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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – Building and Releasing the Tension

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BUILDING TENSION:

At the start of Chapter 2 we get the first paragraph concerning the will. It tells us that Hyde is a nasty man and we now think he is blackmailing Dr Jekyll.

The next thing to happen in this chapter is Mr Utterson’s ivsit to Dr Lanyon. We discover tha thte relationship between Dr Lanyon and Dr Jekyll has soured. We wonder why this has happened when they are supposed to be childhood friends. We are told that Lanyon now thinks of Jekyll as a ‘scientific heretic’.

Mr Utterson returns home and dreams of Mr Hyde and London. Mr Utterson couldn’t see Hyde’s face and the streets of London were unfamiliar and hidden by the fog. Children were harmed and Jekyll was stalked.

Mr Utterson continues to search for Mr Hyde and finally discovers him. We get a description of Hyde as a person. During the search period, Mr Utterson does nothing else, every spare minute goes towards finding Hyde. He has become obsessive and paranoid about Hyde. Hyde is described as grotesque and arrogant.

In chapter 3 Mr Utterson goes to speak to Dr Jekyll. Dr Jekyll is his usually cheery self until Hyde is mentioned, at which point he becomes snappish and changes the subject. We wonder why he will not be honest about his connection with Hyde.

RELEASING TENSION:

Mr Utterson reveals the truth to us as he finds Hyde in the locked room where Dr Jekyll was. This is not unusual as he is the ‘detective’ figure in the novel and so he should be the one who reveals the truth.

The truth that is revealed is that Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are the same person. If you were not familiar with the story this may have been difficult to work out as a lot of the clues were covered up, especially by Mr Utterson.

The truth is revealed in the lab. This is noteworthy as the lab is where the whole story begins. It is where Dr Jekyll first created Mr Hyde.

The truth is revealed after Dr Jekyll commits suicide.

It is important that the truth is revealed after Jekyll’s death as the news about his connection with Mr Hyde can no longer harm his living reputation.

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde chapter 6 & 7

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Hyde’s absence makes Jekyll ill and paranoid. When U goes to see him he becomes very agitated. We are told that he has hidden himself away in his lab. However eventually he becomes his old self again and he begins to socialise once more and throws parties.

Utterson is annoyed that Jekyll’s sociability is not maintained. He feels his friend has let him down in some way and he is frustrated that he has still not worked out what the connection between Mr H and Dr J is.

Lanyon has become incredibly ill too. He appears to be on death’s door. Something has given him a terrible fright. He has grown pale and has lost weight. He has aged and lost hair.

the mention of Dr J, Lanyon looks terrified and asks that U doesn’t talk about him. We are told his hand ‘trembled’ and that Dr J was now dead to him.

Lanyon’s reply to Utterson increases the mystery as we wonder what could have happened between Lanyon and Jekyll to cause such a break in the friendship. Utterson is confused as Mr Hyde doesn’t appear to be involved. He can only blame madness.

Our suspicions about Dr J have grown by the end of this chapter as he has locked himself away completely and refuses to see anyone.

The lines ‘the court was very cool and full of premature twilight, although the sky… was still bright’ suggests something bad was going to happen. There is a contrast between the summer sky of happiness and the dourness and secrecy of the street below. Stevenson uses the light here to alert us to the fact that something bad is about to happen.

Stevenson seems to want us to feel anxious for Dr J at this point. He appears at the window and something strange happens to him, causing him to disappear from sight. We know he has been cooped up for weeks. We are wondering what has gone wrong.

The chapter title ‘incident at the window’ implies an end has been reached – it suggests an event has happened. The end of the chapter, in which U and Enfield see something strange happen to Dr J, leaves us feeling uneasy. We are not told what has happened to Dr J and that leaves us with a sense that it is something really bad.

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Chapter 5

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The first clear description we get of the lab is that it is a ‘dingy windowless structure’. The word choice dingy suggests it is dirty or badly lit. If it is windowless then that would tie in with the lack of light. We are told by U that the place gives him a ‘sense of strangeness’. One feels out of place in this building. We are told the place is ‘silent’ which adds to this sensation of discomfort. It is also messy – there are packing creates everywhere and chemical apparatus. The windows are barred with iron giving one a sense of captivity. And weirdly there is fog outside which feels as if it has penetrated into the house making it cold and gloomy. This is not a happy place.

Jekyll becomes very ill as a result of the murder. He sits in his cabinet looking ‘deadly sick’. When speaking to U he claims that he ‘will never set eyes on [Mr H] again!’ This is ironic as he looks at Mr H every day in the mirror as Mr H is Dr J. There is also ambiguity in what Dr J tells U. he assures us that Mr H will never be heard from again but cannot tell us why this is so. He also claims that a letter was dropped off addressed to him. When U checks these facts with the butler, Poole, he is told that no one dropped off a letter. U is convinced that Dr J has been hiding Mr H in the cabinet the whole time.

We know Jekyll has lost his confidence as he gives U the letter from Mr H. He wants U to decide what should be done with it and whether the police should be informed or not.

