About the Kite Runner Book
Written by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner was published in 2003 by Riverhead Books. It is the first novel by Khaled Hosseini, and it tells the story of a young boy called Amir from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul.
The book follows the maturation of Amir, who needs to seek his way in the world as he realizes that all he has based his life upon has nothing to do with his dominant culture.
The Kite runner book is considered a contemporary classic and falls under the Bildungsroman genre (coming of age).
It has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years, from March 2005 to 2007. The book also received the South African Boeke Prize in 2004 and was voted the Reading Group Book of the Year for 2006 and 2007.
The Kite Runner Summary
The novel opens in San Francisco and is about Amir, a Sunni Muslim struggling to find his position in the world due to the fallout of a series of traumatic childhood experiences in Afghanistan.
Amir struggles with finding a way to atone for the decisions he made in his pre-adolescent age that have lasting consequences, determining his relationship with Hassan, his servant, and forging a stronger relationship with his father. Due to this political instability, Amir and his father, Baba, are forced to flee Afghanistan and create a new life in the United States.
However, circumstances force Amir to return to Afghanistan to face the decisions and demons of his youth and a slim hope of redemption. In a nutshell, the Kite Runner is a novel that tells of relationships, from Amir and Baba to Hassan, Rahim Khan, Sohrab, and Soraya, and how they make us who we are as people.
The Kite Runner Quotes
There are quite many major quotes and prompts from kite runner characters. They include: “That was a long time ago, but what they say about the past is wrong. I’ve learned about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” – Amir
“A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” – Baba
“Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any notion that a way of life had ended.” – Amir
“I aspired to cowardice because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right. Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.” – Amir
Essay Structure on The Kite Runner
Introduction
The main purpose of the introduction is to present your argument, thesis, or position about the book, character, or issue you are writing about. Sometimes, before you begin your outline and address the issue, you can start with a “hook.” This hook draws your reader’s attention and makes them want to go on reading beyond the titles.
Examples of a compelling hook could be relevant quotations from the book (“A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.”). With the reader’s attention locked, drawn, or hooked, you can move on to your thesis statement. The thesis statement has to be clear and lucid, leaving no doubt in the mind of your reader which position you are sticking with.
The Body Paragraphs
The main purpose of the body paragraphs is to explain in detail the examples you have chosen to support your argument. The first body paragraph has to have the most significant example or your strongest argument.
Always write in contexts, explain to your reader the topic sentence in detail, who/what is used as an example and why you have chosen to use that example. Directly state why the chosen example is relevant; for this, you can provide your reader with five or six relevant examples that clearly illustrate that point in your pdf.
Conclusion
It is the final paragraph and signals your last chance to make your case solid; hence, it should be well-crafted. Start with concluding themes (in the end, in conclusion, etc.), add an allusion to the statement you used in the introduction, and restate your thesis statement.
Lastly, make your final sentence in that essay a call to action or global statement. This gives your readers the sign that you have brought this argument to an end.
Tips to Consider While Writing An Essay About The Kite Runner
Read the book thoroughly
Quite clearly, you cannot write about a book you haven’t read, so your best bet in writing an essay about the Kite Runner is to read the book. While reading the novel and after reading it, you should be able to come up with a series of questions about the aspects of the texts. This will help you to understand the book and the essay better.
You might begin to have questions as to the motivations of the characters and the vices and virtues of the characters. Also, it begins to give you insight into what statements or actions depicted their morals, desires, and the story. It also helps you understand the message the author was trying to convey.
Reading the book thoroughly sets you up for the next tip, finding a compelling topic
Find a compelling topic
By thoroughly reading The Kite Runner, you will come up with several questions that will form the base for a compelling topic. The response to any of the questions asked above, as well as the ones that will be asked in this section, should give you a good base for your essay topic.
What is the story about? Were there any social problems the author tried to convey in the novel? Were there any solutions to those problems? What messages did the author try to communicate regarding humanity, perception of reality, and shared human experiences? Did the story use symbols? What do the symbols represent?
Answers to these questions or the questions themselves can create a compelling topic for your essay.
Examples of good essay topics on The Kite Runner
Write the thesis statement
Create a robust and specific thesis statement. Think of all the arguments you will include as supporting points for your thesis statement and get relevant examples in the novel that illustrate and enhance your arguments and position on the issue. Choose a memorable quote that will back up your chosen position.
Create the outline
The next step is to organize your thoughts and create the outline. Think of the structure of the essay and create an outline of it. This will serve as the foundational framework upon which all of your content will be created.
Your outline should consist of three main parts: the introductory paragraph, the body paragraphs, and the concluding paragraph. All of these have been explained earlier but let’s go through them briefly.
- The introduction must start with a hook to grab your readers’ attention; it may be a question, an anecdote, or a memorable quote. Let it also have some background information about the book and its author.
- The body paragraphs must present all of the arguments necessary and relevant to support your thesis statement. Each section must have a specific point.
- The conclusion must wrap up all of your ideas with a strong impression on your readers. Emphasize the relevance of your thesis and its supporting points.
Include a lesson or moral
The moral or lesson of the story always revolves around the story’s theme. The moral of your essay will revolve around the theme of your essay, the element that your essay carries, the belief, argument, position, and central idea. It is what you want your readers to leave with after they have read your essay. So, figure out your thesis statement and the stance you have chosen, and you will easily find a lesson or moral for your essay.
Conclusion: Proofread your work
Finally, go through your essay, revise it, edit it, review it, modify your ideas, and reorganize your sentences or ideas to make them as best as they can be. Improve on the clarity and the style and correct any spelling or grammar mistakes.
If you do not have the inspiration to write an essay about the Kite Runner, our writers are here to help you with a perfect essay while you enjoy reading the book.
FAQs
Is The Kite Runner a banned book?
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini appeared in the American Library Association’s top ten list of frequently challenged books in 2008. the major concerns about reading this book in high schools were its age inappropriateness, offensive language, religious viewpoints, depictions of homosexuality, sexual violence, and sexually explicit content.
Is The Kite Runner hard to read?
It is rated at the Grade 6 reading level, but the Kite Runner is not for the faint of heart; sometimes, it can be downright brutal, and the subject matter and language are not for the younger teens to read. However, more mature and older teens can read it as important lessons to be learned from it.
Is The Kite Runner a true story?
No, it is not a true story. It has fictitious characters and is a historical fiction set against the tumultuous backdrop of Afghan historical events. It focuses on that period’s particular social conditions and settings, but it is not a true story.
What is the story of The Kite Runner?
The story of The Kite Runner is more than just Amir and his struggles. It is more than just the Afghanistan values; it is about friendship, relationships, guilt, loss, forgiveness, a desire for atonement, and longing to be better.
