life. He lied and told Baba that Hassan had taken a watch and money to get rid of him, a last ditch effort to betray his friend so he could move on and forget. Hassan, once again showing his loyalty to Amir, he told Baba that he did steal the watch. As it says in the books, it was Hassan’s “final sacrifice” for Amir. Hassan never stopped proving his loyalty to Amir, but Amir only repaid him with betrayal and dishonesty. 

Cultural Context: The Taliban

Cultural Context with evidence of research (25 points) 

1.    The Taliban:

a.    What are the Taliban?

                                          i.    It is an umbrella organization of various Islamist militant groups based in the northwestern Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. 

                                         ii.    It originated as a fundamentalist Muslim movement, but then turned into a terrorism group.

b.    Their Goal:

                                          i.    Their true goal is to seize and wield absolute power.

                                         ii.    They want to destroy all non-Muslims

                                        iii.    Ethnic Cleansing

                                       iv.    Bring Down the Pakistan government

2.    A Greater Understanding Towards the Novel:

a.    Views Towards Democracy:

                                          i.    Researching the Taliban made me realize why many Taliban people are against democratic governments. Their main goal is to get power, and the only way they feel that is achievable is through violence. They do not believe peaceful protests will get them there.

                                         ii.    In the book, after the Taliban entered, the region where Amir used to live became a dangerous, violent area. Assef was very against a democratic government. He liked the violence that came with the Taliban.

b.    Violence

                                          i.    Like I said earlier, they thought they could only get more power by violence.

                                         ii.    In the book, when Amir went back to visit Pakistan, people were so afraid of the Taliban. Researching more about some of the violent attacks against innocent civilians made me realize why. The Taliban would go into people’s homes and just kill innocent people, sometimes without reason, just like in the book. They believed in showing punishment through violence and that violence showed power.

c.    Ethnic Cleansing

                                          i.    The Taliban believe that the world should be rid of everyone except Muslims to get back to a greater Muslim state.

                                         ii.    In the book, they were killing mainly a certain type of people, the Hazaras because they thought the Hazaras were less superior. 

I GOT MY INFORMATION FROM: CNN: Who Are the Pakistani Taliban?