Utterson is still suspicious of the letter and takes it to Guest. Do his comments satisfy his suspicions or increase it? Guest the clerk is an expert on handwriting. He tells U that the handwriting of Mr H and Dr J is the same, it is only the slant of the letters that has changed. U’s suspicions are increased.

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde chapter 4 notes

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AT first the mood is romantic and peaceful and the setting seems beautiful. This is given to us through phrases like ‘the early part of the night was cloudless’ and that the night was ‘brilliantly lit by the full moon’. However this quickly changes when Mr Hyde meets Carew. An altercation breaks out between the two men and Hyde viciously attacks Carew. We are told that he behaves ‘like a madman’ and we then get the details of his assault on Carew – ‘clubbed him to the earth’. This is a harsh attack. We are then told Hyde ‘with ape-like fury trampled his victim underfoot, hailed down a storm of blows, under which bones audibly shattered and the body jumped upon the roadway’. This is explicit, we can hear the bones cracking in the silence of the night and see clearly Carew as he dies.

Mr U doesn’t tell the police that he recognises the cane that was left at the murder scene as he knows it once belonged to Dr J and he wants to hide the connection between Dr J and MR H to protect Dr J’s reputation.
We get the duality of the street here as the fog on the streets means we see the streets as they truly are but also this other-worldy version. We are told that U ‘beheld a marvellous number of degrees and hues of twilight’. This tells us we are somewhere between daylight and nightlight. We are also told that Mr u feels like he is in some ‘city in a nightmare’. This simile tells us clearly that he does not feel safe here, it is almost dystopian or apocalyptic. There is also a list of all signs of poverty in the Soho district where Hyde lives – the gin house, the greasy spoon, the orphans and the prostitutes.

The theme of ‘correct reputations’ is illustrated in the description of the old woman. We are told she has an ‘evil face’ and a ‘face smoothed by hypocrisy’. Both of these characteristics are hugely negative – she is nasty and has double standards – but then we are told ‘but she had excellent manners’. So now we know that despite the fact she is bad it is forgiven because she can behave correctly which hides her bad faults.

Hyde’s room is surprising as he has expensive and lavish taste. The room is furnished in the same style as Dr j’s house.

All accounts of H agree that he makes a person feel uncomfortable and that something about him seems deformed and not quite right.

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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde chapter 1-3 notes

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“Mr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow loveable.”
1. Utterson’s physical appearance is described as being of ‘rugged countenance’. This means he seems abrasive and rough and tough. We are also told that he never smiles. This would lead us to believe he is unemotional. All of this suggests he is a man who keeps himself to himself.
2. This idea of him as unemotional is reinforced by the description of his character when he is described as “cold” “dusty” and “dreary”. These are all words which have connotations of something that is old, hermitic, abandoned, worn and bored or boring. However there is one word that changes this opinion and depiction of him – the word ‘lovable’. This is in opposition to everything we’ve just been told and it reveals that many people actually like Mr Utterson. We find out this is because he is an intensely loyal friend and was often ‘the last good influence in the lives of down-going men’. He will stand by his friends to the very end, no matter what crimes or acts they have committed and he will continue to be a positive anchor in their lives.
3. Mr Enfield and Mr Utterson are described as two very different men. Mr Enfield is a man about town and we are told many saw it as “a nut to crack for many, what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common.” Their friendship may be based on these differences, they complement each other. Where Mr Enfield is gregarious and boisterous; Mr Utterson is resigned and listening.
4. The reader’s impression of the street and the shops on it is that they are inviting. The shop fronts are pleasant and appealing. There is colour everywhere and the by-way is clear and clean.
5. Stevenson creates an eerie atmosphere at the door and its section in the street. The door is set in the gable end of a building which butts out into the street. This makes it obvious to everyone as it literally sticks out. However everything else about the building suggests that the owner would like to be unobtrusive. The windows are clean but the shutters are usually closed. This suggests that the owner would like to see out but doesn’t want others to see in. The gable leads into a court yard which adds a further element of trying to stay hidden. We are told there is ‘no bell or knocker’ which suggests the owner either expects no visitors or doesn’t want any. We are told that ‘bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence’. This suggests that it had undergone a long period of neglect. The place is so disused that tramps and children use the space.
6. By the time we get to Mr Enfield’s story the mood has been set. This mood is an unsettled one, we are expecting something strange or sinister to happen.
7. By the time we meet Mr Hyde, the reader, Mr Enfield and the doctor all have the same reaction towards him. Everyone encountering Mr Hyde experiences disgust and rage. We are told that Mr Enfield had taken ‘a loathing to my gentleman at first sight’. The word choice here evokes emotions of pure hatred and repugnance.
8. Hyde, we are told, is standing ‘with a kind of black sneering coolness – frightened too… but carrying it off really like Satan’ in reaction to the crowd. His ‘sneer’ shows us that he thinks he is above these people and this situation and that he doesn’t care for the little girl. He is also a little worried about what will happen but that is probably to do with the size of the crowd. The comparison with Satan shows us that the character Hyde is truly evil.
9. Mr Enfield’s attempts to get compensation for the girl do not clarify the situation, they instead deepen the mystery. This is because it is very strange that Mr Hyde could walk into a cellar door and come out with a cheque that will give him £100 when presented to the bank and in the name of Dr Jekyll. We wonder what the connection is between the two men.

