Emma, Week 7

I AM SO HAPPY. EMMA AND MR. KNIGHTLEY FINALLY DECLARED THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, AND THEY FINALLY GOT ENGAGED. :D :D :D :D. Whoo. It was so sweet how Mr. Knightley told Emma that he loved her. Here is part of it: "My dearest Emma, for dearest you will always be...my dearest, most beloved Emma...I cannot make speeches, Emma...If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am. You hear nothing but truth from me. I have blamed you and lectured you , and you have borne it as no other woman in England would have...I have been a very different lover... Yes, you see, you understand my feelings--and will return them if you can. At present I ask...only to hear your voice" (pg. 453).  Woah. That is a really intense part of the whole book. Guess what I did while reading it? Yep, I cried. Typical Emma (me) reaction, right there. It was so sweet. I knew from even before reading it that they would end up together, and I always knew that Mr. Knightley was in love with Emma, and he has been for possibly years. But at this point, I realized that it was much more intense than I ever thought. He loved her and understood her so well that he didn't have to give an eloquently long and thoughtful speech of his love for her. I tried to imagine that if something like this ever happened to me, I think I would faint. I completely agree with him, that if you love someone enough, you shouldn't have to say much more than "I love you and I never want to be without you, and you know how I feel." This could very possibly be more touching to me than a whole huge long speech. While Emma is thinking this over and finishing her walk with Mr. Knightley, this thought occurs to her: "her total indifference toward Frank Churchill, of her having her heart completely disengaged from him, had given birth to the hope that in time he might gain her affection himself" (pg.455). It turns out that Mr. Knightley was just jealous of Frank! He loved Emma, and he had to escape to London in the last section so that he could get over Emma and try to forget about her because he was so hurt that Emma could be in love Frank Churchill, and not himself! He loved her so much that he couldn't bear to get in the way of her possible happiness with Frank, so he left to get over her. Ahhh! It's just so cute! I can't stand it! No wonder Jane Austen is said to be one of the best romance writers of all time. All of her books are so sweet and incredibly romantic. I am so glad that I read Emma. This was such an amazing book. I almost want to re-read it and now understand all the little details now that I know what happens... It would be so awesome to see how it all comes together! Oh, I just love cute books/movies that have happy endings. They make me so happy! Thank you, Jane Austen. This was an incredible story. :D

~Emma~

Emma, Week 6

SIGNIFICANCE OF A QUOTE: "A few minutes were sufficient for making her acquainted with her own heart. A mind like hers, once opening to suspicion, made rapid progress; she touched, she admitted, she acknowledged the whole truth. Why was it so much worse that Harriet should be in love with Mr. Knightley than with Frank Churchill? Why was the evil so dreadfully increased by Harriet's having some hope of a return? It darted through her with the speed of and arrow that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself!" (430). Yeah, this is a really long quote, but I feel that the whole thing is important to understand how Emma was feeling at this time of realization. She was discovering that she really didn't know her own heart very well at all. She has been so pre-occupied the rest of the book with other people's hearts and loves that she forgot about her own. She just realized that she was in love with Mr. Knightley the whole time. When Harriet shows a lot of interest for him, she realizes that she's jealous, and that's why she and Harriet actually openly fought about this situation for a few minutes. The cause of this argument was again, a misunderstanding of feelings. This seems to be a recurring theme in the book Emma. Misunderstandings and assumptions. It happens (even a few times maybe) in every section I read. It seems to me like it's the only thing holding the plot together (or not holding it together.... maybe tearing it apart....?). I find this really interesting that Jane Austen keeps putting them into the plot, when it just complicates matters further. I suppose it does make the book a lot more interesting and makes the reader want to keep reading and not stop. I know that it's worked for me. I can't stop reading it. Another thing that shoked me when I read this quote was how quickly Emma evaluated her feelings and her heart. It was astonishing to me how fast she could understand how she felt, and especially after such a long time of not looking into herself and knowing what her heart felt. For me, I have to do this very often because a lot of things happen that make you try to re-think decisions and feelings. It usually doesn't even take a couple minutes, either, even with how often I ponder things. I thought about how nice it would be to be able to do this so easily and quickly. It would save me a lot of time. But then, I just realized how maybe it takes her so little time because she doesn't have all that much to think about, like maybe, she's not that deep and thoughtful. She might be really shallow and vain (as I've discovered before), and that's why it's so easy. Something inside me wants to forgive her and say that she's not vain and shallow, because I like her so much. If one wanted to cynical and mean, though, she would definitely be shallow and vain. I think she's just very good at knowing her own feelings, which is why it's so easy for her. One more section! I'm going to miss reading about Emma! But, I want to know if she blows off her friendship with Harriet for Mr. Knightley, or if she forgets about Knightley to stay friends with Harriet.................

