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              "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini reminds me of the epic poem called The Odyssey by Homer.  These two stories have similarities with the internal conflicts that the main characters are struggling with.  Both Amir and Odysseus have internal feelings of guilt because of something they had done to another person.  Amir expresses the guilt that he feels when he says, "I was glad I didn't have to return his gaze," (Hosseini 78) after he sees Hassan walking back home.  This shows how Amir did not even want to look Hassan in the eyes because of the guilt he was feeling for not trying to help Hassan in the fight and let him get raped.  Odysseus also feels guilt for some of the things that he brings upon his soldiers.  An example of how Odyssues shows guilt is how he tries to get ready to fight the Scylla even though there is nothing he could do to fight it.  Odysseus and Amir felt the same type of guilt because they both set other people up for failure.  In Amir's case he did not protect Hassan and Hassan got raped.  In Odysseus' case, he set up Scylla to kill six of his men.

              The book also has one main point that I feel relates to the world we are living in now.  This is that both the book and real world have the problem of bullying.  In "The Kite Runner" Assef is the bully and his main target is a kid named Hassan who is a servants son.  It is shown how Assef bullies Hassan when Assef asks for a drink and , "Assef grinning, kneading Hassan in the chest with a knuckle," (Hosseini 100).  This type of incident also occurs in the modern day in the United State.  Bullies push and shove the weaker kids that may be different in some way.  This is exactly what is happening to Hassan.  Bullying in the book and in the real world are bad and cause problems. 

                 Throughout the story I have also thought of childhood differently.  There was one quote said by Baba that really made me think about how I want to be as a kid and adult.  This is when he said, "A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything," (Hosseini 22).  When Baba said that it made me think about and consider how parents should raise their children.  I feel that kids not being able to stand up for themselves has to do with the amount of freedom that the parent gives to the child.  A kid that is told to stay inside and do homework or chores all day will never have the experiences of a child that rides their bike all over the place.  These experiences will teach the kids about decisions and standing up for themselves.  The book has changed me to make me feel like being more free to do whatever you want is better than being imprisoned in a house being told to do schoolwork and chores.