The Kite Runner Chapters 7-9

12/1/2020

Psychology and Dreams

Sigmund Freud and Defense Mechanisms:
Freud used three psychic zones to describe the components of human personality: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id, the pleasure principle, is the part of the personality that wants instant gratification without the consequences. The superego is known as the morality principle. The superego is the human conscience. The ego is the reality principle that maintains a balance between the id and superego. The ego is that conscious part that acts as mediator between the instinctual drives of the unconscious id and the social environment.
According to Freud, the ego has developed defense mechanisms, to cover for the wild demands of the id, which would rarely be socially acceptable. One of the defense mechanisms is referred to as Denial. Denial is defined as “having a conscious awareness at some level, but denies the reality of the experience by pretending it is not there.” Another of Freud’s defence mechanisms is Displacement. Displacement is defined as “reassignment of some kind of aggression to a scapegoat to relieve the tension of a situation or feeling.”

What is significant about the Amir’s statement, “He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him”? Use Sigmund Freud’s theory of displacement to answer the question.
What does the sheep symbolize in Chapter Seven? Why does Amir recall the sheep’s slaughter during Hassan’s assault? What does Amir mean when he refers to "the look of the lamb."

Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 200-250 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add the word count at the bottom of the prompt. Due by 11:59pm Friday night 12-4-2020!

Secondary Blog Response Expectations: After reading all of your classmates' Primary Blog Responses, select TWO that interest you. Reply to them in a thoughtful paragraph. You may offer constructive criticism, elaboration, or rebuttal. 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count at the bottom of the prompt. Due by 11:59pm Sunday night 12-6-2020!

47 Comments

Jaah

12/3/2020 04:15:06 pm

The significance about Amir’s statement about Hassan is that it conveys to us that in a way Amir is downright jealous of Hassan’s honest and pure nature. Amir uses displacement by trying to steer away from the reality and turn it into an attack against Hassan. In reality Amir most likely hates himself for not being more like Hassan, instead of identifying that, he uses the hate and anger he feels with himself and places it all on Hassan. He pushes this on Hassan to hopefully make himself feel better. He mentions that because of the intensity of Hassan’s purity everyone’s true phoniness can be brought to light. I think he truly hates this because he knows he can never measure up to Hassan’s level of pureness and whenever he is around Hassan he is reminded of all that he is not. The sheep in chapter 7 symbolizes a sacrifice in a way. Amir recalls the slaughter of the sheep during Hassan’s assault because he connected the looks between the two together. He describes the look of the lamb as a sudden realization and acceptance of what was going to happen. He saw this very same look register across Hassan’s face. He realized that Hassan had, in the moment, just accepted his fate. Hassan had sacrificed a part of himself and Amir let it happen. Amir sacrificed Hassan’s safety for the blue kite and the admiration he would get from his father. Hassan here was sacrificed just like the lamb.
~250 words

Zarak

12/3/2020 06:55:22 pm

I agree with you Jaah, I also believe that Amir puts all his anger towards Hassan. I think this shows that Amir does not know how to deal with his emotions such as feeling guilty after he watched Hassan’s assault and tried to solve it in hope of feeling better by pushing Hassan away and not having to keep seeing him which later then did not become better but instead became a bigger issue and has only made Amir feel worse about himself. I also agree that Hassan sacrificed a part of himself for Amir just like the lamb had been sacrificed.
Word count: 102

Tashfeen

12/6/2020 04:42:08 pm

I agree that Hassan sacrificed himself for Amir, but at the same time, I feel like Amir sacrificed a piece of himself. For example, Hassan was not only his best friend but somewhat of a brother figure. In other words, he was the brother figure that he never had. They spent all their time together and the only time that they every seemed to differ from each other is when Baba would praise Hassan. When Amir decided to let Hassan sacrifice himself for him, I think in turn he sacrificed his love for Hassan to get the acknowledgment of his father’s.
Word count: 101

Bahnam

12/4/2020 12:16:06 pm

I absolutely agree with you. Amir is definitely jealous of how pure and loyal Hassan is. This is constantly shown throughout the novel. Amir even tests Hassan’s loyalty out of frustration after the event by throwing pomegranates at Hassan and screaming at Hassan to hit back. The incidents before and after Hassan getting assaulted reveal Amir’s immense jealousy and anger. Even after Hassan got assaulted, Hassan still wanted to reconcile with Amir. I also agree with your definition of “the look of the lamb” because Hassan accepted his fate and was sacrificed in order to benefit Amir. Amir was so obsessed with the idea of getting Baba’s love and attention that he sacrificed his only true friend and brother to do so.
Word count: 122

Pazir

12/4/2020 12:30:37 pm

Yessss Jaah I totally agree with what you are saying in your post. I also believe that Hassan is pure and is a decent human being which makes Amir jealous of him. I also believe as well that Amir takes his frustration out on Hassan and he gets even more upset when Hassan does not fight back. When you talk about how Amir does it to make himself feel better, I definitely agree with you because throughout the novel it just feels as if Amir has no care for Hassan while Hassan treats Amir as a brother. When you talk about the sheep part and how they accept their fate just like Hassan did. I totally agree with you and I believe that Amir should have done something and not be cowardly like you said.

