Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Fish Bowl #6, Chapter 21 of The Kite Runner

Welcome to your sixth fish bowl!

A few reminders if you're looking for an A for the day:

(A) Bring at least one quotation and/or page reference into at least one of your responses.
(B) Explain your thinking thoughtfully and thoroughly (try to avoid the one-sentence response).
(C) Keep it professional, including the usage of proper grammar and spelling.
(D) Comment frequently from the beginning of the conversation to the end.


Remember also that you're welcome to get into a hot seat in the inner circle for a little while and earn some of your daily participation points there.


Enjoy!

117 comments:

  1. why didn't they sleep at amir's old house

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    1. I think there are too many memories that he doesn't want to arise back in him

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    2. "They told Hassan they would be moving in to supposedly keep it safe until I return." The Taliban took over Amir's old house after they killed Hassan and Farzana. Amir couldn't go sleep there because it was occupied.

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    3. I think it was because it was to dangerous to go there because if they did the Taliban might find them and do horrible things to them.

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  2. Do you think forgetting it all makes life easier or should you remember to make better choices is better? (Page 263)

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    1. I think learning from your mistakes in one of the best things you can do. If you just forget about all the mistakes you've made and all the bad things you've done you will never learn, and you will never improve as a person.

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    2. No i personally dont think it would make life easier to forget things. Amir has been trying to that his whole and still the incident that happened in the alley to Hassan still haunts him, Facing what happened and trying to fix things somehow is the better way to go. Remembering bad choices in life will make you want to make better ones the next time.

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    3. I agree with Joey that you learn from your mistakes. After making mistakes you know how to prepare yourself for future situations. Mistakes are just a learning lesson in life and you shouldn't forget them. They help you make a better you.

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    4. I think we should learn from our mistakes so that we don't make them agian. When something bad happens to you, you don't want it to happen again and do everything you can to make sure of that.

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  3. On page 242 Amir places the money under the mattress. Do you think good deeds over come bad ones?

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    1. yes i think that if you did do something good it could change something you did that was bad

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    2. Not necessarily, although Amir is doing a good deed, he will have to do a lot more to make up for what he put Hassan through. It will take a lot to overcome that.

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    3. I don't think that if you do something good all of your sins go away but I think it comforted Amir and made him feel less guilty after giving them the money.

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    4. I agree with Hadley just because he left money doesn't mean that how he treated Hassan and the things he watched ad just let things go his sins are not forgiven for that just because he did one good thing.

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    1. I think the dead tree symbolizes sorrow because Amir is mourning Hassan and realizing that he doesn't want to forget anymore about what happened. He is confronting his past up at the tree and letting it all out to himself.

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    2. I think the dead tree is a very important part of the story. It symbolizes Amir and Hassan relationship throughout the story.

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    3. Yes, I think the tree has symbolized Amir and Hassan's relationship. Amir and Hassan grew up hanging out by that tree, they read books there and played together there. The tree at the beginning symbolized their friendship. After Hassan got raped and Amir didn't stand up for that they went back up to that tree. Amir had so much guilt , all he wanted was Hassn to be mad at him and get revenge, but he stayed loyal to Amir. Amir tried to rattle Hassan by throwing fruit at him, but he just walked away. The tree at this time symbolized a break in their friendship. At this point in the book the tree is dead, which symbolizes the end of their friendship for good because Hassan is dead and they will never have a chance to re gain that friendship again.

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  5. Why do the Taliban choose to stone people at a packed stadium in front of many children and adults....Is it to show there power?

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    1. I think they do it to send a message. No one is going to want to e stoned in public so this could be a scare tactic.

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    2. I think it is to show that they have more power and to make the others scared of getting killed or tortured, so they would follow the Taliban's rules.

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    3. The Taliban stoned those people in front of everyone including children to show everyone that they are in power and if you mess up they arent afraid to take action.

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    4. I think it is to show there power and also just to kind of let people know that they are dominant.

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    5. Its a way to show them not to cross the line so that there not punished.

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  6. What do you think will happen when Amir goes to meet with the Taliban? Do you think he will get Hassans son back or not?

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    1. After Amir tells them that Hassan is part of Amir's family than in some retrospect then he would be able to save him.

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    3. I think Amir will get Sohrab, but there maybe alittle violence may come out of it.

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  7. What importance does the hotel hold for Amir and his sanity? I think that Baba's house brought back too many horrible memories, and the hotel symbolizes atonement for his sins. Now that the house is mess and Hassan's death is associated with it, he must have a tough time looking back on that and being in that place.

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  8. Who are the Shorawi?

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    1. Shorawi is a term for Soviets

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    2. The soviets were really cruel and ruthless back than and even now.

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  9. Did the fact that Amir couldn't do anything about the stoning remind him of when he didn't do anything when Hassan got raped?

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    1. yes because all he cold do was stand there and watch like with hassan

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    2. I think yes because he simply stood there and witnessed a innocent person, just like Hassan, being hurt and harmed. But the only difference between these situations is that Amir couldn't really stop the stoning without interfering with the Taliban.