1. Stevenson shows that Utterson is very disturbed by his new knowledge of Hyde as we witness him going home and worrying about it. We are told he sits down to his dinner ‘without relish’ – strange for a wealthy man who hasn’t eaten all day. After dinner he goes to his study and consults Jekyll’s will when usually he would read by the fire. He then dwelled on Mr Hyde all night causing nightmares in his sleep.
2. Utterson visits Lanyon to see if he knows who Hyde is.
3. Lanyon and Jekyll have not spoken in some time, it turns out as Lanyon feels Jekyll has become too fanciful for science. They have fallen out because of this disagreement of moral scientific judgement.
4. Setting and sound are used to illustrate Utterson’s obsession with Hyde. We are told he paces the streets of London in search of the man. The streets at night are ‘as clean as a ballroom floor’ – clean and deserted and pristine, the city ‘growls’ suggesting a warning of imminent danger and ‘sounds carried far’ highlighting how empty of life the London streets are and giving a sense of danger as Utterson is unwatched and therefore unprotected.
5. Utterson’s first meeting with Hyde shows them as both being stand-offish and wary. Hyde is incredibly taken aback by Utterson and Utterson is already predisposed to dislike Hyde as he thinks he is blackmailing Jekyll.
6. On cross-examining Poole, Jekyll’s butler, Utterson discovers that Hyde has full access to Jekyll’s house via the back door and visits regularly. This only confirms in Utterson’s mind that Jekyll is being blackmailed.

1. Hosts like to keep Utterson back at the end of an evening because he is a good advisor. He is also an excellent listener and people like to use him as a sounding board for their ideas.
2. Jekyll seems to be a warm and genial man. He is welcoming and seems quite upbeat.
3. However, when Utterson raises the topic of Hyde, Jekyll gets annoyed and tries to change the topic. This is one of the few times we see him snap.
4. Jekyll’s reaction to Lanyon is one of distrust and dismissal. He calls the man an ‘ignorant pedant’ because they have disagreed on points of science.
5. Utterson wants Jekyll to confide in him. Jekyll won’t but tells Utterson what he wants him to do – stick to the instructions in the will, especially the instruction that should Jekyll disappear then Hyde gets everything. Jekyll wants this to happen so badly he is pleading with Utterson. This increases the sense of mystery and secrecy because we now believe Jekyll is hiding something bad.
6. The title of the chapter is ‘Dr Jekyll was quite at ease’. There is some irony here as he begins the chapter relaxed but then by the end is distraught with thoughts of Mr Hyde. The chapter is an opportunity for the reader to meet Dr Jekyll, it allows Mr Utterson to interview Jekyll and it is so short to emphasise the change in Jekyll’s character.

