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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On page 40 Assef says to Amir and Hassan that, "I'll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now." In the book Assef is described as a blue-eyed boy with blonde hair yet he is a Pashtun. What I found the most unnerving about the quote that Assef says to the boys is the fact that he idolizes Hitler and even agrees with the former dictator’s actions. Too many times in my life I have read about Adolf Hitler's harsh and unforgivable treatment of the Jews and anyone else he deemed "impure". The idea that this young boy would actually like what had happened in the past during such a terrible time is disturbing, disgusting because how could you love a child that thinks that way. Assef believes that without the Hazara, Afghanistan would be a better country. Well why should ethnicities be a reason for humans to kill innocent lives. Assef would probably be the epitome of a younger Hitler. Assef's actions and words remind me of the members of the KKK. The white supremacist group just like Assef wants to have a pure race of only white individuals. They both have various tactics to scare off their enemies whether Hazara or black. In the end I find it interesting that Assef would agree with Hitler while Assef is half German and Afghan. Last time I checked Hitler’s plan for an Aryan race (Caucasian race), there was never an excuse for individuals with tainted blood.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sherline completely and I think if there is one truly frightening thing that Assef says to Amir and Hassan, it is saying "if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now." Assef makes many threats that may frighten the boys, including telling the president to rid Afghanistan of all Hazaras, but there is no way to know which of these threats he really has the power to carry out and which he is just bluffing about. However, when he says the world would be a better place if Hitler had finished his work, it shows that this is not just a normal bully who takes pleasure in watching his victims squirm; this is a bloodthirsty sociopath who makes a hero out of one of the most notorious mass murderers in world history. I find it interesting that there is such intense hate for certain Muslims by other Muslims because, in history, Muslims have been kicked out of their homes as well and killed by people of other religions. During the Spanish Inquisition, tens of thousands of Moors, Muslims who had lived in Spain for hundreds of years and had made huge advances in science, medicine, and learning, were executed and burned on public street corners for not being Catholic. Isabella and Ferdinand, the monarchs responsible for this heinous act, saw it as the work of God to cleanse Spain of anyone who was not a pure Catholic. This is the same rationale of Assef, who wants to cleanse Afghanistan of the dirty Hazaras, when if he had lived in Spain 400 years earlier, he would find himself being burned for similar reasons.
ReplyDeleteAssef is one of those people that the world could do without. He idolizes Hitler and believes that a cleansing should be initiated. This one race supremacy is a scary and very realistic nightmare. Amir and Hassan are unlucky people that have to witness a sociopath in action. Assef himself says, "... About Hitler. Now, there was a leader. A great leader." (39) This kid actually believes that Hitler’s pure blood thinking was the best thing since stainless-steel knuckles. This is exactly what happened to the Baha’i’s in the middle-east. The people were prosecuted for their religion and actually murdered because of it. People need to understand that actions like this are unacceptable and should be viewed as things of nightmares, not of reality.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of the most frightening words that Assef has said I do strongly agree with Nate, Angel and Sheline, however I toke a different approach. Although his opinion on Hitler is in fact extremely disturbing but I honestly feel that the words he said to Hassan about Amir being his friend hurts even more. Right before Hassan gets brutally violated on pages (72-73) Assef tries to manipulate Hassan by stating how Amir wasn’t really a friend of his at all. He reminded Hassan how Amir never includes him in any games, on how he only played with him when they were alone, something he could kick when he was mad and that he wouldn’t even think twice about doing at least half the things Hassan does for him. Assef is constantly trying to break Hassan, break his hopes and spirits of a good friendship, all because he’s a “Hazara.” It hurts to see such a child do and say such things to someone who only has one friend, to someone who’s life was already hard enough. It also showed weakness on Assef’s part, that he only attacks those whom he knows he could destroy. This boy reminds me of the teenagers of today. I know so many people who hurt others because they know that they wont stand up for themselves. Even though I know I should be minding my own, I still step in and stand up for those who don’t. To be honest I was one of them a while back. I made the bully feel good about herself because I just gave into her hurtful words, and in doing so I was her fuel to keep moving. All that didn’t changed until my sister began being hard on me, teaching me to grow a spine. Now today when someone does something or says something to me, they actually think twice and they see in my eyes that I don’t take anything from anyone.
