Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Kite Runner: Children Aren't Coloring Books
One of my favorite quotations in these first few chapters is the statement made by Rahim Kahn. When Baba, Amir's father, complains to Rahim that Amir is not the kind of boy he expected to have as a son, Rahim Kahn replies, "Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors." Parents are often guilty of this. They project their own wants or needs onto their children and rather than helping them find their own paths in life, they push their children along a path of their own design. This only makes people unhappy. The children either live lives that are not truly their own or they live their lives feeling they aren't really worthy of their parents' love and respect. Do you agree or disagree with Rahim Kahn? Please support your position with a text-to-text or text-to-self connection. Don't forget to use some specific details from both Kite Runner and another text or your own life.
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I definitely agree with the statement that Rahim Kahn made about children not being coloring books. In this case Baba tries to make Amir to be the way he wants him to be, just like in Things Fall Apart with Okonkwo and Nwoye. Okonkwo tried his hardest to mold his son into the man that he wanted him to be and in the end he raised a son that deplores him. The parents must realize that it is best to allow their children to grow up in an environment where they have no pressures to be a certain way, if not the parents will just end up disappointed and the child feeling unworthy.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the statement that Rahim Kahn made about children not being coloring books. In this case Baba tries to make Amir to be the way he wants him to be, just like in Things Fall Apart with Okonkwo and Nwoye. Okonkwo tried his hardest to mold his son into the man that he wanted him to be and in the end he raised a son that deplores him. The parents must realize that it is best to allow their children to grow up in an environment where they have no pressures to be a certain way, if not the parents will just end up disappointed and the child feeling unworthy.
ReplyDeleteRahim makes a good point when he tells Baba that children are not coloring books and you cannot color them with your favorite colors. When he says this he is referring to the way most parents including Baba want to mold their children into who they are or wish they were. Unfortunately this never ends well and it ends up affecting both the parents and children involved. Baba will now always feel disappointment for expecting his son Amir to follow in his footsteps and be a big macho man like himself, but that is not the type of person Amir was meant to be. Amir is more sensitive and easily moved by a lot of different things, but now he will always suffer with feeling incompetent to the person he feel he must be to receive approval from his father. I feel the same way about my parents. I know I am a good student and I try my best to live up to their expectations; however I feel as though they set their standards to high at times. For example: My parents would prefer for me to stay home all the time and not have so much of a free will to do things, but I feel as though I should be allowed to go out as long as I keep my grades up which I have. This is not exactly like the scenario played out in the book but in the end it has the same affect. Both sides end up unhappy with the results.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Rahim Kahn when he says that children are not coloring books. A parent cannot mold a child into anything he or she wants. Children have a mind of their own, believe it or not, and set out to be whatever they want to be. An example of this would be from Things Fall Apart when Nwoye turns his back to his father and his old culture to become a missionary. Okonkwo wanted Nwoye to be hardworking and successful, but Nwoye saw the dark sides of his tribe and took his own path in the end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rahim Kahn on his statement, because he provides us with a good explanation on his stance that gives us a metaphorical perspective upon the subject discussed between him and Baba. It is wrong to make someone do something that they do not want to do, and by all means you should allow them to fulfill their own dreams. When I was a child I recall sitting in my room with a pad and pencil writing pointless adventures that I remembered throughout my young days, and my parents wanted me to play a sport, but instead, I enjoyed writing on my free time (since it enabled me to describe my emotions without others knowing). This can relate with the rising conflict between Kahn and Baba because I, the child in this case, didn't want to do what my parents had planned for me to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rahim Khan. Children are not coloring books and they should be able to make their own choices and live their own lives. Parents should understand that they cannot push their children to be what they want them to be. Pressuring children only makes them unhappy and they should be able to make their own choices and not try to live up to their parent’s expectations on how they should act. Amir is always trying to please his father although it does not make him happy; for instance, when he tries to play soccer to make his father pleased even though he doesn’t like soccer. I can relate this relationship between father and son to that of Okonkwo and Nwoye in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo wants Nwoye to be a successful, strong boy. However, okonkwo is never pleased by the way his son acts. He tries to change him but he fails and uses violence to make him feel bad about being a “lazy boy” just like his grandfather.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with Rahim Kahn and his metaphor stating that children are not coloring books. Children are human beings, with their own emotions and thoughts. But it is the parents’ jobs to ensure that the right emotions are expressed at the right time, and that their children’s thoughts are not guided in the wrong direction. It is the parents’ job to provide a certain government and disciplinary action so their child can understand right from wrong. In The Kite Runner, Amir does not posses the ability to stand up for himself. But he has a change of heart when he overhears Baba discussing the fact that "A boy who won't stand up for himself becomes a man who can't stand up to anything.” Later on in the book Amir tries to speak up, but fails. Although he has not been able to so far, I feel that as the story progresses, Amir will attain the capability of standing up for himself. In Things Fall Apart, Nwoye, disgruntled with his father and tribe about their customs, gains the ability to speak up for himself and leave everything he has ever known to join what he thinks is right. After years of thinking and wondering, Nwoye decides what he wants and does not hesitate to strive for it, no matter what may happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rahim Kahn because in the book it said that Amir and Baba did not have anything in common except for Kite Running. Baba tried to force Amir to become interested in soccer and death battles but time and time again, Amir disappointed his father pushing their relationship further and further apart. Since their was not a good relationship between the two, Amir constantly was seeking the approval of his father and because Baba rarely paid attention to his son, Amir became jealous of any father son time shared with anyone other than himself including family. Much like in Things fall Apart; Okonkwo desperately wanted his eldest son to become just like him and strive for greatness but because of the harsh beatings and constant pressure for perfection Okonkwo’s son Nwoye was the complete opposite of his father and took after his grandfather who Okonkwo despised a great amount. Okonkwo and Baba wanted to mold their children into people like themselves but were always extremely disappointed at the failures of what they expected their sons to be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rahim Kahn. You cannot force a child into something that they do not want to be. Children have a mind of their own, especially an imagination. In Things Fall Apart there is also an example of this, Okonkwo being the opposite of his father. Okonkwo did not want to be the man his father was, so he rebelled almost and did what he wanted to do. This is a very wise statement made by Rahim Kahn.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rahim Kahn because even though parents want the best for thier children,they can't plot how thier child's life will play out and where they're going to end up in the long-run. It's not up to them to create a life for them,its thier job to create the fundamentals they need to survive. In both books,Kite Runner and Things fall Apart, the fathers tried to make thier sons like them,and when they didn't turn out how they anticipated the fathers were ashamed. All a child wants is to be accepted,the last thing the need is to feel unwanted by thier own parents.My dad trys to get me to follow his steps. But he does it in a way that is'nt so obvious.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Nyowe and Amir, I don't care as much. I do what I want whether he likes it or not. Of course I take in his advice, but in the end I decide where my life is going. Parents can't control that. In a way,some of the intentions are good. But in Things Fall Apart and Kite Runner,both sons hate thier fathers in a way because of his mindset.