FINAL EXAM WRITING 20

Main Conflict

The pivotal event in the novel was when Amir finally got to seek redemption, and was able to become “good again”. As a child, he didn’t stick up for his half-brother Hassan when he was brutally raped in an alley, because he desired the blue kite he would have to sacrifice, along with his father’s admiration he has always longed for. He was selfish, and could never forgive himself for his mistake, that is until he was put in a situation where he had to risk his life for Hassan’s son Sohrab. He came face to face with Assef as an adult, and had to battle him with his bare hands to win over Sohrab. The fight is brutal, Assef breaks his ribs, knocks out his teeth, cracks his eye socket, breaks his nose, shatters his jaw, all the while little Sohrab is watching and screaming. Then Amir does something completely unexpected, he begins to laugh. Even though it pains him to do so, but he continues to laugh harder and harder. He is in the worst physical pain of his entire life, but ironically he is now at peace. He is now happy because he finally got to feel the pain he had caused Hassan so many years ago, that had led to his life of misery and guilt. He states “my body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last.” Another irony in this part of the novel is that Sohrab stood up for Amir, just as his father did. He held up his sling shot and released a brass ball straight into Assef’s left eye, and miraculously Sohrab and Amir managed to get away without being killed.

FINAL EXAM WRITING 19

When one loves another, his loyalty never falters no matter what sins are committed against him. This theme is most clear in the relationship between Hassan and Amir. No matter how much Amir hurts, betrays, and pushes him away, Hassan never fails to show compassion and devotion towards Amir, as a best friend and a servant. Although they never knew they were really brothers, they grew up their entire lives with a special bond, and even fed from the same breast. This theme is most clear when Amir betrays Hassan by doing nothing to help him as he gets raped, instead of resenting Amir, Hassan is forgiving because his love for him is so strong. Hassan doesn’t blame Amir; even through he went through unimaginable pain just to save a blue kite for Amir (for a superficial reason). The incident at the pomegranate tree, also demonstrates that Hassan never would want to hurt his brother, and has already forgave him for what he had done. Instead of hitting Amir with the fruit, he hurts himself. Again he sacrifices himself for Amir. After many years, Hassan’s love never dies, in his adulthood he writes letters to Amir and tells him that if he ever returns to Afghanistan he will always have a faithful and loving friend waiting for him. No matter what, his love or faithfulness will never falter for Amir, no matter how badly Amir betrays him or his family.

FINAL EXAM WRITING 18

Symbolism


*The blue kite represents Hassan’s loyalty to Amir. Even though he was about to be raped he held tight onto that kite for his friend and was willing to hurt himself when he could have easily handed the kite over to Assed. What would Hassan have gotten out of keeping the kite anyway? It wasn’t he who needed to prove to his father that he is a man and that he won. He did it out of his love for Amir.


*A symbol of brotherhood is established in the beginning of the novel when the author mentions that both Hassan and Amir fed at the same breast. Even though we don’t know yet that they truly are brothers, this gives a slight hint. Nonetheless it further describes how close the two boys are.


*The kite contests are symbolic of Amir’s carefree moments that either precede or follow traumatic events. The kite running tournament in the beginning of the novel is the last time Amir and Hassan share an enjoyable time together. Then, the last kite flying event was at the end of the novel with Sohrab, when the child shows a sign of opening up again. These events are symbolic to Amir because in between both events he never felt true happiness.


*The Kite running also indicates the class distinction between the two boys. Amir the Pashtun, is the one who gets a hold of the rope and fight. Hassan, the Hazara, is the one who actually must go and run after it. Amir receives all the credit for winning when in reality the both won, and on top of that Hassan must suffer to bring home the kite.


*Assef’s brass knuckles symbolize fear. In the novel, all the neighborhood children are scared of him and he is known for carrying them around wherever he goes. This symbol is really in effect at the end of the novel when Amir has to fight him. When he sees Assef reaching in his pocket he knows exactly what he is about to pull out, and this is the most frightening moment in Amir’s life.


*Hassan and Amir’s friendship is symbolized by the pomegranate tree. They carve their names in it and it is where they spend most of their time playing or reading. When the incident of Amir pelting the pomegranates at Hassan’s head occurs, it symbolizes the end of their friendship, at least for Amir.


