The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Essay Example for Free

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Essay On the surface Baba and Amir depict completely contrasting personalities. Amir is a timid, insecure child. Baba is a generous, respected over-achiever. Despite outward appearances however they share some startling similarities. They both hide a terrible secret from everyone they hold dear, and they both spend a significant part of their lives trying to atone for their respective sins. Its only when they deal with these issues that their true colors really show. In reality Baba and Amirs few similarities far outweigh their many differences. Amir and Baba appear to the outside world, and even to each other to be completely different people. Amir perceives Baba as perfect. Amir sees his father as a wealthy, and powerful man; everything anyone could aspire to be. In contrast Baba sees Amir as a weakling and a coward for the most part. He seems almost disgusted by Amirs weak stomach and cowardly tendencies. Baba loves Amir, but he finds his inability to relate to him a difficult hurdle to get over. Baba was athletic as a young man, a competitor who was used to winning. He used what he knew and tried to relate to Amir through sports, but despite Amirs best attempts to feign interest Baba saw through his charade, which only discouraged him further. Amir made his own attempts to bridge the gap between them with his stories, but Baba simply dismissed them as being childish. Baba would not encourage Amir to pursue writing because he didnt see it as a masculine thing to do. Perhaps one of the most prevalent differences between Baba and Amir is the way they see Hassan. In many ways Baba sees him as the son Amir should have been. Hassan is athletic, hard working, and exceptionally loyal. Amir treats Hassan like an underling, someone who makes him feel better about himself. Amir used Hassans illiteracy to make him feel better about himself. Even though they are genuinely friends, Amir still thinks of him as merely a Hazara, and harbors jealousy towards any affection Hassan receives from Baba. Hassan is not only the catalyst to many of their biggest differences, but also the foundation for their most intimate similarity. Baba and Amir may seem completely different but the biggest testament to their similar personalities is the way they deal with the most serious problems in their lives. Baba fathers an illegitimate son and tried to keep  him a secret for the sake of reputation. Amir allowed his best friend to be raped and uses the incident to gain his fathers love. Baba tried to alleviate his guilt over bedding his servants wife by treating Hassan equal to Amir, showering him with gifts and affection. Showing affection to Amir however made Baba feel even guiltier about Hassans situation so Amir is starved of his love. Subsequently Amir began to despise Hassan and did nothing to help him when he was raped by Assef. In fact he used the situation to force Hassan and Ali out of his home. The regret he faced haunted him for the rest of his life and he tried to atone for it by getting Hassans son out of Afghanistan. Both father and son in this scenario spent their lives dealing with an incident that they couldnt overcome. Baba showed he could be as cowardly as Amir when he refused to acknowledge Hassan as his son, and Amir showed he could be as brave as his father by going to Afghanistan and fighting Assef to save Sohrab. Baba and Amir found it difficult to show affection for one another throughout Amirs childhood due in large part to the glaring differences in their personalities. However, late in life Amir realizes that theyre really two of a kind. When theyre forced to deal with problems they show that their natural tendencies are strikingly similar. Baba and Amirs personalities are polar opposites, but at their core they are the same. Bibliography: Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

