Linguistic

Semantic

Structural

Cultural

Specific examples of what you observed when reading

--“The place was dim, and the acrid smell of beer I’d always disliked permeated the walls. Men in baseball caps and tank tops played pool, clouds of cigarette smoke hovering over the green tables, swirling in the fluorescent light.” (132)

-- “We drew looks, Baba in his brown suit and me in pleated slacks and sports jacket.” (132)

-- “It was an old model Ford, long and wide, a dark color I couldn’t discern in the moonlight.” (133)

--“‘Tonight I am too much happy,” he announced to no one and everyone. “Tonight I drinking with my son.’” (132)

--“ Baba finished his beer in three gulps and ordered another. He had three before I forced myself to drink a quarter of mine.” (132)

-- “Soon, country music was blaring, and, just like that, Baba had started a party.” (132)

-- “Baba dozed off on the way, snoring like a jackhammer. I smelled tobacco on him and alcohol, sweet and pungent.” (133)

--“We drew looks, Baba in his brown suit and me in pleated slacks and sports jacket.” (132)

--“...an old man, his leathery face sickly in the blue glow of the michelob sign overhead.” (132)

-- “Men shook his hand and clapped him on the back. They drank to him. Someone lit his cigarette.” (132)

-- “The bar’s laughter, then its full-throated echo follower. Baba bought another round of pitchers for everyone.” (132)

-- “The old fellow tipped his hat and smiled. He had no upper teeth.” (132)

-- “At one point, Baba stood, raised his beer, spilling it on the sawdust floor, and yelled, “Fuck the Russia!” (132)

-- “By then he had bought the old man a scotch and treated a foursome of pool players to a pitcher of Budweiser.” (132)

-- “When we left, everyone was sad to see him go. Kabul, Peshawar, Hayward. Same old Baba, I thought, smiling.” (132)

Demonstrate the development of the complexity of thought at each level by writing a descriptive response to the above row

When introducing a new setting, Hosseini often uses long descriptive sentences and extensive imagery as seen in his initial description of the bar. It is interesting because he describes the bar from Amir’s perspective, noting “the acrid smell of beer I’d always disliked” (132) among other things.

He seems to explain why “We drew looks” (132) and uses parallelism in saying “Baba in his brown suit and me in pleated slacks…” (132). This is a brief but effective explanation as to why Amir and Baba drew looks-- they were foreigners in the bar.

Similar technique is used when describing the car for the first time though this is less extensive than the description of the bar

Hosseini again utilizes language and dialogue to pass along various messages. Having already established Amir/Baba as foreigners based on their appearance, Baba’s broken English is yet another indicator.

In the comparison of the beer-drinking efficiency of Amir and Baba, Hosseini characterizes Baba by juxtaposing him with Amir. “finished”, “gulps”, “ordered another” vs. “forced”, “drink”, “quarter of mine” show very clearly the differences between Baba/Amir.

Amir’s perspective and the observations he shares are slightly colloquial/casual (ex. “...just like that” (132)) but this adds to the candidness of Baba’s actions as well as Amir’s quiet admiration of them

The simile used to compare Baba’s snoring to a jackhammer highlights Baba’s absolute masculinity and it is interesting that Amir describes alcohol and tobacco as “sweet and pungent” (133)

Parallelism is utilized heavily throughout this passage, to efficiently compare/contrast things/people. An example of this is in Baba/Amir’s entrance to the bar-- here the parallelism serves to unite them as a pair of foreigners.

Many of Hosseini’s descriptive sentences are split into two portions: a short phrase containing the subject followed by a chain of adjectives describing the subject (“we drew looks,..” “the old man,...”)

In describing Baba’s actions and interactions at the bar, Hosseini uses very short and simple sentences to pass the time very quickly and to set a jolly mood. This is not a time for deep self-examination but rather a time for mindless celebration and this is seen through the simple sentences used.

*used throughout the novel...Hosseini often follows up a  long/unclear sentence or thought with a short explanatory statement, sometimes used for shock factor- ex. “He had no upper teeth” (132)

Baba’s actions show him as one who still believes Afghanistan to be his home and one who believes the “Roussi” have mutilated his beloved homeland. His anger is seen even when he is drunk and ties him  as well as the other men at the bar back to his homeland to remind the reader that, even though he may fit in in San Francisco, Baba is still very much an outsider waiting to return home.

Baba’s openness is seen in his treatment of the other bargoers-- this seems to be more “American” and helps him fit in

*Amir’s “same old Baba” remark shows that times and places may change but people will oftentimes stay the same