Ever since I was a child, I have seen colourful kites in the sky. Every kite flying in the sky told a story but only a few kites stood out in my memory. There were two kites in particular that I truly observed in the last twelve years. These two kites represented two young boys. Their kites are made of the same material but the differences in their colours have caused the kites to experience different flights. The yellow kite represents Amir and the blue kite represents Hassan. A secret kept away from them has caused the yellow kite to ride the wind with turbulence while the blue kite continues to drift with the wind smoothly. After hearing about an incident that happened between Hassan and Assef, I believe something must be done. As a close acquaintance to these two boys, I think it is time for these two kites to fly in unison. This can only be done if both kite runners know the secret.
After Ali told me the affair between Hassan and Assef, I became angry at Amir’s cowardice because Amir witnessed the whole event, but Amir failed to step up for Hassan. Hassan suffered from Assef’s sexual abuse. However, I should not put all the blame on Amir because Baba was the main cause of this incident. I am mostly angry at Baba because he stole the truth-Hassan is Amir’s half blooded brother-from Ali, Hassan and Amir. It is unjust to see Hassan live life as a low member of society and Amir live life with everything. Meanwhile, Baba is trying to make up for his wrongdoings by providing a shelter for Hassan and celebrating all his birthdays. If Amir knew Hassan is his brother ever since birth, their kites would have flown together more smoothly. Unfortunately, Ali and Hassan decided to leave Kabul, their hometown.
At the same time, I feel telling the truth will not create peace. Amir and Hassan will surely not forgive Baba while Amir will feel regretful for what he has done to his half-brother. Above all, Baba has cried and begged me to keep the secret. Baba knows that Ali will be hurt if he finds out that Hassan is not his son. However, I should not have helped Baba to keep the secret. The best I can do now is be kind to Amir and Hassan. Upon Hassan’s departure, I could do nothing to stop Hassan because telling the truth will create a devastating outcome for everyone. The kites-Amir and Hassan-are still in conflict, but it is not the right time for me to fix it. Will there ever be a time?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/03/15/discrimination-poll-2010.html
There is a great deal of discrimination in Kabul between the Pashtuns and Hazaras. Even though Baba considers Ali to be his family member, Ali and Hassan still lived in a hut and slept on a mattress placed on a floor. Since Hassan is a half-Hazara, Baba felt ashamed to have claimed him as a son. The above link talks about the wrongs of discrimination and the bottom link introduces how discrimination can be prevented in the workplace. If people can adapt to each other's cultures, kites would not be in constant conflict
http://www.ehow.com/how_6573572_stop-discrimination.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/03/15/discrimination-poll-2010.html
There is a great deal of discrimination in Kabul between the Pashtuns and Hazaras. Even though Baba considers Ali to be his family member, Ali and Hassan still lived in a hut and slept on a mattress placed on a floor. Since Hassan is a half-Hazara, Baba felt ashamed to have claimed him as a son. The above link talks about the wrongs of discrimination and the bottom link introduces how discrimination can be prevented in the workplace. If people can adapt to each other's cultures, kites would not be in constant conflict
http://www.ehow.com/how_6573572_stop-discrimination.html
Lyrics:-Ahmad Zahir is an icon of Afghan music. During the time of war, Zahir's music really motivated me when life is rough.
http://www.lyricszoo.com/alberto-iglesias/az-man-begurezed-song-alberto-iglesias-zahir-ahmad/
http://www.lyricszoo.com/alberto-iglesias/az-man-begurezed-song-alberto-iglesias-zahir-ahmad/
Yes there will be a time Rahim-Jan. It is unfortunate that I never got to fix my flight with Hassan. However, Hassan brought life to another kite runner and his name is Sohrab. I am relieved to say that Sohrab and I are both flying our kites in the same path right now. Even though my kite had a smoother journey than Hassan throughout my life, the wind kept blowing me back to the day I betrayed Hassan. Throughout my life until the year 2001, I was embarrassed to face both Hassan and my hometown Kabul. I kept pushing my kite forward to avoid the past, but you pushed me back where it all started. When I came back to the chaotic Kabul years later, I felt horrible for leaving Hassan and his family in this turmoil.
ReplyDeleteRahim-jan, please do not be angry at Baba because he lived a life full of guilt ever since giving birth to Hassan and I. As a writer, I failed to analyze his emotions because I could not understand Baba’s inner conflicts. Baba was a runner who ran away from the truth and a thief who stole kites from other people. In the past, I always thought Baba was superior and flawless from evil acts. The reason why Baba’s kite also faced turbulence in life is because he is a human and a kite runner.
Even though I was a child back then, I should have made a better decision. Sadly, the main reason for my bad decision is because Baba did not appreciate me enough. It is horrible to put the blame on others but the decision I made that day always haunted me. Like the kites combating in the sky, one cut of the string can instantly bring down the defending kite to the ground. Similar to Hassan, our relationship became severely endangered when I walked away from the scenario. Rahim, you told me years after you wrote this blog entry that there is a time to be good again. Unfortunately, it is impossible to fix a kite with its string already cut. Like Hassan’s blue kite, I will never be able to rescue him if he is gone to meet Allah. The colour blue represents faith and truth. Hassan had faith that I will protect him and trust that I will not lie to him. I failed to do both because I was a coward. The best I could do was save Sohrab, but my half-brother Hassan is gone. Because I did not protect Hassan, the blue kite fell down to the earth. I can never fully forgive myself.
Amir-Jan, I am very happy that you made the right decision to save Sohrab and take care of him. After reading your latest comment, I can say that you are a good person again. Amir-Jan, I want you to write a book about your life and what you have learned. The best authors in the world are the ones who keep writing and coming up with new ideas. You have the ideas and the experiences; it is time to write this book. I am past the sunset of life and my journey as a kite runner is over. I have faith in you Amir, for you a thousand times over.
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