Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A Common Enemy
Although Chapter 5 may open with gunfire, that threat is nothing compared to the bully of the Wazir Akbar Khan section of Kabul. With his stainless-steel brass knuckles, the tall, blond, blue-eyed Assef terrorizes the boys in the neighborhood, especially Amir and Hassan. Assef is truly a scary young man. Beyond the immediate physical threat he poses to the boys, what about his words and actions did you find the most frightening? Select one thing that is said by Assef, explain what about his words you found the most unnerving, and then connect it to some real world circumstance or event.
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What I found the most disturbing about Assef’s words and actions were that everything he did, he did with genuine malice. Assef wasn’t putting on a front for his friends, nor was he intimidating Amir and Hassan because he felt pressured to, Assef was simply a sadistic sociopath. For example when he was talking about Hitler he had said, “Tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great leader”. Assef truly admired Hitler, he thought that Hitler was doing a great thing by causing the Holocaust, and he wanted to follow his footsteps by ridding Afghanistan of Hazaras.
ReplyDeleteWhat the most disturbing quote from Assef was when he told Hassan and Amir what he would tell he president next time he saw him. He said, “I’ll tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler, Now, there was a leader, A great leader. A man with vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he started, the world would be a better place now” (40). It was disturbing to think that a boy could think so highly of someone who has committed terrible crimes against humanity. Assef could be connected to the neo-nazis of today, who live their lives praising Hitler and his cause.
ReplyDeleteAssef is a truly terrifying child and it is not just apparent in his physical appearances but also in his words and thoughts. In the book we discover Assef’s role model to be Hitler and he not only agrees with the methods Hitler used while he was in control, but he would even do it today if he could. He tells Amir and Hassan how he wants to convince the president to also eliminate all Hazara people. His plans are not only cruel but also insane and emotionless. He truly has a superiority way of thinking and it goes as far to eliminate all other races that he feels is not worthy of living.
ReplyDeleteI think Assef is a very disturbing young man. According to him, he is better than the Hazaras and he is always right. I think his way of thinking is wrong as well as his actions. He said something which I found was very distressing. In chapter 5, Assef stated that Hitler was a man of vision, he said “If they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world would be a better place now.” I think that no one should mention these words. Hitler was a sick man who killed innocent people for no reason. According to Assef, he hopes that Afghanistan will someday be clear of Hazaras because he considers the Pashtuns to be better and real Afghans. I can relate Assef’s words to what happened in Germany during the 1930’s and 40’s when Hitler ordered all Jews to be exterminated. Assef thinks of Hitler as a hero and he wants to be just like him by hurting innocent people just because they’re not like him.
ReplyDeleteA quote from Assef that I found disturbing was on the bottom of page 39 and the top of page 40 it read: “Tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler. Now, there was a great leader. A great leader. A man with a vision. I’ll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world would be a better place now”. I found this statement unnerving because Assef spoke about Hitler like he was a great man but Hitler was a mentally disturbed man that was the leader in the tons of deaths during the holocaust. I found that Assef was aspiring to be like Hitler but instead of the termination of Jewish people, Assef wanted the termination of Hazaras.
ReplyDelete"Someday, I'll make you face me one on one." is the one quote said by Assef that really sticks out to me. Assef seems to be the kind of person who would stick to his word, especially in a situation like this. It foreshadows a potential event that may occur between Hassan and Assef, and perhaps even Amir. This even could hold anything, such as the injury of someone or even the death of someone. A real world event that connects to this quote is former President George W. Bush’s speech of the potential invasion of Iraq after the tragic September 11th attacks. He stated “All the decades of deceit and cruelty have now reached an end. Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours. Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict commenced at a time of our choosing.” This quote, as well as the events that follow it, greatly relate to Assef’s quote. The United States invaded Iraq shortly after Bush’s speech. Perhaps Assef will do something to hurt Hassan.
ReplyDeleteWhen Assef says, "Someday, I'll make you face me one on one", I found myself flabberghasted that he stuck up for himself when there were two people around. The fact that he said it without hesitation was surprising, and I can relate it to a personal experience of my own that occurred recently. It was a brisk winter night in my neighborhood and I was walking around the block for some fresh air, when out of nowhere three people came up to me and yelled, "Run your pockets!" I was shocked at this out-of-the-blue confrontation, and I gave them everything I had but my keys and cell phone. After this incident took place, I told the gangsters, "You can have my money, but it will get you nowhere if you cannot take the step to earn it yourself." As I look back at this event, I have learned to feel sorry for criminals like this, because they will not learn the true value of respect towards others until they evaluate their bad decisions amongst innocent people.
ReplyDelete“I’ll tell him what I told my mother. About Hitler, Now, there was a leader, A great leader." When Assef said that, I felt the same way that Robby felt. When a boy that young has studied and looks up to a man such as Hitler, something is wrong. This makes me think that Assef could possibly move on to do things similiar to what Hitler did, and it creates a great foreshadowing effect in the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about Asef's words and actions I found most frightening was when he said "And there's nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey." This was frightening because it shows that Asef doesn't care. He's gonna get his revenge whether it's right or wrong. In the real world people with this mindset usually end up in jail,or dead. Like murderers and car thefts,they must have a purpose for doing it. If they're getting back at someone they pay the price
ReplyDelete