Amir is a Bad Friend

I personally do not like Amir because he pus his needs above the needs of his friend Hassan. He is willing to betray Hassan to impress his father, and because of this I do not like him.

I do not dislike him because he did not step in to stop Hassan being raped. It is a difficult situation for a kid to be in because he feared what would happen to him if he stepped in to help Hassan. Instead I do not like Amir because of what he did after Hassan was raped. He knew Hassan just sacrificed his body to help him impress his father. He knows Hassan is shaken and what he needs is a friend at a time like that. Instead Amir avoids Hassan, by making sure their "paths crossed as little as possible"(Hosseini 94).  Even when Hassan asks Amir to hang out Amir denies him because he feels guilty, while he soaks in all of his fathers love he has finally received. It gets so bad that one day Amir takes his "new watch and a handfull of Afghani bills"(110), and stashes them under Hassan's mattress, then Amir tells his father that Hassan stole them. This is an ultimate betrayal and the reason why I dislike Amir the most. After everything Hassan has been through Amir ignores him when he needed him the most, and then he frames him for thief. Amir is supposed to be Hassans best friend and he puts his needs above Hassans and that is not acceptable.

Chapters 1-10

I am hesitant to feel as though Amir is a good person. Up until Amir starts avoiding Hassan and started to become rude towards him I thought Amir was a good person. As the book goes Amir becomes too focused on being the child Baba will be proud of and does some mean things that make him seem like a bad person. In the beginning Amir is nice to Hassan and goes up the hill where there is a old cemetery where Amir would "read him poems and stories, sometimes riddles" (Hosseini 30). As time goes on Amir starts to become less and less nice to Hassan, as a result of winning the kite flying tournament and seeing what happened in the ally way to Hassan. Amir starts to feel guilty for not saying anything to anyone about what he saw and with the guilt Amir does many things from there that makes me hesitant if he really is a good person. I feel hesitant Amire being a good or a bad person because "[he] hurled a pomegranate at [Hassan]"(98) and gives him the option for Hassan to hit him back but he doesn't. Instead Hassan stand there so, Amir hits Hassan again and yells at him to hit him back, but Hassan doesn't. When all Amir wishes for is that "[Hassan] give[s] [him] the punishment [he] crave[s], so maybe [he'd] finally sleep at night" (98). Amir is a bad person for hitting Hassan, but he his doing it to get Hassan to hit him so he doesn't feel guilty anymore. Overall I feel hesitant on how to feel about Amir because he makes bad decisions but he as reasons behind those decisions that are sometimes good reasons.

Thoughts on Amir

I do not like Amir because he is careless and selfish to the people who are most important to him and his family.
For example, when Amir walked away from Hassan's rape, and chose not to help him. During the rape, Amir thought he could either "step into that alley, stand up for Hassan" or he "could run. In the end [he] ran" (82). To me, this really shows Amir's character and what a selfish person he is to leave his friend behind. Amir chose to run away, rather then help a friend who would do anything for him. Another example of how Amir is selfish and careless is when Hassan and Ali move away, and Amir lets them go even though they have such a strong connection to their family. Amir had the thought to chase the car but instead he "didn't cry, and [he] didn't chase the car. [He] watched Baba's car pull away from the curb, taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been [his] name" (115). Amir has the thoughts to chase the car, to make it stop, but instead he fails to do so which shows that he is careless. He does not seem to care about his family enough to stop that car, even though it carried the one person who is so important to him.
Through both of these examples, it is shown that Amir is careless and selfish to special people.

My feelings about Amir

My first impression of Amir was that he is a smart kid. I now realize that I dislike Amir on a very large scale, and he is gutless and not smart at all. Amir is a terrible friend to Hassan when he watches him get raped and does not even do the tiniest thing to attempt to stop him. "I had one last chance to make a decision... [I]n the end, I ran."(Hosseini, 82). Amir is watching his friend Hassan get raped right in front of him, and never steps in to say anything or even distract Assef for a little bit of time so Hassan can run. Amir decides rather than getting hurt, his Hazara can just take the pain for the two of them. Amir is despicable in gutless for not stepping in and doing anything at all to prevent Hassan from being traumatized for the remainder of his life. Another point where Amir is unlikable is when Hassan returns to Amir from being raped, and the first thing Amir does is ensure that the kite Hassan ran is okay and unharmed. "He has the blue kite in his hands; that was the first thing I saw. And I can't lie now and say my eyes didn't scan it for any rips."(Hosseini, 83). Amir is aware that his friend was just raped and had his entire life changed, and he is concerned that his new kite is not ripped. Amir cares more for a kite than about his friend who will, frankly, never be the same. Amir looks at the kite hoping it is not hurt, with absolutely no concern for the well being of Hassan. Amir is a terrible person for watching his friend get raped and do anything about it, and for afterwards being more concerned about his kite, he is a despicable person.

Amir is shaped by Hassan in many ways. Amir is the type of person who is afraid to defend himself when it comes to others putting him down. Hassan is the type of person who will stick up for himself with all the will and power he has, and will do the same for others, especially Amir. Amir is shaped by Hassan, because of everything Hassan does for him. Hassan is always there to protect Amir, and will do anything for him if he asks. Amir is someone who will not defend himself, and is shaped that way due to the fact he knows Hassan will always defend for him. For example, in the novel Hassan protects and defends Amir when Assef and his two friends are picking on them. Hassan defends Amir with the slingshot he has, and helps get Assef to leave them alone.
Hassan is shaped by Amir in different ways as well. Amir gives Hassan an opportunity at a somewhat normal life. Although, Hassan is a servant to Amir he still gives him a friend to have, and a family as well. Hassan loves being close with Amir, and will always doing anything for him. Hassan loves to hear Amir read to him, and to do all the things around the house that needs done for him. Hassan is always willing to do anything that makes Amir happy. For example, in the novel Hassan and Amir always go up on the hill to a special tree where Amir will read to Hassan. Hassan loves when Amir reads to him to help him learn new things and listen to the adventures in the stories that he can't read himself.
Overall, Hassan and Amir shape each other in a balance way. Amir is more educated and has higher power, and Hassan is a loyal, and defending person when it comes to the people he truly cares for.

Chapters 1-10: How I Feel About Amir's Character

        In The Kite Runner so far, I have seen Amir's character develop, negatively, because of his lack of morality, hurting the people around him, as the book proceeds. In his destructive path, he has teased Hassan's intelligence, stood by while Hassan got raped by Assef, and even tried to set Hassan up when his guilt consumed him.
        The first time I questioned Amir's morality and character was when he was reading to Hassan, and he teased him about his limited vocabulary. While reading, Hassan asked what the word 'imbecile' meant, so Amir, knowing the meaning of the word, says, "When it comes to words, Hassan is an imbecile" (Hosseini 31). Amir makes the word 'imbecile' seem like a good thing, manipulating him. He doesn't care about actually teaching Hassan the meaning of words, he doesn't know, because he enjoys having the upper hand, lying to him, and exposing Hassan's ignorance for his own amusement. This shows me that he has no ethics, he doesn't care that he is mean or that he is taking advantage of the boy he considers a brother, he just wants to have a few minutes of fun.
        Later on in the novel, after winning the kite tournament, Hassan goes to catch the blue kite for Amir. Then he started looking for Hassan, since he was gone for a long time, and then to his shock, he witnessed Hassan being tormented by Assef, the neighborhood bully. He stood there and watched until Assef started raping Hassan, and Amir "had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who [he] was going to be. [He] could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan--the way he'd stood up for [him] all those times in the past--and accept whatever would happen to [him]. Or [he] could run. In the end, [he] ran. [He] ran because [he] was a coward" (82). This moment shows me he is a coward and he doesn't value Hassan enough, as a person, to help him in a time he really needed help. I understand he was in a very dangerous situation, but he could've at least got help and/or told someone. He did neither, he watched and ran, and didn't tell a single soul. His lack of morality, in this case, changed Hassan's life, negatively, forever.
        Continuing onto Amir's destructive path, after witnessing Hassan's rape, he was consumed with guilt, but never did anything about it. He lied to Ali and Baba about what happened to Hassan, he started avoiding Hassan, and even developed sleeping problems. Then he decided that Hassan had to leave since he wouldn't be able to move on from his horrible choice, if he would keep seeing him. He hatched a plan that he would set Hassan up to make it look like he stole from him, so he "lifted Hassan's mattress and planted [his] new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it" (110). This act, all the lying, manipulating, and pain Amir caused, shows me that Amir is unethical and a horrible person. He ruined a brotherhood because of his bad choices and morality, and the only thing he is worried about is the fact that he isn't getting punished. He doesn't care about Hassan's broken life, he just wants to stop feeling guilt.
        In conclusion, I have bad feelings towards Amir's character and choices that he has made, so far, throughout the book. His lack of morality has caused pain to Hassan, Ali, and even Baba. In a sense I hope he never gets punished for the bad things he has done, so the guilt can eat at him, but at the same time I hope that Baba finds out so he can see what a horrible person his son truly is.
       