Higher

The Kite Runner sample essays

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These have been lifted from the prelim papers. All of them demonstrate the use of PEEL structure. Work your way through them and see if you can identify where they have made their point, presented evidence, analysed evidence and taken it back to the main question.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel in which an incident represents a turning point in the text. This essay will briefly explain what happens during the incident and will go on to discuss its importance to my understanding of the text as a whole. During the Kite Runner, Hassan is raped by Assed and Amir, his friend, stands back an doesn’t interfere. This creates dark undertones within the book creating a turning point.
After the win of the kite tournament for Amir and Hassan. Amir screams “we won! We won!” this shows that Amir thinks of Hassan as an equal with him. The two boys are ecstatic jumping about when Hassan decides to run the kite for Amir to keep as a reminder of the win. As he runs away he states “for you a thousand times over”, this shows us that Hassan would do anything for Amir, showing his love for him. Hassan is gone a long time when Amir goes to find him, however Amir finds him cornered by Assef and his bullies and overhears Assef demanding the kite from Hassan. Hassan puts a front up and refuses to hand over the kite. Assef states, “it’s only going to cost you that blue kite”. However, Hassan still refuses. This left Assef angry and he began to rape Hassan. Amir was scared and did not interfere; he just stood back and allowed Hassan to sacrifice himself for him. Amir described Hassan’s eyes as having “the look of the lamb” which represents the Eid sacrifice, an Islamic tradition in which a goat is sacrificially killed to prove a Muslim’s love for God. Hassan’s rape acts as a turning point as it proves Hassan’s love for Amir. However, Amir doesn’t interfere in the rape showing he is a coward. This helps my understanding of the text as I know that Hassan’s rape was allowed by Amir and that the rest of the novel will be about Amir’s redemption.
Shortly after the rape, Amir and Hassan go for a walk to the pomegranate tree. In the first instance of seeing the tree it is seen as a happy place for the two boys to go, where Amir reads to Hassan. At one point Amir had carved into the tree “Amir and Hassan, Sultans of Kabul”. This represents Amir’s love for Hassan. At this new stage in the novel, Amir takes pomegranates from the tree and throws them at Hassan as his guilt begins to consume him. Hassan does not react to Amir so he begins to throw pomegranates at Hassan from the tree yelling “Coward! Coward!” This demonstrates that Amir is feeling guilty about not interfering and wants Hassan to punish him for it. This helps my understanding of the text as a whole as the friendship between the two boys is now ruined due to the rape.
Amir’s guilt began to consume him and every time he saw Hassan he felt bad. Amir had enough of seeing him and wanted rid of him, believing this would rid him of the guilty feeling. He framed Hassan by putting some of his money and his birthday watch in Hassan’s room. Baba is told and asks Hassan if he stole the watch to which we are told “Hassan’s reply was delivered in a thin, raspy voice, ‘Yes’”. Amir was shocked as he knew that he had framed Hassan to get rid of him but he never thought Hassan would agree to take the watch when he hadn’t. Amir realised “that this was Hassan’s last sacrifice for him”. This helps my understanding of the text as a whole as Amir has now got his own way to get rid of Hassan to get rid of his own guilt.
Years later after the rape of Hassan and Amir framing him to get rid of him, Rahim Khan phones Amir to come back to Kabul. This is where Rahim Khan explains what’s been happening with the Taliban in Kabul. Hassan has died and Amir must return to look after Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Rahim Khan tells “there is a way to be good again”. This tells us that Rahim Khan knew about Hassan being raped and Amir’s guilt over it. He wishes to give Amir the opportunity to fix it. Hassan may be dead but there is still a way for Amir to mend the break by taking Sohrab in. This helps my understanding of the text as Amir has now lost his friend without being able to apologise for what he did but he has been given the opportunity to fix things he just needs to decide to stop being a coward.
Amir has a chance to redeem himself when he finds out about Sohrab and sets out to rescue him. He eventually tracks him down to a Taliban stronghold where Assef is keeping Sohrab as his toy. Assef is seriously beating up Amir and he has already broken several of his bones but Amir’s reaction is odd – “My body was broken…but I felt healed. I laughed.” Amir is obviously seriously injured at this point. The alliterative ‘body was broken’ emphasises this.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel in which there is an uneasy relationship between two characters. These two characters are Amir and Bab, who are father and son. Amir longs to be the son Baba wants as Baba is severely disappointed with the way he is until much later in life.
When Baba first talks to Rahim Khan about Amir, he describes how he believes Amir should be his ideal son. Rahim Khan tells him that “children are not colouring books, you don’t get to fill them in with your favourite colours.” This suggest that Baba does indeed want to change Amir into what his mind-set of what he should be like but as Rahim Khan says, his son will take his own path not the one Baba is trying to force him on. This creates a conflict between Amir and Baba as Baba does not give Amir the attention he wants. This helps the understanding of the novel because if Amir was a little bit more like his father, the rape of Hassan may have been prevented as Baba is presented as a man who will stand up for himself and everyone around him.
Baba tries to influence Amir later on in the novel to try and make Amir more like him,. He tells Amir two things: “A man who does not stand up for himself, cannot stand up for anything at all” and “there is only one sin, and that is theft…when you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth.” The first quote summarises the novel, Amir did not stand up out of fear to help Hassan but later on does stand up to rescue Sohrab and right his wrong, so in fact Baba does influence Amir. But when Baba is alive he did not, it is only after Baba’s death that Amir changes. Maybe it was Baba’s death that gives Amir the push to take up Baba’s principles. However, the second quote more so affects Baba than Amir as Baba lied his whole life to Amir about Hassan being his son. Amir not finding this out until after his death created a conflict as Baba went against his own principles. These two quotes help further my understanding of the novel as it shows the differences between Amir and Baba, and what caused the conflict over the years.
When Amir and Baba leave Kabul there is a problem when the Russian soldier pulls them up and says he will allow the refugees to pass if he is allowed to rape one of the women on the truck. Baba exemplifies his principles by standing up and saying “tell him I’ll take a thousand of his bullets before I let this indecency take place” while the soldier had the gun pointed at Baba he was serious. He would die trying to save this woman. This causes a conflict Baba has no idea about as the event causes Amir to resent himself as he could not have done what his father did, a fact we know because he didn’t even stand up for Hassan. It creates a barrier between the two as Amir now knows he is not the same as his father, that he not what he wanted to be. This helps me further understand the novel as we are given a time of strength for Baba but a moment of weakness for Amir demonstrating to us his experience, thoughts and emotions.
As seen the relationship between Amir and Baba is uneasy and strained in the first half of the novel. However, a change comes about and the relationship is mended somewhat in the second half of the novel. Amir becomes a writer after receiving a degree, which his father is proud of. Amir marries Soraya, again making his father proud. There is a moment when a conflict is created again as Amir finds out Baba lied to him about Hassan but it is quickly resolved.
When Amir faces Assef (Hassan’s rapist) to save Sohrab he is beaten badly. He tells us “my body was broken…but I felt healed. Healed at last. While this mainly talks about Amir finally righting his wrong it, to me, has a double meaning as now he is like his father, he stands up for others. This helped further my understanding of the text as it now shifts the relationship from an uneasy one to a normal one.
To conclude, Amir and Baba did have an uneasy relationship. Amir was not who his Baba wanted him to be causing a conflict between the two. However, the conflict was resolved in the second half of the novel, restoring their relationship to a normal one.