The Lost Handwriting :: essays research papers

The Unheard Writing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day, in the second grade, the teacher told our class to get out their lined paper and pencils. As I made that first fancy loop, following the example on the board, I was wondering what possible situation I was getting into. Later in the year, I learned that cursive writing was time consuming and very difficult to master. In high school, I found out that we had a choice of cursive or printing. I asked myself why we needed cursive? Why are others putting aside this writing that consumed so much time? What are the pros and cons of cursive? This type of writing is established, and I never thought to evaluate its effectiveness or its need until now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One such pro is that cursive an established form of writing. In grade school, we learned how to neatly write the cursive alphabet. The reason that so much time was spent on this area of development is because it is seen as professional writing. The teacher wanted to prepare us for the future, and without this ability we would be unable to read or write this type of writing. For example, many professional forms such as taxes, weekly paycheck and legal papers all require a signature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adding on to that, your signature is unique to each and ever one of us. In all the people in the world, there is only one signature that is like yours and that is your own. Yes, it is possible to forge a persons signature, but it is highly unlikely to be a precise copy of the original. For instance, most colleges require students to sign their exams. This procedure prevents the acts of cheating. Moreover, banks have convicted many people of forge checks. A unique signature prevented both of these situations. Who would of thought that personal ID’s were this important?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand, one negative attribute is the fact that cursive is sloppy. It is hard for many of us to read cursive that was quickly written. It was hard for me to write it neatly in school. It was also difficult to read other kids’ handwriting because all the letters were smashed together and looked almost the same. Recently, there was a lawsuit involving a doctor and his cursive prescription slip. The patient received the wrong prescription. This mishap happened because the doctor was busy and wrote like a speeding bullet.

English as official language of the United States Essay

â€Å"News from 2000 Census is that 49 percent of Hispanics in America are not fluent in English. They are the fastest growing minority in the United States, representing 12. 5 percent of the population. The legal picture for Hispanics is also astonishing. EEOC complaints have more. than doubled in 5 years, and settlements have risen to over $50 million. † (Harrop, 2001) The inhabitants of the United States have never had any official language. Over 6 % of primary school children in the United States were instructed in German until the World War I. Over 45 million American nationals still state that their forefathers spoke German. Large scale immigration in the 20th century led to the inhabitance of multilingual people inside the US. Therefore, around 336 different languages are presently spoken which comprise of 176 endemic dialects. More than 47 million American nationals use a language other than English within their homes including 30 million Spanish speakers. Since a significant number of US nationals feel comfortable while speaking a language other than English, the federal government should not make English the official language of the United States. The US Senate voted to select English the official language and prohibited the use of other languages for federal government orders and services. â€Å"The 63-34 vote, on an amendment offered by the Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe, split the Senate along largely party lines, with only nine of the 44 Democrats voting for it, and just one Republican voting against. † (Cornwell, 2006) Democratic minority leader Harry Reid identified this amendment as â€Å"racist† whereas Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat of Hispanic origin, described it as â€Å"divisive and anti-American†. (Cornwell, 2006) Such a law neglects any provisions for services in languages other than English. This would be a problematic situation for those Americans who cannot speak English fluently. This would also force new immigrants to have considerable knowledge of English language before they get US nationality. It is surprising to note that English language voted out German by a difference of just one vote when it was selected as the official language of the US by Congressmen in the year 1795. (Cornwell, 2006) â€Å"Enacted at the apex of the Great Society, the Bilingual Education Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Johnson without a single voice raised in dissent. Americans have spent the past 30 years debating what it was meant to accomplish. Was this 1968 law intended primarily to assimilate limited-English-proficient (LEP) children more efficiently? To teach them English as rapidly as possible? To encourage bilingualism and biliteracy? To remedy academic underachievement and high dropout rates? To raise the self-esteem of minority students? To promote social equality? Or to pursue all of these goals simultaneously? The legislative history of the bill provides no definitive answer. † (Crawford, 50) English Only Movement The English Only Movement (EOM), a movement initiated in the 1980s, is a sequel of the procedure of domestic colonialism. This will also lead to the demolition of the other languages which are spoken by minorities. In the year 1979, a Report by Carnegie Corporation pointed out that â€Å"bilingual education was the preeminent civil rights issue within Hispanic communities. † (Penna, Shepherd, pg. 147) Bilingual education also became a key issue creating distress in the Mexican community inside the United States according to different researches carried out by the U. S. Civil Rights Commission ( 1967- 1975). Researches also reveled that the academic system inside the US was thought of as being against the cultural traditions of the Mexican population. This led to negative effects including inferiority complexes amongst the Mexicans. There is no doubt in the fact that the eradication of a community’s traditions and customs is an abuse of the basic civil rights regarding the linguistic and cultural survival of a specific community. On the domestic level, the English Only amendment in the state of California was a triumph for those who support the use of English as an official language. It gave legal status to an issue that goes against biculturalism and bilingualism. During the period between 1986 and 1989, voters and legislators in thirty-nine states took into account plans analogous to the Californian amendment. This led to the appearance of 17 states with English as the official language. The English only third house had been succeeded in bringing bilingual education policy to the leading position of national debate, it includes questions, the approach of scientific teachings of bilingual education and it also contains a federal resolution in this could help English be official language of the United States. Law at the highest point of the great society, the bilingual education act was passed by congress and it was signed to become a law by President Johnson without saying a single word against it. Americans, have spent thirty years in discussing that what it meant to achieve. â€Å"Was this 1968 law intended primarily to assimilate limited-English-proficient (LEP) children more efficiently? To raise the self-esteem of minority students? To promote social equality? Or to pursue all of these goals simultaneously? The legislative history of the bill provides no definitive answer. † (Crawford, 50) Melting Pot Theory The discussion over, if the United States is an assimilationist or form a society embracing many minority groups and culture traditions which are very old. There were some exchanging of views forcefully that United States is a melting pot, which means that people of various nations settle in America and forced to resemble which means to become an American completely. â€Å"The March 14 to 16 poll of 1,007 likely voters with a margin of error of three percentage points showed that 63 percent of Americans would like to have ballots and voting materials only in English, compared with 35 percent who wanted them printed in English and other languages. † (Lawmakers Push Official English, A06) Because these declarations repeat the study of Myths of the Melting Pot, as well as spread throughout wrong ideas about languages which are mostly not challenged but nothing is supported by the record of history. In fact, history of the US language policy – or lack of one – both work at lower price than the logical basis for official English and provide warning lessons about teaching actions to restrict languages which are rarely use. 1. Unfavorable to myth, the United States has never been a basic speaking and/or using only one language country. By the period of time, one from eight of permanent inhabitants reported a languages background other than English in 1976, this is variety of nothing new but some skilled persons in languages or study of languages believe that the United States has been the habitant of more persons able to speak two languages than any other nation in the history of the world. As early as 1664, when the colony of the New Netherlands came into possession of British, eighteen different languages were spoken on Manhattan Island, not including the language spoken by the local inhabitants of America which were numbered more than five hundred in North America at the time. 2. Considering the US history, the prevailing federal policy on languages has only maintained tolerance and adjustments. In spite of the language variety in 1787, the famous took no interest to protect or encourage English: United States constituents. Because discussion were held in private and we must depend on James Madison’s informal notes, it is not clear, if any language issues came up during the federal agreement on social behavior in Philadelphia (Farrand 1913). But available facts strongly suggest that our early leaders regarded language laws of any type as a cause of harm to civil freedom from captivity. 3. Recognizing about rarely spoken languages reflected bilingual and non-English – language schools which were ordinary in many districts until the long time period of World War I. In 1710, British missionaries were invited to maintain schools among the Iroquois League of Ally States, with the demand that students should be informed or taught with their national languages. Parts of bible which were translated in Mohawk language were included in the texts used. In 1802, Congress began a yearly devotion of ($15,000) to encourage â€Å"civilization among the old inhabitants (before the arrival of colonists). † This money was devoted to religious schools in which many schools were bilingual. 4. The liberation policy on languages was the best and ideal policy for this country, but it is no upheld especially among people conquered and angry for supposed un-justice; people living in colonies and some racial people. Attitudes of the 19th centuries towards their right of language were considerably less tolerant than say towards speakers of German, French or Scandinavian languages Conclusion As written in this paper, there are many ways that lower class is being saved from being forgotten in the US. For his reason, it is important to be known by the mysterious ways in which this is happening. Language is another simple of making sure that the class’s position in society is prevailing. â€Å"English as the nation’s dominant language is no more threatened at the turn of the 21st century than it was at the turn of the 20th. To the contrary, it is all the other languages that are endangered – and would soon die out, if not for the replenishing effects of immigration. † (Official English/English Only, n. p. ) It has been as issue for decades that some influential groups/people have been trying to restrict other languages and promote English Language. On the other hand, this policy has not been accepted and approved by the majority of Americans as it is discriminatory. This idea is not hidden that making English as the US official language is the agenda of White Americans – it also unveils the approach of White American as they don’t want more immigrants from the third world countries. Works Cited Cornwell, Rupert. May 20, 2006. At last, America has an official language (and yes, it’s English) Independent, The (London) James Crawford. Language Politics in the U. S. A. : The Paradox of Bilingual Education. Journal Social Justice. Volume: 25. Issue: 3. Year: 1998. Page Number: 50 Maureen E. Harrop. Managing a Non-English-Speaking Workforce – Hispanic Americans – Brief Article – Statistical Data Included. Modern Machine Shop, Nov, 2001 http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_6_74/ai_79900955 Accessed, April 21, 2007 Lawmakers Push Official English; Bills Tied to Immigration Reform. The Washington Times. Publication Date: April 3, 2006. Page Number: A06. Official English/English Only . n. d. http://www. elladvocates. org/englishonly. html Accessed, April 21, 2007 David Penna and George W. Shepherd Jr. Racism and the Underclass: State Policy and Discrimination against Minorities. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: New York. Year: 1991. Page Number: 145.

