Kite Fighting

Kite fighting is part of the Afghan culture, it is not only an activity but they use this as a source of power and fame.  I think he chose this as the central focus of his novel because this contest really creates the opportunity for Amir to change his life and gain respect from his father.  The kite fighting stand for so much more then just the tournament.  I can not think of any customs or traditions in the United States that have a similar impact, I guess you could say major sports team somewhat have an impact of power and respect but it is not the same.

"Dirty Mouth, clean it up with Orbit gum"

I feel that books should use what is necessary to portray the scene they want to portray.  I do not think that there is a line between what is appropriate and what is not because if the book has words that are too much for a person to handle they should not read the book, they do have that choice.  The word choice is that of the authors and reader's can deal with this by putting themselves into the novel and using the words as just part of the context of the story.  I think author's choose to use these words because they add more reality into the writing and make the story show emotion more as well.

Free Write

This man was a soldier fighting in Iraq when a massive shootout began.  The civilians fired and this man ran to escape the gun shots.  The two men crouching in the background are ducking to hide as well.  As the man running sprints over the rocks, he watches his feet very closely being careful not to fall.  The terror burns inside of him as he knows he should not be running, but he is terrified.

The End.

To Atone or Not to Atone...

I believe that atonement is possible for most sins but not really for all.  When a person does something and they are truly regretful they should be forgiven on certain circumstances.  Of course I have made a mistake that I have regretted.  Talking badly to my parents .. etc.  It made me feel really happy at the time to "get back at them" but later on that night I just felt horrible I really had said some hurtful things.  I was able to find atonement and make up for what I did by saying sorry and showing that I regretted what  had done.

Walk The Line

I think that the author includes powerful, shocking and even disturbing events to pull the reader into the novel.  It makes you on the edge and wanting to go back and read more.  I think that they are necessary for a reader like me because I get very bored in novels that are not written like this.  Society influences this because what may be a shock one century may not be at all another.

Decisions... Decisions

Things that influence my decisions are the people around me and the convenience to make them.  My decisions most importantly impact myself but they also highly impact my family and mildly impact my friends.  Decisions I am making now are what college to go to, what major to study and what I should do this summer.  What college I go to will effect myself because I hope to be happy in the environment I choose but it will also impact my parents because they have to pay for it.  The decision of the major I will choose will effect my lifestyle and ultimately the family I choose to have in the futures lives.

Prompt #1 (The Three Sisters)

"The baby died.  Lucy and Rachel's sister.  One night a dog cried, and the next day a yellow bird flew in through an open window.  Before the week was over, the baby's fever was worse.  Then Jesus came and took the baby with him far away.  That's what their mother said." (103)  For some reason I really liked this vignette.  It was longer then most and was in so much detail.  It was the first time Esperanza has, "...seen the dead" and she seemed so affected by this.  She drew this relationship between the sisters and talked about the power they had together.  I really liked when she was talking at the end of this vignette about how you can't erase what you know and you can't forget who you are.  This was just a very good vignette and I really enjoyed reading it.