Word count-135

Pazir

12/4/2020 12:41:56 pm

I pressed the wrong Reply button sorry :(

Shahmeer

12/7/2020 10:32:20 am

This comment is beautifully written. It is amazing how you summarized the assault scene that both Hassan and Amir made sacrifices, expect on sacrifice was for a selfish purpose. Also, I wonder based on your statement, if Amir is jealous of Hassan because he is more authentic than him. Amir uses displaces to put his feelings of anger and self hatred on Hassan, while Hassan doesn't do this. Even though I don't know what Hassan is feelings, I can imply he does feel some anger and pity for himself after the assault, however he doesn't displace the emotions onto Amir. Instead Hassan counties to protect Amir, which is a tragedy.
Word Count: 110

Farjaad

12/17/2020 11:25:16 pm

I completely agree! Although Hassan may not be as intellectually smart as Amir, his emotional intelligence is astounding. Whereas Amir strives in manipulation and cowardice, Hassan excels in generosity and loyalty. I believe Amir is not only jealous about his lack of ability to measure up to Hassan's purity, but also his bravery, especially when said bravery has received the praise of Baba behind closed doors. The contrast between Amir and Hassan's character is thoroughly displayed through Amir's description of the "Look of the Sheep" whereas Hassan would've fought to save Amir from said atrocity, Amir chooses to flee because he is a coward and holds no real perception of purity within himself. His jealousy of Hassan's purity doesn't make him want to be like Hassan, he'd rather watch Hassan lose said "purity".
Words-133

Zarak

12/3/2020 06:41:56 pm

In “The Kite Runner” I think that the significance about Amir’s statement in chapter 6 is that Amir felt jealous of Hassan. Throughout the story we can see the way Amir treats him and teases Hassan at times. Amir has jealousy when he sees that Baba is giving Hassan more affection than to him. Amir seeks to have that affection from Baba, his father. This relates to Sigmund Freud’s theory of displacement, defined as “reassignment of some kind of aggression to a scapegoat to relieve the tension of a situation or feeling.” because it shows that Amir is unsure of himself and wants to be more like Hassan but instead of working on himself, he turns his anger into aggression and ends up putting that anger on Hassan such as when Amir kept throwing pomegranates at Hassan so Amir could hopefully feel better and have him attack back because of the guiltiness Amir has been feeling. In chapter 7 I think the sheep symbolizes the sacrifice and how innocent it is. Amir relates watching Hassan’s assault to the sheep’s slaughter because of the looks in both of their faces. In chapter 7 it states, “He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation in it. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb.” This shows how Hassan’s look on his face reminded him of the sheep, powerless.
Word count:241

Pazir

12/4/2020 12:40:51 pm

I totally agree with you Zarak. I also believe that Amir is jealous of Hassan because of how good of a person he is. Like you talked about in your post, Baba treats Hassan as a son in a way and he gives affection to him because of who Hassan is as a person. This is the reason why Amir is so rude to Hassan because Hassan is being the son that Baba does not have. Of course Baba loves Amir, but Hassan has those qualities of strength and courage that Amir doesn’t. When you talked about the sheep and the reference to the lamb and Hassan, you definitely hit the nail stating that his face resembles the sheep because they are both powerless in a specific moment.