How do you feel about Amir?

How do you feel about Amir?

Personally, I don't like Amir because he is very selfish and an unkind person. I believe that Amir tries to impress his father so much that he forgets about other things like Hassan. Amir and Hassan have been close friends for their whole lives and Hassan had always been there for Amir when he needs it. This is shown early on in the book when Amir says, "Hassan never wanted to, but if I asked, really asked, he wouldn't deny me. Hassan never denied me anything" (4). This is showing a strong bond between each other and it shows how loyal Hassan is towards Amir. Also when Amir begins to write his short stories, Hassan would always be there to support him and listen to him read them out loud. I don't think Amir has recognized all the positive things that Hassan has done for him and now all Amir wants to do is make sure he is Babas favorite. Later on in the book, Amir and Hassan's relationship is going downhill when Amir refers, "there was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster" (91). This is showing that Amir has not lived up for when he watched Hassan get rapped by Assef in the alley. In this situation, it shows that Amir is a coward because he did not try and stop the rape and instead he watched it happened and then ran away. Every since the rape seen, Hassan and Amir spent less time together. Amir still could not live up for what he did and he couldn't sleep at night, so he thought it was time for Hassan to leave. After Amir's birthday, he received many gifts that he referred them to as blood money. Instead of keeping the gifts he took them to Hassan's living quarters and put them under his mattress so he could frame Hassan for stealing them. In the end, Amir tells Baba that Hassan stole his presents and then moments later, Ali and Hassan were no longer their servants. Overall, Amir is very selfish because he never realizes that Hassan does so much for him and Amir back stabs Hassan for not standing up for him when it is most needed.      

How I feel about Amir- Chapters 1-10

I believe that Amir tries so hard to please his father, that he becomes blind to the world around him. This caused me to dislike him in some ways. When Hassan was raped by Assef, Amir turned away because he believes it's what needs to be done in order for his father to forgive him for 'killing' his mother. He needs the blue kite, which he won in the tournament, because he wants his father to be proud of him, no matter what the cost is. When Amir turned away from the alley, he thought "I actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba"(Hosseini 82). This shows that he will do anything to win Baba's affection, even if it means sacrificing his friends innocence. Amir was always resentful of the way that Baba was with Hassan, the way he treated Hassan as more of a son then he ever did with Amir. Though, as the book progressed, he was haunted by the guilt of leaving Hassan in the alley to fend for himself, and he realized that the past can catch up to him easier then he hoped it would. In the very first chapter, Amir is speaking in the present, and is now an adult, and he foreshadowed "That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws it's way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years" (Hoesseini 1).

Chapters 1-10 How I Feel About Amir

In the novel "The Kite Runner", I believe Amir to be a genuinely good person.  Sure, he has made some mistakes and has had to make some tough decisions, but in the end his actions reflect on his youth.  Making mistakes is a part of growing up.  Being thrown into tough and rather complicated situations at the mere age of twelve would be overwhelming, and learning from experience and fault is what helps you grow as a person.  Not only this, Amir has to deal with the struggle of gaining attention from his father, who seems to pay little attention to him solely because he is different from how he was as a child.  Therefore, growing up proves to be a challenge for Amir, and learning from his experiences can help him develop as a person.

Firstly, when Amir was put in a quite uncomfortable position as bystander during Hassan's rape, he had a rather tough decision to make.  He could "step into that alley, stand up for Hassan" (Hosseini 82) or, "(he) could run" (82).  At the age of 12, not only is it a hard situation to be confronted with, but to have to make the decision of whether to stand up for his friend and "accept whatever happened to (him)" (82) or merely get out of the circumstance altogether is a lot to ask of the young boy.  Because of his juvenile mind, it would be quite inordinate in my opinion to be confronted with such a position where you have to make such a rash decision. 

Secondly, Amir's longing for his father to appreciate his potential is also a result of childhood.  At Amir's young age, as well as any time in life, it is only natural to want to belong, and I respect how much admiration he has for his father.  In chapter seven, Amir states the blue kite is "(his) key to Baba's heart" (76).  The fact that Amir is willing to try so hard to gain recognition from Baba is admirable and shows he loves and cares for him, despite the fact his father shows little regard towards him.

TKR Chapter 1-10

I feel as though Amir was a genuinely a good person at the start of the novel, but as he became more concerned that Baba didn't see him as a man he became a bad person. In the beginning Air is a typical innocent 12 year old who plays with others and enjoys being outside. As the novel progresses Baba tries to connect with Amir by doing things that he enjoys, but Amir does not. Baba sees Amir as "a son who preferred burying his face in poetry books to hunting" (Hosseini 21). Baba sees Amir and his interests as more feminine pursuits. Baba is distant from Amir because he isn't a man and therefore they are not close. Amir tries to be interested in things that would make him a man, but they make him sick and he shows no true interest in them. Amir becomes more desperate to be seen as a man by Baba. Winning the kite flying tournament was Amir's way of achieving acceptance. When Amir returns home with the prized kite in hand baba embraces him because he has won at kite flying and he is finally a man. Upon Baba's embrace Amir says that, "In his arms, I forgot what I'd done and that's good"(84). Amir was so desperate for his fathers love that he forgot all about the bad things that happened in order for him to achieve that love. Amir forgot about what his friend had to do in order for Amir to bring home the prized kite. As Amir desired Baba's love more and more, he became less innocent and a bad person in the process.

Chapters 1-5

Amir and Baba share a tenuous father-son relationship. Amir feels like an underachiever because he seeks the acceptance from his father which he may never receive. Baba being the rich and powerful man that he is looks down on Amir because Amir has not achieved a major goal to be proud of him for. This demonstrates the frailness of their relationship because a parent should be proud of their children for simply being themselves. Hassan and Amir's relationship can be described as kind of one sided because Amir makes all the decisions on what the boys do, etc. Amir is a smart boy who is also cowardly because he does not like facing consequences. Hassan is Amir's loyal as a dog servant who will do almost anything to make sure his friend is happy. An example to show this is the fact that Hassan always has Amir's favourite breakfast already made as soon as he wakes up. In conclusion the boys both benefit from being friends with each because Amir makes Hassan's life better while Hassan is always there to stand up for Amir.

How I feel about Amir (The equivalent to a bucket full of poop)

I feel that Amir is a huge jerk to those under him and continually teases Hassan "because he can". Hassan, being the nice but slightly naive and foolish person that he is, keeps running back to Amir and forgiving his wrongdoings.
Throughout the Kite Runner, Amir continually teases and takes advantage of Hassan. An example of this is when, at the beginning of the winter season in Kabul, Amir and Hassan have a conversation before they prepare for the kite running competition. In the conversation, Hassan asks Amir rhetorically, "Would I ever lie to you, Amir Agha?" Suddenly [Amir] decided to toy with him a little. "I don't know. Would you?" (Hosseini, 57). The conversation is continued and Hassan replies to Amir. "I'd sooner eat dirt," [Hassan] said with a look of indignation. "Really? You'd do that?" [Hassan] threw [Amir] a puzzled look. "Do what?" "Eat dirt if I told you to" (Hosseini, 57). Even Amir describes himself as "being cruel, like when [he'd] taunt him if he didn't know some big word" (Hosseini, 57). To Amir, "there was something fascinating - albeit in a sick way - about teasing Hassan. Kind of when [they] used to play insect torture. Except now, [Hassan] was the ant and [Amir] was holding the magnifying glass" (Hosseini, 57). Another example of not being a proper friend to Hassan was when he was being raped and Amir stood watching on the sidelines. "[Amir] stopped watching, turned away from the alley. Something warm was running down [his] wrist. [He] blinked, saw [he] was still biting down on [his] fist, hard enough to draw blood from the knuckles. [He] realized something else. [He] was weeping. From just around the corner, [he] could hear Assef's quick, rhythmic grunts. [He] had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who [he] was going to be. [He] could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he'd stood up for [him] all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to [him]. Or [he] could run. In the end, [he] ran" (Hosseini, 137). This passage really highlights Amir's value in Hassan as a friend. He says that Hassan has stood up to Amir so many times, but Amir ran like the coward that he is in Hassan's time of need.

