Reading Log #3 The Intouchables (Complete)

AS 90854 Reading Record Sheet – Draft Ideas 2018  ‘Highly Recommended’

Student Name:  Christina Lamb

Text Title: The Intouchables 

Author/Director:  Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano

Text Type (circle): Visual text

Date Finished: 24th May 

Based in Paris, a rich man with a disease that requires a live-in caretaker surprisingly hires a young man. Throughout the movie, they develop a close friendship even though they are complete opposites.

One of the two main themes addressed in this visual text is not to judge a book by its cover. Meaning that we shouldn’t judge a person by their looks because there is much more to them than what we see, people often show us what they want us to see they hide the bad and show off the good in most cases. In The Intouchables Philippe didn’t judge Driss by his looks when he first walked in for the interview, instead, he gave him a chance and offered him the job because he knew that Driss has more potential than what he could see in himself. Same goes for Driss, he didn’t see Philippe as an opportunity to improve the resume or a way to get easy money, instead, he saw that he needed a friend and that’s what he became… Philippe’s friend. The second theme is the things that can come out of risk-taking. For example, when Driss first walked in for the interview he didn’t sit down he came just to get the signature and intended on leaving and not getting the job, but Phillipe took a risk knowing that Driss had no experiences in caregiving after a handicapped person and wasn’t successful at his previous three jobs. At the end of the movie both of their risk-taking proved the good things that can come out of it, in this case, they formed a lifelong friendship.

This text connects with the rest of the world because it highlights the inequalities in our world. For example, there are scenes in the movie that show Driss’s lifestyle, his neighborhood is very poor and dark, his family is struggling to get food and many people live in the same place which is small, unattained, and rugged. Compared to Phillipe who lives in a huge mansion alone, with his paid caregivers and gardeners etc. These two compared scenes show that there is a race inequality in France as well as other places in the world such as America.

This text teaches us that society is unfair and we all need to stand up for ourselves, it’s a huge world and you’re on your own, you need to do things for you but also help those close to you as much as you can. An example of this is when Philipe’s neighbor kept parking their car in front of his driveway when there was a sign that said no parking. Instead of reporting it to the police again and waiting for action to be taken, Driss took matters into his own hands and went and talked to the neighbor.

This text connects to my viewpoint about not judging a book by its cover, I think that our modern society has become very quick to judge people on their looks especially with things like Instagram and Facebook where we can find out so much about a person before even physically meeting them or talking to them. Personally, I think this is very unhealthy because when you finally meet that person you have already made your mind up about them and it can be hard to change peoples opinions once they are made. The other theme of the text is risk-taking, and I’m totally all for risk-taking! I think it such a good thing for all of us to do every once in a while because you go into this new thing completely clueless and open minded which is really good for us to do and get out of our comfort zones. Becuase these days we are so comfortable in our everyday luxurious lives and most of us don’t take many risks so I think its good to now know whats coming sometimes when you take a leap of faith.

I would definitely recommend his text to others! It such a great movie although it is hard to understand because it is in French and you have to read the subtitles but it is definitely worth it. This movie can you teach you a lot if your open minded, It highlights some important issues in our modern society doing so with some humor. It will also make you appreciate how lucky we are that we have full movement and can do things like ski and play a sport or simply just get into the car alone. As well as for those that have restricted or no movement, things are still possible and this movie shows just that.

ESSAY PRACTISE

Analyse how language features were used to capture the reader’s imagination.

  • Amir’s narrative point of view 
  • Foreshadowing
  • First Language Words, Festival, and cultural references 
  • Symbolism- kites, lamb to the slaughter, the cleft palate

In this novel, The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini uses numerous effective language features such as foreshadowing, and symbolism to help develop the main character, Amir. This character then goes on to help the reader understand the themes of the book betrayal and redemption. The author uses symbolism to represent

Thorugh out the novel, the author uses the language technique narrative point of view to tell the 

PARAGRAPH ONE: Narrative point of view- first person. Amir talks about cultural, religious, political, social events and issues.

PARAGRAPH TWO:  Foreshadowing- hints at events to come

PARAGRAPH THREE: Symbolism and themes- Kites, Cleft lip, family relationships, guilt, redemption, 

CONCLUSION:

Discuss how the author uses language techniques to develop a main character in the novel, and how this character helps you understand one or more themes/ideas. 

 LANGUAGE TECHNIQUE:

  • Foreshadowing
  • Symbolism

Foreshadowing:

it helps Develop Amir because from the glimpses that we got from the beginning of the book because the write foreshadows that Amir will later on become guilty for not helping Hassan.

As well as hinting that Mair’s life is going to change forever and that he is not as good as he may seem, but still buys into the society buy betraying Hassan since he is his servant.