Emma, Week 5

Dear Emma,

I think you have the worst, and sometimes best, situation out of every character in the book. I can't believe how perfect you are sometimes, and then how many mistakes you occasionally make. I'm not saying that you are either one, but it's just so funny to see just how much you can change from one section to the next. In the part I just finished reading, you haven't really done that much yourself, you've just kind-of been there. It was mostly not you causing all the drama and things going on. Most of the things happening around you were caused by others in your social circle, and other sub-plots unraveling. However, I get the feeling that you are in the middle of every one of them. Somehow, I keep getting the feeling that you caused all of them in some way as well. Like the drama with Mr. Elton and Harriet at the ball. You weren't directly involved with that situation, but you definitely caused it, with your idea that those two should marry. Another drama that you may have begun was while having tea after the walk with everyone. They began to play word games and little puzzles, and then the word "dixon" was one that Frank came up with. He shows it to you, you understand, and then you showed it to Jane, which was a mistake. This was not such a good thing to do because you suspected that something had happened between a Mr. Dixon and Jane. This started some drama in the group because then Jane got very upset, and Mr. Knightley gets curious as to what happened during the tea. This, I think, causes a small rift between you and John, which you don't want, because you were getting along so well, especially at the ball, watching each other (....maybe starting to like each other....?!?!?!?!?!?!??! I hope?!?!?!?!). What I like about you is that so many people can like and respect you so much, while many people in the plot are, for lack of a better word, less vain than you are. But, you try your best to be the greatest person you can be. And I think you do a pretty good job. I like you a lot. Keep going! I want to know what happens to you!

~your twin, the other Emma~

Emma, Week 4

Dear Jane, 

You are an amazing author. I LOVE YOUR BOOK, "EMMA." It may, very easily, be my favorite book of all time. I am in love with it. It is so incredibly good, I just want to keep reading and reading and reading it forever and have it never ever end! I can't get enough of it. I have to force myself to stop reading it so that I don't get ahead of myself while reading it and so that I don't stay up until two in the morning reading it in bed with a flashlight. I love how similar it is to (unfortunately and pathetically) my life. It is so much like real life, I don't know how you captured it so perfectly in one plot. It just constantly amazes me, and I can't take it. I am currently at the part where Mr. Elton comes back from Bath with his new wife. It reminds Emma of her mistake in trying to match up him and Harriet. She feels exceedingly guilty as he remains around them. But, in this section, there has been a lot stuff that has happened to poor Emma. I feel so bad for her. She is just trying to be a good person and she's just trying to keep her social image up. These are kind of vain and selfish, but this is just how things were in her world. Those two things are what everyone was trying to do. I don't blame her, and I really hope things turn out alright for her. Because, in a way, Emma reminds me of myself this year. I have had a lot of dramas and problems in the social circle and with guys. It has been really difficult, and I've made some bad choices and mistakes in assuming things. I feel exactly like Emma does. What I've learned is that one can never assume anything about a relationship, because it will most likely be the wrong assumption. I think Emma (Woodhouse) has been slowly learning this lesson throughout the course of the book. It's something that takes a long time to learn, but it comes. I can't wait to read what happens to Emma in the end of the book.