Word count- 130

Jaah

12/4/2020 12:54:50 pm

Yes Zarak! I totally agree with you. I loved how you defined and explained Amir’s use of displacement. The way you tied him wanting affection from his dad and then turning it against Hassan together was amazing. Even when you added an example of Amir’s aggression toward Hassan that really solidified how Amir was angry and jealous toward Hassan. I like how you mention how the sheep symbolizes innocence, that connection was something I kind of forgot about but it is spot on. Because Hassan truly is the definition of purity and innocence. He continues to keep that nature until he leaves and I think that is so important.
~ 109 words

Dadvar

12/6/2020 11:17:33 pm

I completely agree with your reason as to why Amir treats Hassan as he does. I think there is definitely jealousy there that is rooted, in my opinion, in Amir's own insecurities the biggest one being his not so great relationship with his father. I think your idea of what the sheep symbolizes makes a lot of sense especially because from personal knowledge sheep have always been associated with sleep, peace and children so that being reflected upon as the innocence of Hassan seems extremely likely. I think Amir and Hassan relationship can be seen through this understanding with the context of Freud’s theory of displacement. It seems from the very beginning; with the boys growing up together that throughout the story Amir continuously has personal issues that end up getting Hassan hurt or in trouble.
Word Count~ 136

Pazir

12/4/2020 08:20:11 am

What is significant about Amir’s statement in chapter 6 is that it shows us the true color of how Amir feels towards Hassan. Amir is jealous of Hassan and how everyone around him knows Hassan as being a strong, pure individual which his father, Baba likes to see in a person. Which is another reason why Amir is jealous because Baba loves Hassan as another son. Baba says that “why can’t Amir be more like Hassan” when talking about sticking up for themselves when dealing with conflict. This statement made Amir even more upset and even more jealous because he will never be like Hassan. By him realizing that he will never be Hassan, he uses anger and frustration to control his actions. The sheep slaughter in chapter 7 symbolizes a sacrifice that needs to be made in order for people to get what they want. Whether it be food, wool, or in this case a blue kite. Amir recalls the sheep’s slaughter because Hassan had that same face that a sheep would have when being slaughtered. A realization and acceptance of what is going to happen, that this is my fate now. The only reason Hassan did it was for Amir, and Amir just watched him and said it was a price to pay to win over the love of Baba.

Word count- 224

Bahnam

12/4/2020 12:24:10 pm

I agree that Amir views Hassan with intense jealousy and anger. The sheep and “the look of the lamb” definitely symbolize Hassan because both the sheep and Hassan were sacrificed for the benefit of others. Hassan and the sheep were both helpless, pure, and accepted their fates. Baba saying that he wished Amir was more like Hassan added onto Amir’s already intense jealousy and anger of Hassan and caused him to make selfish and irrational decisions. Although Amir was happy at first by the love and attention Baba gave him, after a while, he felt immense guilt for sacrificing Hassan because in the end, Hassan’s sacrifice was not worth it.
Word count: 110

Tashfeen

12/6/2020 04:22:32 pm

I believe that Amir was jealous and angry at Hassan, but at the same time, I feel like he admired him. I feel like he looked up to Hassan, especially when they had their first encounter with Assef. During this particular scene, the author describes Hassan in such depth that it showcases his admiration for his best friend. The only time that Amir’s admiration for Hassan turns into jealousy and anger, is when Baba gets added to the equation. For example in chapter 7, he goes on and on about how Hassan is such a great Kite runner but then his tone switches to indignation when he talks about Baba praising Hassan.
Word count: 112

Jaah

12/4/2020 01:34:28 pm

Yes Pazir! Amir is definitely filled with jealousy. Amir really just wants his father attention and affection but there is just some disconnect and something that he lacks, but Hassan has. I like how you mentioned how Hassan has more of Baba’s respect and admiration than Amir does. I think this is truly Amir’s source of anger and aggression. Like you said, He uses his anger to control his actions. I like how you said that Hassan was literally a sacrifice for the blue kite. Because that is exactly how Amir treated him in that situation, all so he can gain the recognition he so desperately craved from his dad.
~110 words

Azzami

12/6/2020 09:53:09 pm

I agree with you Pazir. Amir has great jealousy for Hassan because he's not like Hassan. Hassan is the son that Baba wanted Amir to be. Amir tries really hard to please his father but whatever he does is not good enough for his father, even if what he's doing makes himself happy. Now because of the kite flying competition, Amir has finally done something that is pleasing to his father. All he needed now was the blue kite to win him over. Hassan would do anything and everything for Amir but because Amir was jealous of Hassan and wanted his father's love he just let Hassan get slaughtered.