Symbolism:

On the Day of the kite fishing Hassan had a dream about a monster being in a lake, Amir walk into the lake and Hassan follows, Hassan then goes onto say “Don’t worry there is not a monster waiting for you in the streets of Kabul”. This symbolises Assef as he is the one that raped Hassan, Hassan says that there isn’t a monster waiting for Amir because its instead waiting for him, (Assesf) Like in the dream when Hassan followed Amir into the lake the lake is just like the alleyway but this time Amir doesn’t have the same loyalty for Hassan so, therefore, doesn’t stand up to Assef to help his friend and doesn’t follow Hassan into the ‘lake’.  The symbols of Hassan dream helps the reader understand what kind of friend Amir is to Hassan.

Kite running is another symbol that is used throughout the novel At the beginning of the novel the Amir and Hassan first enter the kite fighting competition it all seems very innocent and fun to both of them, But later on, kites become that constant reminder for Amir on how his betrayal that day in the alley. The kites are also a symbol for Amir to get his father to love him, and make Baba proud of him. At the end of the novel, after Hassan dies and his son becomes an orphan, Amir adopts him and takes him outside to do kite flying. At this point, Amir feels like he has redeemed himself because he couldn’t talk to Hassan and apologies to him instead he did the activity Amir and his best friend once loved with his nephew. Therefore the kites are also a symbol for redemption throughout the novel, as they go through Amir journey of how innocent they both were at the start, how he lost Hassan and become filled with guilt, then at the end when Hassan is going and Amir has once and for all redeemed himself.

The actual Kite its self-symbolizes Amirs life, the

Amir helping reader understands theme:

  • Redemption
  • Betrayal

CHAPTER 1 TO 11

The importance of setting

Explain the importance of the setting (historic, social, cultural, political) and its influence on how the narrator (Amir) tells his story.

Social Castes :

  • Amir (high caste, Pashtun)
  • Hassan (low caste, Hagara)

Historical:

  • Just before the Russian invasion

Cultural:

  • Islamic Country

Political:

  • Baba was a powerful figure in Kabul society

The first three chapters of the novel tell us the basic facts of the story such as who the major characters are, their backgrounds, and what their relationships with each other are like. The section also establishes a context for the information: Amir, our narrator, is an adult living in the United States and looking back on his childhood years in Afghanistan. In fact, history is an important theme in the novel, and looking back on the past is a recurring motif. That’s because, for Amir, the past is not over. He believes it to be a fundamental part of who he is, and no matter how far he is in time or location from his childhood in Afghanistan, the events of that period are always with him, he feels a tremendous sense of guilt about those events, and he believes they shaped him into who he is. This guilt, informs the entire narrative.

“Almost two years had passed since we arrived in the U.S., and I was still marveling at the size of this country, its vastness. Beyond every freeway lay another freeway, beyond every city another city, hills beyond mountains and mountains beyond hills, and, beyond these, more cities and more people.

Long before the Roussi army marched into Afghanistan, long before villages were burned and schools destroyed, long before mines were planted like seeds of death and children buried in rock-piled graves, Kabul had become a city of ghosts for me. A city of harelipped ghosts.

America was different, America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins.

If for nothing else, for that, I embraced America.”

What language techniques does Hosseini employ in this passage?

What is the effect of his use of these language techniques?

Explain the importance of the setting and its influence on how the narrator tells his story.

The setting of Kabul, Afghanistan is hugely socially, politically and culturally important in the novel The Kite Runner. The story is told from the point of view of Amir, retelling the years he was growing up in Kabul and events that influenced his life, and his long journey from guilt to redemption.

Because the story is set in Afghanistan and told from the point of view of a local boy, we learn aspects of a different society – Islamic religion, the different classes in Afghani society, local festivals and activities – specifically the sport of kite running. We are also exposed to numerous Farsi (Afghani) and Islamic words and phrases, which add cultural depth and authenticity to Amir’s voice.

We also see life in Kabul disrupted by the overthrow of the monarchy, then the Russian invasion which eventually leads to Baba and Amir having to flee Afghanistan and move to America as refugees. As Amir tells us:

“For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his.”

AMIR STITCHES UP HASSAN

Forgive? But theft was the one unforgivable sin, the common denominator of all sins. When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing. Hadn’t Baba sat me on his lap and said those words to me? Then how could he just forgive Hassan? And if Baba could forgive that, then why couldn’t he forgive me for not being the son he’d always wanted? Why –

Amir decides “one of us has to go” – Why?

Amir says this because every-time he sees Hassan he gets reminded of his own guilt and his cowerdness from the day he witnessed Hasan get raped. Amir needs one of them to go so he can get  closure and doesn’t have to put up with the awkwardness looming in the air.

Amir then says “Then I understand: this was Hassan’s final sacrifice for em” -Explain… 

Hassan is so loyal to Amir that he will do anything to protect him. Everyone knows that Hassan would never lie so they believe him

Hassan says that he did steal the watch- Why?

