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In Kite Runner the main character are Amir “Baba”, a wealthy, upper-class child and his best friend. Amir best friend, Hassan portrays no wealth similarities to Amir whatsoever. Hassan is the son of Baba's servant. These two are friends despite the superiority one has over the other. They are friends because they enjoy each others company and they do not let backgrounds and upbringings interfere. This relates to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. In this novel the main character is a boy named Bruno. He is a 9-year-old boy growing up during the World War II in Berlin. He lives in a large house with his parents, his sister and servants. His father is a high-ranking official, who, after a visit from Hitler is promoted to Commandant. Then Bruno meets a less fortunate Jewish boy named Shmuel. Almost every day, they meet at the same spot and talk. Ignorant of what is going on Bruno decides to climb under the fence to be with his new friend. Bruno does not know or understand what is happening on the other side of the fence, but he just wants to be with his friend. These two novels show what a true friend is and how a true friendship should be. No matter what background, religion, color, sex, or lifestyle, they shouldn’t stop anyone from befriending someone else.
2. Vocabulary
shard - n. a fragment
appendage - n. a subordinate part attached to something; addition
affluent - adj. having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous
hemorrhaged - n. a profuse discharge of blood, as from a ruptured blood vessel; bleeding
squatty - adj. short and thick; low and broad
oscillating - v. to swing or move to and fro
quelled - v. to suppress; put an end to; extinguish
garrulous - adj. excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner
kinship - n. the state or fact of being of kin; family relationship
lore - n. learning, knowledge, or erudition
veracity - n. habitual observance of truth in speech or statement; truthfulness
apt - adj. inclined; disposed; given; prone
3. Afghani/ Islamic Culture
Shi’a Muslim and Sunni Muslim were mentioned in the novel trough examples. My ignorance to the Islamic religion made me wonder and research the difference between the two. The Shi'a Muslims are the Hazaras, the lower class, known as the servants. Ali and Hassan are Shi'a Muslims. Although worshipping the same book, The Koran, the two religions argue who is the Muhammad’s rightful heir. Often times, they even go to war over this dispute.
I enjoyed your text-to-text connection with The Boy in The Striped Pajamas. It was interesting how much these two stories are connected, how both involve children who are friends and ignorant of the biased world around them.
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