*The slingshot represents devotion and protection. Hassan protects Amir with his slingshot against Assef when they are only kids. It is one of his many ways to show his loyalty to his best friend. Then later on in the novel, Sohrab, Hassan’s son, does the same and saves Amir’s life by shooting Assef in the left eye with his slingshot.

FINAL EXAM WRITING 17

On the 26th of November, 2008, something that many would call a “tragedy” occurred in Mumbai, India. Terrorists struck. Heartbreaking for many, the terrorists got what they wished for-death. Many were killed and wounded and most people were just in shock because of the fact that this attack took them by surprise. It was also several days long. It lasted until the 29th of November.
To begin, the horrible men responsible for this were Pakistanians. The name of the “group” they were in was called the Lashkar-e-Taiba. There were approximately 60 men, however they did not all stick together and attack as one. They split up into about seven groups and took charge. They arrived to Mumbai on tiny boats with bags filled with weapons and bombs waiting to be set off. Bombing nine different locations (such as five-star hotels, railroads, & work buildings) and shooting innocent people whom walked the streets on Mumbai; these men were sure enough caught and punished. It wasn’t an easy issue to sort out; however, once Indian authorities caught a man named Ajmal Amir Kasab, they gathered much information to get to the bottom of the issue. Also they found most of the men who didn’t already die from the suicidal actions that they were sent to do.
The Pakistanians didn’t have much of a valid reason to kill over 173 people, however in their eyes it was to prove a point about politics. Just weeks before this attack, there were arguments and harsh things said between the Pakistanians and the Indian people. It all branched from a “security issue”. Both parties were trying to prove that one was more patriotic than the other. It’s one thing to stand up for what you believe in, but when you have to kill people to reach your goal of proving a point, that’s when things become out of control. The Lashkar-e-Taiba took things way out of control.
Brian Michael Jenkins, the adviser of RAND, (terrorist experts) described the attack as “Ruthless Killing”. Many people of Mumbai still feel the pain they did that day, when they lost parents, sons, daughters, and friends. It left a permanent scar in many of their hearts to be stuck with a mental image of killing and violence in their own home. The invasion wasn’t just something little, it had an enormous impact on many people and lives…including people who didn’t even live in Mumbai.

FINAL EXAM WRITING 16

DBQ
Throughout China, Buddhism began to spread which made a big majority of Chinese population grow extremely furious. Buddhism originated in India in the sixth century B.C.E. The main reason why the Chinese were so terribly angry was because of the fact that it has nothing to do with Confucian, which was what they lived by. The thought of this made them despise the religion “Buddhism” altogether, not even having the desire to give the religion a chance at all.
According to the Buddhist tradition, “The Four Noble Truths” were the first mentioned by the Buddha. Basically, in this document it describes the way of the Buddhist tradition and pretty much how things worked as well as their beliefs. Mainly, it talks about “sorrow”, things that lead you into sorrow and eventually ties into “The fourth Noble truth, which is stopping the sorrow. On the other hand, moving into the next document, which was written by and “Anonymous Chinese scholar”, begins to explain as to why Chinese people despise this culture. This Chinese scholar is basically saying Buddhism is completely unnecessary. He questions as to why Buddha is supposedly so amazing, yet Confucius did not practice it. Confucius is the way that the Chinese know best, so this explains why the Chinese grow so angry. The answer, however, explains how teachings of the Confucius are completely different from Buddhism and you can’t even compare the two.
Moreover, I move to the next document. Han Yu, whom was a leading Confucian scholar and official, expresses his opinion in a rather angry manor. According to him, Buddhism has nothing to do with the Chinese and is useless to practice because of the fact that once again, has nothing to do with Confucian. Both the Anonymous Chinese scholar and Han Yu both express themselves in a way that leads you to understand why the Chinese hated Buddhism as much as they did. As oppose to the first document, the Chinese do not see the good in Buddhism at all. According to Han Yu, Buddha was a man of barbarians! Though his reasoning isn’t very rational, he definitely gets his point across. Because of the fact that Buddhism didn’t do things the way the Chinese wanted it, or weren’t used to by any means, Buddhism wasn’t accepted.
Zong Mi, who was a leading Buddhist scholar, was pretty neutral for the most part. He explains how he believes all three sages were “perfect” and all deserve respect. This differs a lot from the last few documents I came across. The others seemed to be filled with negativity and only saw things there way, not even bothering to look at the other point of view. Zong Mi, however, expressed himself in a way that let the reader know that he wasn’t really siding with any of the religions and was, as I said before, neutral. Tang Emperor Wu, ties in a bit with the negativity. Completely siding with the total opposite of Buddhism, he believes that Buddhism is actually causing problems and “poisoning” the customs of the Chinese nation. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and most of the opinions consist of going against Buddhism being spread throughout China.
All in all, most Chinese people are not all for “Buddhism.” They would rather their nation be left alone without another culture being spread in the place they call home. In many ways, it relates to people getting used to something new.

