Author: juan474

Kite Runner – The effects on children during the times of war.

juan474 20-1 A, juan, Response to Literature , , 8 Comments

The “Kite Runner” is a powerful novel by Khaled Hosseini, that tells a story about two boys, Amir and Hassan, growing up in Afghanistan during a gruesome time of war. The conflict disrupts many lives, causing loss, and trauma for many individuals. The novel explores the theme of children being forced to confront harsh realities of their world, making them mature at a young age. Through the characters of Amir and Hassan, the story illustrates how war has a heavy personal and emotional toll on children that were in Afghanistan during these times.

Some ways in which “The Kite Runner” addresses the effects of war on children is loss and trauma. The characters in the novel, especially Amir and Hassan, experience profound loss and trauma as a result of war in Afghanistan. Families are torn apart, friends are separated, and children witness lots of violence that leaves ever-lasting scars that they will think back to everyday of their lives. Secondly, is loss of innocence, war forces tons of children to grow up quickly since they have to confront harsh realities. The novel shows this when children are trying to cope with the brutality of their surroundings . For example Amir and Hassan are two individuals in the book that faced these realities, when the conflict started to escalate they were forced to think and act like adults even though they were young and still had lots to learn about life. My final reason for the effects on children is how they are affected psychologically. The novel really explores how they are affected mentally because of war, this is shown through the character Sohrab who is the son of Hassan in the book, dealing with emotional wounds from the experience of war. They become sad and even have post-traumatic stress because of the violence they have witnessed through their young eyes.

 

In summary, “The Kite Runner” shows the lasting effects of war on children of Afghanistan. Which is shown through the perspectives of Amir and Hassan in the novel, the novel really focuses on the emotional wounds caused by the conflict.

 

 

 

My connection with Pleasantville to the Allegory of the cave

juan474 20-1 A, juan, Response to Literature , , 12 Comments

In this blog post, I am going to talk about the relationships and connections between Gary Ross’ film “Pleasantville” and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. As we were engaging with these sources in class, we were able to see many things in common between these stories. One of which is where they both talk about how people can be stuck in a fake world giving the illusion it is real. For instance, in Plato’s story, there are these prisoners who are chained up in a cave, who only can see shadows on a wall, which they believed was their whole world as though there is nothing beyond. In Pleasantville, people live in a world without colour and don’t know that there is much more to life that is waiting to be discovered. Both stories show that people can be fooled by what they believe is real. Both narratives also present that there is someone who has learned the truth and tries to explain to everyone that there is more to their ”truth” that they believe (i.e., life beyond the cave). But they don’t believe them, since they like their fake world and don’t want to change it. This displays that when the truth is revealed to people, they don’t want to accept it since things will change or be different from their normal routines and beliefs. These stories truly make us think about the world and if we’re willing to learn and change when we discover the truth. 

A personal time when I had to confront the truth was during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a crazy journey for many of us. When the pandemic was officially announced, it was challenging to comprehend the situation and get it under control. Many of us had been initially skeptical and struggled to accept the harsh reality that the world was facing a life-changing crisis. It was as if I was akin to one of the prisoners in Plato’s cave, refusing to believe the shadows were not the only reality. However, as time passed, I found myself on a path of enlightenment. The pandemic had forced me to accept and adapt to this new reality. I realized the importance of accepting the truth even though I didn’t want to, just like the prisoners from the cave who had emerged into the sunlight and saw the world’s genuine form. This pandemic has shown me the significance of embracing the truth, even when it challenges our existing beliefs and pushes us out of our comfort zones. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



References

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/seyer/files/plato_republic_514b-518d_allegory-of-the-cave.pdf

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pleasantville-1998

https://unsplash.com/s/photos/world

 

 

Embracing Your Cultural Background

juan474 20-1 A, juan, Personal Response , , 5 Comments

The poem I had chosen to examine is ‘The Profile of Africa’ authored by Maxine Tynes. This particular poem offers a distinctive viewpoint as it is shown through the voice of a group of individuals speaking about their cultural background. It also talks about how their heritage shapes their identity. The poem then takes a shift from a collective group’s perspective to an individual. I believe the poet had done this to switch the emotion or theme since the poem initially addressed collective themes or emotions associated with cultural heritage, and then shifted to explore individual themes or emotions to make the readers feel more connected to the poem. In a general sense, the poem primarily revolves around the individuals taking immense pride in their cultural heritage and openly sharing and expressing it with those who exhibit a curiosity or desire to gain insights into these amazing traditions and legacies.https://speakout-speakup.org/blog/afro-ethics-understanding-corruption-in-africa/

I selected this particular poem for a variety of compelling reasons. For example, one of the major reasons is how it relates to me on a personal level. I am from a cultural background distinct from that of many others Indian and Arabic roots, and as a result, I found a deep sense of connection and empathy with the themes and sentiments it conveys. I also partake in numerous cultural celebrations and festivities, it gives off a feeling of being back at home for me. This emotion also arises from the comforting presence of individuals who share the same cultural background which gives me many people to relate too, giving me a sense of belonging and unity. This experience has taught me the importance of embracing my unique cultural heritage, as it sets me apart from other individuals and plays a major role in shaping my identity. In conclusion, this poem highlights that you should never be ashamed of your heritage but instead you should embrace, celebrate, and share it with those around you.

 

IMAGE CITATIONS

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/world-culture-earth-day-gm1319902995-406627412