How I feel about Amir

I think that Amir is a very selfish and unkind person, but the reason he cares so much for himself is he feels neglected by his father. Amir does have people to care for him, but he shows his faults when he doesn't recognize them and treats them poorly. An example of this is when Hassef is bullying Hassasn and making fun of Amir for being friends with him. Amir nearly blurts out that "He's not my friend!" (Hosseini 44), which is something really cruel to think, especially with how kind Hassan is to him. Amir not accepting the support he gets and taking it for granted takes away from him being neglected, it's almost that he brings the neglect upon himself. An example of Amir's selfishness is when Baba is spending most of his time building an orphanage, and he wishes the orphans had "all died along with their parents" (Hosseini 19). This shows Amir's true colours, how he selfishly wishes for his father's attention above those who actually need it. It also shows his lack of empathy, how he cannot see from the orphan's point of view, and he only ever thinks of what he needs.

Chapters 1-10 - How do I feel about Amir?

In my opinion I like Amir. He has not yet done anything severe enough to make me "hate" him. Yes he does have many flaws and has made some poor choices and decisions, however we all have...that is what makes us human. I like Amir because he is the perfect representation of a child growing up. We see him as he is forced into new and complex situations, as well as struggles for the love and attention he deserves from his father. His flaws and mistakes are consequences of growing up.

One example of why I do not have a problem with Amir is in chapter 7 when he is placed in the bystander position of Hassan's rape. As Hassan is being raped, Amir states that he "turned away from the alley" (Hosseini 82), thought about helping Hassan, but "in the end, [he] ran" (83). Yes fleeing from this crime was a mistake, however I do not judge Amir for his decision. When I put myself in the same situation and think about what I would have done, I don't know what I would have done. For a 12 year old to be put into that scary situation is unthinkable, you cannot expect them to make a "logical" or smart choice. I am not saying it was fine for him to abandon his friend because I believe he should have stayed to help Hassan, however people make mistakes, especially when put under an extreme amount of pressure.

Secondly, I like Amir because of his never ending struggle to obtain his father's love. All Amir wants is for Baba to love and appreciate him. He explains that "sometimes, [he] too wondered if [he] was really Baba's son" (Hosseini 122). I like Amir because I enjoy reading about his struggle to connect with his father. Despite rarely showing appreciation towards Amir, he never stops trying to impress his father.

Chapter 1-10: How I Feel About Amir

I think Amir is not a bad guy he is young kid who saw a rapping of his "best friend" and most of us will never witness this. Amir was scared and knows that not helping Hassan was wrong but he is young and foolish and doesn't want to get himself hurt. How can Amir stand up for Hassan when he can't stand up for himself. You might say he is selfish but would any of you help, knowing you could be the next one getting hurt. But I also think it was wrong of Amir to push Hassan and Ali out of there home ruining Baba's happiness and love for "the brother [he] never had,"(113) and it seams that Baba was never happy again because they have had " seven servant[s] in five years"(118). Baba never got the same bond with any of the servants that he had with Ali since they knew each other since childhood. So I think that Amir is in the middle between bad and good because he ruined a relationship between him, Hassan, Ali and Baba but at the same time he is just a child.      

Chapter 1-10

I feel like Amir acts like a coward he runs away from problem and if he feels guilty he doesn't fix it he just avoids it at any cost for an example when he watched Hassen get raped instead of helping and standing up for him he ran "In the end, I ran. I ran because I was a coward" (Hossenin 77). Also in the book Amir does not face his promblems he just hurts people so he can try and feel better about seeing the rape and not saying anything, when Amir set up Hassen because he felt so guilty and Hassen did nnot say anything knowing that his father and Baba would believe him telling the truth he just left Amir hurt Baba, Hassen and Ali " That was when I understood the depth of the pain I had caused, the blackness of the felt I had brought onto everyone" (107). Throgh the whole story Amir has become worse and made thing worse for everyone just because he ran away from the rape and did not tell anyone.

Story time

Hassan is Amir's best friend, and Amir is Hassan's best friend. They have shaped each other in many ways. An example of this is the time they spend reading together. Hassan does not know how to read because he does not attend school like Amir. To help Hassan gain more knowledge about the world he reads to him. Hassan enjoys the reading sessions because he can escape his reality and at the same time learn about the world around him. Amir also enjoys writing stories during his past time. He reads the stories to Hassan to see if they are good. Hassan always says the stories are good and encourages Amir to keep writing. Amir is a talented writer and Hassan encourages him to peruse his passion. Amir reading to an uneducated Hassan bonds them together, and makes them better people.

The Kite Runner Chapters 1-10

Amir, a man without any conception of honour or Brotherhood, is in fact a capitalist. Amir used Hassan's friendship for as long as it suited him, the moment it was tested with tribulation it shattered. "I had one last chance to make a decision. one final opportunity to decide who i was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past and accept whatever would happen to me. Or i could run. In the end, I ran."(Hosseini 82) In this situation it did not suit Amir to stand up for Hassan. Hassan had outrun his usefulness, Hassan was there to protect him not the other way around. Fortune favours the bold, it's a dog eat dog world, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In this case Amir decided that he was more important than his "brother", and favoured his own life. For this he was rewarded with his fathers affection and the admiration of his family and friends, all for the price of the man who would "...eat dirt if you asked..."(Hosseini 52). In This transaction, a human life for happiness, we can see Amir's true nature which is of course that of a capitalist.

Father Son Relationship

In the relationship between Amir and Baba, Amir feels as though he must win the love of his father, and his father is a distant, powerful and mysterious figure in his life. The stories told by Rahim feed into Amir’s sense of mystery regarding his successful father. Baba’s success and social standing make Amir feel as though he must be successful as well, in order to achieve praise and love from his father. Whereas Hassan and Ali’s relationship strongly contrasts this, as Hassan has a strong bond with his father, which is based on their similar struggles and experiences. Both father and son have the shared understanding of how it is to live with a physical difference from those around them, a limp, and a cleft lip.  As Amir must work for his father’s obviously conditional love, Hassan’s father seems to be more in tune with the needs and happiness of his son. Baba is cold and distant, except for when he wants to be fatherly and open with Amir, and this overtly conditional relationship is considerably different to that of Hassan and Ali.

How do Hassan and Amir Shape Each Other?

One way that Amir is shaped by Hassan is that Amir has somebody who will stick up for him. Amir is a bookworm, a push over not willing to stick up for himself because he does not want to endure any consequences. He knows though, that no matter what happens Hassan will always be looking out for him and protecting him. One example shown in the text is when Amir is cowering Hassan and his slingshot when Assef is threatening the two. This also reflects how Hassan is shaped by Amir's cowardly actions. One way Hassan is shaped by Amir is that Hassan has a purpose for life, to please Amir. Hassan, a servant and loyal friend, is willing to do anything and everything for Amir in order to make his friend happy. He follows all of Amir's orders eagerly and does not want the boy he serves to be upset. Hassan enjoys being read to by Amir, the more educated of the two, while he gets to make breakfast and sing to Amir while ironing his shirts. One example is that Hassan will always have Amir's favourite breakfast ready for him the minute he wakes up. With his favourite jam and everything, Hassan pulls out all the stops to make Amir happy. All in all, the two are shaped by each other through their feeling of safety and happiness, Hassan hoping he can make Amir's life better, and Amir having somebody who will stand up for him.

The Kite Runner

How is Amir shaped by Hassan, and how is Hassan shaped by Amir?

To begin, Amir and Hassan are extremely shaped by one another through their similarities and differences. Amir is Pashtun, very wealthy, and has a servant named Hassan who is Hazara and is poor. These two are such close friend that they are essentially brothers. In a way, Amir is shaped by Hassan because of Amir's interests in reading books and writing short stories. This is shown when Hassan gives Amir respect about the short story he had made up on the spot. Hassan said it was the best story that Amir has read. This inspired Amir to do the things he loves and that is writing stories, and later that night he began writing. Furthermore, Hassan is shaped by Amir because during their reading sessions, Amir puts Hassan in uncomfortable decision by telling him to pronounce the words Hassan doesn't know because he is illiterate. Amir likes to tease Hassan because they like to have fun in a way that will help Hassan's reading and writing. All in all, these two characters shape one another by always helping when needed.