The novel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel in which a major incident happens which creates a turning point in the novel. The novel is about two boys, Amir and Hassan, who are best friends. During a kite tournament Hassan ran a kite for Amir and because he wouldn’t give it up, he got raped. Amir saw this rape happen and he did nothing about it. When the Russians invade Afghanistan, Amir and his father leave for America. Later on in the novel Amir has to go back to America to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab.
Near the beginning of the novel, Amir and Hassan take part in a kite tournament. Later on after they had won the tournament, Hassan runs a kite for Amir and since he wouldn’t give it up, he for raped. The text says “it was the look of the lamb”. Here, Hassan has sacrificed himself for Amir because Amir really wanted the kite and Hassan saw it as a symbol of his love and friendship for Amir. During the Eid sacrifice a sheep would have its throat slit so that people could show their love to God. When Amir says that he saw the “look of the lamb”, he is describing the look of acceptance in Hassan’s eyes. Hassan was accepting the rape for Amir. This is important in the understanding of the text as a whole because this is what starts off the events of Amir’s life in trying to redeem himself for not helping Hassan.
After this incident Amir plants his very expensive watch in Hassan’s room because he feels horrible about what happened. When asked whether he stole the watch or not the text says “Hassan’s reply was delivered in a thin, raspy voice: yes”. Here, when Hassan is confronted, Amir is shocked that Hassan agreed that he took the watch when in actual fact he didn’t. Amir was expecting Hassan to say no so that Amir could feel a bit better. However, this shows that Hassan will always stand up for Amir. This is important to the understanding o f the text as a whole as Amir later realises that this was Hassan’s last sacrifice for him.
Later in the novel, Amir has moved to America and he now has a wife. He then gets a call from Rahim Khan asking him to return to Afghanistan as there is something he needs to do. The text says “there is a way to be good again”. This refers to the rape of Hasan. This was said because Rahim Khan, Amir’s friend, knows about the rape and he knows that Amir still feels bad about it. The text also says “Ali was sterile”. Ali was Hassan’s father but Baba, who is Amir’s dad, is actually Hassan’s biological father. When Amir realises this he is annoyed because his whole life has been a lie. At first he didn’t want to go and rescue Sohrab, who is Hassan’s son, but then he realises that he has to. This is important to the understanding of the text as a whole because Amir realises why he has to save Sohrab, and this is the start of him making up for his mistake.
When Amir goes to get Sohrab, he is confronted by Assef. Assef is the one who raped Hassan and now he is sexually abusing his son. The text says “my body was broken…but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed. “ to get Sohrab back, Assef made Amir fight him. During this fight Amir feels good for once, even though he could die, because he is getting the beating that he would have gotten if he stood up to Assef at the time that Hassan was raped. He feels ‘healed’ because he no longer has the burden of not helping Hassan on his shoulders because here, he is sacrificing himself for Hassan. This is important to the understanding of the text as a whole as Amir has finally done the right thing. He stood up to Assef and sacrificed himself for Hassan to save Sohrab.
At the end of the novel, we see Amir and Sohrab getting back to America safely. Whilst having dinner one night General Sahib, who is Amir’s father-in-law, made a comment about Sohrab being a Hazara. Amir responds by saying “you will never refer to him as a Hazara boy in my presence again. He has a name and it is Sohrab.” Here, Amir has finally found the courage to stand up to the General and to stand up for others. This shows that Amir has changed for the better. This is important to the understanding of the text as a whole because Amir is finally able to stand up for those that he loves, which is something he would never have done before.
In conclusion, The Kite Runner is a novel in which the rape of Hassan is important in the understanding of the text as a whole. The rape develops the text through Amir who saw it happen as he then has to make up for his mistake of not helping Hassan. Later on he does this by going to Afghanistan and saving Sohrab, Hassan’s son, from the Taliban. In doing this, he gets a beating and after everything that’s happened, he is finally able to stand up for those that he loves.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel where there is a troubled relationship between two characters. Amir and Hassan are best friends. Hassan is raped in the novel when he sacrifices himself for Amir. Amir watches the horrific incident take place and could have stopped it from happening but he didn’t. Amir’s guilt causes him to dislike Hassan and he cannot bear to be with him.
The first instance in the novel which causes the boys friendship to collapse is when Hassan is raped. Amir says he saw “the look of the lamb” as he gets a glimpse of Hassan’s face. Hassan was trying to collect Amir’s kite which they won in the kite tournament. On finding the kite Hassan is ambushed by three of the local bullies. He refuses to give up the kite to them because he knows how precious it is to Amir and the boys assault him. Amir watches. The “look of the lamb” symbolises the Eid sacrifice which is a Muslim tradition. It represents Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God. Hassan is sacrificing himself for Amir’s friendship. At this point in the novel this is when the boys friendship starts to decline.
Another instance where the boys’ friendship decreases is when Amir throws the pomegranate at Hassan. Amir shouts “Coward! Coward!”. Amir’s guilt is causing him to be angry with Hassan he is taking his anger out on him instead of the bullies. Hassan does nothing when Amir throws the pomegranates he doesn’t care. Through Amir’s anger and frustration for not stopping the rape he is jeopardising his friendship with Hassan. This relates back to the boys friendship because Amir should be helping Hassan, not shouting and throwing pomegranates at him.
Another example of where the boys’ relationship is uneasy is when Amir plants a watch under Hassan’s pillow. Amir got the watch for his birthday. Through his guilt, he cannot bare to look at Hassan anymore. He plants the watch so Baba will send Hassan away. When asked by Baba if he stole the watch “Hassan said with a thin, raspy voice: yes” Hassan understands Amir’s guilt and is sacrificing his home and his future for Amir. This shows how good a friend Hassan is. This relates back to the boys friendship because Hassan is giving up everything for Amir’s guilt.
The last instance where the boy’s friendship is starting to change is when Amir returns to Kabul in search of Sohrab who is Hassan’s orphaned son. Amir returns to Kabul after hearing of Hassan’s tragic death. On returning he finds Sohrab but meets Assef who was the one who raped Hassan and is now sexually abusing Sohrab. Amir gets a beating from Assef, “my body was broken…But I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed”. This is Amir’s guilt at Hassan’s rape disappearing, if he had just stepped in and taken a beating the first time he would have never have had the guilt shadowing his whole life. This refers back to the boys uneasy friendship because this is the end of it. Amir is cleansed from the guilt and he finally got the beating he deserved.
In conclusion, the boys’ friendship had been uneasy and broken because of the rape of Hassan. Then with Amir’s guilt he could not bare Hassan but if he had just taken the beating back then the friendship would never have been broken and Amir and Hassan might still have been friends.

