Global issues

Today we started up a project in class where we are to have both an oral presentation and a written report about a global issue. I've chosen human trafficking, and my problem is "In which ways has globalization affected the human trafficking?". I think I might change it through the project, but now I have an idea about what to do.

Heading forward

It makes me really scared sometimes when I'm surrounded by people talking about their futures and plans going many years ahead. The reason I get frightened is that I always end up understanding that my plans doesn't last for long. There are many problems on my way out there, and first of all, we have the worst one. The fear. Even when I'm home I sometimes get afraid when I'm alone, because I don't feel secure.

How people want to spend their lives is very different. Some people plan their whole way and follow it, while others like to live on the edge and take what comes along. It might be that a part of getting exited enough for studying doesn't only include “the safe side” - to know that you'll get a good job and a secure future. An other way to encourage oneself to get educated could be to chose an education that might not be as secure in the future, but one that you find really interesting. The problem about this would be that you might not get anywhere with it. It's important to be reflected and critical, to know the good and bad sides about one self.

I'm still not sure about what I'm going to do when my time in this school is over, but I know with myself that I need a plan and a goal with my future. I'm that kind of boring person who need to know every step of the road, and stick to my plan. Not just so I know what I'm going to do in the future, but just as much for counting down until my years in school is over. Because I don't have a plan yet, and probably won't have one in a year, I've almost decided that I'm taking at least one year in the military first and then, hopefully, I decide to take my education in the army or to take it at another place.

Many people talk about taking some or all of the years studying in other countries than Norway, for example Australia, England or America, but I don't think that's something for me either. I think it would be smart to study somewhere you need to speak English as well as meeting new people and getting used to handle people from different sides of the world. At the same time my English would improve and this will probably get more important during the globalization. But my “being alone”-fear comes all back to me here as well. But nothing is decided yet, for now I let it all be a surprise.

News story

After the press conference with Bradford Wainwright(36) and his 12 year younger fiancée, Lisa Thomlinson(24) a lot of secrets got out. They does clearly not know each other well enough after just three months of relationship before Brad proposed to Lisa. There are obviously a lot of things they haven't spoken about yet, for example what to do with Bradford's strip club. Brad says he has used more money on Lisa's wedding ring than what he did on Alex's, but one can only hope. Many were also disappointed about the proposal itself, as rich as Brad is, one would think he put some money in the proposal to make the whole thing special, but Lisa confirmed the rumor about him proposing on the field after his horse won a race. The honeymoon on the other hand is a trip to Bahamas, so let us hope they will make it at least throughout the trip. For Lisa, that would be a new record on long lasting relationships.

Good luck.

Kite Runner - the movie

Here comes another blog post about The Kite Runner.

In 2007 the bestselling novel “The Kite Runner”, was made into a film. I had many expectations to this film as well as the many enchanted readers of “the kite runner”. How would the producers and the director capture Hosseini’s unique description of Kabul, the life and Hassan and Amir’s friendship? I hoped for the best, but I (and probably most of the ones watching after reading!) left disappointed.

The feeling of being in Kabul and watching Amir’s life, that you almost can touch when you read the book, is not present in Marc Forsters filmversion. It is mostly a endless row of scenes (parts of the book) passing by without leaving a trace or feeling behind, except for disappointment and irritation. Some scenes made an impression, thanks to the memories from the book being recreated. Kabul seems very fake, without any real life, just a coulisse. If someone isn’t careful behind the walls, it will just fall apart.

The actor of Amir is ok, but Baba andthe older Assef could have been done much better. Baba isn’t the charismatic person he is known for and his “hate”, or anger towards Amir isn’t very clear. And when Hassan and Ali leaves why doesn’t he yell, scream or beg? There are no emotions. However Assef should be more calm. The older Taliban version of Assef should be more malicious and relaxed. He wants revenge, but now he has got all the power. There is nothing Amir can do to stop him, so Assef’s got all the time in the world and he wants to enjoy his revenge. That, however, does not happen. He just screams out his explanation and begin to hit Amir. There isn’t even time for the surprising laugh from Amir, when his conscience is finally clean. And no time for Sohrab to actually know who Amir is…

This is a great example of a bad adaptation from book to movie. And that is just sad for the “bookfans”, cause they are probably the only ones who have to see it.

Role of the Narrator

The narrative point of view in this book is first person, and we get to see everything through Amir's eyes. We get to know his thoughts, his past and his fears. At the same time we get to know how things looks, we get to see what Amir can see. All through the book he has been speaking about his past, and things that has happened to him earlier in his life. Now it's changed to present tense, and he doesn't talk or speak so much of the past anymore. But suddenly he gets contacted by Rahim Kahn, and there is a whole chapter, chapter 16, where the whole narrative point of view still is first person, but this time it's seen from Rahim Kahn's side of the case.

The role of the first person is written different when Rahim is the first person. The whole chapter is one long monologue by Rahim, and already in his second sentence he says "Allah forgive me...", which is something Amir would never almost start a sentence with, as he doesn't believe very much in God. There isn't any descriptions of what Rahim can see or what he does, all through the chapter. It's only one long "speech". If Amir where the first person in this chapter, we would probably get to know more about what he felt when Rahim told him everything, but we don't get any reactions from him before the next chapter.

As I've written in earlier texts, I feel like I am Amir sometimes. This is because of the first person narrative where we get to know and see everything he does. When I got to chapter 16 where Rahim tells this long story to Amir, I think it was very clever of the author to change the narrative from Amir as first person, and rather have Rahim as the first person while telling. In this way, I still have the feeling of being Amir because it feels like everything Rahim says, he says to me. It's written in a way that makes the reader feel he or she is the one Rahim is telling the story to, and in this way we know Amir's feelings. It's not written. It's not written how he feels, what he says or if i moves. But so far in the book, I know Amir. I know how he looks when Rahim tells this to him, I know what he thinks and I know how he feels.