Azzami

12/6/2020 09:54:19 pm

word count: 110

Shahmeer

12/7/2020 11:42:46 am

I agree that Amir is definitely jealous of Hassan, which makes it so easy for Amir to displace his emotions on Hassan. There was a moment when Amir was running away from the scene of Hassan's assault that he thought "well he's just a Hazara" in order to justify his actions for running away. Amir, who has grown up with Hassan like a brother, has so much jealousy that it has turned to hate and indifference. I believe that because he has those thoughts, that a part of him has never seen Hassan as a brother, but more like his servant/slave. He has little to no remorse because of this.
Word Count: 111

Azfaar

12/8/2020 09:13:04 pm

I like how you connected Baba into your repose. I agree with you Amir does envy Hassan's genuine ways. To make matters worse Baba's recognition of it makes Amir feel even more jealous of Hassan. It is Hassan’s hope to finally have his dad really see and love him but he feels Hassan is stealing that position. Amir never being able to possess the authenticity Hassan has, makes him redirect his built up anger on Hassan. Just like the Sheep, Hassan made a sacrifice for a higher purpose. Hassan viewed Amir's happiness from getting the kite as important enough to get assaulted for. Word count- 105

Bahnam

12/4/2020 12:06:41 pm

Amir’s statement, “He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him,” shows that Hassan’s morality principle of superego is more stronger than Amir’s while Amir’s id or pleasure principle is more stronger than Hassan’s. Hassan is definitely more mature than Amir and knows a distinct line between right and wrong while Amir will do anything to get Baba’s attention and in doing, so the line between right and wrong is blurred. This is shown in Chapter Seven when Hassan is assaulted and Amir believes that Hassan getting assaulted is the price he needed to pay to get Baba’s love and attention. Amir is in denial that Hassan getting assaulted was just something that needed to happen for him to win Baba’s approval. However, in reality, he should’ve forfeited the idea of Baba’s approval and helped Hassan out. Amir recalls the sheep’s slaughter during Hassan’s assault because Hassan and the sheep are both “pure” in his eyes. Hassan and the sheep did not deserve what happened to them, but the both of them accepted it because there is nothing they could’ve done to stop that moment from happening. “The look of the lamb” is when someone has already accepted their fate even if they don’t deserve it.
Word Count: 211

Zemar

12/5/2020 10:11:31 pm

I agree with Bahnam that while Hassan didn’t get education and learn to do things (for example read) like Amir did, Hassan still seemed to be more mature and aware of the “distinct line between right and wrong”. I also agree with their point that since Amir will do anything to get Baba’s attention, that line is more blurred for him. Amir’s choice in what happened in chapter 7 showed a lot about him and how far he would go/what horrible things he would allow to happen to get that attention. I also agree with their point of view that Hassan, like a sheep, kind of accepted what happened in the moment because there was nothing they could have done to stop it.
Word Count: 124

Zemar

12/4/2020 04:05:54 pm

The significance about the Amir’s statement, “He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him”, was that it shows a lot about his personality. It kind of makes me think that Amir is jealous of Hassan. Hassan as a person is just a good person. He treats Amir in a way that Amir is mad at because he can’t reciprocate it. Amir can’t be as loyal and as good of a person as Hassan is to him, and that just relates back to his character/personality. It even seems like, in that scene, he’s trying to mess with Hasan’s purity and dampen or darken it so that they can be more on the same level/equal. The sheep in Chapter 7 symbolizes Hassan and Amir probably recalls the sheep because a sheep is innocent and in that situation he could probably see the innocence in his eyes and connected it with Hassan making a sacrifice for him. When Amir refers to "the look of the lamb" I think it has to do with how lambs are usually sacrificed for some kind of greater reason or good whether it be religious or not. And I think he might've connected that with the situation with Hassan and the deeper meaning behind it.
Word Count: 214

Asadi

12/6/2020 07:47:08 pm

Yes, I agree with Zemar because Amir is clearly jealous of Hassan. Amir knows that he could never be half of what a good person Hassan is to make Baba "proud" or have his attention. Again with the sheep, yes I also see it in the same way, as a sacrifice connected to innocence. The way that you explained how Amir refers to "the look of the lamb" and how it probably meant something more significant to sacrifice the lamb means more to them because of their religion. Also about how the situation with Hassan connected to the deeper meaning behind the sheep situation.

word count, 104

Farjaad

12/17/2020 11:38:20 pm

I agree with Zemar! The more I think about it, the more it reminds me of the commonly used quote: "It's so cute I want to kill it". As humans, sometimes we see something so much "better" than we are that its existence almost seems wrong. Although I believe Amir's reference to Hassan's purity is rooted more in jealousy than genuine astoundment, nonetheless, the comparison is interesting. I think Amir's action of letting Hassan get assaulted held more to it than just Baba, I believe in some sickly curious way he wanted to see what would happen; what would be the implications of his actions. Much like how he'd pretend to read to Hassan just because he could, just to see how Hassan would react.
Words-125