Higher

The Kite Runner – student example essay

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Here is a student example of an essay at Higher level. You will have to excuse the spelling and punctuation errors, there hasn’t been time yet to correct them!

Choose a novel in which has one of the following as its theme; sacrifice, unrequired love; isolation. Discuss the techniques by which the novelist establishes one of these themes and go on to show how, in the end, he or she achieves a satisfactory resolution.

The Kiterunner by Hosseini Khald is a novel in which has a theme of sacrifice; Hassan sacralises himself for Amir. This essay will discuss techniques by which the novelist establishes the theme of sacrifice and will go on to show how in the end Amir achieves a satisfactory resolution by rescuing Hassan’s son from an orphanage in Kabul.
A scene within the book shows the theme of sacrifice is just after the win of the Kite Tournament for Hassan and Amir, Hassan goes to find the kite which was run off and Amir goes off to find him once he has been away for a long time. Amir finds him cornered by Assef whom is demanding the kite however, Hassan refuses. “It’s only going to cost you that blue kite” Assef states, however, Hassan still refuses to give up the kite. Amir stays hidden as he is scared to interfere. This results in the rape of Hassan by Assef due to Hassan refusing to give up the kite, showing his love for Amir as Amir values the kite due to the winning of the Kite Tournament with it. This scene shows a theme of sacrifice as Hassan has sacrificed himself for the Kite to keep Amir happy.
After the rape, Amir frames Hassan for the stealing of his birthday money and his brand new watch that Baba bought for Amir. The reason Amir does this is because he can barely stand to be around Hassan due to his guilt overcoming him for not stepping in and interfering with the rape. “Baba ‘did you steal that money? Did you steal Amir’s watch Hassan?” and “Hassan’s reply was a single word, delivered with a thin raspy voice ‘Yes’. Amir was token back with Hassan’s reply as Amir knew he was the one who planted the watch in Hassan’s possession. Amir realized that this was Hassan’s last sacrifice for him, as if Hassan had said no, Baba would have believed him and put the blame on Hassan. This shows that Hassan has sacrificed himself for Amir again and Amir has only thrown it back in face.
When Amir goes to Afghanistan to save Sorhab from the orphanage, Amir find’s out that Assef is actually the one who is keeping Sorhab hostage. When Amir attempts to take Sorhab away from Assef, it results in a fight between them both. Here an incidence of sacrifice is shown as Assef has Amir on the ground beating into him, when Sorhab sacrifices himself by aiming Hassan’s sling shot at Assef’s face causing Assef to stop beating Amir, giving a flashback of when Assef and his bullies confronted Amir and Hassan as children. “The slingshot made a twiiiiiit sound when Sorhab realised the cup, then Assef was screaming”. This shows us that Sorhab has put his life in danger by piping up when Assef was beating Amir to save Amir’s life by using the sling shot. This conveys the theme of sacrifice as Sorhab has sacrificed himself to save Amir from Assef.
The next incidence is when Amir is confronted by Assef at the Taliban headquarters, at this point we see Amir redeem himself by finally standing up to Assef and putting him in his place by taking Sorhab home, in a way this is Amir finally standing up for Hassan as he is now saving his son for when Amir refused to save Hassan during the rape. Amir sacrafises himself by putting himself in a position where he could get killed to save Sorhab. However, this quote states that he has finally redeemed himself “My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed”, this shows us that after Assef beat Amir, he has sacrificed himself and by doing so he saved Sorhab and finally stood up for Hassan.
In conclusion Hassan sacrificed himself for Amir many times; he refused to give up the kite to Assef as he knew Amir would have been devastated which in turn lead to the rape of Hassan, which is sacrificing himself for Amir. Hassan sacrifices himself again when Amir frames him for stealing his new watch, in which Hassan agrees to have stolen. Amir also sacrificed himself to save Sorhab from the Taliban and to take him back to America. This shows that throughout this tale, Amir and Hassan have both sacrificed themselves at one point to benefit each other in return.