Why was Baba so upset that he cried?

 

 

Events after turning point:

EVENTS AFTER THE FIRST TURNING POINT:

  • Amir barely sees Hassan
  • Hassan is withdrawn and sleeps a lot
  • Amir and Baba’s relationship is better

HOW DO THINGS CHANGE?

“It shouldn’t have felt this way. Baba and I were finally friends… except now that I had it, I felt as empty as this unkempt pool I was dangling my legs into”

He feels empty because he doesn’t have a real relationship with anyone. He also let down the one person that cared about him the most which is Hassan.  It is haunting Amir that he didn’t help Hassan but instead left him and now everything reminds him of Hassan.

 

Characters and relationships

Amir:

  • Desperate to please Baba
  • Selfish
  • Jealous of Hassan
  • Loves to write
  • Wealthy

Hassan:

  • Loyal
  • Obedient
  • Illiterate
  • Poor

Assef:

  • Nasty
  • Bully
  • Violent
  • German mother (Nazi-like)
  • Blonde
  • Blue-eyed

On the surface, how does the relationship between Hassan and Amir appear?

They don’t have a true friendship because Amir thinks of himself being higher then Hassan and he looks down on him. In this society, they couldn’t be seen together because Hassan is in a lower class than Amir and is a servant. Hassan is a loyal friend to Amir and will do anything to put their friendship first meanwhile AMir is appreciative of their friendship but is only focussed on getting a higher status in their house by impressing Baba. Amir is also jealous of Hassan because he is athletic and Baba looks at him with pride in his eyes.

The relationship between Baba and Ali parallels that of Amir and Hassan. When you dig down, how is this relationship not a friendship? What is it in reality?  “But in none of his stories did Baba ever refer to Ali and his friend.” What are underlying social factors at play in this relationship?

It is not a friendship because only Hassan respects and values their friendship, which makes it more a relationship since Hassan is Amir’s servant and is supposed to have this kind of respect for Amir as he is higher class. Even if they wanted to be friends it could never work in that type of society because they couldn’t be seen together otherwise it would reflect badly on Baba and AMir’s family whereas Amir’s goal is completely different and is to impress his father. The quote also suggests that Amir is like his father when it comes to friends, he is trying to get a name for himself and move up in the rankings by dragging his friends down and using them. Amir and Baba are similar because Amir doesn’t mention Hassan since it’s like an embarrassment for AMir being friends with a lower class person. When both boys were younger they were separated by social classes but were still raised together in the same house, years later Amir uses his superior social classing and education as well as being Baba’s son to mistreat and abuse Hassan.

What does this say about our society?

It shows the flaws in the classing system, two little boys grow up together and have to be best friends their whole life but as soon as one of them finds out he’s powerful, he uses it to his advantage and becomes a coward. It also shows that there are very lovely people out there like Hassan who will stand up for someone they value no matter what they look like or who they are. I think that people should have seen this as an example of what happens to young kids when being exposed to this harsh and unaccepting environment. If they had no classes Amir and Hassan could have truly been best friends and both had a great life ahead of them rather then one of them being eaten away with guilt and shame all because he couldn’t stand up for his ‘friend’ because it would ruin his own reputation. It shows that we need to stop valuing rankings, classes, power and start appreciating people and the relationships around us.

Foreshadowing in The Kite Runner

The first main turning point in the novel is when Amir witnesses Hassan’s rape and make the decision to do nothing. He just wanted to get the kite to please Baba. Hosseini has built up to this vent by foreshadowing that something will happen that will change their lives forever in a negative way.

Hosseini writes:

  • “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…”
  • “past of unatoned sins.”
  • “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.”
  • “I would always feel guilty about it later. So I’d try to make up for it by giving him one of my old shirts or a broken toy. I would tell myself that was amends enough for a harmless prank.”
  • “But I hadn’t turned out like him. Not at all.”
  • “There is something missing in that boy”

 

The Kite Runner Overview (start)

Our Story is set at the time of 1975 before the Russian invasion in Kabul, Afghanistan. The main character, Amir, is looking back at his childhood and how it has had a profound effect on his life. Amir’s father, Baba, is a very successful businessman who is a cold hard man that is disappointed in his son. They are of the high-caste Pashtun and are Sunni Muslims. Amir’s best, Hassan is the son of the loyal servant Ali. They are both low-caste Hazara and are Shi’a muslims. Amir is the leader and Hassan is the follower, Hassan is uneducated whereas Amir loves poetry and writing which disappoints his father who wants him to like football. Rahim Khan is Baba’s friend who is kind and shows an interest in Amir and his writing. Farsi is the language of Afghanistan and there are numerous Farsi and Muslim words used in the novel.