The Shadow of the Wind-Week 1, Post A

A prominant difference I'm noticing culturally is the level of comfort with strangers. The protagonist, Daniel Sempere, becomes quite upset one night and decides to take a walk. On his walk he visits a friend's house where he finds an extremely dissapointing sight that he wasn't meant to see. Daniel gets severely beat up that night because of what he saw and is back to wandering around the streets. It's probably around midnight, and Daniel comes across a homeless man who offers him some wine and a shelter form the rain under his cardboard roof.

"'What a minute, at least until the rain eases off,' the beggar suggested. He took me by the arm and led me to a corner under the arches where he kept a bundle of possessions and a bag with old, dirty clothes. 'I have a bit of wine. It's not too bad. Drink a little. It will help you warm up. And disinfect that...' I took a swig from the bottle he offered me. It tasted of diesel oil laced with vinegar, but its heat calmed my stomach and my nerves." (63)

Common sense tells would prevent me from being lead into a place by a strange, degenerate old man, much less drink any of his wine. This novel takes place in Barcelona, close after the war. I wonder if the war is what caused people to be less cautious because there must be quite a few beggars on the street who simply have no where to go. However, this instance is not the only one that displays a certain comfort with strangers which is why it sparked my attention.

Why I Chose The Shadow of the Wind

I have chosen the novel The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon for outside reading this quarter. I became interested in this novel because I remember my mom reading it last year and absolutely loving the story. I also remembered it was a world literature novel and decided it would be a good choice for outside reading this quarter. I am excited to begin this novel and anticipate this to be an engaging story. I am also interested in this novel because it is about a subject I know very little about. I'm looking forward to expanding my knowledge about this dismal time in history.

The Kite Runner-Week 7, Post B

This novel has taken me on such an amazing journey. I have been enticed from the very beginning and the author kept my interest all the way to the end. There have not been many books I've read for school that have done that. Khaled Hosseini does an impecable job of revealing the horrors and truths about the struggling country of Afghanistan. I never knew how bad things really were until I read his novel. It has truly opened my eyes. The reader bonds with many of the characters and personally suffers when the characters suffer. This is an emotional story that will rip at your heartstrings. To read a story as compelling as The Kite Runner forces the reader to evaluate their own life. Amir spent the majority of his life regretting one day in his childhood when he didn't stand up for his best friend who was being sexually abused right before his eyes. I believe a major message this story is teaching is simply this: Do the right thing. That may be a lesson one learns in kindergaten, but people forget how important that message really is. It's a message that follows you your entire life and is not meant to be forgotten.

The Kite Runner-Week 7, Post A

Vocab:
-Squalid (329): Foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; neglected and filthy.
-Milieu (338): Surroundings, esp. of a social or cultural nature

Figurative Language:
"He gave me a curt little shake; it felt like squeezing a sparrow." (328) This quote is an example of a similie describing the quality of Raymond Andrews's handshake.

"I felt like Jean Valjean sitting across from Javert." (328) This statement is an example of a similie describing how Amir was feeling sitting across from Raymond Andrews. If you are familiar with the show Les Miserables you understand that Amir is feelign very nervous and there is quite a bit of tension.

"He pressed his hands palm to palm, as if he were kneeling before the Virgin Mary." (330) This statement is an example of a similie describing the way Raymond Andrews folded his hands.

Quote:
"'Can I ask you something Mr. Andrews?'
'Yes.'
'Do you have children?'
For the first time, he blinked.
'Well do you? It's a simple question.'
He was silent.
'I thought so,' I said, taking Sohrab's hand. 'They ought to put someone in your chair who knows what it's like to want a child.' I turned to go, Sohrab trailing me." (331) I found this quote to be a clear example that Amir is finally taking initiative to help others besides himself. He has told his story to Soraya, which I think has lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. Now that his story is out in the open, he feels that he can finally repay Hassan for all the good Hassan did to him in their childhood. I have not seen Amir be this assertive with anyone before and I believe this experience with Sohrab has changed him permanently.

