Kite Runner

Kim Pham
September 27, 2006
MCOM 72

The Kite Runner Essay

Propaganda can be found in many forms and is as blatant as a flag or as subtle as a joke. Its message can influence society positively, as in campaigns to reduce smoking; however, they are also used to win wars, elections, and to sell Nikes. According to the book Age of Propaganda by Anthony Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson, "every day we are bombarded with one persuasive communication after another. These appeals persuade not through the give-and-take of argument and debate, but through the manipulation of symbols and of our most basic human emotions. For better or worse, ours is an age of propaganda." (Pratkanis and Aronson, 1991) Propaganda is the manipulation of information used to fulfill a certain agenda. Propaganda utilizes persuasive techniques which are applied by advertisers, politicians, journalists, and others who are interested in swaying public opinion. Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, fails to be a source of propaganda since it does not succeed in effectively utilizing fallacies, or the alteration of information, to change opinion; it remains unbiased by depicting situations and characters both a negative and positive manner.

In every form of propaganda, there is a distinct message or agenda. In The Kite Runner, there is no distinct side for the reader to choose. Nearly every character and every situation is portrayed in both a positive and negative manner. Amir’s father, Baba, is a prime example. Baba is depicted as a giving man who built an orphanage, “draw[ing] the blueprints himself,” (13) and also as a man willing to sacrifice his life to keep a woman from being raped. Hosseini portrayed Baba as a man who believed in his convictions; however, he too had flaws, such as lying to those around him about his illegitimate son Hassan.

Hosseini’s main character Amir, a boy longing for the love of his father, witnessed Hassan, his servant/ half brother, being raped and ran, “ran because [he] was a coward” and did nothing to help Hassan (77). Even though Amir lies and runs from his situation, he was able to redeem himself by watching over his father, who had cancer. In addition, he also returned to his home in Kabul, during dangerous times, to find Hassan’s son, who was left orphaned and sold to a Taliban leader. There was an incident in which Amir repeated the same act twice, leaving money under a mattress in order to accuse Hassan of stealing and leaving money in order for the Wahid family to purchase food. Under different circumstances the same act resulted it two outcomes and changed how the reader depicted Amir, as either despicable or honorable. Hosseini’s use of showing two sides to every issue makes it difficult for the reader to assess The Kite Runner as effective propaganda, because there is no biased towards any main idea or character.

There are even two different types of opinions of Kabul, the Taliban, and of America. Amir recalls Kabul as a lovely place full of energies and trees, the new Kabul he views is a place damaged from war. “When the Taliban rolled in and kicked the Alliance out of Kabul (200),” Rahim Khan danced in the street. However, Khan later realizes that the Taliban, “don’t let you be human (199).” There are even two contradicting views of American’s. Khan states that “[…] America has infused you [Amir] with the optimism that has made her so great (201).” Another view point is that Americans are materialistic, which is shown when Farid accuses Amir of being in Afghanistan for “the same thing. Sell this land, sell that house, collect the money, and run away like a mouse. Go back to America; spend the money on a family vacation to Mexico (236).”

Without any one prevailing idea, it is difficult to pinpoint the author’s agenda. Hosseini conveys his statements directly, leaving little to the imagination and propaganda often relies on vagueness so that the reader can supply its own interpretation.

Propaganda is apparent during times of war, or national crisis. Hitler used propaganda in the forms of books, like the book Assef gave Amir, and movies to convey his message that he was a great leader and Germany should be an Aryan nation. Hitler used a method which projects a person or idea, in this case America, as the enemy through suggestion or false accusations. Another tactic often used relies on rationalization, vague and pleasant phrases used to justify such actions or beliefs, and stereotyping, used to provoke by labeling the object as something the target audience fears, hates, loathes, or finds undesirable. The Kite Runner does not point fingers at any person or situation, no one in the novel is avertedly the enemy, there is no hero. The little vagueness that is used by the author, is generally used by the main characters in his own thinking, like when Amir uses rationalization to justify is action for leaving Hassan, and Hosseini makes that apparent.

The Kite Runner, does little to change the mind set of readers whether it is based on Afghan society, the war, or the Taliban. It does little because there is no main idea. Novels such Animal Farm, by George Orwell, would be considered a work of propaganda because there is a main agenda that the author is trying to portray. The Orwell depicts and enemy as the humans, and uses a black and white fallacy to forces the reader to pick which is better, a farm with what the animals represented or a farm with the humans; communism/dictatorship or democracy. The novel did little to change my opinions on the current situation in Afghanistan. Hosseini does not illustrate the Taliban as the center of all of Afghanistan’s problems, nor does he allude to Assef as the sole enemy and therefore readers should alter their opinion. At best The Kite Runner, is merely a moral tale that tells us that despite our past, and our bad deeds, redemption is always possible(and possibly people who idolize Hitler are not morally sound), which would be good propaganda for humanity.