The Kite Runner

I can honestly admit that before reading The Kite Runner, my feelings toward Afghanistan were pure hatred for what they did to our country on September eleventh. However, it never crossed my mind to think about the innocent people living in Afghanistan and how their life must be. From reading this novel I have a whole new perspective and compassion for all the innocent woman and children living in turmoil in the third world country. The Kite Runner is definitely a form of propaganda, but in a positive way by giving Americans an insight to the real world of Afghan people and how their lives were taken over, ruined, and changed forever.
Before reading the novel I categorized all Afghanistan people as horrible and disgusting for wanting to hurt Americans as bad as they did. How selfish I was to never once think that not all of these people wanted to hurt America. I never though about all the innocent children who were being cheated from a childhood and education and not even make it past age ten. Never once did I think about people dying everyday from land mines, public executions, and being killed for no good reason at all. I now understand people in Afghanistan suffer everyday in their horrible life style and conditions they live in, living in fear of the Taliban and not surviving the day. The novel really made me gain a whole new perspective and feelings of sadness and remorse for all the innocent people. Their lives were once great and normal of not living in fear of death or land mines, they were peaceful and happy; but now their lives are much different. We are not the only ones who suffer, even though 9/11 was not fair the people in Afghanistan have it much worse because they live through it every day of their lives, and it seems there is no escaping it.
In the novel, the author tells a story of how good life was in Afghanistan before the Russian invasion and attacks of the Taliban. This is “good” propaganda because it will give judgmental Americans a real look inside the lives of Afghanistan people living in a third world country. Before in Afghanistan, people were happy and not living in fear of an enemy. However their world was turned upside down when their homes were invaded and many people were killed. The Kite Runner explains in detail many aspects of their lives were taken away and ruined. People lost everything and were forced to leave and make matters work on their own with their families. Traditions such as the “kite flying contest” were lost, buildings, schools, and even orphanages were burned down, and many people were being murdered everywhere. Their home of Afghanistan turned into hell, how would we feel if what happened to Afghanistan happened here in America? Then, people would looser their stereotypes and racial profiling against Afghanistan people would be forgotten because we would live through all the suffering and loss that they live through every day.
The novel is appropriate for both groups; Americans and Afghanistan’s, to prove to people there are a lot of innocent people living in Afghanistan that do not wish to hurt Americans. In fact, their wish is probably to live here in America away from the Taliban who murder people for fun and perform public executions to entertain people. Americans need to read this novel to understand there are children in Afghanistan who are being cheated a childhood, an education, and even parents. There are also many men and women who are being murdered in their homes, or taken to be murdered publicly for no reason. If American people read this novel, they will understand that the people living over seas live a life they will never experience, and it’s a very sad and difficult life. Especially for all the children who are in the orphanages, where they barely eat and live in horrible conditions, and even sold for money to rich Taliban who does god know what with these poor children. I am sure all Afghanistan people would want American to read this book, for them to be able to understand how their home country was destroyed. Hopefully, from this people will not discriminate and stereotype that all Afghanistan people want to hurt Americans, and their lives back at home are a lifestyle Americans will never experience.
This book totally and completely changed my opinion, it made me realize how American categorize all Afghans as “bad people” and the “enemy” because of what the Taliban did to us. However, did it ever cross our minds to think that there are thousands of innocent people living over seas that live this nightmare every single day of their lives? None of us probably do. The Kite Runner story really illustrates the life of Afghans before and after the invasion or the Russian and murderous Taliban. The main character Amir, his life growing up before the invasion was peaceful, and his home land was happy. However, it all changed after the invasion and they came to America and lived in the lower class of society since they were immigrants. For the ones who stayed in Afghanistan, their lives were changed by loosing everything and for some even loosing their lives. I have definitely gained a place in my heart for all those living overseas in the horrible conditions of a third world country. I wish in some miraculous way I could help them all, and free them from their life of fear, feed the people, and give the children a chance to an education and a normal childhood. There are so many suffering in Afghanistan, and I wish we could all work together to help the unfortunate who live a 9/11 nightmare every day.
The writer of The Kite Runner definitely wrote this novel as a form of propaganda; not to gain sympathy or give justice to the 9/11 attacks, but to make Americans understand the Taliban are not the only ones. There are many other innocent people, especially children, who live a life of turmoil and disaster with no escaping it. Americans need to realize this and stereotype and categorize all Afghanistan people as the “enemy”. This novel definitely changed my opinion and perspective on the Afghanistan, and hopefully people can read this book and feel the same way I do, by wanting to help all the innocent over seas.