Shahmeer

12/4/2020 04:44:09 pm

Amir most likely feels like phony in front of Hassan because that purity is Hassan being in control of his superego. Even though the reader doesn’t know Hassan’s thoughts, we do know from Amir, the narrator, that Hassan is honest and forever compliant with his social status. Hassan does get teased, even assaulted by Assef, for being a Hazara, but he never fights back because he is aware of his social status and the consequences if did fight back. Amir mentions the sheep during Hassan’s assault because the sheep “knows” that it can do nothing in it's situation, it is compliant. Amir implies that the sheep knows its purpose/duty as sheep to be budcthred for Hallah meat. Hassan is compared to the lamb because he has a duty to protect his friend Amir and bring the kite back to him. Hassan looked compliant because, according to Amir, he had to suffer in order to get the blue kite and perform his duty. Hassan truly does deserve a better “friend” than Amir. Amir’s ego uses displacement to put the guilt he feels on Hassan i.e. Amir believes Hassan’s assault was justified (“the price”), in order to receive the kite. That's Amir's ego defending itself because the superego (that knows his actions are wrong) is fighting with his id (the part of him that ignores the pain and suffering Hassan is feeling).
Word Count: 232

Zarak

12/6/2020 03:56:22 pm

I agree with you Shahmeer, I think that in the story, although the point of view is told from Amir, Hassan is an honest, innocent person that does not fight back even as you mentioned, when Assef assaulted Hassan. I think this shows how Hassan is as a person. I also like how you relate the sheep to the story because just how the sheep had to get sacrificed, while Hassan also suffered and sacrificed a part of him in order to help Amir by bringing back his blue kite to him. This shows how a good friend Hassan is to Amir.
Word Count:101

Azoom

12/6/2020 07:45:37 pm

I completely agree that Amir feels like a phony around Hassan. Amir has mistreated Hassan only to get endless devotion in return. I think his “friendship” with Hassan makes him feel like a phony. He’s dishonest with his feelings towards Hassan yet Hassan is always completely honest and supportive of Amir. Amir feels like a sort of fraud compared to Hassan. I also completely agree that Hassan deserves someone better than Amir. In a sad way, I think it would have been better if Amir just left Hassan alone from the very beginning and never formed a strong relationship with him. Hassan’s feelings would have never been toyed with and disrespected if he had never become “friends” with Amir.

Word Count: 119

Azoom

12/4/2020 08:47:50 pm

Amir’s statement is significant because it shows his true feelings about Hassan. The use of the “goddamn” gives the statement an obviously negative connotation. This lets us know he thinks negatively about Hassan. Amir has pushed all his negative feelings about himself and his general negative emotions onto Hassan, hence why he’s insulting his very purity. Amir hates that Hassan is everything he isn’t. Amir’s actions and thoughts match up completely with the theory of displacement. He’s reassigned his negative feelings onto Hassan which has made Hassan his new source of anger and annoyance. He did this in an attempt to feel better about all the awful things he’s done.

The sheep in chapter seven symbolizes a sacrifice for something greater and is supposed to be Hassan. Hassan and the sheep are the same; they were sacrificed for something “greater.” In the sheep's case, it was sacrificed, or killed, to be eaten. It’s similar to the way Amir sacrificed Hassan during his assault so that he could get his kite back and make his father proud. Amir thinks about the sheep's slaughter during Hassan’s assault because they are the same in his mind. When Amir thinks about the “look of the lamb” he’s referring to the look of acceptance. He recalls that the sheep seemed to accept it’s fate of death. He saw the same look of acceptance in Hassan’s face during his assault. Hassan accepted what was happening to him all to give Amir what he wanted most; his father’s praise.

Word Count: 252

Asadi

12/6/2020 08:26:30 pm

I agree with you Azoom because the use of the "cursing" coming from Amir clearly states the he is fed up with Hassan always being "favorited" or getting more attention from Baba. The part you wrote about the sheep being sacrificed I also agree on. I think it does represent Hassan and how Amir shoved Hassan into getting assaulted, almost like the sheep forced to be sacrificed. Also how you explained how Hassan accepting what had happened to him to give Amir what he had wanted the most, being his father dear attention.

word count: 94

Azzami

12/6/2020 10:13:27 pm

I agree with you Azoom. All of Amir's actions have been based on his jealousy towards Hassan. He's jealous of Hassan because he's the son that Baba wanted Amir to be. He's jealous because Hassan is basically perfect because he's innocent and pure. Hassan loves him so much more than Amir loves him and that is clearly displayed throughout the novel. Amir only cares about one thing, which is to make his father accept him. He let his friend get assaulted just to earn love from his father. Even though the guilt of what he witnessed and what he could've done to prevent it is eating him alive, he is still pleased with the fact that he earned his father's love.
word count: 121

