Respond in a well organized essay and make sure your answer is written in complete sentences.
In "the literature of the middle East and south Asia" Laura Winkiel writes: " these stories help us to understand the complex questions that middle Easterners and South Asian people ask as they stand at a crossroad of cultural and religious change." explain how this statement applies to one of the selections you read. Be sure to include the title of the selection and explain the crossroads that it illustrates.
In "The Literature of the Middle East and South Asia," Laura Winkiel emphasizes the importance of understanding the stories from these regions as they navigate the challenges and complexities emerging from cultural and religious change. One selection that clearly illustrates this statement is Khaled Hosseini's critically acclaimed novel "The Kite Runner." Set in Afghanistan against the backdrop of significant historical events, the novel examines the intricacies of relationships and the struggles of reconciling with the past. This essay will explore how "The Kite Runner" demonstrates the crossroads of cultural and religious change experienced by Afghan people.
"The Kite Runner" tells the story of Amir, a privileged Afghan boy, and his turbulent friendship with Hassan, the son of his father's servant. The novel takes the reader from the 1970s, just before the Soviet invasion, through the years of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, and finally to the early years of the 21st century when Amir and his family have immigrated to the United States, like many Afghans in the wake of the nation's turmoil. Throughout the narrative, the characters face personal, cultural, and religious challenges, which illustrate the crossroads this society finds itself in.
The crossroads that "The Kite Runner" effectively illustrates involve issues of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption. Growing up in pre-Soviet Afghanistan, both Amir and Hassan are deeply influenced by the traditional Pashtun culture that defines the norms, expectations, and hierarchies in society. Their cultural background, shaped by religious beliefs and codes, teaches them that loyalty and honor are fundamental values that must be upheld. However, at the same time, Afghanistan is in the throes of significant transformations as new political forces, ideologies, and ways of life permeate and influence the society.
Amidst these changes, Amir struggles to come to terms with his betrayal of Hassan, who is a Hazara and considered an inferior ethnicity in the rigid hierarchical structure of Afghan society. The guilt Amir feels for violating the cultural and religious principles of loyalty and friendship forces him to confront his past and make amends. The novel delves into his journey of redemption, which involves confronting the violence, injustice, and fundamentalism unleashed by political upheaval and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. This exploration underscores the crossroads that Afghan society faces as it grapples with changing values and allegiances, religious extremism, and the human cost of such transformations.
In conclusion, "The Kite Runner" exemplifies Laura Winkiel's assertion that the literature of the Middle East and South Asia illuminates the complex questions faced by the people in these regions as they navigate the crossroads of cultural and religious change. By depicting the challenges faced by the central characters, the novel not only sheds light on the personal dilemmas and choices that individuals must confront but also offers a nuanced and empathetic understanding of the larger social, political, and historical context that defines Afghanistan's turbulent trajectory. In doing so, the novel invites readers to reflect on the broader implications of these changes and the universal human experiences that thread through them.