Theme:
The theme I noticed in this passage was the importance of taking initiative to help others who deserve it. Even if that means stepping out of your comfort zone.

The Kite Runner-Week 6, Post B

Hassan continues to surprise me with his fierce willpower. His mother, after leaving him the day he was born, returns to reconcile and Hassan finds it in his heart to forgive her. Not only does he forgive her, but he takes her in his home and nurses her back to health. This woman never even held her newborn son. When Sohrab was born, it was nice to see Sanaubar taking such an active role in his life. She clearly regretted the time missed raising her own son and decided to compensate by helping to raise her grandson. She became a prominent figure in this boy's life and as Rahim Kahn said, "The two of them were inseperable." I'm glad that for the few years she had left, she was able to reconnect with her son and actively participate in his family. Hassan is one of the strongest characters I have ever read about. It's the little things he does that makes him appear so emotionally strong and stable. For instance, when he returned to Baba's house to live with Rahim Kahn he insisted that he and his wife live in the hut in the backyard out of respect. Rahim Kahn continually told them they were welcome in the home, but Hassan would hear nothing of it. I would have wished that Hassan would have just gone and lived in the house, but he displayed such willpower and respect in that little decision. Every decision he makes seems to reflect upon his strong sense of self and others.

The Kite Runner-Week 6, Post A

Vocab:
-Affable (205): pleasantly easy to approach and to talk to; friendly; cordial; warmly polite
-Caracul (200): Any of a breed of Central Asian sheep having a wide tail and wool that is curled and glossy in the young but wiry and coarse in the adult.

Figurative Language:
"'It sounded like a jaroo, a broomstick, snapping in half.'" (192) This quote is an example of a similie describing the sound of the general's hip fracturing when he tripped on a carpet edge.

"But I remember it was a scorching summer day and I was driving up a rutted dirt road, nothing on either side but sunbaked bushes, gnarled, spiny tree trunks, and dried grass like pale straw." (204-205) This passage is an example of a similie describing the terrain in Hassan's village.

"...beyond them nothing but broad sky and mountains like jagged teeth." (205) This statement is a similie describing the setting of Hassan's village.

Quote:
"You should have seen Sanaubar with that baby, Amir jan. He became the center of her existence. She sewed clothes for him, built him toys from scraps of wood, rags, and dried grass. When he caught a fever, she stayed up all night, and fasted for three days. She burned isfand for him on a skillet to cast out nazar, the evil eye. By the time Sohrab was two, he was calling her Sasa. The two of them were inseperable." (211) I was pleased to read this passage because it shows that Sanaubar truly regrets leaving Hassan the day he was born. She knows she cannot raise Hassan again, but to imerse herself in her grandson's life is the next best thing. I was shocked to see that she had come back. After all these years I wonder what compelled her to return.

Theme:
A theme I have noticed in this passage of the novel is forgiveness. It took a lot of willpower for Hassan to forgive Sanaubar and even take her in and care for her.

The Kite Runner-Week 5, Post B

Throughout this passage of reading, I have come to dislike Amir even more than before. He is whiny, doesn't stand up for himself, and he doesn't take matters into his own hands. For example, the situation with Baba's cancer. Amir desperately wanted Baba to go into treatment and Baba kept resisting. Amir did not put forth a great effort to put his father through treatment and maybe if he had showed some backbone, Baba might have agreed to go through with it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying this book and if Khaled Hosseini's goal is to make me hate Amir, he has done a wonderful job. I am under the impression that that is his goal because the language in which he describes Amir does not make him sound like an appealing guy. He is so dependent on others and I believe marrying Soraya was a good thing for him because she's tough and might teach him to stand up for himself and live his own life. So far the only thing I can think of that Amir has chosen to do himself is marry Soraya. No one told him to do this so snaps for Amir. But not really, because it's still pathetic. I sincerely hope that Soraya causes him to mend his ways and become a real man. At this point though, I don't see that happening.

Sorry,
Emily