On the drive to Kabul Farid says to Amir, "You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it." (page 204) What is Farid implying? What do you think of his implication? What gives a person worth in a society? Does this vary between societies?
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i think that this means he ha slived in Afganistan all this time but he hasn't known about the average daily life. Amir lived in a very sheltered world. He never experienced the small town life compared to the big city he had lived in since he was a child. The taxi driver i think was correct in saying tha Amir has always been a tourist and just didn't know it. Many people are like that in America now; people who travel from the North to south, or East to West are considered tourists. Worth in society is being able to comprehend and contirbute to the goings on of the society.I think it is like this in all societies.
During the drive to Kabul Farid was implying that Amir was never really part of Kabul from the beginning. Amir comes from a wealthy family and never really had to worry about any problems in his lifetime. Baba gave Amir everything he needed and protected him from the ‘world’. He did not face the challenges that most of the Afghan people had to because was a wealthy member of society. I think that Fadil was right with the implication because Amir was always sheltered from everything. During the ride Amir finally realized it too I think, that he really never did belong there.
The implication that Amir never lived the life of an average Afgan is somewhat accurate. Amir never really experienced the daily obstacles commoners in Kabul had to live through, which was of course due to his high social class. Farid's life was oviously different from Amir's in many ways, but in the end, they are all just people. Even though this sounds extremely cliche, it's true. As a result from the trip with Farid, both he and Amir discovered their similarities, which ended up being hate. Hate not for each other, but the monster that tore their country apart. In turn, they realized that a person's worth in society doesn't even exist and is not the criteria used in life.
I believe Farid is implying that Amir has never seen what Afghanistan really looked like outside of his own neighborhood because he has lived in a rich household for his entire life. I think his implication is dead on, because Amir only knows of his small portion of Kabul that he lived in and he never saw what the rest of Afghanistan was like. What gives a person worth in a society is different for every society and person. Different societies require different abilities and also different types of people. Worth is not determined by how much money you have, but by how much you help your society thrive.
Farid believes that Amir has no idea how bad Afghanistan really is. Even as a child, he was blind and completely oblivious to his surroundings. He grew up with his wealthy father, living in a huge house. He grew accustomed to large gatherings with people he hardly knew at all. He never had to do anything for himself as a child, because Hassan and Ali were always there to serve him. Farid grew up in an average home, and knew that even in the 70’s Afghanistan was not as perfect as Amir had thought. I do not think it was necessarily right for him to assume they were different because of the way they grew up. In fact, once Farid found out why Amir was really going to Kabul, he realized that he was not a bad person, and they became friends. Amir’s ignorance towards reality is common with wealthy people in any society.
Farid was implying that Amir never experienced how hard it was to live in Kabul, even before the Taliban came, because of his father's wealth. Although Farid didn't know this, Amir didn't even have to stand up for himself because of Hassan's loyalty and strength. He lived a sheltered existance that was clouded by the unapproval of his father. Farid knew that Amir never struggled to get what he needed, or never had to beg at the bazzar for food for his family. He could tell that Amir never was in touch with the real culture and tragity of Kabul.
Farid is implying that Amir has lived in a sheltered world away from the common people. Since Amir has lived his whole life in a very wealthy neighborhood and in the big city. He has never seen what it was like to live by people who collect normal paychecks and create the majority in the country. A person receives worth in society by doing things for that society. For instance if you help out your society and are well know by that community you are considred an asset to that society and have large worth. This varies between some societies because in some societies different things have more value than others. In some societies money is the key however in others family and friends are a key role.
Well Amir never really shared the same lifestyle as Farid. He came from a wealty family and did not go thtough many of the hardships Farid and other Afghanies went through. So Farid was right when he said that Amir was like a tourist in Kabul. Amir also lived in America and that is the complete oposite of Kabul.
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