Chapters 1-5 Father and Son Relationships

        In The Kite Runner, so far, we have been introduced to two different father and son relationships. Baba, a successful businessman and father, and his unhealthy relationship with Amir, his son, and Ali, their servant and acting father, and his realtionship with Hassan, a servant and friend to Amir. 

        After reading about Baba and Amir's relationship, I noticed that they're estranged because Baba blames Amir for killing his wife, during his birth, and their differences make them very distant from each other. Baba is used to winning at everything that he sets his mind to, he used to play soccer, and he was very athletic, but Amir isn't athletic, he doesn't like soccer, he rarely wins, instead he likes to write poetry and short stories. They aren't very close even though the mother died, which should've brought them together as a family. Their relationship is so unhealthy that when Amir was reading the Shahnamah to Hassan, about a father accidentally killing his son, he thought, "[don't] all fathers in their secret hearts harbor a desire to kill their sons?" (Hosseini 32). Amir thinking that it is normal for a father to want to kill his own son shows how unloved he feels at home and how distant his relationship is with Baba. 

        Ali and Hassan's father and son relationship is close and loving, unlike Baba and Amir's relationship, even though Ali has trouble expressing his emotions. For instance, Ali held Hassan's hand and supported him after the plastic surgery on his face, and when Hassan was scared, when there was gunfire, Ali hugged Hassan and comforted him during the frightening time. That is how a father should act towards his son, he should care about his safety and wellbeing, which shows how much Ali loves Hassan. Unlike Baba, Ali's wife leaving brought him and his son closer together, so they could be a close family and not a distant one. Their relationship is very healthy and close even though both Ali and Hassan have been through a lot.

        After analysing these two father and son relationships, the saying "money doesn't buy happiness" comes to mind. Baba and Amir live in a mansion, yet they have many family problems, they have an unhealthy relationship, whereas Ali and Hassan live in a mud shack and have a healthy, loving relationship. 

Question 2

In the kite runner Amir relationship with his father Baba is unique. Baba isn't proud of Amir because he cant stand up for himself and Amir loves to do academic work like reading and Baba doesn't agree with that. Amir is always trying to impress his father. Amir and his father have a lot of differences so it is very challenging for them to have a normal father/ son relationship.

There is also another father son relationship in the book it is between Hassan and Ali this seems to be a lot more of a typical father/son relationship they have stuff in common with a strong bond they also love and care for each other. This bond seems a lot more healthier than Amir and Baba's.

The Kite Runner

How is Amir shaped by Hassan, and how is Hassan shaped by Amir?

Amir and Hassan have grown up together their whole lives and they continue to spend time with each other. But Amir does not classify Hassan as his friend for the reason that Amir is Pashtun and Hassan is Hazara. They both shape each others lives even though they live totally different lifestyles whereas Amir's family is very rich and Hassan's family is poor. Hassan is as a servant for Amir's family so they end up spending a lot of time together when he is not busy working. Throughout their lives, Amir has been shaped by Hassan because Hassan has developed an interest in reading and he never knew how to read so he would listen to Amir read his books. The one night when Amir was reading out loud to Hassan, Amir went off script from the story and began making up a story of his own. Hassan would not have knew he went off script because he is not very good at comprehending the story's. But when Amir finished telling his story, Hassan than supported him and told him he did very well. After that night it really inspired Amir to start writing stories since Hassan left such a powerful inspiration for him. Also Amir has shaped Hassan by challenging him to do stuff that he is unfamiliar with. "My favorite part of reading to Hassan was when we came across a big word he didn't know. I'd tease him, expose his ignorance" (30). This is showing that Amir is putting Hassan on the spot and he knows that Hassan will not be able to pronounce the word so he jokes around with him and makes him try and say it anyways. But this is also shaping Hassan because he is slowly learning how to read and pronounce words and overall become a better person. Amir doesn't just value Hassan as his servant, instead he spends time with him even though they both value different religions.

Compare and contrast father/son relationships

Amir and Baba's relationship isn't a typical father son relationship. Baba feels as though "there is something missing in Amir" (Hosseini 24). He doesn't think Amir is a "man" just because he doesn't stand up for himself or that the fact that he doesn't like playing or watching soccer. Amir can sense the way his father feels because at the end of chapter five Baba pays for a surgeon to fix Hassan cleft lip. As result Amir feels as though his father loves Hassan  more and wants him to act as Hassan does. Where as Ali and Hassan are a lot closer than Baba and Amir. Hassan has a really close relationship with his father because Ali is the only parent he knows because his mother left 5 days after he was born. Ali and Hassan also spend a lot of time together as Hassan isn't able to go to school so he helps with the chores his father has to do. Overall Ali and Hassan have a better relationship than Amir and Baba do.

kite runner

         In the novel " The Kite Runner" Amir and Hassan spend a lot of time around each other this makes it easy for the boys to have an influence on one other. There are many times that this is evident in the novel, for example when Amir say's " My favorite part of reading to Hassan was when he came across a big word he didn't know. Id tease him, expose his ignorance "  (30, Hosseini ) The cruel side of Amir is exposed here, as Amir is teasing Hassan because he cannot read. Also taking advantage of his lack of education as Amir is playing head games with Hassan because he does not understand the meanings of the words. For Hassan this could be very altering for his mind and confidence. This shows how Amir has an impact of Hassan, another example of the boys having a influence of each other is when Amir says " That same night i wrote my first short story." (33, Hosseini) This is said by Amir after Hassan complements Amir's story he had made up in his head simply for a joke. Amir then begins to write more, this demonstrates how Hassan has an influence on Amir and made him realize a talent he was blind to before. Overall there are many events that show the boys have a very big impact on each other. Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

The Kite Runner

The father/son relationship between Amir and Baba and Hassan and Ali differs in many ways. Baba is distant, tough, and rarely shows Amir any affection. Ali is caring, kind, and gentle. "Hassan's father, Ali, used to catch us and get mad, or as mad as someone as gentle as Ali could ever get" (Hosseini 4). Everyone in Kabul respects Baba and knows that he is a rich and powerful man, but Ali is a Hazara and Shi'ite therefore being teased and taunted by Pashtuns his whole life. Amir admires his father and always tries to live up to his expectations, while Ali accepts Hassan the way he is and doesn't try and change him or tell him to act a certain way. Baba believes that to be defined as a "man", Amir must do what he does. He must talk about politics and soccer, and have a strong demeanor. When Amir was young, Baba built an orphanage, and Amir wanted to know why he cared about those children but he didn't even pay much attention to his own son. He wished death upon those children, because they got his fathers affection, while Amir had to act a certain way to please Baba.

Chapter 1-5 - Father/Son Relationships

Compare and contrast the father/son relationship between Amir and Baba, and Hassan and Ali.

The father/son between Amir and Baba is not the best. Amir is constantly searching for his fathers attention and feels as if he is not successful in doing so. Baba feels that Amir is weak because he does not stand up for himself. Also, they do not have the same interests, Amir enjoys reading and writing whereas his father does not. Therefore, they do not have much in common and it is difficult for them to have a strong bond and relationship.

The father/son relationship between Hassan and Ali seems to be a much better relationship than Amir and Baba's. They seem to have a strong bond and strong connect with one another, as well as seem to have each others backs, as shown when the shooting happens. 

Chapter 1-5

Amir and Hassan come from two radically different worlds. One Pashtun the other Hazzara, one shia one sunni, one rich one poor, one a master the other a servant. Yet these two people are friends, to the extent that their culture allows, friends that shape one another. Amir for instance is more aware of hazzara problems through being bullied along with Hassan by the local ruffians. this is a situation that they face together and that Amir would not be in if he was not friends with Amir. In the same way Hassan would not be able to read stories if he did not have Amir, he would be ignorant of the past of Afghanistan and just another "Hazzara" without these stories. These are just some of the ways that these children have been shaped by each other.  