ReplyDeleteAssef seems to adore Hitler because in a couple of conflicts he has brought him up. He wants to get rid of what he believes to be worthless and leave only the Pushtan in his land. On page 35 he says," Too late for Hitler. But not for us." He looks down on Hassan as a sort of animal. But at the same time he has no problem using him and embarrasing him after the kite competition. Assef has no problem with his actions against Hassan. Assef is a disrespectful guy that wants everything in the world his way only. Assef is exactly like the (KKK) exatly what Sherine said, they both have tactics to scare enemies away in a physical and mental ways. Assef and the KKK are similar in many ways and Assef will play a big role in a foreshadowing way throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most frightening about Assef's words, were his lack of sympathy and his determination to finish what he started. Assef is known to be violent, so when he leaves the first confrontation without a fight, it is a given that another is just waiting to happen. Assef says, "Your Hazara made a big mistake today, Amir" (43). He says it as though Hassan is Amir's property. Assef enforced fear on the boys, so that every time they walk out of the house, they are to continually look over their shoulders first. This situation builds the intensity to see what will unfold between the boys.
ReplyDeletewhat i found the most frightenin about what the boy said is that even though Hitler had klled many innocent people he still thought that he was a great leader. another was how he said that he couldnt wait until the new president took all the Hazaras out of his country because they were "dirtying his blood" i feel that that is too harsh for a young man to feel. Another thing that i didnt like that he said was that the boys better watch out for him because they had threaten him. by saying this he is putting the boys in fear which is not good for them.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that extremely scared me about Assef was his thoughts about Hitler. Assef felt that he was a great leader, because he "skillfully" ordered people to be killed because they apparently didn't belong there. Assef felt that the President of Afghanistan should do the same and kill the Hazaras, since Pashtuns are the "supreme people" of Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteThe things that Assef said about Hitler, that if he had finished what he started than the world would had been a better place. I found this to be unnerving because he agrees to the things Hitler was doing; all the innocent lives he took. I kinda see Assef as Hitler because he believes that no Hazaran should be in Afghanistan and in a way he thinks they should be exterminated like Hitler did with the Jews. He thinks that Afghanistan should only be ruled by the Pashtuns because they are better than Hazara’s.
ReplyDeleteI found that when Assef said, "I'll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started, the world be a better place now." it was extremely disturbing. This young boy bacically looks up to a man who terroized a whole country. Who murdered innocent people just because of who they were or what they looked like. He had such a harsh feeling toward Hazaras simply because of who they were. I just think its unbelievable how someone could say such a thing after knowing what Hitler had done to people that had no fault in anything, but they were just punished because of WHO THEY WERE. It just really unnerving that someone can think like this, yea you can dislike people and may not see eye to eye with them but to wish something like this is WRONG. I just think Assef is something else and will bring alot of trouble in the book.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 5 the things I found to be the most frifhtening that Assef said was how he thought Hitler was a great leader and theat if he would have continued what he started the world would be better. This came from a direct quote in the book by Assef,"I'll tell Daoud Khan to remember that if they had let Hitler finish what he had started the world be a better place now"(pg.40)
ReplyDeleteI really couldn't pinpoint an exact quote that Assef said only because all what he said was frigthening. Reading chapter 5 really showed what type of person Assef is, which is HEARTLESS. But what did take me about suprised was how Assef doesent like Hassan because he's Hazara, also the name that he gave Hasssan, "Flat-Nose". Im not suprised that Assef looks up to Hilter, because Assef treats Hazara people just as if they were subhuman. Hilter did the same to the Jewish.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Assef says many frightening and disturbing things that show he isn’t just a bully but a sociopath, I believe one of the most fearsome quotes is while in the midst of a confrontation with Amir and Hassan he threatens “This doesn’t end today, believe me.” Personally I believe this is frightening because both of the boys know that Assef isn’t a coward and doesn’t make empty threats. He a bully and a sociopath who carries around brass knuckles he is not going to let anyone hold him off with a slingshot without seeking revenge. If fact he did just that and violated Hassan while Amir was watching causing a gigantic rift in their friendship. This can relate to my life because I had a previous friend out of the blue threaten to fight me but when I confronted her about the threat she didn’t make a move because her threat was just a bluff to get a reaction.
ReplyDeleteWhen Assef said that if Hitler was still alive that and had finish what he had started, the world would be a better place now was very scary to me. When Hitler was alive he killed innocent people. People that weren’t Germans mainly Jews were being killed and tortured. Assef’s attitude really show’s that he could be another Hitler one day if he get’s the power of respect from his country. Assef has to be stopped; he has to be taught a lesson. I hope Hassan actually fires his sling shot next time.
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