Derrell

12/11/2020 01:32:18 pm

All of Amir's acts were based on his envy of Hassan. Since he's the son that Baba wanted Amir to be, he's jealous of Hassan. He's jealous because Hassan is practically perfect, because he's innocent and pure. Hassan loves him so much more than he loves Amir, and the whole book is clearly evident. There is only one thing that Amir cares about, which is to make his father love him. He doesn't care about Hassan being hurt as long as he earns he's father approval

Dadvar

12/4/2020 10:53:51 pm

I think Amir's statement about Hassan, "He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him" is Amir lashing out due to his own personal insecurities and issues with himself. I think that consciously he understands that Hassan is a genuinely better person than him when it comes to integrity, honesty and "purity", because of that he is jealous and spiteful. Freud's theory says "displacement is aggression to a scapegoat to relieve tension"; and this seems to be the equivalent to what is happening in the story. Amir's guilt, not standing up for Hassan and standing back to watch his "friend" be assaulted is causing him to lash out at Hassan, instead of reflecting upon himself and working through his own issues to become a better person, he is almost taking the easy way out. This is Amir's way of dealing with the guilt and shame he feels for not helping Hassan and being a better person, by pushing the blame and fault from himself to Hassan. While I do think Amir's character is deplorable the emotional reaction is expected for his age. I think the inability to deal with his actions, insecurities and overall self aren't surprising. Specifically looking into that last part, " you always felt like a phony around him" says a lot about Amir's personality; Amir is showing that he is not actually upset at Hassan but how Hassan makes him feel which seems to be unworthy and insecure.
Word Count~ 246

Asadi

12/4/2020 11:13:06 pm

The significance of the statement that Amir stated toward Hassan was more in a negative, envy type of way. It was clear that Amir was very jealous of Hassan for receiving so much of Baba's attention, he wasn't quite happy about it either, hence the "g*ddamn" phrase that was used. Since he used such foul language and was very vain about how he felt, it was clear that jealousy was the only thing that it could have been. What I think the sheep symbolized in Ch 7 was that you have to give up things for other things. In other words, sometimes you need to sacrifice something to get something, but not in a way to make anyone feel or look bad, purly for the innocence. I believe that the sacrifice of the sheep also ties back to how Amir sacrificed Hassan during the assault to get his kite back, which in my opinion is the most selfish thing someone as a "friend" can do. Not only did Amir cause his friend trauma, but he put him in a situation that would make anyone judge their friendship. After Amir only thinking for himself and once again, being selfish, just to get Baba's attention, he wasn't really concerned with the tortue that Hassan went through.

word count : 214

Zemar

12/5/2020 10:20:19 pm

I agree with Asadi that Amir's statement was in a negative and envious tone/way toward Hassan. Amir always talked about how he wanted Baba to treat him the way he treated and/or looked at Hassan in certain situations. He envied how Baba would praise Hassan for things and no matter how hard Amir tried doing multiple different things, it was a difficult task for him to get praise, attention, or acknowledgement. I agree that what Amir did, feeling as though Hassan should have been sacrificed in that way so that he would be able to get the blue kite and that an action like that measured up to the attention he was going to get from Baba, was very selfish. The things that we’ve seen from Amir so far makes me think that this probably isn’t the last selfish thing he’s going to do and probably isn’t the last time he will bring pain to those around him.
Word Count: 160

Farjaad

12/4/2020 11:47:34 pm

Amir’s statement “He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him” is a direct representation of Freud’s theory of Displacement. Amir knows that his behavior is wrong. He knows that his treatment of Hassan is manipulative and derogatory, but since Hassan doesn’t know that there are no direct repercussions. Hassan treats him with benevolence and Amir knows that he doesn’t deserve it, he doesn’t deserve Hassan’s honesty, support, and friendship. However, instead of being content with the guilt or even being honest, Amir chooses to replace those emotions with aggression, that way he no longer has to feel bad for his behavior, but instead angry at Hassan for falling for it. This aggression is also fueled by his jealousy of Hassan and the praise he received from Baba, in a way, Hassan’s assault, to Amir, was necessary for him to receive Baba’s affection. The sheep in chapter seven is a direct representation of Hassan, their slaughter synonymous with his assault, but also the sacrifice. In sacrificing the safety and humanity of Hassan he was able to receive the affections of Baba. Amir recalls the slaughter of the sheep during Hassan’s assault because Hassan holds the type of “purity” one associates with sheep. They aren’t violent animals, they’re prey. Amir’s reference of the “Look of the lamb” means the look on Hassan's face, the recognition of being powerless, of being at the will of the predator.
Words-239