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    3. Yes because he had to stand there and watch. This time though, if he got involved, he'd probably die vs with Hassan he may get beaten up or raped himself. But still, he had to stand and watch agian without doing anything.

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  10. Do you think that the way the Taliban works is overall effective to the citizens?

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    1. yes I think it does because it scares everyone when it happens because they might think they are next

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    2. Yes, because they ended up scaring citizens so much that they wouldn't dare step out of line and risk their lives, or their families.

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  11. So Amir has to talk to the Taliban official to get Sorab back, how do you think the offical is going to react to Amir and will he let Sorab go? What is the official doing to the children?

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  12. Do you think that Amir and Hassan will find Sorab and get him back? What will they do if they don't?

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  13. On page 243 Amir says 'Farid warned me. He had. But, as it turned out, he wasted his breath.' What do you think he meant when he said he waste his breath?

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    1. I think Amir is saying that nothing Farid had said could have prepared him for what he saw in Afghanistan.

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    2. Farid never could have used the right amount of words to describe Afghanistan to Amir. There is such a large difference between hearing something and seeing something.

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  14. When Amir says "I don't want to forget anymore" on page 263, what do you think he means by that? Why wouldn't he want to forget?

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    1. Amir is finally facing his past with courage rather than trying to hide and run from it with cowardice. He has had enough trying to forget about his past and instead is facing and moving on by redeeming himself.

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    2. I think he means that he is tired of not dealing with stuff and just forgetting about it.

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  16. On page 267 ".....You come all the way from America for ..... a Shi'a?" I think that no one understands the connection this boy and amir have even though there so far apart.

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  17. pg 269 " I had never in my life wanted to be away from a place as badly as i did now" do you think hasan said that because he is scared

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  18. Does Babas house somewhat symbolize all of Kabul in this new time period?

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    1. Yes, Amir describes how Kabul has lost its beauty. Baba's garden is withered and his house is falling apart and that's exactly how Kabul is too.

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    2. Yes, because Babas house once use to be beautiful and now it is falling apart just like Kabul is.

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  19. On page 260 Farid drives up to baba's house and is noticing that it is falling apart. How can knowing that you cant do anything to fix a problem make people fall apart?

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  20. "He gets caught, they'll give him a flogging that will waken his father in the grave" in my opinion this is a good exaggeration of what the people thought of the Taliban but for the same reason were too scared to stand up to them.

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  21. After everything that has happened, do you think Amir will be able to leave Sohrab in Pakistan?

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    1. No because I think Amir will realize that since he didn't give Hassan his best chance in America, he will seek redemption by giving Sohrab his best chance in America. Amir thinks that he is the reason for Hassan dying because he made Hassan leave when he could've had Hassan and Ali come with Baba and him to America. Sohrab is his nephew and you always have to look after family.

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  22. Why does Amir and Farid want to meet the Taliban official. What might happen when they meet him?

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    1. They want to meet the official to get Sohrab back. I think that they will probably get him back but they will have to make a sacrifice.

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    2. they want to meet the official to get sohrab back

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  23. On page 269 the Talibs were helping the blindfolded man and woman. What exactly happened to them?

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    1. because they were going to kill them they were not trying to help them they were just moving them to kill them

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    2. they were not being nice. They were gonna kill them.

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  24. Does the poverty in afghanistan make Amir feel even worse about his life there, and how happily he lives now in the U.S.?

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    1. I think he feels bad that all of his people were suffering while he had a happy life in America but there isn't really anything he could have done about it.

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    2. I think that it makes Amir realize how lucky he actually is to live in America. People are suffering and dying in Afghanistan and he is living happily and peacefully in America. He can't change what is going on in Afghanistan but he can effect the people there.

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  25. Do you think that the people who get killed by the Taliban commit actual crimes or do anything wrong? Or does the Taliban kill them too show that they have a lot of power?

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    1. I think the Talibans kill them to get actual power because on Page 270 they wanted to throw the stones back at them. They had no reason to it was because they were sinners

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    2. I think that it is a little bit of both and that the Taliban are bored. They want to show everyone that they have power. I personally dont believe that people do anything that wrong.

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  26. Do all of the important people to the Taliban and the Taliban members live in Amir and Hassans old home?

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  27. In response to Evan, Yeah I think they cheer just so that they don't get in trouble, not cause they agree but because they're scared of what will happen if they don't.

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  28. Why do people try not to cheer too loudly at the soccer games? Is there some kind of scarcity to come in play?

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  29. Why does the Taliban make people cheer for executions? Is it out of fear or do the people want it because it is justice in their own religion?

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  30. On page 264, what do you think the pomegranate tree and his old house symbolize in the story?

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    1. The pomegranate tree and the house symbol a time where things were good for Amir. It was when he and Hassan got a long and they didn't have a care in the world. Things between them were good.

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    2. I think they symbolize the past and a contrast to what it is now.

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  31. On page 260 it talks about when Amir and Farid are driving through Wazir Akbar Khan. Why do you think that the Taliban get to have the better houses and neighborhoods opposed to all the people that used to live there? Why were they kicked out of their homes?

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    1. I think because the Taliban have the power now to control everything. They think that they are better then everyone and should be cared for the best. They also think that they run Afghanistan now so they believe that they have every right to kick the people out of their homes.

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  32. Is a man selling his leg or anything important for your daily life a normal thing just to survive through the hardships in Afghanistan?

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  33. On the first page of chapter 21 Amir states, "He's Selling his leg?", this shows a lot of symbolism of the area they are in and how desperate people can be. But in times like this would you do the same if it meant food on your table and clothes on your back?

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    1. Yes because like Farid said on the next page " you can get good money for it on the black market. Feed your kids for a couple of weeks." So what that says to me is that everyone really needs money because the Taliban is hurting everything.

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    2. Yes. This shows how bad things have become and how desperate people are for things. I think if anyone were in this situation they would be willing to do anything for food instead of having to starve to death.

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    3. I think probably a lot of people would, because it's your family or at least you love yourself that you would want to keep living. So I say yeah, I may do that in order to keep me and my family alive.

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    4. I would agree with Katrina on that everyone's family would want them to live on and have their own family.

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  34. On Page 259 Amir said " I saw a dead body near the restaurant. There had been a hanging. a young man dangled from the rope tied to a beam" What do you think Amir felt about that and how much times have changed?

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    1. He has probably felt sad and upset that his home is now a place full of death and hurting.

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  35. On page 264, they mention the pomegranate tree at the old house and I think it might symbolize the growth and also the death that surrounds Amir throughout the story.

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  36. Why does the Taliban constantly say they are Muslims and following Muslim teachings? Do you think all Muslims are like this? Do you think the Muslims in Afghanistan think the Taliban is good thing?

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    1. I think the parallels between the Taliban and Nazis might be something to consider. Though they are doing terrible things, people are interested because there is less risk in becoming one of them, and with blanket statements like "Muslims following Muslim teachings," people don't have anything against the way they may act becuase they assume it is under the blanket of Muslims and Muslim teachers.

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  37. on page 268 officials are throwing stones at people and it seems like nobody really cares. When something happens repetitively, does it affect how people react when they have seen it before many times?

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    1. The other people probably didn't care because they had seen it already before. It was just something normal as long as it didn't happen to them.

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    2. I think that the people are too scared to say something. Nobody can really get used to seeing people getting stoned to death.

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  38. How did Amir feel after the incident? Did he change what he thought about Afiganistan what impact did it have on him?

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  39. In response to Evan's question, I believe that they don't have grass on the field because to the Taliban it seems that they use the field only for executions and use the soccer itself as a distraction and to keep the people in order.

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  40. Do you think Amir has lost all hope for Afganistan, or do you think that there is any part of him left that still respects and has pride for his country?

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    1. I think Amir has lost most of his pride for his home country, but he has to be hopeful that Afghanistan will once again return to its former glory sometime in the distant future.

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    2. I think he will always have respect for Afghanistan because it is his home country and it treated him so well growing up but he definitely has lost a lot of respect just because of what has happened.

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  41. What happens when Amir gets caught up with the Taliban while trying to get Sohrab....will the Taliban not want Amir to take him back to America?

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  42. "I don't want to forget anymore" (263).
    -Amir
    What made Amir want to face his mistakes and stop forgetting?

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    1. I think he tried to forget Hassan and the rest of his life in Afghanistan, but now that he is back and here to rescue Hassan's son, his nephew, he knows he just can't forget all the bad, because the bad can help him move on.

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  43. Since the Taliban is so strict, are people allowed to leave the country? Will they be stoned if they leave? How will Amir leave the country with Sorab?

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  44. Do you agree with the Taliban in any way? Do you think that even one of their ways are fair or just? If not how do you feel about the way they treat the citizens of Afghanistan.

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  45. On page 260 when Amir and Farid were driving to his house they saw the two guys with messed up legs. What did they think of that? Was it disturbing for them?

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  46. On page 251 Amir says that he wanted to speak to the old man who knew his mother in the future but he never saw him again. What do you think happened to him?

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  47. In the middle of chapter 21 a cleric on the field recites a prayer from the Koran and announces that they are to carry out gods law. How big of a role does gods law play inn Afghanistan and how much do people rely on it?

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  48. On page 259 "a young man dangled from the end of a rope tied to a beam,his face puffy and blue, the clothes he'd worn on the last day of his life shredded, bloody." In the terms of events what do you think happened to this person?

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  49. What did Amir think of his old house when he went back with Farid? Did it bring back memories?

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  50. Why would the Taliban want more girls then boys?

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  51. Why are they just taking girls to rape a them?

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  52. Do you think the orphanage owner is in the right by letting the leader take the children?

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  53. In the beginning of chapter 21 Farid goes up to a tree where he and Hassan used to play. How can the things you do as a kid help you remember things as an adult?

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  54. On page 262, Amir visits his old house and spends a lot of time reflecting. The house is a symbol of the condition of Afghanistan because in the beginning of the story the house is in a splendid condition and then later in the story the house is in ruins.

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  55. Do you think the way the Taliban works is overall effective? Do you think striking fear deep into the hearts of the citizen really proves an effective method?

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  56. What does the change in the city of Kabul on page 259 symbolize?

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