Gay Marriage Must Be Legal Essay - 1901 Words

Legal marriage is the right of all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation. Gay marriage is certainly a hot button issue. It invokes an emotional dialogue filled with passion, rage, hate and fear. However, at the base of it all, are two people who are in a committed relationship living normal and productive lives and contributing to society in a positive manner. This issue is being debated in every state of the union, and will eventually go to the Supreme Court. Gay people want to formalize their relationship and gain some of the legal standing and support that is given to heterosexual couples on a daily basis. Sadly, in most of this country, gay people are denied this right and not allowed to participate in what is a natural†¦show more content†¦The amendment imposed a special disability upon those persons alone. The only way homosexuals could obtain civil rights protection under Colorado law would be to convince enough citizens to vote to amend the state constitution. The kinds of protections that Amendment 2 would take away were those against exclusion from an almost limitless number of transactions and endeavors that constitute civic life in a free society.(Romer v. Evans. Wests Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved February 21, 2011 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437703853.html) Whereas, this ruling does nothing to insure the rights of gay people to marry, it goes a long way in aiding in the fact that denying the basic right to marry is basically unconstitutional in and of itself. Justice Andrews’ implies the decision to deny gay people the right to marry is the very basic fact on which I will base my argument: There is nothing â€Å"constitutional† about the denial of the right to marry. In fact, an examination of the both the pro and anti-gay marriage arguments will show that there are no reasonable grounds on which to deny people the right to marry (meaning that the anti-gay marriage contingent is rooting its logic in the personal biases of a large segment of public opinion). Those who argue against he right of gays and lesbians to marry want people to believe that by allowing gay marriage, the very foundation of our society will come crashing down aroundShow MoreRelatedWhy The Constitution Should Be Legal956 Words   |  4 PagesThe debate on whether the constitution should be changed to allow gays/lesbians legal status, whereby the partners are protected while in the institution of marriage is a heated debated which has been ongoing in many years. There are those states whereby the rights of gays/lesbians to have legal marriages have been recognized, but in most of the states their right to legal marriage have not been recognized. This essay looks at the reasons why the American constitution should be amended to ensureRead MoreShould Gay Marriage Be Legal? Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesShould gay marriage be legal? Gay marriage should be legal because as woman and man, all individuals have the same right in society; because same-sex couples can constitute a good based family; because it is just a way to make official a common union nowadays, even with the religious issue; because it is not related to polygamy; and because love matters and it does not differ in nature according to the sex of its object or the person who experiences it. The first reason why same sex marriageRead MoreEssay Gay Marriage Should Be Legal889 Words   |  4 PagesOn June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Should gay marriages really be allowed? Has the Supreme Court ruled in error? 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