Dadvar

12/6/2020 11:26:45 pm

Your analysis really made me think about how manipulative Amir's actions are, it's almost as if he is playing with Hassan's emotions at times and not at all being considerate of how Hassan feels or what he is doing to him. I think that Amir's actions are not thought through one bit; most of the time he is acting out of his emotions rather than thinking through anything or even how the actions he is planning on taking will affect others. I wanted to also say how I’m glad you talked about how Amir does feel guilt; because it is clear in the story that he does feel guilt he isn't a heartless monster; a really terrible person who doesn't think of anything but himself; yes.
Word Count~126

Azzami

12/5/2020 10:48:33 pm

The significance of Amir’s statement, “He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him”? is that Amir is angry and jealous that Hassan is such a flawless child. Amir doesn't like how he's such a good kid and how he's so innocent. His jealousy causes him to be angry and feel stupid. Amir knows that Baba also loves Hassan and even was more proud of Hassan than Amir at one point. Because Hassan seems to be more of an ideal child, Amir gets jealous and feels like he's nothing when he's around him. Sigmund Freud’s theory of displacement is displayed within Amir's remark about Hassan because Hassan was an innocent child and that caused Amir to have some ill feelings about Hassan. The sheep in chapter seven shows that Hassan looked just like the sheep did when the sheep was about to get slaughtered. The lamb symbolizes Hassan's innocence which was about to be taken away. Hassan knew what was about to happen to him and just accepted what was going to happen and didn't try to fight back. Amir's recollection of the lamb showed that he knew that Hassan was going to go through something terrible but he didn't step in to try and save Hassan. He just let Hassan be assaulted because Hassan had the blue kite which was his key to having a better relationship with his father. Amir let his ego get the best of him while letting his best friend get raped.
Word Count: 252

Tashfeen

12/6/2020 04:00:01 pm

The symbolism behind the sheep being slaughtered and accepting its fate is because the sheep understands that its only purpose is to serve its master. I feel like the first sentence sounds a bit controversial(?), but I’m simply saying that the literal purpose of a domesticated sheep is to wander around eating grass and then get killed or perhaps being kept alive for its fur.

The reason why Amir can recount the sheep being slaughtered, during the moment of Hassan’s assault, is because when he has had a moment of clarity; he is finally able to piece together the reason behind why people don’t put up a fight when they should. In Hassan’s case, the reason why he does not put up a fight is that he believes that Amir’s happiness is above any pain that he will have to endure.

Every time that Amir is in Hassan’s presence, he feels as if he is a phony because Hassan is sincere in everything that he does while Amir usually has an ulterior motive. For example, when Amir was “reading” a story to Hassan, he changed up the words to trick him, but Hassan ended up saying that the story was the best that he had ever heard.
Word count: 208

Azoom

12/6/2020 08:12:01 pm

I agree with you about the sheep understanding it’s only purpose is to serve it’s master. I honestly think that’s exactly how Hassan feels about Amir. Hassan feels that Amir’s needs, the kite, are far more important than himself. Because of his status as a Hazara and as Amir’s servant, Hassan wrongfully believes that his life should only be devoted to Amir and his happiness. The master and servant relationship definitely apply to Amir and Hassan respectively.

I think Hassan’s honesty and overall selflessness are what make Amir feel like a phony around him. Like you said, Amir often seems to have some unsavory ulterior motive behind the things he does with Hassan.

Word Count: 113

Badih

12/16/2020 03:30:48 pm

I think that your statement is very true and important when reading those chapters. Amir Knows he has more power than Hassan does. Which means he can take advantage of that to protect himself through any situation he comes across to. Hassan would do anything for Amir and Amir knows that. I agree with what you said about how Hassan feels like the kite and Amir are more important than himself. I do think that’s true because we know Hassan has proven his loyalty for Amir but we also know that Amir would never do the same for him. Hassan deserves a better friendship and a better life.

Word count:109

Azfaar

12/8/2020 08:55:10 pm

I completely agree with you. I like how you connected the sheep and Hassan accepting his faith with the fact that both of their purposes were to serve someone higher than them. Hassan does put Amir first and makes getting the kite to him a priority over his own safety. I find it interesting that he cares for Amir so much even though the feeling is not mutually shown. Amir does feel like a "phony" in Hassan's presence because he is not as genuine with the things he says and does. I like your example as well. word count- 100

Derrell

12/11/2020 01:26:04 pm

I agree with you, I like the fact you made a connection with sheep and Hassan. Hassan wrongfully believes that his life should be devoted solely to Amir and his happiness, because of his status as a Hazara and a servant of Amir.