Amir doesn't give any response to Rahim about what he has said until chapter 17 where Amir is first person again, and everything is back to "normal". Instead of putting Rahim as the first person and give the information to us as a monologue, he could go back in time again, which is done many times before in the book, and show us what has happened. This would make the chapter longer, and more similar to the rest of the book. But i like the way it stands out, and how this makes me feel as I'm the one getting the story.

Chapter 4-9, summary

In The Kite Runner, there are some special relationships between some of the characters. Amir has a relationship with Rahim which should be with Baba. Rahim seems like the present father Amir never had. Rahim listens to what Amir has to say in another way than Baba does. For instance Baba gives Amir expensive gifts for his birthday, a bicycle and watch, while Rahim gives him a book for him to write his stories in. This shows that Rahim listens to Amir, and gives him something that he appreciates. This makes him want to write even more, because he knows Rahim is found of him, and will keep pushing him forward. Baba doesn't ask many questions to Amir about what he likes to do, or wants to become. He's more obsessed with what Amir is NOT, rather than what he IS.

Because of this, Amir finds it very important to get Baba's attention in a more positive way, even for only a short period. He therefor decides to join the kite fighter tournament. Baba encourages him, and tells him often how god he is at this, and that he will win. I think Amir feels this as a pressure, at the same time as he enjoys to the fullest, to finally have his fathers full attention. After the tournament Amir sees Baba on the roof with his hands victorious up in the sky, and I think this gives Amir an extraordinary feeling of certification.

While Amir is watching what's going on in the street Hassan is, we get to look back in two of Amir's early memories. The first one is about Baba. He says "did you know Hassan and you fed from the same breast?".."there's a brotherhood between people who've fed from the same breast". That Amir thinks of this memory while Hassan's being raped, most have something to do with Amir not taking any action. He already there and then starts to feel guilty for not doing anything to stop them. After all, Hassan is his brother. They've fed from the same breast.

The next memory we get is when the two boys sees a fortune-teller man who offers to tell them their fortune for only one rupia. They both pay, and he starts with Hassan. After reading Hassan for a while, he gives him his coin back, rather than telling him what he saw. I think Amir now understands why the fortune-teller wouldn't say what will happen in Hassan's future, because it's to bad to live with. Hassan was already doomed. And when it actually happens, Amir is there. Amir can do something with it. But he chooses not to. Amir is Hassan's horrible future.

The next we get is a dream. A dream Amir had about himself being lost in a snowstorm. This is probably a picture of Amir's feelings at the time, and why he doesn't do anything. He feels alone in a way, just him and Hassan against those three big guys. In the dream he can't see through all the snow. For real, he's closing his eyes. In the dream he choses to take the hand that reaches out for him when he get's the chance. The snow disappears. The sky is again blue and filled with kites. But doesn't take the hand. He just runs away.

Amir get's to see in Hassan's eyes. They look just like the look of a lamb. We get the explanation in another memory. The memory of a lamb being killed for food. In the lamb's eyes it's like it understands. It understands that it's born for a higher purpose. This is the look he compares to Hassan's after the rape. Like Hassan is accepting he's not as good as Amir. As if raping Hassan is okay because that's what the kite is worth. But i feel this is wrong. It's so wrong for a kid to grow up with the impression of being worth less than someone else. That you're born to a higher purpose, that it's okay to get raped, because that's what you're here for. That's just so wrong.

Amir has some phases of guilt through the book. In his early years he does some stupid things to Hassan. It's not any big issues, but he bugs Hassan with big words he doesn't understand because he doesn't have the same chance as Amir to go to a school or learn to read and write. When Amir gets bad guilt for this "innocent joke" he gives Hassan some toys, or some of his clothes. He never says he's sorry. As if he doesn't need to because Hassan is a Hazara. Even though it hasn't been mentioned, I think Amir takes some of the things the other children say's about Hazaras and Hassan into him. Even though Hassan say's they're friends, Amir never admits to anyone that they are.

Later, when bigger problems occurs, Amir pretends that Hassan doesn't exist. After the rape, Amir never tells Hassan that he saw everything, or that he feels guilty. He just stays away. One time, i think he feels he gives Hassan a chance to get back on him, by tossing some blood-red fruit on him, begging him to throw back. Hassan never throws back, and it ends up with Amir throwing all of them on him, and Hassan in the end pressing one on his own forehead. After this I think Hassan understands that Amir knows. Amir find's out that the only solution, for HIM, is that Hassan has to go. He therefor "plants" some of his own stuff under Hassan's bed, so Baba will think it's been stolen. Hassan understands why Amir does this, and tells his father, Ali, about everything, and they decides to leave. Baba begs Ali to stay, and Amir think's he should run out and stop them. But still, he doesn't. He's just watching. He still doesn't take the hand.

Chapter one, the first paragraph

"I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, 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. "

The first paragraph sums up the whole character of Amir as a person who've escaped his past, but still is haunted by it. That he remembers everything with such detail, must be because he's gone through it again and again in his mind. He says it's been on his mind for 26 years, which is a really long time, and for him saying he looks back "into that deserted alley" I get the impression it's not a good memory. The word "deserted" is in this sentence a negative loaded word, and gives thoughts about emptiness and loneliness. Maybe also a sign about him not knowing what to do. As if the desert is new to him, and he's on new land without anything to reach for, only sand.

That he says it's wrong what's said about the past, is a bit sad, and it's obvious that the thing he's talking about has really been bothering him for all these years. He has found a way to bury it down, but not to put it away. The beginning of this book is very interesting, and makes me want to read the rest to find out what he saw, and if he will get it out of his mind.