~Emma~ 

Emma, Week 3

SIGNIFICANCE OF A QUOTE: "If she had so misinterpreted his feelings, she had little right to wonder that he, with self-interest to blind him, should have mistaken hers [...] It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together" (151). This is the part in chapter 16 where Emma finally realizes her grave mistake in trying to match up Mr. Elton and Harriet Smith. I think that in this quote, she begins to realize that she isn't perfect and amazing at everything. She knows that she made a mistake. Elton was always in love with her, not at all with Harriet. Emma feels terrible that she did this to Harriet, that she almost forced her to be in love with Elton, and then have to tell Harriet that he, in the end, wasn't in love with her, but proposed to Emma instead. Emma is a very compassionate person, so I think she really does wish she'd never tried to match them up, because it just ended with everyone being hurt. My feelings, thoughts and opinions about Emma has fluctuated so much throughout the book so far. I liked her, then I thought he very vain, and now I pity her greatly. I feel really bad for her, I know how it feels to be so mistaken about a relationship that everything ends up really awkward and just bad. It is just the worst thing ever to get the wrong idea from someone; "does he like her? Oh, he just has to, considering how he acts around her!" Those kind of thoughts and assumptions are the same things that Emma was thinking. But, in the end, she was completely wrong, and it just ended badly from every point of view. Actually, I just realized that the book Emma is a lot like high school. There are people trying to get a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and sometimes things just go perfectly. Other times (most times), things don't go so smoothly and someone ends up getting the led on and getting the wrong idea. Then everyone is hurt. That's pretty much high school if you ask me, with some homework and sports thrown in. I could probably pair everything that happens in Emma to something that has happened in my circle of friends or something that I know about. Hunh. I never thought about that. Now, while I keep reading, I'm going to probably be thinking about what this and that situation are like. Interesting.

~Emma Woodhouse~ (Ok, I swear, last time!!)

Emma, Week 2

Since my last posting, my opinions of some of the characters has changed dramatically. In the first part that I read, I found Emma Woodhouse to be a wonderful person, and I just loved her. I wasn't so fond of Harriet, though I thought she resembled me the most. Now, I think the tables have turned. In reading chapters 8-16, I've realized how...vain (?) Emma is. At first, Emma and Mr. Knightley have an argument about who is "better", Harriet or Mr. Martin. Knightley of course knows that it was Emma who practically forced Harriet to refuse Martin. He accuses Emma of doing bad matchmaking. What he, George, and his brother, John, see is that Emma is trying to match up Mr. Elton with Harriet. What they know, but Emma doesn't, is that Mr. Elton is not at all interested in Harriet. He has always loved Emma. She doesn't know this, just because she is so busy matching Harriet and Elton. She wants so badly to get appreciated for her amazing matchmaking skills that she becomes vain, in my opinion. The second thing she does in this part is when she goes to the poor and "helps" them. However, all throughout the book she talks about wanting to be "useful" to the world. I think this means that wanting to help the poor makes her look better for her image, which is a huge part of her extreme vanity. The huge vain thing that she does in this section is to be truly annoyed with Elton for following her around at the party, and not staying home with Harriet, who is sick and can't go. But, it gets worse. When Emma and Elton are leaving the party, they unfortunately get stuck in the same carriage together, alone. After a long night of partying and maybe even drinking, Elton declares his love for Emma and actually proposes to her, right in the carriage on the way back to Hartfield. Of course, Emma quickly dismisses him, and they ride the whole way home in silence. This makes me very dissapointed in Emma. It is so vain of her. This is the very first time that she realizes that Elton has indeed loved her, and definitely not Harriet the whole time. However, it makes me angry that Emma doesn't even consider Elton. I know that Emma has vowed to never get married, but after all that she has said about him, you'd think that she liked him somewhat. Apparently not. My opinion of Emma changed completely. But, I do believe that she is a very troubled woman, and it will most likely take the whole novel for her to realize what her life is about and who she really is. I bet my opinions will shift each section I read.

