Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, Essay Example

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: His Bilingual Experience

Khaled Hosseini takes the reader into the world of Afghan culture and the many aspects of the culture that are related to the use and learning of language. The author manages to take the reader through the importance and position of the Hazara within the Afghan culture (Hosseini). The book is based on two boys, Amir, a well-off Pashtun boy and Hassan, his servant.  Hosseini’s representation of bilingualism in the Afghan culture does not give a clear picture of the culture due to his use of bilingualism within his book. This paper will analyze his opinions of bilingual education, the languages the author uses, how he chooses to use language and how he choice of language affects the reader.

The author does not use original language as he uses his native language in strategic places. The author has placed words from his native language within the text, assuming that all readers are able to get the meaning from the context of the words (Hammer 6). This makes these parts of the book biased towards readers who have background knowledge or information on the Afghan culture (Book Rags 71). This makes reading these parts of the text difficult as in some parts he begins a sentence in English, inserts some words in mother tongue with an explanation in English and ending the sentence in English.

Furthermore, the author’s technique in placing words in his native language within the text is overused and even becomes an obstruction to understanding the flow of ideas suggested by the author. This is because he uses about 5 to 6 words in mother tongue in big sections of the book. This is mostly evident when Amir’s father tries to communicate in English with little success. As most of the conversation involves a mixture of broken English and mainly in his native language.

However, it is important to note that the use of certain words in mother tongue is an important indicator of certain features of the Afghan culture. For example, when the author refers to older people using words of respect such as “sahib”, “jan” and “sgha”, the author shows the importance of respect and humility that is expected of every boy within the Afghan culture (Hosseini). Furthermore, some of these words relate to the protagonist’s life and are of importance to the way he expresses his ideas.

Authors’ Bilingual Diaspora Experience

Amir was a privileged boy who received his basic education in Kabul. Amir’s initially spoke Pushtan as his mother tongue, but his meeting with English at a young age, during primary school, allows him to grow a liking for the language, increasing and growing his vocabulary with every chance he had. This was particularly driven by the fact that Hassan, his personal slave had little to no understanding of the English language.

Since Hassan was Amir’s personal slave servant, he was expected to handle chores relating to his comfort, health and security. He was good at cleaning, cooking and ironing. This left no time for him to have an education like Amir’s. He had no experience with the English language and his only encounters with the language came in his conversations with Amir. Despite the fact that Hassan did not know the language, his interest led him to always question Amir on the meanings of the word he used and could not understand.

In the book, the author employs the use of both English and Pushtan. He exchanges between the two languages, greatly influencing his audience’s views of the ideas he puts across. He shows a good understanding of the English language through his choice of words and the way he expresses his ideas. The book has a hanging tempo, quiet and calm during his meeting with education, and rapid and vigorous during his play time with Hassan.

Bilingual Experience and Personality

Amir’s education exposes him to the English language at a young age. As this exposure continues, it is mostly expected that some characteristics and traits would change, according to the way he uses English and his native language. Despite this fact, learning the English language does not affect his polite nature and personality. He still uses a number of polite words such as “sahib”, “jan” and “sgha” when referring to older people within society (Hosseini).

Amir’s bilingual experience continues even after his basic education. He goes through his college education in the United States where he increases his knowledge and vocabulary in the English language (Book Rags 68). This is evident in the writing style and choice of words used in the final half of the book. He appears to have an increased understanding of the English language. The expression of the ideas found within the second half of the book is proof to this fact. During his time in college, he develops a liking for the English language, especially in reading and writing of fictional books. This general interest in English fictional literature results in his increasingly complicated vocabulary, even more refined than everyone around him.

In conclusion, Hosseini’s representation of bilingualism in the Afghan culture fails to provide a clear picture of the culture due to his use of bilingualism within his book. The author depicts an interesting, but yet slightly confusing bilingual journey in the diaspora. He manages to adopt the English language, but fails in the proper use and execution of certain aspects of the language in his writing. The constant use of mother tongue in a considerable amount of the text makes the book a difficult read at times, favoring those with experience in the language.

Works Cited

Book Rags. The Kite Runner Premium Stiudy Guide. The Gale Group Inc, 2002. Electronic Source. 16 March 2015. <http://www.hellesdon.org/documents/krbookrags.pdf>.

Hammer, Laurent. The Kite Runner: Concept Analysis. Provo: Brigham Young University, 2010. Electronic Source. 16 March 2015. <http://novelinks.org/uploads/Novels/TheKiteRunner/Concept%20Analysis.pdf>.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.

Khemchndani-Daswani, Sheetal. The Kite Runner Companion Cirriculum. Amnesty International USA, 2007. Electronic Source. 16 March 2015. <https://www.amnestyusa.org/sites/default/files/kiterunnerhigh_0.pdf>.

Winkler, Lisa K and Hekmat Sadat. A study guide to the Riverhead edition of Khaled Hosseini’s The kite runner. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Electronic Source. 16 March 2015. <http://www.penguin.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/kiterunnertg0110a.pdf>.