Higher

The Kite Runner – sample essay

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Choose a novel in which has one of the following as its theme; sacrifice, unrequired love; isolation. Discuss the techniques by which the novelist establishes one of these themes and go on to show how, in the end, he or she achieves a satisfactory resolution.

The Kiterunner by Hosseini Khald is a novel in which has a theme of sacrifice; Hassan sacralises himself for Amir. This essay will discuss techniques by which the novelist establishes the theme of sacrifice and will go on to show how in the end Amir achieves a satisfactory resolution by rescuing Hassan’s son from an orphanage in Kabul.
A scene within the book shows the theme of sacrifice is just after the win of the Kite Tournament for Hassan and Amir, Hassan goes to find the kite which was run off and Amir goes off to find him once he has been away for a long time. Amir finds him cornered by Assef whom is demanding the kite however, Hassan refuses. “It’s only going to cost you that blue kite” Assef states, however, Hassan still refuses to give up the kite. Amir stays hidden as he is scared to interfere. This results in the rape of Hassan by Assef due to Hassan refusing to give up the kite, showing his love for Amir as Amir values the kite due to the winning of the Kite Tournament with it. This scene shows a theme of sacrifice as Hassan has sacrificed himself for the Kite to keep Amir happy.
After the rape, Amir frames Hassan for the stealing of his birthday money and his brand new watch that Baba bought for Amir. The reason Amir does this is because he can barely stand to be around Hassan due to his guilt overcoming him for not stepping in and interfering with the rape. “Baba ‘did you steal that money? Did you steal Amir’s watch Hassan?” and “Hassan’s reply was a single word, delivered with a thin raspy voice ‘Yes’. Amir was token back with Hassan’s reply as Amir knew he was the one who planted the watch in Hassan’s possession. Amir realized that this was Hassan’s last sacrifice for him, as if Hassan had said no, Baba would have believed him and put the blame on Hassan. This shows that Hassan has sacrificed himself for Amir again and Amir has only thrown it back in face.
When Amir goes to Afghanistan to save Sorhab from the orphanage, Amir find’s out that Assef is actually the one who is keeping Sorhab hostage. When Amir attempts to take Sorhab away from Assef, it results in a fight between them both. Here an incidence of sacrifice is shown as Assef has Amir on the ground beating into him, when Sorhab sacrifices himself by aiming Hassan’s sling shot at Assef’s face causing Assef to stop beating Amir, giving a flashback of when Assef and his bullies confronted Amir and Hassan as children. “The slingshot made a twiiiiiit sound when Sorhab realised the cup, then Assef was screaming”. This shows us that Sorhab has put his life in danger by piping up when Assef was beating Amir to save Amir’s life by using the sling shot. This conveys the theme of sacrifice as Sorhab has sacrificed himself to save Amir from Assef.
The next incidence is when Amir is confronted by Assef at the Taliban headquarters, at this point we see Amir redeem himself by finally standing up to Assef and putting him in his place by taking Sorhab home, in a way this is Amir finally standing up for Hassan as he is now saving his son for when Amir refused to save Hassan during the rape. Amir sacrafises himself by putting himself in a position where he could get killed to save Sorhab. However, this quote states that he has finally redeemed himself “My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed”, this shows us that after Assef beat Amir, he has sacrificed himself and by doing so he saved Sorhab and finally stood up for Hassan.
In conclusion Hassan sacrificed himself for Amir many times; he refused to give up the kite to Assef as he knew Amir would have been devastated which in turn lead to the rape of Hassan, which is sacrificing himself for Amir. Hassan sacrifices himself again when Amir frames him for stealing his new watch, in which Hassan agrees to have stolen. Amir also sacrificed himself to save Sorhab from the Taliban and to take him back to America. This shows that throughout this tale, Amir and Hassan have both sacrificed themselves at one point to benefit each other in return.