~Emma Woodhouse~ (ok that's enough, Emma...... :D )

Emma Week 1

I really like Emma as a person so far. I am enjoying this story so far as well. I thought that I would be making a lot of comparisons between me and Emma throughout my reading of it. However, I find myself to be relating more to people like Harriet Smith. This surprised me, because with most of Jane Austen's books, I think I am more like the main woman's character. But, with how Harriet went head over heels for the wrong guy, I can compare myself 100% with her, and not Emma. I know exactly how that is. I have fallen for the wrong guy, when the better one is right there in front of me. Harriet was obsessed with Mr. Martin, who is an okay gentleman, but Harriet could do better. Or so Emma thinks. I think so too. But, I completely know how Harriet is feeling. Once she started liking Mr. Martin, she can't stop. She only sees the few good things about him, and not his flaws that she really should be seeing. Emma, being the matchmaker that she is, pretty much convinces Harriet that she should reject his proposal of marriage. Harriet decides to reject him pretty much on her own, but Emma shows much feeling all throughout her deciding. Then, once Harriet is sure of herself, then Emma tells Ms. Smith her real opinion, even though Harriet knew what Emma thought all along. I can surely say that my best friends have done the same exact thing to me before. I kind of hate it when my friends don't give me their opinion on something until after I've decided what I want to do. Sometimes, their opinion matters more to me than my own opinion. I understand how Harriet feels. (I'm not saying I'm perfect or amazing or ANYTHING like that, not even CLOSE, but....) It's different feeling like I resemble not the strong, smart, witty main character, but more like the almost weak, dependent, not as smart, not as pretty, friend of the main character. I am hoping that Emma will soon change so that I can compare myself to her later in the quarter! I also can't wait to finish the book!

~Emma Woodhouse~ (that just never gets old! :D )

Quarter 4 book choice

I have decided to read Emma by Jane Austen, this quarter for outside reading. I've always wanted to read it, partly because of its name and partly because of Jane Austen writing it. Obviously, I like the title because it's my own name. When I was little, I thought the book was about me, so I always wanted to read it, and then my mom showed me how long it was and I got really disappointed. Then, the stubborn child I was, my parents got it on tape for me to listen to in the car and on my walkman. I didn't understand a word of it. So, now, I do understand it, and I get to read it! Secondly, I have read other books by Jane Austen, such as Pride and Prejudice, and I've also read books by the Bronte sisters, who have similar styles and themes to Austen. As little as I know about Emma's plot and story right now, I am really excited to read it and it sounds like a really good book. I'm going to love it!

-Emma Woodhouse- (he, he, he...)

The Kite Runner: Week 7, Post B

I have just finished the book. I can't even count the number of times I shed a few tears because of what was happening in the story. It was so touching and I couldn't believe how much I liked this book. It is not the kind of book that I usually pick up to read and get really into. I surprised myself and just simply ADORED it. 

There are a couple things I liked about it. First, I loved how the book came full-circle and ended with Amir adopting Sohrab, Hassan's son. It also came full-circle by ending with Amir running a kite for Sohrab. To me, it felt like Amir trying to redeem himself for Hassan who he believes is still there, maybe as a spirit, watching over him. One other thing I liked about the last half of the book is that the main character, Amir, made many mistakes and he was definitely not perfect. He was always promising things to Sohrab and he would usually come through on them. Except for the one promise that really mattered the most to Sohrab. Amir promised to Sohrab that he would never have to go back to an orphanage. And, still, the lawyer Amir talks to says that it would be best for Sohrab to go back to one for the time being while they figure out immigration policy things. It was the only promise that really mattered to Sohrab and Amir went back on his word and told him that he had to return to an orphanage. This is earlier in the same night in which Sohrab cuts himself and almost dies of suicide. Then, even though Amir saves his life, Sohrab never utters another word and never even cracks a smile in the rest of the book. Amir feels that this is all his fault, but he doesn't stop trying to please Sohrab. Like the last scene of the book, with the kite fight, Amir finally makes Sohrab smile a little for a short moment or two. It's what I like about Amir. He isn't perfect, and he definitely knows it. But, he never gives up at trying to be the best person he can be. I think this is true of all of us. We all like to think that we're perfect and so we try our best to put on a good show, but inside, we all know that being perfect is impossible and so I think we idolize people who we think are perfect. This is why we keep secrets. Most of everyone's deepest secrets are of things that make us seem less than ideal people, which is why we keep them to ourselves. However, I think if more people became more comfortable with everyone's and everything's imperfections, we'd be in a better society. I could go on forever about things The Kite Runner made me reflect on. They are countless, so I'll stop now. I just want everyone in the world to read this book and maybe bring back the same things that I did. I think things would change. Thank you, Khaled Hosseini. This was a truly beautiful book.

