In The Kite Runner, Baba believes that the Shorawi are horrible. They invaded Afghanistan, and that’s why Baba and Amir left for America. The Shorawi is actually a name for the Russians. During the winter season of 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. It became a mess to live in Afghanistan, there was always gunfire and attacks going on. It was no longer a safe place to live. The Russians didn’t leave Afghanistan until 1994. Many of the Afghans had a sour taste for the Russians after that. Even long after Baba and Amir had left for America Baba still felt negatively towards the Russians. Ronald Reagan called the Russians “the Evil Empire” so Baba hung up a picture of him in the house.
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Naturally I was curious of a word I didn’t know. I decided to research the word Shorawi, especially since it was described as “the Evil Empire.” I am glad I decided to research this word. It helped me understand more about what was happening in the book, and I learned some things I never would have known without researching this word. This is helpful knowledge if you are interested in history, or if you just like learning new things. It’s always important to learn about history, and you never know when it may come up in a conversation.
“Russia and Afghanistan.” Institute for the Study of War. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
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