Outside Reading Quarter 2 Post #5

I read the next chapter and a half of The Kite Runner, and Amir continues to be selfish and ridiculous about the situation with Hassan. During the next chapter, Baba throws a big party for Amir and lots of people show up and give Amir gifts. Assef ( the boy who raped Hassan) also shows up and sucks up to Baba, Amir is rude to Assef and Baba is gets angry at Amir. One thing that I thought was interesting during this part of the book is how the author describes Assef's father as short and lanky and his mother as a nervous woman who smiled and blinked a lot. Hosseini (the author) also describes how Assef led his parents over to Amir like he was the parent which makes sense for his personality. After talking with Assef, Amir talks to Rahim Khan, who tells him a story and reminds Amir that he can tell him anything, but Amir keeps his mouth shut about Hassan.  The next day Amir opens tons of presents, but just throws them in the corner and ignores them. Later that day Hassan and Ali give Amir a new book, one of his favorites in which all of the pictures are hand drawn. The next day Amir decides he wants to get rid of Hassan and Ali so he frames Hassan for stealing a watch he got for his birthday, and then tells Baba.  Hassan confesses to the crime he didn't commit, but to Amir's surpise Baba forgives Hassan. After this however Ali tells Baba that they are leaving the house. Ali refuses to tell Baba why they are leaving and Baba breaks down in tears. I am angry that Amir continues to act selfish because now he instead of just hurting Hassan, he has hurt Ali and Baba too, all because he didn't tell anyone the truth behind Hassan's rape.

Annotation #2

Erlanger, Steven. "French Plans for Energy Reaffirm Nuclear Path." The New York Times. August 17,2008. 

France seems committed to building more nuclear power plants and now gets 77% of its electricity from nuclear energy. The French nuclear company Electricite de France is also trying to buy British Energy and is committed to building nuclear power plants in the U.A.E. and China. French president Nicolas Sarkozy argues it is a good thing saying that each nuclear reactor replacing a coal one saves two billion cubic meters of gas each year. The public on the other hand, isn't so sure. Bottled water sales have increased over the past year, and news has come out about 100 workers being contaminated in Tricastin and about nuclear chemicals escaping into tributaries of the Rhone river. The French government insists that the accidents are minor and have almost no effect, but the public continues to speculate.

Annotated citation #1

Hertel, Nolan."Has the Time Come for Nuclear Power? YES: It's Safe, Clean, Cost Effective. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 27, 2008.

Nolan Hertal of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes that America is ready for and needs for nuclear power plants. Hertal cites a poll that shows that 66% of Americans say they are ready for more nuclear power plants. Hertal also argues that nuclear energy is green stating that plug in cars could happen with nuclear energy and that what is referred to as nuclear waste can actually be recycled and used again. Finally Hertal argues that nuclear energy's safety record has been great during the past thirty years and that we have figured out how to keep things from getting out of control. 

Quarter 2 Outside Reading Post #4

I read the next couple chapters of The Kite Runner and Amir continues to look for Hassan through the streets of Kabul. Finally Amir finds Hassan with the blue kite but surrounded by Assef, the local bully and his friends. Assef demands Amir to give him the kite and when Hassan refuses to give it to him Assef rapes Hassan. Amir watches this happen, but is too scared to intervene so instead he leaves the scene and sees Hassan later and asks what happen but Hassan says nothing. After that Amir's dad becomes very proud of Amir and their relationship improves a lot. However Amir is still haunted by his decision not to help Hassan when he was being raped. Amir constantly thinks about this and doesn't want to play with Hassan anymore. Eventually this leads to Amir throwing lots of pomegranates at Hassan wanting him to throw one at himself and Amir asking his dad if they could get new servants, which his dad gets angry at Amir for. I think that Amir is being unreasonable and mean in these chapters because Hassan was willing to be raped to give Amir his kite and not only was Amir too cowardly to help Hassan, he is mean to Hassan after he is raped. I think Amir really needs forget the situation and stop being angry with himself because that just makes the situation worse. Hassan wouldn't even need an apology from Amir, he just wants to play with him like they used to. As for Amir and his relationship I think that they will never get along that well for long periods of time because they are too different and aren't able to accept each others differences.

Second Qtr. Post #3

I read the next few chapters of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. After overhearing his father talk about how he is weak Amir tries to be tough but still does not gain his father's respect. Amir often reads to Hassan in a tree because Hassan is unable to read. One day Amir makes up his own story instead of reading from the book, and to his surprise Hassan says it is his favorite story he has ever told him. Encouraged by this Amir writes a book, although his father doesn't even give his book a glance, Rahim Khan his father's friend tells Amir that his book is great and persuades Amir to keep writing. The book than skips ahead a couple of years to a local kite tournament hosted by Amir's neighborhood. Amir and Hassan have always been good kite fighters and the tournament is a big deal in Kabul. The night before the tournament Baba tells Amir that he thinks he has a chance of winning the tournament. Amir sees this is an opportunity to earn his father's respect and is determined to win. The next day after long hours of kite fighting Amir finally wins the tournament. Hassan has an uncanny way of finding opposing kites (or kite running) so he offers to chase down the last kite. Later Amir notices that Hassan still hasn't came back and frantically looks for him. My prediction is that Amir finds Hassan dead and the opposing kite gone because when Hassan goes kite running Amir says that is the last time he saw him smile. If Hassan ends up to be dead I am also curious about what will happen next because the whole book so far has been background information on Hassan and Amir and there is still a lot of the book left.

Second Quarter Outside Reading Post #2

So far I have read the first three chapters of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. In the first three chapters of the book the reader is introduced to the main character, Amir, his father,Baba, Hassan, and Hassan's father Ali who works as a servent to Baba. Amir and Hassan are good friends and early in the book the reader learns that both Hassan and Amir don't have their mothers around because Amir's mother died giving birth to him and Hassan's mother left him when he was seven days old. In the second chapter the reader learns background information on Baba and how he financed his own orphanage, became one of the richest merchants in Kabul, married  a woman regarded as one of Kabul's most respected, beautiful, and virtuous ladies, and was a great soccer player. In the third chapter the reader learns about Amir and the tension he has with his father. Amir is awful at soccer and doesn't even like attending games, Amir also likes books and reads them often, and allows other kids to take advantage of him. Towards the end of the chapter Amir is enraged when he overhears Baba talking about him and saying that he is weak and he doesn't seem like he is his son. So far I like the book and I like how the first three chapters were written. I predict that Baba and Amir's relationship will get better because after hearing his father's complaints, Amir will try to not be weak. I also predict that many more characters will be introduced in the coming chapters  because I don't think enough characters are in the book right now.

The Rawlins Scene

I think that Cormac McCarthy puts the scene where you follow Rawlins instead of John Grady Cole because at the time John Grady Cole is really just sitting outside and what is happening with Rawlins is more exciting than what John Grady Cole is doing. I also think that because McCarthy has stayed with John Grady Cole the whole time the reader can assume that nothing significant will  happen to John Grady unless the reader is following him.