The Kite Runner Blog Post
Are literary works a valuable and reliable source in examining other cultures?
I think literary works are valuable and reliable sources when examining other cultures because it presents the subject in a more personal and creative way that's not boring. For example in "The Kite Runner" the story focuses on Amir's life as an Afghanistan and by engaging the reader in his constant fight to keep his honour the reader gets a better understanding of what it must be like growing up in Afghanistan and what's important to them.
Literary sources on other cultures are more reliable than other sources, like the internet, because unlike most other sources if you write something in a book it has to go through intense editing by editors and publishers to make sure what you are writing is correct. If you read something about Afghanistan on a website it might not be true because it hasn't gone through the same procedures as a book would of. Books are also more reliable then sources like television because on television you can get a bias opinion about a culture or you might not get the whole story. In a book it presents the history of the culture and why a tragedy took place. In "The Kite Runner" it explained why the Taliban took over, not because the people elected them but because they needed them to save themselves from the Soviet Russians and after they took over. You might not get that information on a 5 minute news story video.
In conclusion literary works are a valuable and reliable source in examining other cultures.
I agree Rosemary, the way Hosseini ties in cultural facts while telling a captivating story really keeps the readers interested, while learning about culture at the same time.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point that literary works go under a lot more editing than some websites, but I wonder... could books still have a biased opinion? For example, Hosseini grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan, and experienced the life of a well-off family who fled from the Soviet-Invasion; much like Amir. What if this story had been told from a different perspective, like from Assef, or even from a Soviet soldier?
I also love the hints of color you added throughout text, it is a wonderful way to make your post more visually appealing!
I agree with this as well Rosemary, I think that novels are very a valuable tool when it comes to learning about things like culture. When reading these books you know that the information is reliable because it has either been written by someone from this cultural and knows first hand about it or someone that has spent years doing research about it and has undergone editing. Reading and studying a novel is much easier to connect with than websites and just random books that are only facts with no story line. As readers we can connect to the characters emotionally and we will retain the information learned through the character as opposed to just reading facts on the computer or a fact book that will just give me definitions that I won't remember. I have to agree with Sarah that the novels have the idea of being a bias opinion. Do you agree that it could be bias?
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