The Kite Runner: Week 7, Post A

VOCAB:1. plume (210):  a visible puff of smoke 

2. epiphany (247): a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple or commonplace experience. (i love this word and especially this definition too! :D )

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: 1. "with a scream trapped in my throat" (210). This is a personification, because a scream, an object, cannot be trapped, just as a person can. It is giving human-like characteristics to a non-human object. 

2. "Rrrriiiip" (242). This is an onomatopoeia, because it isn't a real word. It's a noise being made into a word that sounds like the sound it would have made in the story.

3. "He said it fondly, like a man telling of a great party he'd attended" (243). This is a simile because it uses the word "like" to describe something and compare two objects.

QUOTE: "His name rose from the deep and I didn't want to say it, as if uttering it might conjure him. But he was already here, sitting less than ten feet from me, after all these years. His name escaped my lips: 'Assef' (246). This quote is very significant, because it shows how Amir felt when he saw the boy he knew in his childhood. He was the boy who raped Hassan and Amir did nothing about it. Now, Amir had to ask Assef to give Hassan's son Sohrab back to Amir so that he could give him a good home with a nice couple. From this moment, the reader can tell that this is going to become a very interesting ending to the book. It is going to be so incredibly suspenseful.

THEME: The theme of this section is that you have to never lose your dreams, and never give up because if you do give up, you never know when things will turn around.

The Kite Runner: Week 6, Post B

!!!!! WARNING: THIS POST WILL SPOIL THE BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO READS IT. *BIG  HUGE SPOILER WARNING* !!!!!

For this week's Post B, I just want to reflect on what I just read. The section was full of significant events and there is a lot to think and talk about. 

When I finished the last page of this section, I just started to cry. I couldn't help but do anything but that. I felt terrible for Amir and all he went through in this section of the book. 

First of all, there's Baba getting sick and Amir having to help him and support him when he was turning so incredibly frail. Because Baba was so strong, confident, and robust in his life as a younger man, no one ever saw his illness and being so sick coming. Amir doesn't know what to do once Baba gets really sick. Baba had always been his strongman when Amir really needed it. Now that Baba was weaker and less confident, Amir doesn't know what to do. He can hardly recognize his father. 

 

Second, there was actually a really happy and good thing that happened in this section. Amir finally talks to his father about wanting to marry Soraya. Baba goes to the General's house and asks if he will allow his daughter to marry Amir, Baba's son. This is how engagements happen in Afghan custom. Then, Baba tells Amir that the General has indeed allowed Soraya and Amir to get engaged. They have a huge party, and Amir and Baba meet all of Soraya's family and they get to know them better and everyone becomes very happy about the engagement. They get married and they become a perfectly married couple, wonderfully happy with each other. Soraya helps take care of Baba with Amir, and he continues just about the same as he was when he got sick.

 

Third, there is something heart-wrenchingly sad that happens once Amir and Soraya get married. They try to have a child for about a year. They go to see a doctor about it and he calls it "unexplainable infertility". This devastates Amir and Soraya because they really wanted to have children, and adoption is just not an option in the Afghan state-of-mind. 

 

Fourth, Rahim Kahn calls Amir all the way from Afghanistan and tells him that he is getting sick. Rahim is the man that was best friends with Baba when Amir was a young boy still living in Afghanistan. He almost preferred Rahim Kahn to Baba, because Rahim supported Amir in everything he did and he had encouraged Amir's writing ever since he gave him the leather-bound notebook to write all his stories in. He was Amir's second father, and when he finds out that Rahim is getting old and becoming very sick, Amir is torn apart. Amir goes to visit him in Afghanistan.

 

Fifth, when Amir gets to his homeland, Rahim begins to tell him what happened to Hassan ever since Amir and Baba fled their beloved country. Hassan had found a small home, a wife, and he'd had a son. But, then, things suddenly turned worse when he moved into Baba's house to live with Rahim Kahn. The Hazaras, Hassan's people, are getting killed everywhere, and for no reasons at all. Soon, they find Hassan and his wife. He is tortured in the street, and then shot in the head. Same with his wife. 

When Amir hears all that has happened to Hassan, he feels terrible. He starts to cry, he cannot believe what he's hearing, and he wishes that he could do something about it. He has just lost the closest person he ever had to a brother. I think most of what Amir feels is guilt from not protecting Hassan in the alley that afternoon. He probably believes that this is the reason Hassan stopped talking to him. And, I think it is. If I were in Hassan's shoes, I'm almost sure that I would treat Amir the very same way. Hassan was nothing but loyal, loving, trustworthy, and kind to Amir. Pretty much the only thing Amir was to Hassan was betraying, cruel, and just plain bullying most of the time. I do not blame Hassan at all for how he treated Amir. I think Amir deserved it. But, after a while, Hassan or Amir should have done more to find the other, because they still loved each other very much. I think they should have found each other and forgiven each other for what both of them did to the other.

 

Now can you see how the only thing I could do in response to this section was cry? I think all of it was heart-wrenching. I still adore this book, however. It is amazing to me. I am still only a little more than halfway done with it! I have a long ways to go yet. 

The Kite Runner: Week 6, Post A

VOCAB: 1. bouffant (146): puffed-out, full

2. mosque (151): a muslim temple or place of public worship

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: 1. "his internal smile, as wide as the skies of Kabul" (151). This is a simile because it uses the word "as" to compare two objects and describe one of them.

2."sweet as sugar" (185). This is a simile because it uses the word "as" to compare two objects.

3. "illiterate like he had" (186). This is also a simile, but it uses the word "like" to compare two objects.

QUOTE: "If you do, you will find an old faithful friend waiting for you" (191). This quote is very significant because it's in the letter from Hassan, and it shows that Hassan still loves Amir as a brother and still wants to talk to him and spend time with him again. Amir may have left his life in Afghanistan behind, but Hassan never forgot how much he loved Amir and how wonderful a relationship they once had.

THEME: The theme of this section of The Kite Runner is that you have to forgive others for things they do, but most of all, you have to forgive yourself as well.

The Kite Runner: Week 5, Post B

Dear Amir, 

I am, surprisingly, still astonished at your life and all that you've gone through. In the last section I read, you had to travel to America to get out of Pakistan. From what you wrote, it seems like a very traumatic experience for you and I can't believe how you could have gotten through it. I know that I would never be able to do it. You were always talking about the smells, the sleep deprivation, the other people, and just everything that was terrible on the way to Peshawar. I am almost sure that I'd have given up and either killed myself or just gotten out and left with Baba. I give you extreme props for staying with it because you knew that you'd maybe have a better future in America than you would in the changing Pakistan. You knew how disappointed Baba would be in you if you couldn't make it all the way. In a way, I think that's how you kept it up. How you persisted in traveling was because Baba was being just as brave and he was your stronghold in that hard time. I'm also glad that when you finally got there, things started looking up, and you got into "junior college" and you graduated, and you'll soon be going to real college in the fall. Baba actually told you that he was very proud of you, that you got to do the things that he never did in his life. I am excited to see what happens with Sonraya, the beautiful girl that you met at the market. I can't wait to finish your story!!

The Kite Runner: Week 5, Post A

VOCAB: 1. dissertations (109): a lengthy, formal, treatise or thesis

2. belied (121): to contradict, to be false, to misrepresent. 