Azfaar

12/7/2020 10:48:06 pm

Amir’s statement “He was so goddamn pure you always felt like a phony around him” is significant because it exposes how Amir is secretly envious of Hasasan’s integrity but does not admit it to himself. Hassan is selfless, forgiving, empathetic, and has all the qualities that makes up a “good” person. Amir doesn't naturally have these qualities and feels like a phony when he tries to mimic them. Sigmud’s Theory of displacement relates to the boys because Amir’s anger and frustration with the relationship between him and his father is taken out on Hassan when those feelings do not have anything to do with him. Amir often tries to get Hassan mad enough to display violent actions as a way to make himself feel better about the way he emotionally handles things.He wants to convince himself that him and Hassan are just alike but they are not. The sheep symbolizes how helpless and “doomed” Hassan was in the alley. The look of the lamb as it was about to be killed looked like it accepted its fate. Much like the sheep in the moment before his assault Hassan accepted his fate and understood that it was a price to pay for being Hazara and being seen as less than. Word count-212

Derrell

12/11/2020 01:18:47 pm

I assume that the significance of Amir's comment in chapter 6 is that Amir was jealous of Hassan. Throughout the storyline, we can see how Amir always handles and teases Hassan. Amir is jealous of him when he learns that Baba has more affection for Hassan than for him. Amir is looking for the love from his father, Baba. This applies to Sigmund Freud's displacement theory, defined as Amir's comment on Hassan showed that Hassan was an innocent child and that Amir seemed to have some sick feelings towards Hassan.

In Chapter 7, the killing of sheep symbolizes a sacrifice that needs to be made in order for individuals to get what they want. It's similar to how Amir sacrificed Hassan during his attack so that he could get his kite back and make his dad proud. During Hassan's assault, Amir was thinking about the slaughter of the sheep because they became the same in his mind. He is referring to the expression of recognition when Amir speaks of the "look of the lamb." He remembers that the sheep seemed to endorse the fate of the lamb. He wasn't really worried about the tortoise that Hassan had gone through after Amir had just thought about himself and become selfish again just to get Baba's attention.

Painda

12/12/2020 09:28:28 pm

The significance of Amir’s statement, “He was so g*ddamn pure, you always felt like a phony around him” is that he feels jealous of Hassan because of his purity and the fact that Baba wished Amir was like Hassan. Sigmund Freud’s theory of displacement means “reassignment of some kind of aggression to a scapegoat to relieve the tension of a situation or feeling.” this relates to Amir’s situation because he directs his anger onto Hassan. This just shows that deep down Amir has anger that he rather push onto others to make himself feel better rather than confront his issues. The aggression Amir projects onto Hassan is most likely from the anger with himself that he will never be good enough for Baba’s standards and the purity that Hassan withholds. The sheep in Chapter Seven symbolizes the sacrifice of the innocent in order for others to gain what they want. Hassan was the sacrifice in this situation because he realized he had to do this for Amir so that Baba would acknowledge Amir’s accomplishment with his blue kite. Amir connected Hassan to a sheep because he saw the same look of a sheep in Hassan’s eyes before he was attacked.
Word COunt: 201

Badih

12/16/2020 02:46:26 pm

Amir was so obsessed to gain his father's affection that he was willing to do anything to obtain that. “He was so goddamn pure, you always felt like a peony around him”. This quote reveals the envy Amir has for Hassan. He was jealous of him, it’s like he had forgotten that they grew up together and drank from the same breast. Amir envyed Hassan for being a good and perfect son. It seems to me that Amir has daddy issues and he’s insecure about himself so he takes it on Hassan. Amir has this anger inside of him but that doesn’t give him the right to treat Hassan the way he did. He let his superego take over his mind and his actions. Hassan was a good friend, and a good brother because he showed loyalty in any situation. Amir is unsure of what he wants but he has a target on Hassan. The sheep in chapter 7 symbolizes a sacrifice. Amir described how he saw the look on the sheep's face when they slaughtered its neck, he said he’ll never forget the look it had given. This reminds me of when Hassan had taken the blame of the stolen watch and how he had sacrificed himself one last time for Amir before leaving with his father to another town. The pain in Hassan’s eyes will forever stick with Amir just like the sheep. All the sacrifices Hassan did for Amir but Amir never did the same for Hassan not even once.

Word count:253

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