Amir's Atonement

Atonement is defined as "compensation for a wrong" by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. I believe that atonement for past mistakes is possible up to a point. Some sins never go away. These thoughts are just based on my personal moral code- doing something nice for someone you were rude to with might atone that particular "sin", but I don't think mass murderers can simply make their deeds disappear. Some things are forever. I think specifically in the Kite Runner, the guilt that Amir has been living with is much worse than any trials and tribulations he may have to go through to atone for his sin.
Amir seeks atonement for one particular sin. He watched his best friend, Hassan, get raped and does nothing about it. I would describe this a sin of weakness and disloyalty. In my opinion, he'd have to do something from the heart to help Hassan recover from this terrible loss of dignity. However, I think the event was more of a tragedy than bad conduct on Amir's part. He did not act in a terribly evil manner- it was how most people would react. That doesn't make it okay, but one cannot be too quick to judge him. Atonement is still necessary, though. This is just my opinion.

Mistakes

Obviously I've made many a mistake in my life. One that sticks out to me at the moment is one I've made recently. This entire year, I have been slacking off in my AP Physics class. Instead of putting out the effort to do well and to learn the material, I have been mostly goofing off all day.
I just found out that I could get 8 credits for doing well on the AP exam this year... Because I haven't really learned anything, that isn't really feasible. 8 college credits is about the equivalent of half a semester.
Because of my laziness, I'll be paying in college.

Independent Reading- MP4, The Double Bind

The Front Cover
• Title/Author/Awards
It's called the "Double Bind". Not really sure what that refers to, as of yet. And I've never heard of Chris Bohjalian.
• Picture/Words
Has a girl on a bicycle. I'm sure it has significance, but that has yet to be revealed.
• What do you think the book is about? Topic/Big Picture?
I think the book will be about the trials and tribulations of a young woman.
• Jot down 2 questions you have.
Will this book be good?
How will such a simple story become "suspenseful" and "harrowing"? (words taken from reviews)

The Back Cover
• Synopsis or Plot Preview? Laurel works in a Burlington, Vt., homeless shelter and is trying to overcome mental and physical scars incurred from a brutal assault some six years earlier. After being given a portfolio of photographs taken by a recently deceased resident of the shelter, Bobbie Crocker, she becomes obsessed with questions surrounding what appears to be a picture of herself shot on the day of her attack. Laurel's already fragile mental state begins to unravel as she follows Bobbie's life from his rich-kid childhood on Long Island to homelessness in Vermont.
• Review/Praise/Acclaim? Overall what is your impression. It looks like it's going to be really good!!!
• Does the back cover reveal anything about the story (time period, characters, setting, etc.)? If so, jot down some notes.

Inside the Book
• Copyright/Publication date? 2001
• Is there a dedication- no
• Table of Contents? Chapter Titles? #’s?
• Other titles listed by the author? Jot a few down. "Skeletons at the Feast"
• Open to a random page and read a few paragraphs. What is the author’s writing style? It's really flowing and descriptive.

OVERALL IMPRESSION
Based on your preview of the book, what do you think it may be about? What types of characters, issues, themes, etc… do you think you will encounter? What sort of background information (already known or researched) do you think you will need to understand the story? Write down 3 questions you hope to have answered by the end of the story.

I think this book will have strong themes of reality vs. fantasy. I think it will also seek to talk about the effects of mental illness. I don't think I'll have to know much background information- it takes place in modern day. I hope to have- who took the photos? Why is Laurel so "mentally fragile"? Will the mystery be solved?- resolved by the end of the book.

Picture Story

It was a beautiful landscape- a river, traveling idly through two canyon walls, rocks littering its sides. Lizards sunned themselves on the boulders, and black birds circled above. All of a sudden, a gunshot disrupted this peaceful scene. The lizards scrambled underneath the rocks, and the birds quickly flew in all directions.
A marine, tall and rugged with his uniform soaked in sweat sprinted around the bend of the canyon. A group of men, wearing turbans and toting Uzis could be seen in hot pursuit. The marine looked behind him and loudly cursed, accelerating his pace even more.
Pumping his arms wildly, Sergeant Jack Lyons sprinted away from the oncoming tribal forces. He leaped over the slippery boulders with the agility of a puma, and kept running. All of a sudden, a voice from above the camera bellowed, "CUT!!"
The marine stopped running, the group of men threw down their guns in frustration. "What is it now, Steven?" yelled 'Lyons', in a thick Irish brogue.
Steven could now be seen descending the steps to get to the makeshift 'canyon' set, and madly gesticulating to a camera man, perched high above the set. He turned to the 'Marine'.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Evan, that in this scene, Jack Lyons has to have an exaggerated LIMP from scene three? The battle between the second platoon and the rebels?"
The marine, now known as Evan, shrugged. "Sorry. Forgot."
"Well do it again, and this time I want to see you struggling. You don't just run like that after you've 'broken your toe'". Okay, positions."
Five minutes later, Sergeant Lyons was sprinting again, this time with an awkward gait.

Good People

I agree with the Edmund Burke quote. I think it is clear that when you look back through history at examples of "evil"- the Holocaust, Jim Crow Laws, ethnic cleansing, etc., it wasn't stopped by itself. It took strong people to take a stand and fight against evil. Apathy is very easy, and is the road that most people will take. I am continually amazed by those who have the strength to distinguish themselves by fighting.
Whenever I hear this quote, I wonder- in a situation with evil, would I be strong enough to do something? I'm not sure, but I hope so.
I definitely think these themes of good, evil, inaction, and action will be strong in The Kite Runner. It's a pretty inspiring book, with heavy themes.

Recipe for Afghanistan

Start with 1000 years of cultural heritage. Whisk lightly.
Combine a large amount of mountains and about 100000 square miles of desert.
Two decades of Soviet Invasion and struggle
Add a measure of the Taliban, and remove human rights from the mixture
8 years of American influence- beat for about 200 strokes.
Large amount of Islam, put on high heat
Finish off with a drop of hope

Spring Break

Spring break went by way too fast. As I sit here, on the first day back, I can't believe an entire week went by! Overall, the break was rather ordinary, but had a few highlights:
North Carolina
I went to Chapel Hill, NC, for my mom's conference from Sunday to Tuesday morning. The weather was nice, but it was a pretty boring trip that I was dragged on against my will. Not exactly an excellent start to break.


General Relaxation
For the rest of break, I simply relaxed at home with family and friends. We had a low-key Easter celebration yesterday, and I caught up on a lot of sleep.

New York Times on the Beat Generation

Here's an interesting article, written in 1952, about the culture of the time. It is titled "This Is the Beat Generation", and offers good insight into the attitudes of the youth. I see many of Kerouac's ideas reflected.

Kerouac on the Beat Generation

"But yet, but yet, woe, woe unto those who think that the Beat Generation means crime, delinquency, immorality, amorality ... woe unto those who attack it on the grounds that they simply don’t understand history and the yearning of human souls ... woe in fact unto those who those who make evil movies about the Beat Generation where innocent housewives are raped by beatniks! ... woe unto those who spit on the Beat Generation, the wind’ll blow it back."