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Amir's First Story
Amir wrote a story about a man who found a magic cup. He was really proud of it and went to show Baba. Baba was not interested in the story as Amir wished. As Amir stood there, Rahim said, "'I would very much like to read it"' (Hosseini 31). Amir really wanted Baba's approval, but never got it due to all of the guilt that Baba had. Instead, he felt closer with Rahim Khan instead of his own father because Rahim conveyed an interest in Amir and the accomplishments he made, unlike Baba. -
Mohammed Daoud Khan Seizes Power
Daud Khan led a coup that overthrew Zahir Shah. Then, he wanted power, so he "declared Afghanistan a republic with himself as president" (britannica.com)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mohammad-Daud-Khan -
Hassan's tenth birthday
When it was Hassan's birthday, Baba had a gift for Hassan. They enter the house to find a man in a brown suit. Amir and Hassan were both clueless as to what was going on. The man was a plastic surgeon to fix Hassan's harelip. The surgery went well for Hassan and were the bandages were off, Hassan was beaming, "Which was ironic. Because that was the winter that Hassan stopped smiling" (Hosseini 47). This shows how badly the rape affected Hassan and how any chance of happiness was gone for him. -
Aspired to Cowardice
In the kite competition, Amir cut the last kite down. Hassan and Amir ran to retrieve the kite. As they were making their way back to the house, Assef stopped them. He said that if Hassan gave him the kite, everything would be forgiven. But Hassan did not. Hassan was later raped and Amir ran because he "was a coward. [He] was afraid of Assef and what he would do to [Amir]" (Hosseini 77). From this, he had a lot of guilt throughout his life and tried to atone for his sins during this incident. -
Pomegranate Stains
Amir just finished a new story and wanted to share it with Hassan. They sat beneath the pomegranate tree and picked some pomegranates from the tree. Amir suddenly hit Hassan with a pomegranate hoping for forgiveness. He wanted Hassan to hit him back, but Hassan picked up a pomegranate, "opened it and crushed it against his own forehead" (Hosseini 93). This represents all the pain that Amir has caused Hassan and how Amir could never make up for what he had done to Hassan. -
Amir's 13th Birthday
Baba threw Amir a big party for his thirteenth birthday because he had won the tournament and Baba was very proud. Assef and his parents went to wish Amir a happy birthday. Assef gave Amir a birthday present. Amir went back to his room and opened the present, "it was a biography of Hitler" (Hosseini 97). This shows how Assef admires Hitler and people with power. It also foreshadows what Assef is going to be like in the future and the power he will have over others and what he aspires to be. -
Hassan's Final Sacrifice
On Amir's 13th birthday, he received a watch from Baba. But, Amir wanted to get rid of Hassan. He did this by hiding his watch under Hassan's mattress. He then told Baba that his watch was missing and that Hassan stole it. Baba asked Hassan if he stole and he replied, "Yes" (Hosseini 105). Yet, Baba forgave Hassan. However, Hassan told Ali everything and decided they were leaving for good. Baba cried and begged them not to leave which shows the amount of influence Ali has over Baba. -
Love at First Sight
Baba introduces Amir to the General and Soraya. Amir finds that Taheri sounds very familiar. Baba boasts about Amir and his accomplishments while Amir is shocked by Soraya and her looks. That night, Amir is still thinking about Soraya and his "heart stuttered at the thought of her. Soraya Taheri. [His] Swap Meet Princess" (Hosseini 142). This is the first time that he has had feelings about a girl, that we know of. Since Baba would think of Sofia as his princess, Amir thinks of Soraya like that. -
Oat Cell Carcinoma
At first, Baba got symptoms of a cold. Then, he would cough up blood. Amir took him to the hospital and the doctors saw a spot on Baba's lung. They recommended him to a pulmonary clinic where Baba got a CAT scan. They identified a mass and sent it to pathology. Later, they determined "Baba's mass as 'oat cell carcinoma'" (Hosseini 156). This shows how Amir needs to be independent now because he can no longer be "Baba's son". He also needs to take care of Baba and help through his hardships. -
Amir and Baba flee Pakistan
One day, a young Russian soldier settled on a woman wearing a black shawl. The soldier wanted a half and hour with her. Her husband begged the soldier to show some mercy but he denied. Baba stood up for the young woman, but the soldier was displeased. He held up his gun and Amir thought, "So this is where Baba dies. This is how it's going to happen" (Hosseini 116). Amir's morals have changed because of this and he learns to stand up for others when no one else can. -
Fleeing Afghanistan
Afghanistan is no longer safe for its citizens. Its citizens are beginning to flee from other countries. Afghanistan is dangerous, so the people are fleeing, "some 2.8 million Afghans have fled from the war to Pakistan, and another 1.5 million have fled to Iran" (pbs.org).
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Signed Peace Accords
USSR, US, Afghanistan, and Pakistan sign peace accords called Geneva Accords. Soviet Union pulls out troops. The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan signed agreements in an attempt to end the ongoing war. The documents, known as the Geneva accords, are the "key to Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and a settlement of the conflict [between the countries]" (Klass 1).