Higher

The Kite Runner – useful quotes

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1. There is a way to be good again
2. For you a thousand times over
3. I would eat dirt for you
4. It was the look of the lamb
5. Coward! Coward!
6. Rubble and beggars
7. You will not refer to him as ‘that Hazara boy’ in front of me again. He has a name and it is Sohrab
8. There is only one sin. And that is theft… when you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth.
9. It was only a smile, nothing more… but I’ll take it.
10. We won! We won!
11. Amir and Hassan – Sultans of Kabul
12. my body was broken–just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later–but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.
13. I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with.
14. Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.”
15. Children aren’t colouring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favourite colours.”
16. Hassan’s reply was a single word, delivered in a thin, raspy voice: Yes
17. Tell him I’ll take a thousand of his bullets before I let his indecency take place.”
18. “No,” I said. “I think he was ashamed of himself.”
19. “Father used to say it’s wrong to hurt even bad people. Because they don’t know any better, and because bad people sometimes become good.”
20. “There is a Talib official,” he muttered. “He visits once every month or two. He brings cash with him, not a lot, but better than nothing at all.”
21. “Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We’re leaving.”
22. “You bring me shame. And Hassan….Hassan’s not going anywhere, do you understand?”
23. “I hear he is a great kite runner.”….”Although I’ve always wondered how he manages. I mean, with those tight little eyes, how does he see anything?”
24. “Afghan is for Pashtuns, I say. That’s my vision.”
25. “A boy who can’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.”

Higher

Higher practice – prose questions

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The following exam questions have been lifted from the old Higher papers. It would be worth your while to take a look at these and practice your critical writing. Remember you must have a clear introduction that sets out what you are going to be looking at, each main paragraph must have a point which is then back up with evidence from the text (preferably a quote). You then need to analyse this evidence, how is it supporting your point? And finally how does this link back to the main argument?

>Choose a novel in which the fate of the main character is important in conveying the writer’s theme. Explain what you consider the main theme to be and discuss how effectively the fate of the character conveys it.

>Choose a novel which has one of the following as its theme: sacrifice; unrequited love; isolation. Discuss the techniques by which the novelist establishes one of these themes and go on to show how, in the end, he or she achieves a satisfactory resolution.

>Choose a novel in which the writer’s method of narration (such as first person narrative, diary form, journal…) plays a significant part. Explain briefly the method of narration and discuss its importance to your appreciation of the text.

>Choose a novel where the method of narration makes an important contribution to the success of the text. Briefly explain the method of narration used by the author and then show in more detail the ways in which it contributes to the overall theme.

>Choose a novel which seems to be bleak and pessimistic. Show how the pessimism is established and go on to discuss the extent to which the pessimism contributes to the overall theme.

>Choose a novel with dark uncertain undertones. Explain the means by which the writer has created the undertones and, in more detail, discuss their contribution to the themes as a whole.

>Choose a novel in which the novelist makes use of more than one location. Discuss how the use of different locations allows the novelist to develop the central concern(s) of the text.

>Choose a novel where characters are affected by certain external forces over which they have little control. Discuss the writer’s use of such forces – social, political, supernatural – and show the extent to which the characters have difficulty in dealing with them.

>Choose a novel in which the novelist makes use of symbols. Describe briefly what they represent and discuss how the use of these symbols helps develop the central concern(s) of the text.

>Choose a novel in which the story’s emotional twists ensure that your interest is held until the end. Briefly explain how these twists involve you in the story and then discuss how they lead to a deeper appreciation of the text as a whole.

>Choose a novel which has a theme of friendship or family relationships. Show how the novelist explores your chosen theme and discuss how this treatment enhances your appreciation of the novel as a whole.

>Choose a novel in which a character experiences a moment of revelation. Describe briefly what is revealed and discuss its significance to your understanding of the theme/s.

>Choose a novel in which a minor character plays an important part. Show how the minor character’s role is established and go on to discuss how that character contributes to either the fate of the main character or to the overall theme of the novel.

>Choose a novel which slowly reveals the strengths of the main character. Show how the writer achieves the revelation and go on to demonstrate how it contributes to the overall theme of the text.

>Choose a novel with a central character you consider to be heroic. Show how the heroic qualities are revealed and discuss how this portrayal of the character enhances your understanding of the text as a whole.

>Choose a novel where the story, interesting for its own sake, nevertheless also comments more generally on human behaviour. Show how the story itself interests you but go on to discuss how the story also has a much more universal appeal.

>Choose a novel where the ending raises more questions than answers. Explain how the novelist prepares us for the ending and go on to discuss its contribution to the novel as a whole.
>Choose a novel in which one character’s loyalty or disloyalty to another proves to be decisive. Explain how this arises and go on to discuss why you think it is important to the text as a whole.