The Kite Runner Chapters 1-5

Amir and Hassan are both shaped by each other in different ways. Amir shapes Hassan by pushing him out of his comfort zone and by getting him to do things that he wouldn't have done otherwise. Amir is also able to convince Hassan to do things that he doesn't want to. If Amir "ask[s], really ask[s], he won't deny [him]. Hassan never denie[s] me anything" (Hosseini 4). Amir is able to convince Hassan to do anything if Amir truly wants it to happen. This also pushes Hassan out of his comfort zone, which often leads to the two boys learning a lesson. Amir also teaches Hassan about things taught in school, which Hassan does not attend. Amir builds Hassan's knowledge by reading to him, this shapes Hassan because he learns what he thinks are the proper definitions to words. In reality the definitions that Amir teaches Hassan are not always true. It is because of this Hassan shapes Amir. After Amir teaches Hassan wrong, is mean to, or manipulative of Hassan, Amir would "always feel guilty about it later. So [he'd] try to make up for it by giving [Hassan] one of [his] old shirts or a broken toy" (31). Hassan makes Amir feel bad about his wrong doings even though he doesn't know that what Amir has done has a mean intention. Hassan shapes Amir by acting as a conscience by having Amir make up for his wrong doings.

The Kite Runner

Amir is shaped by Hassan by Hassan's thoughts and comments on Amir's actions and choices. For example, when Amir wrote a story and read it to Hassan, Hassan's initial reaction to the story was exactly what Amir had wanted to hear, "Some day, Insallah, you will be a great writer," Hassan said. "And people all over the world will read your stories"(Hosseini, 36). This made Amir feel happy and confident about both his story and himself. Although, when Hassan merely questioned a minor part of Amir's story, his whole mood and feelings towards Hassan at the moment changed drastically, "A voice, cold, and dark, suddenly whispered in my ear, What does he know, that illiterate Hazara? He'll never be anything but a cook. How dare he criticize you?"(Hosseini, 37). This proves how Hassan's thoughts and comments on Amir's actions and choices affect him. This also shows that when Hassan ever questions or says something negative to Amir, Hassan being a Hazara becomes relevant. Therefore, this demonstrates how Hassan shapes Amir.

For the most part, Amir shapes Hassan positively. For example, Amir reading to Hassan because he is illiterate brings joy to Hassan, "But despite his illiteracy, or maybe because of it, Hassan was drawn to the mystery of words, seduced by a secret world forbidden to him"(Hosseini, 30). Amir reading to Hassan affects Hassan positively because he's helping Hassan do something he loves that he is unable to do himself. Although this shapes Hassan positively for the most part, there's also a few negatives. Since Hassan is completely illiterate, Amir feels a certain power or dominance over Hassan, "My favourite part of reading to Hassan was when we came across a big word that he didn't know. I'd tease him, expose his ignorance"(Hosseini, 30). This shows how Amir has complete control over Hassan when it comes to certain things. Therefore, this proves how Amir shapes Hassan both negatively and positively.

Chapters 1-5 Question

Amir and Hassan both have an enormous impact on the characteristics of each other. In Hassan's case, he tries to devote his entire life to Amir. Because he is Amir's servant, he has the task to serve him food and do his housework, even the free time Hassan has when he isn't serving Amir is spent playing with him. Hassan's interests, goals and aspirations, all involve Amir. Also, Amir is shown to be much kinder to Hassan than most masters are to their servants, or most Pashtun are to Hazaras. This gives Hassan confidence that he otherwise wouldn't have, shown when he stands up to Assef and his gang.

Amir is also shaped by Hassan to a similar degree. Because of his unsupportive father, Amir is shunned for his interest in stereotypically feminine hobbies such as reading poetry and writing short stories. However, thanks to Hassan showing interest in and respecting Amir's passions from the very beginning, Amir continues doing what he love to do. However, because of Hassan always being there to support and care about Amir, Amir has grown to be somewhat self centered, shown in how he wishes death upon the orphans who his father pays more attention to than him.

Chapter 4-5: Question b)

Hassan's relationship with Ali is shown as a loving important relationship when the night of the bombing happened. They have a sense of security that they give to each other during the bombing which shows a very connecting and strong relationship that they share together. But Amir and Baba's relationship isn't as strong as Baba is more of a strong business man, when Amir seems to feel like he is disappointing him as he is nothing like his father. Amir reads and writes and will not stand up for himself, and Baba will stand up for himself and is very powerful. Ali and Hassan's relationship is a lot more stronger than Baba and Amir's relationship.

The Kite Runner-Chapter 1-5

In The Kite Runner, Amir and Hassan are very influential towards each other.  They both have a certain admiration and friendship for each other that they've had since birth.  Amir is shaped by Hassan so far by his jealousy towards him.  So far, Amir behaves jealousy towards anyone recieving Baba's affection.  His relationship with Hassan only makes this clearer.  Though Hassan perceives himself to be Amir's best friend, Amir feels Hassan, being a servant is beneath him.  Because of this, Amir tries to assert himself by passive-aggressively attacking Hassan by, for example, mocking Hassan's ignorance, or playing tricks on him.  Additionally, Amir doesn't learn to assert himself against anyone else because Hassan always defends him.  Hassan is shaped by Amir because as his servant, he grows up in a particular role which defines him as a person because of his dedication to Amir.  Hassan's personality has built on the idea that he must serve and help others in order to stay true to himself.  Because of Amir's teasing, he proves himself to be quite innocent so far in the novel.

Chapter 1-5: Question B

Amir and Baba's relationship is not a normal son and father relationship, which is that the father will/should support their son's decisions in who they want to be. But Baba does not because Amir is not like him because Amir reads and writes and doesn't stand up for him self. Bada is a powerful man and stands up for him self. Amir is jealous of Hassan and the orphan children because Baba shows more affection to them then Amir. Amir always feels like he is disappointing Baba. But Baba is there for him when it counts like when the shooting happened and when they talk in Baba's study.

In Hassan and Ali relationship, so far Ali seems more like a father then Baba because he conforms the boys when the shooting happens and he also chastise Hassan when he does something wrong. Hassan and Amir seem more closer together because they live in a small little shed. Unlike Amir and Baba who have a bigger house and have more freedom to be on there own.

                               My Defining Moment

My defining moment occurred last July when my soccer team was competing in the Ontario cup. We won our three games easily and advanced to the semi finals. This was already an achievement alone because we advanced to the final four over many elite teams. We were playing Niagara Falls which was a team we were familiar with as we already played them twice in our league leading up to this big game. The game was on a  sunny Sunday afternoon in Toronto, we played at varsity stadium which is also the home of UofT varsity blues. While we were warming up the other semi final was being played between Woodbridge and Islington. As we were walking over to the benches we got to watch the end of the penalty shoot-out between the two teams and Woodbridge ended up winning. This motivated my team and I even more because Woodbridge was one of our biggest rivals. The game started and we knew we had our work cut out for us being the underdogs of the final four. This proved to be true because Niagara scored in the first seconds of the game off of a defensive mistake by our centre back. As the game went on we were being outplayed and found ourselves down 2-0 at the half. Our coach gave us new a new game plan and switched around some players to start the second half. We started to finally control the flow of the game and started to dominate possession. Our hard worked paid off halfway into the second half we had finally scored off of a corner. Our second goal came in rapid succession just two minutes after we scored another header. There was about five minutes left in the game and the game was end to end. I remember I was playing left back and my goalie threw the ball to near half with time winding down. I controlled the ball beat a defender and saw the goalie off his line and this was not only my defining moment but also my team's defining moment. I shot the ball from just over half and it soared into the top corner. As soon as I scored I hurdled the fence to celebrate with my team mates who were suspended and my friends who were watching. My entire team jumped on me, we were ecstatic. I ended up getting a yellow card for celebrating off the field but it was well worth it because right after that the game had ended. I scored my first goal for my new team in the biggest game of our season and also did it well playing defense. Even though we ended up losing in the finals this win helped our team strengthen our bond and helped us to become closer on and off the field.

My Defining Moment

My Defining Moment   

When i think of a defining moment in my life i think of a moment that i had to work for and i love doing. I started playing lacrosse when i was 4 years old and right there i knew that it was the sport for me. I have made many great memories in lacrosse but i feel like this moment was different from the rest. We just qualified threw to make it to the Ontario summer games in Windsor, Ontario, so we were going in as the underdogs. There is only six teams out of all of Ontario that make it threw to summer games and you also only get a chance at it once considering it happens every other year and only in the midget age group. We had to play every team once and then there was the semi finals and the finals. Our team came in hot and ended up going undefeated which no one expected. We had to play Burlington in the finals and they had been the best team in Ontario the whole year. This had to be the most intense game i have ever played in. every goal that was scored there was one to follow it right after, big hits, the pace of the game was surreal and we all only had one thing in mind, gold. which us as minors, had never won before. We ended up going to overtime and we netted 3 home quick making it a pretty much done deal. The moment the last buzzer went, i have never seen my friends happier than that moment, it was a moment that turned a group of friends into brother's and created bonds that will never be broken. I think that this accomplishment for me has a bigger impact in my life than just winning, it made me realize that good things come from hard work and dedication.

Defining Moment

I've thought long and hard about a moment that really impacted my life. But honestly, I couldn't think of one. I don't play sports anymore, I'm not into any clubs or have a real passion for something right now. I then remembered back to when I was 11 years old, driving on the highway in California. I was surrounded by all of the beautiful mountains and of course there was the Hollywood sign. As cliché as it sounds, that was the moment I realized I need to be grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life. There I was, in California for my second time at a pretty young age. There's people out there who don't get to travel anywhere. They don't get to see different parts of the world and what it has to offer. I haven't been to that many places but I'm thankful for everywhere I have been, and just the fact that it was possible for me to go. Now this wasn't a huge defining moment and it didn't change my life, but it was an eye opener for me and made me look at things a little differently. I'd rather be grateful for the opportunities I do have, than sit around and wait for something "better".

When Was My Defining Moment?

After thinking and trying to decide what moment in my life defines who I am, I decided that I don’t have one specific moment. In my opinion I don’t think one moment in a person's life, defines who they are. I believe that everyday something happens in someone's life that changes and helps define who they are. For me growing up life was a little different. I wasn’t born in a different country, and I wasn’t adopted. It was different by the way my family functioned. My family dynamics brought me up to be independent and responsible at a young age. When I was young I lived with my mom and brother, along side my dad. But, he wasn’t always around. My father was out and about doing things that a parent usually shouldn’t do. I had to learn to be responsible, because my mom wasn’t always able to do everything I needed her too. But, I was okay with that, because I eventually learned to do many things on my own, allowing me to be independent. Many things along the years helped me learn new ways to be independent, and to build my responsibility in life. The times in my past were my defining moments, because it shaped me to be the strong, independent, and responsible women I am today. They were my defining moments, because they allowed me to reach out of my shell, and take risks in learning new things. Allowing me to help define who I am. Things have changed for the better, and yes my past wasn’t that great, but honestly I’m a little glad it happened the way it did, because then I would’ve never became the person I am today.

Defining Moment

A defining moment in my life occurred just last year, when I made the senior boys basketball team. At the time I was fairly new to basketball, unlike the others who had a lot of experience on the court as they played for other basketball teams. Throughout the start of the season I made some errors during practice, but I quickly learned from them to help improve my game as well as building chemistry with my teammates. Although I didn't get as much playing time during the games, I still pushed myself harder each and every practice to show the coach what I am capable of doing on the court. Unfortunately, half-way through the season I suffered a serious lower back injury that prevented me from doing any physical activities. The pain was unbearable as it hurt to do essentially anything that would require moving my body. Eventually, I was taken to my family doctor and he told me that I had a slipped disc in my lower back that was rubbing up against a nerve that starts from the hip down through the leg called sciatica. At this point things weren't looking good as I soon found out that this type of back injury takes about 12 weeks to recover and fully heal. I was blown away by the fact that I knew my very first basketball season was already over and I couldn't participate in any sporting activities that I love doing. I felt like I was trapped inside my body, every little movement impacted severe pain throughout my lower back and leg. Luckily, I was able to go to physiotherapy to hopefully speed up the healing process by doing daily exercises to help regain the strength in my lower back. As of today, I still continue to feel a mild pain the odd day, but now I am finally doing my physical activities and keeping up with my exercises so it won't happen again, as I work my way towards making the basketball team again the following year. All in all, this defined me because it gave me the motivation to not quit or give up on any of my goals in life.

Defining Moment

A defining moment in my life would be when my mom, sister and I moved to Canada. On April 25/ 2007 we were at the New Delhi airport in India, getting ready to departure for Toronto Pearson Airport. The flight was 15 hrs and I was scared to death at the time because I had never been on an airplane and I thought I was gonna die, but I was also excited because I would get to see my dad again, who I had not seen for 2 years. When we got on the plane it was pretty cool because they had a mini t.v in front of me where I could watch hollywood movies, and also the air hostess would bring me beverages. The flight to Toronto was exciting because I got to fly over the ocean and see countries and clouds from the plane and thst blew my mind. As we got to Toronto Pearson Airport, we got off the plane and were planning on leaving. But we had to wait about an hour because my family and I did not a have our Canadian Citizenship at the time, we were on a canadian visa. The lineup was filled with immigrants from different countries and then our turn came, the person gave us our papers which included landing paper, social insurance number and more and we headed to pick up our luggage. When we got out to the pick up location I saw my father and ran to him for a hug, and ever since that day we have been united as a family. Next, when we were on the highway my dad pointed out to me that it was snowing, and on April 26/2007 was the first time the 8 year old Tushar had seen a snowfall. Overall, this was the biggest defining moment in my life because I had moved to a different country where the culture was different, where I did not have any friends and had to make new ones, but I'm glad that I moved to Canada because otherwise I would be dying of the temperature every day.

As a child my mom never put me in sports or anything really. I was never apart of anything. But I remember I was always interested in makeup. I was never allowed to wear any because I was to young. My mom does not wear makeup, so whenever I would visit my grandma I would try and do my makeup, do her makeup, or observe my grandma doing her own. A ten year old trying to do makeup was a disaster, and I knew I was not very good at it. So when I was at home I would watch makeup tutorials for hours and hours on YouTube, to the point where my mom would tell me to get off the computer because I was going to ruin my eyesight. I have done makeup for two weddings in the past year, and I hope to become a professional makeup artist one day. From the age of ten makeup defined who I was and who I wanted to become, and to this day I am still in love with makeup.

Defining Moment

A defining moment in my life all started about a year ago when I was selected to play in the Tri-City Top 40 basketball camp held in Waterloo. I was scouted through grade 10 playing basketball for the ODSS Bears and then I was invited to attend their camp which started in May of grade 10. I was fairly nervous to go to this camp because there was a lot of great talent that would be there and a couple of scouts watching on the sidelines. The camp was 3 days long of hard work and filled with intensity. After each day, I would be exhausted and my body would be sore but I knew I had to keep pushing and giving it everything I had. While I was there, they would put us through intense circuits through out the day and at the end of each day, we would have full 32 minute games. The camp really left a huge impact on me not just on the basketball side of things, but it really motivated me to start getting fit and working out. A couple days after the camp, I decided it was time for me to start to working out and to improve on many things like speed, endurance, strength and so on. So from that May until the next basketball season, I trained everyday focusing on improving my basketball skills and getting fit. When the grade 11 basketball season started, I could really notice my improvement and I was ready to began competing against seniors. Overall, that basketball camp has motivated me to work hard and to this day, I have continued following that mindset.


 

defining moment

A defining moment is defined as a point at which the essential nature of character of a person or group is reveled.  Throughout my life I have had many small moment essential to my character and the person I am today. Although about 8 years ago I reveled the path my life will take with a simple decision that has defined the person I am today. It was my first year my parents signed me up for hockey as a player. I played about half of the season as a player. My team wasn't very good and I wasn't having fun because we would get blown out every game. Our team didn't have a permanent goalie and we would rotate every game. When it was my turn to play goalie I was excited. I played and didn't let any goals in. My coach asked to play the next game, and again I got a shutout. My turn was over for now and the rotation continued. But I didn't want if to be over because I had so much fun playing net for those couple of games. Near the end of the season I was itching for my turn to come again to play net. It finally came in the first game of the playoffs. Again, I got a shutout and my team won. I realized I loved to play goalie. After the game I made a decision that shaped my life for the next 8 years. I went up to the coach and asked him if I could play in net for every game the rest of the season. He reluctantly said yes and I played the final games of the season in net. By choosing to become a goalie I realized my love for hockey and I continued on playing to this day. Throughout the years I made many lifelong friends through hockey, and learned many life lessons that shaped the person I am today.