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: 1. "Baba walked out of the welfare office like a man cured of a tumor" (114). This is a simile because it compares two objects using the word "like."

2. "and the words had vaporized on my tongue" (115). This is a personification because words can't really vaporize. It's giving somewhat human characteristics to a non-human object.

3. "his thin hands belied a firm grip, as if steel hid beneath the moisturized skin" (121). This is a simile because it uses the words "as if" to compare two objects. 

QUOTE: "Proud. His eyes gleamed when he said that and I liked being on the receiving end of that look" (115). This shows how much of a special moment it was when Baba told Amir that he was proud of him when he graduated from junior college.

THEME: The theme of The Kite Runner in this section is that you always have to go after your dreams and you can't let anything get in your way, no matter how big the obstacles may seem.

The Kite Runner: Week 4, Post B

SIGNIFICANCE OF A QUOTE

I had a hard time picking a quote from the section I just finished, and it wasn't a very long section, either. I came across this one and just felt like I understood Amir perfectly in that moment, he described it so well with a metaphor. "I only knew the memory lived in me, a perfectly encapsulated morsel of a good past, a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas that our lives had become" (107). I used this for an example of figurative language, but it is also my favorite quote out of this section of The Kite Runner. What it means is that the only thing Amir remembers (or wants to remember) of his past life is those few actually good memories that he has of himself and Hassan playing together and still being best friends. As he says in the quote, the memory of him and Hassan is the only colorful part of his memory now. While he is running away to Pakistan, with Baba, he keeps wishing that he can leave his mistakes behind him. He wants to make a new beginning with Baba in Pakistan. All the rest is yet to be made colorful by new memories he'll have with Baba in Pakistan. And he is able to do this now, because like he described in the quote, his life is now a blank canvas with one splash of color from that one good memory of Hassan. I think this quote also shows that he regrets not helping Hassan when he was being abused, because the readers can tell that the only reason Ali and Hassan left was because of what Amir did. I like this quote so much because I can understand exactly how Amir felt in the moment he thought this. I see how he'd feel regretful, and I can see how he wishes he had helped Hassan when he had the chance. I understand him because this quote uses the perfect metaphorical imagery to describe exactly how Amir felt. 

The Kite Runner: Week 4, Post A

VOCAB: 1. sluiced (94): to drain, flow, pour water.

2. precipitous (97): extremely or impassably steep.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: 1. "the headlights came on and cute twin funnels of light in the rain" (94). This is a personification of the headlights that 'cut' through rain. Headlights cannot really cut anything, so it's giving human characteristics to a non-human object. 

2. "piled in a corner just like the birthday presents in my room" (94). This is a simile, because it uses the word "like" to compare two objects.

3. "a brushstroke of color on the gray, barren canvas that our lives had become" (107). This is a metaphor of Amir and Baba's lives now that Hassan and Ali left them to go back to Ali's childhood home. It is a blank canvas that they need to fill up with memories to make their lives full again. I like that metaphor; it gives the reader a really good idea of how Amir and Baba feel. 

QUOTE: "That was when I understood the depth of the pain I had caused, the blackness of the grief I had brought onto everyone" (93). This quote describes how Amir looked into Ali's face and finally realized what he had done and how he shouldn't have only watched Hassan being abused in the alley, but he should've helped him. He finally regrets what he did. 

THEME: The theme of this section of The Kite Runner is that you have to forgive people (especially loved ones) for the things they do that might upset you.