FINAL EXAM WRITING 15

II. The Coming of the Great War
A. The Long March to War
1. Tension rose among European Powers.
i. Alliances came about; Russia & France.
ii. Germany was powerful, helped out France.
iii. Germany’s new ruler, Kaiser Wilhelm II enlarged threats.
2. France loses Germany.
i. Franco-Prussian war was defeated
ii. Germany becomes threatened overseas.
3. Triple Entente Powers
i. Britain, Russia, and France join together to become powerful as one.
ii. Confronted the “Central Powers”
4. The Alliance System
i. European powers were involved with empire-building overseas.
ii. Rivalries heightened sentiments in each country.
iii. Germany threatened war towards France.
iv. Jingoism- war-like nationalist sentiments
v. alliance system was linked with imperialism.
5. Naval Rivalry
i. Germans built a navy that threatened Great Britains ` control of the worlds nation.
ii. Dreadnought launched in 1906, set off German’s to build ships in response.
iii. Military buildup put them on the path to war.
B. The Outbreak of War
1. Continuing Tensions/ Rivalries.
i. Balkan area had the same issues as Europe did.
ii. Lead up to the First World War in the Balkans.
iii. German leaders went against Serbia
iv. Austria-Hungary wanted it all to stop, at least in Serbia.
v. Were forced into war.
2. Russians promised support.
i. Alliance systems would come into play.
ii. It was believed this would stop the tension.
3. Germans mobilization meant war.
i. Germans took on the first attack plan towards France
ii. France made attack plans on Europe.
iii. General conflict in Europe turned bigger and spread to other parts of the world.



III. A World at War
A. The War in Europe
1) Germanys plan
i. Failed against France
ii. Counted on railway system to win
iii. French began to launch offenses
iv. The French fled to Paris on “Western Front”; was saved.
2) Germany didn’t give up
i. Dug through the French’s undergrounds.
ii. Machine Guns, Poisonous Gases, and barbed wire wiped out the western front.
iii. French, German, and British troops were lost.


B. The War in the East and in Italy
1) First week of Conflicts
i. Germans surprised by the Russians offenses.
ii. German high command committed offenses against France.
2) Germans continued determined
i. Went against Russia and destroyed them.
3) Russians try to come back.
i. Nicholas II was the Russian Commander, sparked beginning for a hopeful victory.
ii. Couldn’t stop the Austria-Hungarians who crashed Serbia.
4) Austrian Forces.
i. Enjoyed the high grounds in the Alps.
ii. Assaults ended in disaster.
iii. British forces stalled Austrian advance.
5) Italian soldiers left the turmoil.
i. Benito Mussolini, an Italian soldier exploited to the fullest power.


