The Kite Runner #1

The first chapter of the book begins in the December 2001 with the author speaking of the year 1975 when he was 12 years old peering into a deserted valley, and how he still does it at the age of 26. Later, he explains how his friend Rahim Khan asked him to come visit him from Pakistan. The chapter also talks about a person named Hassan, "And suddenly Hassan's voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the harelipped kite runner." So far, it has not been explained who Hassan is or what exactly "kite runner" means but from my understanding it is someone who flies a kite...In the end of the chapter, the author explains how his life changed completely after that visit in Pakistan when he was twelve.

The Odyssey (End!)

This weekend I finally finished The Odyssey...I was actually pretty surprised by the ending after Odysseus finally killed all the suitors, and then their angered families rebelled against Odysseus and his reign. But Athena, who had the idea for Ithaca to be freed from the suitors after all, abrubtly ended the fighting, "And Athena handed down her pacts of peace between both sides for all the years to come..."(24.598-600) Finally, Ithaca is in peace and no brazen suitors will take over. There were a few interesting literary techniques and words I've also noticed while reading The Odyssey. First of all, the adapted language seems to be more recent and even kind of funny when they say things such as "catch my drift" and "If only" and other sayings. These sometimes throw me off when I'm reading because the stories are told with a type of older vocabulary and methods and then one of these sayings will come up and sound totally out of place. Also, just some of the swearing seems like phrasing that wouldn't be used as frequently in the Greek ages. Overall, I enjoyed reading the adventurous tales of Odysseus and all the the places where he ventured.

The Odyssey #1

So far, I've enjoyed reading The Odyssey by Homer more than many of the other novels we've read in english class. The adventurous story reads faster than other books and is very engaging when you sit down and actually read it. Since I previously listened to the story line in sixth grade, the plot is easier to follow and identify the events that are taking place. Currently, I am a little behind in the books and am reading book 14, after Odysseus returned to Ithaca. Everything seems pretty familiar because we also made detailed drawings of events in sixth grade, so I can refer back to those also if I have any question. For the class assignment, our group is working on books 21-22. These are the ending books where Odysseus is in Ithaca and disguises himself as an old man as a part of the plot to drive away and kill all of the suitors taking over his house. Penelope is very relieved when she realizes her husband has finally returned and the suitors are finally gone. After the long journey Odysseus finally returned to his homeland and his family is restored.  

Outside Reading: Quarter #3

For my outside reading book this quarter I chose to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I've heard this is a classic read and very engaging so I'm excited to get started. I haven't read yet, but from what I've heard it describes the story of a man who faces his country's revolution and invasion by Russian forces. It shows the struggle to overcome suppression of government or in a country. At first, my family recommended the novel to me but I also figured it would be interesting based on all of the publicity it was given. Based on all the talk on TV, in magazines, or just my peers, I hope the story will fill my expectations.