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/asia/1988-06-01/afghanistan-accords -
Storming Into Kabul
Some people are unhappy with Najibullah as their leader. A lot of people want to change the person in charge and to do that, the "The Mujahadeen and other rebel groups, with the aid of turncoat government troops, storm the capital, Kabul, and oust Najibullah from power" (pbs.org).
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Taliban Rises to Power
Taliban rises to power on promises of peace. Islamic law is enforced harshly. U.S. refuses to recognize the authority of the Taliban. Many people are uneducated and little have access to clean drinking water. Many people struggle to survive and life is very harsh, "There are [only] few places on Earth where people have lived in greater misery for more years than Afghanistan.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Leader of Hazaras: Dead
Abdul Ali Mazara was the leader of the Hazara people. He believed that each ethnic group should have its own constitutional rights. Later, the Taliban arrested him claiming that he tried to attack them along with five others. Then, the "Taliban, tortured and killed Abdul Ali Mazari leader of the Hazara people" (wikipedia.org).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Afghan_history -
Execution of Najibullah
Najibullah was the last soviet-back president of Afghanistan. He would torture and execute a lot of citizens who would rebel against him. Najibullah was a very corrupt leader and people got very tired of that. In 1992, the Taliban took over and oust Najibullah of power, and in 1995, "the Taliban publicly executes Najibullah" (pbs.org).
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
The Big Revelation
Rahim Khan is telling Amir about the time he went to see Hassan. He also told Amir of Hassan's life. Rahim wants Amir to bring Hassan's child, Sohrab, to a family that can take care of him. First, Amir refuses. Rahim then reveals a long kept secret by saying that Ali was sterile. Amir then asks who, but Rahim replies, "I think you know who" (Hosseini 222). This changes Amir's perspective of Hassan and Baba because he regrets treating Hassan so poorly and realizes how similar he and Baba are. -
Finding Sohrab
Amir went to meet the man who took Sohrab. He later realizes that the Taliban man is Assef! Assef brings out Sohrab but says that Amir and him have unfinished business. As Assef was beating Amir up, Sohrab could not stand it anymore. Sohrab pulled out his slingshot and released it. Assef put his hand over his left eye but "blood oozed between his fingers" (Hosseini 291). Amir feels relieved of his guilt from Hassan and Sohrab avenged his father by making Assef, One-Eyed Assef. -
Getting Sohrab a Visa
Soraya called Amir telling him about her call with Sharif. Sharif said that he could get Sohrab a humanitarian visa, giving them time for an adoption petition. As soon as they hung up, Amir ran to tell Sohrab. As he stepped into the bathroom, he was "on [his] knees, screaming. Screaming until [he] thought [his] throat would rip and [his] chest explode" (Hosseini 343). Amir learned not to make promises that he could not keep or that he was not certain about. -
Arriving in America
When Amir arrived in America with Sohrab, Soraya picked them up at the airport. The following night, the General and Jamila came for dinner. The General asked why Amir brought a Hazara boy with him. Amir stood up for Sohrab by telling the General that he "will never again refer to [Sohrab] as 'Hazara boy' in [Amir's] presence" (Hosseini 361). Amir finally realizes that he should stand up for the people he love and not to be a coward, but to protect the people he cares for as well as his ethics. -
Bombing Against Taliban
President Bush demanded that the Taliban hand over their leader and close all terrorist training camps in the country. However, they denied. They denied Bush's ultimatum, so, "The United States and the United Kingdom began an aerial bombing campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban" (wikipedia.com)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Afghan_history -
Amir, The Kite Runner
Amir took Soraya, Jamila, and Sohrab to the park. They saw many kites flying in the sky. Amir was suddenly reminded of his childhood and went to the vendor to buy a kite. Amir let it fly in the sky. Suddenly, a green kite neared theirs. Amir cut the kite out of the sky. He asked Sohrab if he wanted Amir to run the kite and he nodded. Amir said, "For you, a thousand times over" (Hosseini 371). This shows how Amir now needs to be worthy of Sohrab and to atone for his sins in his childhood. -
Sohrab's Crooked Smile
When Amir took Soraya, her mom, and Sohrab to the park, Amir and Sohrab were in the kite competition amongst others. As Amir cut a green kite down from the sky, it spun out of control. He looked down at Sohrab and "one corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided" (Hosseini 370). This shows how even though Amir never got to make things right with Hassan, he is trying to atone for his sins by building his relationship between himself and Sohrab and to be a better man. -
Taliban commander, killed
Taliban commander, Mullah Dadullah, was killed by an operation led by the U.S. in south Afghanistan. Mullah Dadullah was a senior military commander and was "killed during fighting in the volatile southern province Hemland" (Roggio 1).
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/ -
Osama Bin Laden: killed
U.S. forces take over a compound in Pakistan and kill al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden. The raid lasted around 40 minutes and started when two helicopters descended on a compound. During the raid, "five people, including bin Laden and one of his adult sons, were killed by U.S. gunfire" (history.com).
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan/