Q. I am excited to see it! I haven't read the book, but I was an extra in the movie. What is it about?
Answer
The story is narrated by Amir, one of the novelâs main characters. Amir is an Afghan man living in San Francisco, California remembering his childhood in Kabul in the 1970s.
He begins his story in pre-civil war Afghanistan. He and his Hazara servant Hassan spend many hours per day together. One of the most cherished times spent together was when Amir would read stories to Hassan, under a pomegranate tree. Amir had a love for literature, a trait similar to his mother, who died while giving birth to him. However, this troubles his father ("BÄbÄ," Persian for father), who tries to make Amir more like himself, active and courageous. Baba puts Amir on a soccer team and tries to teach him to defend himself, but fails with every attempt.
Nevertheless, Amir continues to pursue his love for literature and eventually ends up composing his own short stories. Sadly, Amirâs father has almost no interest in his stories, although his business partner and friend to Amir, Rahim Khan, is full of praise.
One day when Hassan and Amir are walking through Afghanistan, they come across Assef, a sociopathic bully known for his brass knuckles and his rancor towards Hazaras. He prepares to fight Amir and Hassan, but Hassan threatens to shoot out Assefâs left eye with his slingshot, saying they'll call him "one-eyed Assef." Before the daunted bully backs off he warns them that he will have his revenge.
Assef's vow comes true during the day of Amir's favorite sport: "kite fighting". In this sport, children fly their kites and try to "slice" each other's kite. Amir wins the tournament, and Baba's praise, with his kite the last one flying, but when Hassan goes to fetch the last cut kite, a great trophy, Assef and two henchmen are there instead. Hassan tries to protect Amir's kite, but Assef beats Hassan and brutally rapes him. Amir hides and watches Hassan and is too scared to help him. Afterwards, Hassan becomes emotionally downcast. Amir knows why but keeps it a secret, and things are never the same between the two. After hearing a story from Rahim Khan, Amir decides it would be best for Hassan to go away. Amir frames Hassan as a thief but Baba forgives him, even though he admits to committing the crime - and despite the fact that Baba believes that "there is no act more wretched than stealing". Hassan and his father Ali, to Baba's extreme sorrow, decide that it's time to leave.
A short while later, the Russians invade Afghanistan; Amir and Baba escape to Peshawar, Pakistan and then to Fremont, California. There, Amir, who grew up in an expensive mansion in Afghanistan, finds them a humble apartment and Baba begins to work at a gas station. Amir begins taking classes at a local community college to develop his writing skills. Every Sunday, Baba and Amir make extra money selling used goods at a flea market in San Jose. There, Amir meets Soraya Taheri and her family and eventually marries her. The days are far from happy, however. Amir watches helplessly as Baba sickens and dies from lung cancer; shortly thereafter he and Soraya learn that they cannot have children.
A year passes, and Amir embarks on a successful career as a novelist, and sells his first novel. After fifteen years, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, he says "there is a way to be good again" and flies to Pakistan to meet him. From Rahim Khan, Amir learns that Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban, and that Hassan was actually his illegitimate half-brother. The true reason that Rahim Khan has called Amir to Pakistan, however, is to go to Kabul to rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab, from an orphanage. Despite his anger at being deceived all his life, Amir agrees to go to Kabul to search for him.
Amir returns to Taliban-controlled Kabul to search for Sohrab, who is supposedly in an orphanage. However, the corrupt orphanage director has sold Sohrab as a slave to a Taliban official and executioner who dresses Sohrab in women's clothes and sexually abuses him. Amir sets an appointment with this man and meets him later. There he finds out that the Taliban official is actually Assef, whose epiphany (passing a kidney stone while being beaten in prison) led him to becoming Taliban. It is similar to Amir's, whose epiphany led him to be punished and to be good again. Assef agrees to relinquish Sohrab to Amir, but only if Amir can beat him in a fight to the death, with Sohrab as the prize. Assef brutally beats Amir and grievously injures him, and would soon kill him, but Amir is saved when Sohrab uses his slingshot to shoot out Assef's left eye, leaving him a "one-eyed Assef." While the guards are helping Assef, Sohrab and Amir leave after being told by Assef to "get out".
After recovering from his injuries, Amir offers to adopt Sohrab and take him back to America. However, when difficulties arise in adopting Sohrab from Afghanistan and Amir mentions that Sohrab would have to stay in an orphanage for a while, Sohrab, frightened from his previous brutal treatment, attempts suicide. Luckily, Amir finds Sohrab in time, saves him, and takes him back to the United States. However, Sohrab is emotionally damaged and refuses to speak. This continues until his frozen emotions are thawed when Amir begins kite flying. Amir shows off some of Hassanâs tricks, and Sohrab begins to interact with Amir again. In the end all the book says is that Sohrab only shows a lopsided smile, but Amir takes to it with all his heart as he runs the kite for Sohrab.
Haha! I can't belive you were an extra! Thats awesome! I always wanted to do that. What scene were you in?
Take care! :)
The story is narrated by Amir, one of the novelâs main characters. Amir is an Afghan man living in San Francisco, California remembering his childhood in Kabul in the 1970s.
He begins his story in pre-civil war Afghanistan. He and his Hazara servant Hassan spend many hours per day together. One of the most cherished times spent together was when Amir would read stories to Hassan, under a pomegranate tree. Amir had a love for literature, a trait similar to his mother, who died while giving birth to him. However, this troubles his father ("BÄbÄ," Persian for father), who tries to make Amir more like himself, active and courageous. Baba puts Amir on a soccer team and tries to teach him to defend himself, but fails with every attempt.
Nevertheless, Amir continues to pursue his love for literature and eventually ends up composing his own short stories. Sadly, Amirâs father has almost no interest in his stories, although his business partner and friend to Amir, Rahim Khan, is full of praise.
One day when Hassan and Amir are walking through Afghanistan, they come across Assef, a sociopathic bully known for his brass knuckles and his rancor towards Hazaras. He prepares to fight Amir and Hassan, but Hassan threatens to shoot out Assefâs left eye with his slingshot, saying they'll call him "one-eyed Assef." Before the daunted bully backs off he warns them that he will have his revenge.
Assef's vow comes true during the day of Amir's favorite sport: "kite fighting". In this sport, children fly their kites and try to "slice" each other's kite. Amir wins the tournament, and Baba's praise, with his kite the last one flying, but when Hassan goes to fetch the last cut kite, a great trophy, Assef and two henchmen are there instead. Hassan tries to protect Amir's kite, but Assef beats Hassan and brutally rapes him. Amir hides and watches Hassan and is too scared to help him. Afterwards, Hassan becomes emotionally downcast. Amir knows why but keeps it a secret, and things are never the same between the two. After hearing a story from Rahim Khan, Amir decides it would be best for Hassan to go away. Amir frames Hassan as a thief but Baba forgives him, even though he admits to committing the crime - and despite the fact that Baba believes that "there is no act more wretched than stealing". Hassan and his father Ali, to Baba's extreme sorrow, decide that it's time to leave.
A short while later, the Russians invade Afghanistan; Amir and Baba escape to Peshawar, Pakistan and then to Fremont, California. There, Amir, who grew up in an expensive mansion in Afghanistan, finds them a humble apartment and Baba begins to work at a gas station. Amir begins taking classes at a local community college to develop his writing skills. Every Sunday, Baba and Amir make extra money selling used goods at a flea market in San Jose. There, Amir meets Soraya Taheri and her family and eventually marries her. The days are far from happy, however. Amir watches helplessly as Baba sickens and dies from lung cancer; shortly thereafter he and Soraya learn that they cannot have children.
A year passes, and Amir embarks on a successful career as a novelist, and sells his first novel. After fifteen years, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, he says "there is a way to be good again" and flies to Pakistan to meet him. From Rahim Khan, Amir learns that Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban, and that Hassan was actually his illegitimate half-brother. The true reason that Rahim Khan has called Amir to Pakistan, however, is to go to Kabul to rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab, from an orphanage. Despite his anger at being deceived all his life, Amir agrees to go to Kabul to search for him.
Amir returns to Taliban-controlled Kabul to search for Sohrab, who is supposedly in an orphanage. However, the corrupt orphanage director has sold Sohrab as a slave to a Taliban official and executioner who dresses Sohrab in women's clothes and sexually abuses him. Amir sets an appointment with this man and meets him later. There he finds out that the Taliban official is actually Assef, whose epiphany (passing a kidney stone while being beaten in prison) led him to becoming Taliban. It is similar to Amir's, whose epiphany led him to be punished and to be good again. Assef agrees to relinquish Sohrab to Amir, but only if Amir can beat him in a fight to the death, with Sohrab as the prize. Assef brutally beats Amir and grievously injures him, and would soon kill him, but Amir is saved when Sohrab uses his slingshot to shoot out Assef's left eye, leaving him a "one-eyed Assef." While the guards are helping Assef, Sohrab and Amir leave after being told by Assef to "get out".
After recovering from his injuries, Amir offers to adopt Sohrab and take him back to America. However, when difficulties arise in adopting Sohrab from Afghanistan and Amir mentions that Sohrab would have to stay in an orphanage for a while, Sohrab, frightened from his previous brutal treatment, attempts suicide. Luckily, Amir finds Sohrab in time, saves him, and takes him back to the United States. However, Sohrab is emotionally damaged and refuses to speak. This continues until his frozen emotions are thawed when Amir begins kite flying. Amir shows off some of Hassanâs tricks, and Sohrab begins to interact with Amir again. In the end all the book says is that Sohrab only shows a lopsided smile, but Amir takes to it with all his heart as he runs the kite for Sohrab.
Haha! I can't belive you were an extra! Thats awesome! I always wanted to do that. What scene were you in?
Take care! :)
is there any story in the new testament relating to sports or nonconpetition?
Soul2Sole
well im doing a research paper and my passion is sports. so i was wondering is there anything in the new testament that relates to sports or like competition, peace in sports or something like that?
Answer
Sports are only alluded to a few times in the Bible.
---
I. Israelite Games
1. Children's Games:
There are two general references to the playing of children: Zec 8:5: "And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof"; and Gen 21:9 margin, where we read of Ishmael "playing" (metscheq). The rendering of our Bibles, "mocking," is open to question. Of specific games and pets there is hardly a mention in the Old Testament. Playing with ball is alluded to in Isa 22:18: "He will .... toss thee like a ball into a large country," but children need not be thought of as the only players. If the balls used in Palestine were like those used by the Egyptians, they were sometimes made of leather or skin stuffed with bran or husks of corn, or of string and rushes covered with leather (compare Wilkinson, Popular Account, I, 198-201; British Museum Guide to the Egyptian Collections, 78). The question of Yahweh to Job (41:5): "Wilt thou play with him (the crocodile) as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?" suggests that tame birds were petted by Hebrew children, especially by girls. The New Testament has one reference to children's play, namely, the half-parable about the children in the market-place who would neither dance to the flute as if at a marriage feast nor wail as if at a funeral (Mt 11:16 f parallel Lk 7:32).
2. Sports:
Running was no doubt often practiced, especially in the time of the early monarchy. Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1:23), Asahel (2 Sam 2:18), Ahimaaz (18:23,27) and some of the Gadites in David's service (1 Ch 12:8) were renowned for their speed, which can only have been the result of training and exercise. The same may be said of the feats of those who ran before a king or a prince (1 Sam 8:11; 2 Sam 15:1; 1 Ki 1:5; 18:46). The Psalmist must have watched great runners before he pictured the sun as rejoicing like a strong man to run his course (Ps 19:5b; compare also Eccl 9:11; Jer 8:6; 23:10). For running in the Greek games, see the latter part of this article.
Archery practice is implied in the story of Jonathan's touching interview with David (1 Sam 20:20,35-38) and in Job's complaint: "He hath also set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about" (Job 16:12 f). Only by long practice could the 700 left-handed Benjamite slingers, every one of whom could sling stones at a hair-breadth and not miss (Jdg 20:16), and the young David (1 Sam 17:49), have attained to the precision of aim for which they are famous.
In Zec 12:3, "I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone," literally, "a stone of burden," Jerome found an allusion to a custom which prevailed widely in Palestine in his day, and has been noticed by a recent traveler, of stone-lifting, i.e. of testing the strength of young men by means of heavy round stones. Some, he says, could raise one of these stones to the knees, others to the waist, others to the shoulders and the head, and a few could lift it above the head. This interpretation is not quite certain (Wright, Comm., 364), but the form of sport described was probably in vogue in Palestine in Biblical times.
High leaping or jumping was probably also practiced (Ps 18:29). The "play" referred to in 2 Sam 2:14 ff of 12 Benjamites and 12 servants of David was not a sport but a combat like that of the Horatii and the Curiatii.
3. Specific References to Greek Athletics:
In addition to these general references there are many allusions to details, again found mainly in the Pauline Epistles. These may most conveniently be grouped in alphabetical order.
(a) Beast-fight.
The combats of wild animals with one another and with men, which were so popular at Rome toward the close of the Republic and under the Empire, were not unknown in Palestine. Condemned criminals were thrown to wild beasts by Herod the Great in his amphitheater at Jerusalem, "to afford delight to spectators," a proceeding which Josephus (Ant., XV, viii, 1) characterizes as impious. After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD many Jewish captives were slain in fighting with wild beasts (BJ, VII, ii). This horrible form of sport must have been in the apostle's mind when he wrote: "I fought with beasts (etheriomachesa) at Ephesus" (1 Cor 15:32). The reference is best understood as figurative, as in Ignatius on Rom 5:1, where the same word (theriomacheo) is used, and the soldiers are compared to leopards.
(b) Boxing.
This form of sport is directly referred to in 1 Cor 9:26: "So box I (Revised Version margin, Greek pukteuo), as not beating the air." The allusion is probably continued in 9:27a: "but I buffet (the Revised Version, margin "bruise," Greek hupopiazo) my body."
(c) The Course.
Foot-races and other contests took place in an enclosure 606 feet 9 inches in length, called a stadium. This is once referred to in a passage in the context of that just mentioned, which almost seems based on observation: "They that run in a race-course
Sports are only alluded to a few times in the Bible.
---
I. Israelite Games
1. Children's Games:
There are two general references to the playing of children: Zec 8:5: "And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof"; and Gen 21:9 margin, where we read of Ishmael "playing" (metscheq). The rendering of our Bibles, "mocking," is open to question. Of specific games and pets there is hardly a mention in the Old Testament. Playing with ball is alluded to in Isa 22:18: "He will .... toss thee like a ball into a large country," but children need not be thought of as the only players. If the balls used in Palestine were like those used by the Egyptians, they were sometimes made of leather or skin stuffed with bran or husks of corn, or of string and rushes covered with leather (compare Wilkinson, Popular Account, I, 198-201; British Museum Guide to the Egyptian Collections, 78). The question of Yahweh to Job (41:5): "Wilt thou play with him (the crocodile) as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?" suggests that tame birds were petted by Hebrew children, especially by girls. The New Testament has one reference to children's play, namely, the half-parable about the children in the market-place who would neither dance to the flute as if at a marriage feast nor wail as if at a funeral (Mt 11:16 f parallel Lk 7:32).
2. Sports:
Running was no doubt often practiced, especially in the time of the early monarchy. Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 1:23), Asahel (2 Sam 2:18), Ahimaaz (18:23,27) and some of the Gadites in David's service (1 Ch 12:8) were renowned for their speed, which can only have been the result of training and exercise. The same may be said of the feats of those who ran before a king or a prince (1 Sam 8:11; 2 Sam 15:1; 1 Ki 1:5; 18:46). The Psalmist must have watched great runners before he pictured the sun as rejoicing like a strong man to run his course (Ps 19:5b; compare also Eccl 9:11; Jer 8:6; 23:10). For running in the Greek games, see the latter part of this article.
Archery practice is implied in the story of Jonathan's touching interview with David (1 Sam 20:20,35-38) and in Job's complaint: "He hath also set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about" (Job 16:12 f). Only by long practice could the 700 left-handed Benjamite slingers, every one of whom could sling stones at a hair-breadth and not miss (Jdg 20:16), and the young David (1 Sam 17:49), have attained to the precision of aim for which they are famous.
In Zec 12:3, "I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone," literally, "a stone of burden," Jerome found an allusion to a custom which prevailed widely in Palestine in his day, and has been noticed by a recent traveler, of stone-lifting, i.e. of testing the strength of young men by means of heavy round stones. Some, he says, could raise one of these stones to the knees, others to the waist, others to the shoulders and the head, and a few could lift it above the head. This interpretation is not quite certain (Wright, Comm., 364), but the form of sport described was probably in vogue in Palestine in Biblical times.
High leaping or jumping was probably also practiced (Ps 18:29). The "play" referred to in 2 Sam 2:14 ff of 12 Benjamites and 12 servants of David was not a sport but a combat like that of the Horatii and the Curiatii.
3. Specific References to Greek Athletics:
In addition to these general references there are many allusions to details, again found mainly in the Pauline Epistles. These may most conveniently be grouped in alphabetical order.
(a) Beast-fight.
The combats of wild animals with one another and with men, which were so popular at Rome toward the close of the Republic and under the Empire, were not unknown in Palestine. Condemned criminals were thrown to wild beasts by Herod the Great in his amphitheater at Jerusalem, "to afford delight to spectators," a proceeding which Josephus (Ant., XV, viii, 1) characterizes as impious. After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD many Jewish captives were slain in fighting with wild beasts (BJ, VII, ii). This horrible form of sport must have been in the apostle's mind when he wrote: "I fought with beasts (etheriomachesa) at Ephesus" (1 Cor 15:32). The reference is best understood as figurative, as in Ignatius on Rom 5:1, where the same word (theriomacheo) is used, and the soldiers are compared to leopards.
(b) Boxing.
This form of sport is directly referred to in 1 Cor 9:26: "So box I (Revised Version margin, Greek pukteuo), as not beating the air." The allusion is probably continued in 9:27a: "but I buffet (the Revised Version, margin "bruise," Greek hupopiazo) my body."
(c) The Course.
Foot-races and other contests took place in an enclosure 606 feet 9 inches in length, called a stadium. This is once referred to in a passage in the context of that just mentioned, which almost seems based on observation: "They that run in a race-course
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