My Defining Moment

The moment that defined my life the most was when I switched schools in grade four. I had done well enough on the CCAT test that I had the option to be transferred from the standard program at my primary school into the gifted program at a new school. This was a big deal back then and I had initially wanted to stay with my friends but my parents didn’t give me much of a choice. Moving into this class changed quite a few things for me. I think the thing that really impacted me the most was the other people there, and because of the nature of the class, a lot of the people in the class were very interested in maths and sciences. Whether I wanted it to or not, that started rubbing off onto me. I didn’t really have interests in specific classes at school by that point, I think around then the only thing that I cared about in school was recess. But now, when I was exposed to fellow students or even teachers with goals in those fields, it really set me down that path. Another way school changed when I went into that class was that we had a lot of open ended projects, I think one every month, and the real benefit of these was that we could do them on whatever we wanted. Because grades 4-8 are really relaxed and there is pretty much no pressure on you, I had a really good time researching and learning about all these things. I definitely didn’t know what i wanted to do after school before that point, and even though I still don’t completely know the exact things I want to do, I now have a much better Idea. I think that creating an interest and enjoyment in the math and science classes I had really did benefit me, and has a massive impact on who I am, and who I will be as a person.  All in all, choosing which school and program to go to was a massive crossroads in my life, and who I am was majorly impacted by my choice.

My defining Moment

I don't have a exact moment that defined who I am today but one moment that changed my outlook on life was during grade 10 block A semester one the day I meet Lincoln. Lincoln was my little buddy in Teddy Bear Play school the bond grew from there. He has changed my look on life and has showed me that I have a huge passion for being around children and wanting a future teaching or involved with children. Lincoln brightens up my days and always has a big smile on his face, I have created a bond between Lincoln's other sibling and am now their full time babysitter during school days and nanny in the summer. Lincoln has two other siblings a younger sister Hazel who is 1 1/2 I have been apart of her life since day 1 I was watching the boys the day Hazel was born and watching her grow, and hold her ground against her older brothers. They also have a older brother Sterling who has shown me that even if you are sick and suffering you keep going you fight it and he has proved that, sterling was very sick when he was younger and has overcome that and exceeded he wakes up everyday happy and grateful he helps take care of his siblings, and help with whatever you need he is a strong little guy who doesn't give. There parents have showed me that second chances work sometimes and if you try hard enough and push past you mistakes and differences you can make it. This whole family has probably had the biggest impact on my life and they show everyday how much you have to be grateful for and I am so grateful for the Teddy Bear Play school for bringing this family into my life! 

My Defining Moment

My defining moment was when I was first hunting and first killed a bird...

Just kidding!

My defining moment is actually when my father passed away when I was 10 years old. He passed away in February of 2010. Early in December of 2009, he felt sick and was not able to go to work for awhile. Almost right after Christmas, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor near his brain stem. He had a history with brain tumors before, as he did have one in late 2002 going into 2003. With some operation, the surgeons were able to remove the tumor. Besides the fact that the use of his right side was limited because of the operation, he seemed to be fine and normal.

Back to the topic at hand, my dad went to the hospital and got radiation and other treatments. In mid-January of 2010, the doctors announced that the tumor was near his brain stem and that they couldn’t operate on it and it was too far gone for other cancer treatments. Basically, we learned that he was going to die. From then on, my grandparents took care of me for awhile and my mom moved into the hospital to be with my dad all the time.

As time went on and my dad’s health deteriorated as the tumor grew to affect more parts of his brain, it was harder and harder to see him in the hospital. Eventually, he could barely move and talk. By mid February, his time had come and God took him away. After this, my mom went back to live with my brother and I and life did become hard.

After all the chaos of the event blew over, the funeral was held, and life was as normal as it could be, it was hard for me to live without my dad. To distract ourselves from what was going on, my mom took us to our first trip to Florida, which was a great time. When we got back, our family was always busy doing things. Because of this, our dog was always locked up in his crate, so we decided that the best thing for him was to give him away to a family who could spend more time with him and be around more. This was also hard for me and difficult to deal with.

Eventually, with some counselling sessions, prayer (I am a Christian, so reading the Bible and praying did give me some comfort) and time, I sort of accepted what had happened and let it just be a part of me. Later, my mom met a new husband. It was hard to move on and have another guy be in the role of my dad, but eventually I got used to it. I never let him replace my old dad, but in a way, saw it as a new part of my life.

This defines me because it gave me a new look on life and how precious and volatile it is and made me appreciate it much more, seeing as how it could be taken away so quickly. This also changed my personality and it felt like I had been through a lot of stuff that matured me and changed me from a naïve little kid to a more mature person with a deeper understanding of life. I still kept a sense of humor, as you can probably all see in class sometimes, but I felt as if I could be much more serious about things when needed.

My Defining Moment

Hello and welcome to what I believe to be my defining moment. Which is of course entry to the prestigious institute that is Orangeville District Secondary School. For this is the place that decides, if not in the entirety, at least in a large part the future of those scholars enrolled within it’s sacred walls. That is to say the courses taken reflect and define the individual’s interests and future career. An example of this is the fact that I have taken many tech courses, which reflect my interest in the subject and leads to the probable conclusion that I will take up a skilled trade. In the same way one meets any amount of companions in a place such as this, which again define and shape your personality and life, through their personality and life. Reflecting on these points you can see that it is evident that this is mine and most likely many others defining moment.

My Defining Moment

My defining moment was when I cut my hair for Cancer last summer. My hair was down to my hips and I hated it a lot but was too scared to cut it, as I’ve always had long hair. But one day I came across a girl who had no hair, and had no complaints about it, as she couldn’t do anything about it.  I then realized that I was taking my hair for granted, when some people who wanted hair, could not grow it at all. I finally made the decision to cut my hair to cancer, so I could make someone happier with my hair then I ever would have been. I’ve always had long hair so it was a scary experience, but I cut 10 inches of my hair and donated it to the Canadian Cancer society. I took my hair for granted, and realized I shouldn’t be as some people have it a lot worse than I do. I noticed that I was taking advantage of my hair when I could be donating it to a better cause where they would appreciate my hair better then I would. This defined who I am because it taught me not to take things for granted, and to think about others before making a decision.

Defining Moment

One defining moment in my life was when my father left 5 year old me me in his car at three a.m in the morning with our cat, Megu, to attend a party while we went “camping”. We originally were not supposed to spend the night the plan was to go and visit my dad’s friend at his trailer for the day. That plan quickly changed when my dad was offered his 5th beer. The day wasn’t too bad I spent it playing with other kids that were also “camping”. Later that night we were sitting around the campfire and things were going pretty good. I roasted marshmallows and my friend Shiane roasted a banana, I don't know why she roasted a banana, but she did. We stayed up really late and around 12 I decided that I should to to bed. I told my dad that I was going to bed and right after I did so my dad’s friend, Craig, said “oh the kids are going to bed now. There’s going to be a party over at one of the other guy’s campsites since the kids are going to be asleep do you want to go?” I quickly intervened and said “I don’t want you to go” to my dad. My dad said “why?” And i said “because I don’t want to spend the night alone and….i'm five…”. He seemed to realize it was a bad idea and went to bed in his jeep shortly after I got in. The next thing I remember was waking up to Megu’s ear piercing screeches.. . I guess he couldn't sleep. I quickly realized that my dad wasn’t there and I started to cry. I don’t know exactly how long I cried in the car talking to Megu, but at some point I decided that it would be a good idea to get out of the car and search for my dad. I also decided it would be a good idea to take Megu with me because I couldn’t just abandon him like my dad abandoned me I didn’t want to be hypocritical. I got out of the car and proceeded to walk around in the dark carrying Megu and crying. I don't really remember how long I was searching, but i'm sure it didn’t take me long to hear led zeppelin playing in the distance I followed the music and got to the party. I walked around the side of the trailer and walked right into the center of middle aged drunk men and just stood there staring at my dad with Megu. I was trying not to cry because I wanted him to know I was mad. But then I started crying. My dad jumped up and said “oh i have to go now” and he apologized to me and walked me back to the car and told me “don’t tell your mother”. This was a defining moment in my life because this moment made me more independent. Even though I was only five after that night I realized that you can’t always rely on people to take care of you… even when they're supposed to and you have to learn to not always trust what people tell you. When got home I was understandably angry still so I told my mom.                

My Defining Moment

My defining moment was last year in dance class. We were having "circus week" where professional circus performers came in to teach us about modern circus. One of the activities we got to try was static trapeze. I immediately knew I wanted to continue learning new tricks and routines even though I could barely do one pushup. That moment defined me because I never quit trying after that. I work incredibly hard to develop my skills and even got a trapeze solo in our big end of the year dance show. I've become more dedicated and passionate about the aerial arts than anything else in my life. Now I go to a circus school to train on a more professional level and will probably have the aerial arts as a big part of my life and career. None of the opportunities I have right now would be possible if I hadn't pushed myself to try trapeze that day.

My Defining Moment

A defining moment is a specific time in your life where you feel as if you've found what shapes you and makes you who you are today as a person.  My defining moment was almost two years ago in the December of 2014.  For me, it was the most important swim meet of the year, Team Champs in Sudbury, Ontario. Every year I would look forward to travelling with my team to race fast and have fun.  The one race which really stood out, and helped define me as a person was my 100 meter breaststroke.  The 100 meter breaststroke has always been my best race, pretty much since I first started swimming eight years ago.  Going into this particular race, I didn't really know what to expect.  Just coming off of a knee injury the previous spring, this was only the second time I actually competed in this race since then.  I actually ended up making finals after an astounding race in the preliminaries.  Going into finals I was very nervous, I began to question whether my knee would hold up, and I honestly had no idea what would happen.  When I dove in the pool for my last final of the weekend, I suddenly had a rush of adrenaline and confidence that I could do it.  The last length, I raced to the finish with all that I had left in me.  Looking up at the clock to see my time, I realized I not only got a best time, but I made my provincial standard and would be competing for my team at the Ontario Provincial Championships. Additionally, I also got 3rd place in our division which was also a huge accomplishment for me.  This experience helped give me more confidence as a person and understand what it means to never give up.  My defining moment helped make me who I am today.  

Defining Moment

My defining moment happened in February 2016, when the Denver Broncos won the Superbowl. It is clear that my life is not exciting, but I am and always have been a huge Denver Broncos fan. They played the Carolina Panthers in Santa Clara California and won by a final score of 24-10. Thanks mainly to Von Miller, their star linebacker, who also won Superbowl MVP. He pressured the Carolina offensive line, giving Carolina's quarterback Cam Newton little to no time to think. He also sacked Newton on multiple occasions, helping Denver to the Lombardi trophy. This is a defining moment for me because since I was a kid my dad and I have watched the Denver Broncos together and hoped that one day they would win again. Once they did, I did not have to take any crap from people I know for an entire week, because if they said anything I could ask them "wait, who won the Superbowl?" It was well worth all the pain of the losing seasons, because I am now defined as being that guy who cheered for the right team one year.

My Defining Moment

I feel as though my defining moment is more of a series of events rather than a specific moment. I guess I could say it all began back in 2008 when my brother joined Army Cadets. I didn't think much of it, nor did I have any interest myself... until I heard about all of his crazy camp stories. Thousands of lucky Canadians ranging in age from 12-18 get selected every spring to attend 2,3,6, or 7 week Summer Camps. After hearing the jarring and silly tales from my brothers summers, I decided to give Cadets a try in 2011. The program itself alongside the summer camps have shaped me to be who I am today. I think the moment I really realised this was the summer of 2014, before Grade 10. I went on a 6 week course called Expedition Instructor in which 100 cadets get the privilege to spend 18 days in the wild outdoors of Algonquin Park. It was the last day of the expedition, after a lot of blood, sweat and tears while we biked, hiked, and white water canoed without cell service or running water...  The last day is what is known as a Solo; 32 hours to live by yourself and reflect on the past 17 days. It was during this reflection time that I realized not only how lucky I was to have gotten to experience this with some of the best young people in Canada, but also how much I really learned. Pushing yourself through physical and mental challenges, being grateful and optimistic, while also being taught how to be a leader. "How to lead" is a very broad statement. Leadership is compromised of many things, such as adaptability, confidence, and critical thinking/ decision making. The leadership I have learned and continue to learn because of cadets has shaped me in the past and shapes me for the future as well. It enabled me to make life long friends from across Canada and across the world, and even allowed me the opportunity to spend another Summer conquering goals and pushing myself while I climbed glaciers and mountains in the beauty of Banff National Park. It seems cheesy, even to me, to say that I would be lost literally (we learned orienteering too)  and figuratively without cadets, but I couldn't be the confident person I am today without the opportunities it brings me.

One of the highest points of my life ;) Mount Olive Summit, 10270 ft above sea level

Defining Moment

A defining moment in my life was a morning last summer, when my friends and I all decided to watch the last sunrise of our time together as campers at summer camp. We all awoke at 4:30am, and silently left our tents and hiked up the tallest hill. We waited and watched the entirety of that gorgeous sunrise. This sunrise was an important and defining moment in my life as it was a powerful reminder of the value of friendship and relationships. It made me realise how important those people were to me, and how impactful camp had been on my life. I hadn’t stopped to consider these things in depth before, and sitting there with them all, showed me how valuable they all were to me, and how much I appreciated the things that science camp had given me. Seeing something as simple and as beautiful as a sunrise with my friends, made me truly appreciate the way my friends positively impacted my life. I still see that morning as a defining moment in my life, and I am incredibly grateful I experienced that sunrise with the most important people in my life. Returning to that camp as a counsellor without them was bittersweet, but I still remember all the amazing memories we made there, and seeing that sunrise with my fellow counsellors is still special, but in a different way. I see new campers making new friends, and I see how camp brings people together, and can set the stage for life’s defining moments.

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My Defining Moment

  My defining moment. mhmm no not appropriate, no not as important, oh here we go. When I was thirteen up to that point I was playing soccer because that is  all my parents would let me play football was to far away, as well as rugby and hockey was too expensive and way to much driving for a big family to just try and say oh never mind after wards. So finally after all my friends had convinced me that football was my sport based on my size. I had decided that I was gonna convince my parents to as why playing football was the best thing for me to do instead of playing soccer for the first ever. So after gym class when I had told my friends i was going to play for the orangeville outlaws this summer without actually knowing or not if my parents would finally let me play football I spent the rest of the day not doing class work, which probably wasn't the best idea, but instead I spent the rest of the day coming up with the best ideas to why  my parents should let me play football and although I don't remember all of them I do remember there where five I had gotten it down to five main and amazing reasons to why I should be allowed to play football instead of having to play soccer.
                Now at this point I would like to point out that yes it is just a summer sport and yes i realize some people may have a life changing event to share. But you see for me this was life changing you see although it was a change in what sport i played over the summer and thats all that some will see it as it is more than for me. you see when my parents at the end of our little meeting where i sat both my parents down after paying off my older brother to watch the little ones for five minutes, and they both looked at eacother and smiled and said we'll get back to you, then later telling me that they have considered my reasons and have both agreed that if a kid puts that much work into something they really must want it. and agreed to let me play football. it wasn't only a change in sport it was a change to my lifestyle as i quickly realized that there was a whole lot more to this than i thought. for playing football went from one day a week in my head to two practices and a game on the weekend. which meant less time for homework and less time to play around with friends and more time spent driving from my house out to orangeville and then back again. Now unfortunate my first year was crapp and we ended up only winning two or three games it was my first year doing something that was outside of my families normal. Now fast forward three years I have been playing for four years now and have three championships for summer football two with the orangeville outlaws and a third with the Guelph Jr Gryphons and i am look for a fourth, and i still love the game as much as i did the day i told my parents i wanted to play. and that is my defining moment thank you.

My Defining Moment

Thinking about my defining moment I thought it was just dance that has made me who I am today, but as I thought about it more my defining moment is not only dance but also growing up with divorced parents since the age of one. For as long as I can remember I've had to spilt my time between two families. Having my parents being divorced has made me more independent but it also made me really shy. At the age of three my dad got remarried, as a result my dad started to spend less time with me and when I spent time with him I was really shy around him, my step mom, and step sister. I also became independent at a young age as my mom works long hours and only seeing my dad every other weekend, I needed to learn to make sure my homework was done and make myself dinner when I was old enough to stay home alone. As the years have gone on I've become less shy around my dad, Vivienne, and Lizzy and love to spend time with them, especially when Lizzy is home from university. Dance has also played a big role on who I am today by becoming more confident and helping me get over my shyness. Performing in front of big crowds for the past fourteen years has greatly contributed to my confidence and shyness. Dance also helps me forget things by expressing it through movement. As much as I'd love to have my parents together, I love having 2 families and I wouldn't be who I am today with out dance and having divorced parents.