The Kite Runner: Week 3, Post B

Dear Amir,

When I read about what happened to Hassan after the kite-fighting contest, I was shocked. It was completely unexpected, and my heart was breaking for poor little Hassan. I was so mad at you for not going and helping him while the older boys were hurting him. I couldn't believe that you didn't, after all he does for you. He has been nothing but a loyal, trustworthy, loving best friend-more like brother. And now, what do you do, but act like nothing happened and that you didn't see him getting hurt in the alley. You pretended to not be there. I was so frustrated with you. But, I think I can guess why you didn't go and stand up for him. It's just because you two are of different backgrounds and religions. But still, I don't understand this. He loves you as a brother, and you should love him as much as he loves you. In my opinion, you are so stubborn and full of pride that you can't even acknowledge that you even know him, let alone admit that he has been like your brother for the past twelve years. I wish that differences like the ones you two have didn't matter to anyone, that we could all accept each other for what we truly are. I think there would be less problems in all of the world if we accepted our differences. Think about it. It's the only reason for the United States and the Middle East being at war right now, and the only reason for there being disagreements among countries. Differences. I think that you could have and should have been a bigger person and stood up for Hassan because he is all you have. Everyone has the power to do things like that, but we don't because we are selfish and full of pride. I wish the world could change, but I know that's not realistic. 

Can't wait to keep reading your story.

Emma

The Kite Runner: Week 3, Post A

VOCAB: 1. wrought (53): embellished, elaborated, not rough or crude.

2. insomniac (75): someone who cannot sleep.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: 1. "little shapes formed behind my eyelids, like hands playing shadows on the wall" (74). This is a simile, because it uses the word "like" to compare two objects.

2. "phht-phht" (74). This is an onomatopeoia, because it isn't a real word. It's a sound or noise that is described with what it would look like if it was a real word.

QUOTE: "But this was my one chance to become someone who was looked at, not seen; listened to, not heard" (57). This quote shows just how much Amir wanted to become someone that people paid attention to and really admired. Also, he just wanted Baba to be proud of him for once in his life.

THEME: The theme of the book in this section was that you should always help someone, especially a close friend, when they are in need of help.

The Kite Runner: Week 2, Post B

SIGNIFICANCE OF A QUOTE

"But right then, I wished I could open my veins and drain his cursed blood from my body" (27). When I read this line, it surprised me. So far in the book, Amir has seemed like this sweet boy who really loves his father and his family very much. Then, this sentence comes along and you are thrown off. In that instant, Amir wanted nothing to do with his dad. He didn't want to be related to him (not having Baba's blood in him), he didn't want to look at him, and he certainly didn't want to talk to him anymore. However, in other times in the book, Amir has said things like he was really glad that Baba was his father, and like he was proud to have him as a father because of Baba's fame and fortune. I think that Amir is torn apart by this. He is somewhat selfish and doesn't want to lose Baba because of his fame, but he also very well knows that Baba doesn't love him very much and so he wants to be rid of Baba once and for all. In my opinion, I think I'd feel the same way. I'd also want to do everything I could to get in his favor and to make him proud of me and make him love me. It pains me to read the book because I have two parents who I know (most of the time) love and care about my very much and would never give me false support on something. They'd always be there if I needed them. It is heart-wrenching to read a story about a boy who is not very loved by his father, and his father doesn't even support him in doing something he loves: writing. This is horrible to me, but I really love this book and all it has been teaching me about Afghan culture. I can't wait to finish it!

The Kite Runner: Week 2, Post A

VOCAB: 1. rutted (46): a furrow or track in the ground, esp. one made by the passage of a vehicle or vehicles.

2. albeit (47): although, even if.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: 1. "except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass" (47). This is a metaphor for how Amir was treating Hassan at that time. It is not literal, but it represents something.

2. "longing for winter already, greeted instead by the specter of yet another long school year" (44). This is a personification, because the "specter of more school" can't really greet someone. That is a human characteristic, being used as something an object does.

3. "words were secret doorway and I held all the keys" (26). This is a metaphor, because it represents how words were the only thing Amir had over Hassan, who couldn't read. It is not to be taken literally, just as a sort of symbol. 

QUOTE: "Show him once and for all that his son was worthy. Then maybe my life as a ghost in this house would finally be over" (49). This quote shows how much Amir wants his dad, Baba, to appreciate him and actually be proud of him, instead of Hassan. I have a feeling that there will be a lot more conflict coming up in the book between Hassan and Amir, fighting over who Baba likes more: his own son, or his servant boy.

THEME: The theme of the book at this point is that one should appreciate everything in one's life. Every part of it is important, and one should be lucky to have anything.