C. The Home Fronts in Europe
1) The war drags on…
i. Europe grows hatred towards the civilians back home.
ii. Soldiers also disturbed by patriotic zeal.
iii. Industrial sectors administered by state.
2) Governments develop propaganda
i. Aimed towards the United States.
ii. British/American public bombarded with false stories.
iii. Germans stunned by what they read.
iv. Governments mobilize men & women.
3) War speeds up developments.
i. Power of organization increased.
ii. Socialists trade union chiefs.
iii. Labor protest gives powerful momentum.
iv. Labor gets sparked by shortages of food continuously occurring.
4) As wars end..
i. Many lose their jobs.
ii. Gain the opportunity to vote.
iii. Influence spreads through a small minority.
iv. Germany and US promise advances to each other.
D. The war outside Europe
1) Colonies Outside Europe
i. All of the major powers that just had been in the war owned these.
ii. Fighting spread to the Middle East
iii. US even entered the war.
2) Britain’s Participation.
i. Was more than any other power.
ii. Cut off Germany from its colonies.
iii. Deprived central powers.
iv. Controlled trans-Atlantic cable links.
v. Entry into war meant its empire and allies were drawn as well.
3) Japan’s Participation.
i. Joined with Britain
ii. Captured islands from Germany.
4) The British Domains
i. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
ii. Supported the war effort.
iii. Ill-fated assault was at Gallipoli in 1915.
5) Massive army in India recruited in their colonies.
i. Germans lost their colonies.
ii. Germans lead many Indians and South African troops.
6) The Turks.
i. Tried to blame the Russians.
ii. Minority was loyal and neutral.
iii. Armenian genocide-claimed many as a million lives.
7) Outbreak of War
i. Greeted with considerable ambivalence on a part of American leaders.
ii. American and Japanese took advantage of the Europeans.
iii. US accrues them neutrality.
8) President Woodrow Wilson
i. Would force military retaliation by the US.
ii. America entered this conflict in 1917.
iii. American troops sent to Europe were small and largely symbolic.
iv. American reinforcements convinced the German high command.
E. Endgame: The Return of Offensive Warfare
1) Massive Offenses were launched.
i. An entire British army was destroyed.
ii. French forces were also falling back.
iii. German soldiers were transferred from the Eastern Front.
iv. German Armies were being pushed out of France.
v. Austria and Hungary sued the Entente allies for peace.
2) The German commanders
i. Agreed to an armistice in 1918.
ii. New Governments were forced to sure the Entente allies as well for peace.
iii. German people were stunned by the sudden reversal.
iv. European family had death to mourn because of all of the lost soldiers.
v. In the mind 1920’s the Great Depression came about.

FINAL EXAM WRITING 14

21) The reason for the predicted population decline between 2000 and 2050 could be attributed to any of the following reasons EXCEPT… - better access to medical care.
22) The Mongol Empire was divided into four Khanates which governed all of the following lands EXCEPT…- Japan.
23) Which of the following is an accurate statement about the Heian period in Japan? – The focus of Heian civilization was on cultural independence.
24) The charges brought about by the Council of Trent did NOT include…- less emphasis on saints in religious ceremonies.
25) The author of the passage would agree most with which of these statements? – With the proper education, women have the ability to be as smart as men.
26) The concept of the “total war” in WWI refers to the… - mobilization of economic, natural, and human resources for the war effort.
27) In order to hold onto their territory, the Ottomans instituted the Tanzimat Reforms, which included…- access to western education.
28) Which of the following statements is NOT true about Akbar the great? – He constructed the Taj Mahal as a Muslim holy place.
29) The Magna Carta… - did little to stop the growth of centralized government in England.
30) Both Gandhi and Mao Zedong… - worked to reform the social order in their respective nations.
31) One similarity between the Vikings and the Mamluks was… - Both groups converted to the dominant religion of the land that they conquered.
32) A similarity between China and the Italian states was that… -both were able to support numerous large cities.
33) Which of the following is an accurate example of Hellenism? – Constructing buildings and monuments in stone in SW Asia.
34) Monasticism is a characteristic of which of the following religions? – Catholicism
35) Which of the following statements is an accurate interpretation of this political cartoon? – Labor unions could not have arisen in the nineteenth century without specific economic and social policies and problems.
36) Which of the following statements about neo-Confucianism is NOT correct? – Loyalty to government became more important than familial ties.
37) Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring increased international awareness of environmental degradation.
38) Which of the following statements about Spanish colonies in the New World is accurate? Sugarcane production was the primary economic activity in Spanish colonies.
39) Which of the following is accurate about the Tang Dynasty and Byzantine Empire? Both of their governments consisted of bureaucrats whom received a standardized education.
40) Which of the following is not an accurate statement about the Middle East in the late twentieth century? The discovery of new sources of petroleum diluted the political power and military importance of OPEC member nations.