Chapters 16-22

Dear Reader,
                    My views of the world were deeply challenged in chapter 15, when Amir first meets up with Rahim and he tells Amir where he got the scar of his face. Rahim says " The man next to me cheered lodly. Suddenly this yound bearded fellow who was patroling the aisles, eighteen years old at most by the look of him, he walked up to me and struck me on the forehead with the butt of his Kalashnikov" (Hosseini 199). This scene conflicted with my views of the world because its completely aganist human rights. But I guess under the Taliban, Afgans have no human rights. In real life it must be horrible in Afganistan, being under so strict of rules that they cant even cheer in a stadium without being smashed in the skull or not even cheer and still be smashed in the skull. If the stadiums in America for sporting events were like those run under the Tailban, I think everybody in the stadium would get the butt of an AK to the forehead. As a reader what was your reaction to this scene, did it clash with your views of the world?
                     As Rahim is recollecting recent years with Hassan he describes the reuinting of Hassan to Sanaubar, his long lost mom. After Hassan accepts that his mom is really home he goes to her; "He took Sanaubar's hand in both of his and told  her she could not cry is she wanted to but needn't, she was home now, he said, home with her family." (Hosseini 210). This reuniting of mother to son reminded me greatly of a previous book I've read, The Odyssey. In The Odyssey there is also a reuniting scene between Odyseus who has been gone for twenty years and his son Telemacus who he last saw as a toddler. The two scenes are very similar because in both scenes a parent is reunited with the son after many years and there is alot of sobbing and catching up that occcurs. Is there any books you have read which you were reminded of during reuniting of Hassan and his mother?
                     Reaching the end of chapter twenty the orphanage director explains his sticky situation, after being beat upon by Faird for giving away the orphans. Zaman says " If I deny one child, he takes ten. So I let him take one and leave the judging to Allah. I swallow my pride and take his goddamn filthy..dirty money. Then I go to the bazaar and buy food for the children" ( Hosseini 257). Although giving away the orphans sounds wrong, I don't know if I would do any different than what Zaman is doing, if I was in his situation. I don't think theres anything else he could do. Assef is going to take children either way whether he gets permission or not, so Zaman myswell take the money and give away a kid so he can feed and save the rest of the children from starvation. Its a tough situation and I believe Zaman made the right and only choice he could have made. Do you agree with Zaman's decisions? If not explain how you would have handled it differently.

Sincerely,
              Benjamin Sawyer