Literature

What are important folktales to the Afghan community?
In the Afghan community, thousands of stories Mullah Nasruddin are told. Every Afghan heard many of these stories throughout their lifetime.

Here are some Mullah Nasruddin stories:

A neighbor who Nasruddin didn't like very much came over to his compound one day. The neighbor asked Nasruddin if he could borrow his donkey. Nasruddin not wanting to lend his donkey to the neighbor he didn't like told him, "I would love to loan you my donkey but only yesterday my brother came from the next town to use it to carry his wheat to the mill to be grounded. The donkey sadly is not here." The neighbor was disappointed. But he thanked Nasruddin and began to walk away. Just as he got a few steps away, Mullah Nasruddin's donkey, which was in the back of his compound all the time, let out a big bray. The neighbor turned to Nasruddin and said, "Mullah Sahib, I thought you told me that your donkey was not here. Mullah Nasruddin turned to the neighbor and said, "My friend, who are you going to believe? Me or the donkey?

One day Nasruddin repaired tiles on the roof of his house. While Nasruddin was working on the roof, a stranger knocked the door. "What do you want?" Nasruddin shouted out. "Come down," replied stranger So I can tell it. Nasruddin unwilling and slowly climbed down the ladder. " Well!" replied Nasruddin, "What was the important thing?" "Could you give little money to this poor old man?" begged stranger. Tired Nasruddin started to climb up the ladder and said, "Follow me up to the roof." When both Nasruddin and beggar were upside, on the roof, Nasruddin said, "The answer is no!"

For more Mullah Nasruddin stories, go to: http://www.afghan-network.net/Funny/1.html or http://www.afghan-network.net/Funny/2.html

Here is the passage in //The Kite Runner// referencing Mullah Nasruddin stories:

“We fell silent for a while. Just when I thought he had fallen asleep, Farid chuckled. ‘Agha, did you hear what Mullah Nasrudin did when his daughter came home and complained that her husband had beaten her?’ I could feel him smiling in the dark and a smile of my own formed on my face. There wasn’t an Afghan in the world who didn’t know at least a few jokes about the bumbling mullah. ‘What?’ ‘He beat her too, then sent her back to tell the husband that Mullah was no fool: If the bastard was going to beat his daughter, then Mullah would beat his wife in return.’ I laughed. Partly at the joke, partly at how Afghan humor never changed. Wars were waged, the Internet was invented, and a robot had rolled on the surface of Mars, and in Afghanistan we were still telling Mullah Nasruddin jokes, ‘Did you hear about the time Mullah had placed a heavy bag on his shoulders and was riding his donkey?’ I said. ‘No.’ ‘Someone on the street said why don’t you put the bag on the donkey? Ahe he said, “That would be cruel, I’m heavy enough already for the poor thing.”’ We exchanged Mullah Nasruddin jokes until we ran out of then and we fell silent again” (266-267).

Afghan folktales also share tales of wisdom and set examples for future refrence. Here is a short Afghan wisdom story:



For more Afghan wisdom stories, go to: http://www.afghan-web.com/culture/wisdom.html

What is the Shanahmeh?

 * The Shanahmeh is an enormous poetic work of art started in the Samanid era in the year **977** AD, and was completed during the Ghaznavid era, around the year **1010** AD.
 * Some call it the national epic of the Persian speaking world. This book of art works, including poems, stories, and artwork //tells the historical as well as the mythical past of Iran//.
 * It includes the creation of the world, up until the IJslamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century.
 * Because **it was //written in almost all Persian//**, the Shanahmeh is key in reviving the Persian language, in addition to Arabic influence on the language.
 * Also called **"Book of the Kings,"** the Shahnameh was finished when national independence had been compromised.
 * It reflects Iran's history, its cultural values, and its sense of nationhood. Although there are many heroes and heroines in this work, the real hero is thought to be Iran.
 * It is thus an important book for all Persian speakers of the Iranian world, including Afghanistan.
 * Several copies of this opus remain intact. The two most famous copies were broken up into sheets to be sold not too long ago. //A single sheet from one of the two most famous copies of the Book of the Kings was sold for 904,000 Euros//. That's __**$1,324,269.71**__!! As one can tell from the money spent on just **one sheet** of this book, it is **extremely important in the Eastern part of the world**.
 * Stories from this work of art include characters such as villans and heroes.
 * The //stories are not in chronological order// from the beginning of time to the 7th century, although it does show a general movement of time.
 * A small portion of this work, in passages scattered throughout the text, is entirely of Ferdowsi's conception. //This opus reflects his views on life, his religous and thical beliefs, his praise for his patrons, and his references to the sources he used.//
 * The rest of this book is //divided into three parts: **the mythical, heroic, and historical ages**//.


 * __The following are pictures of the pages of The Book of Kings:__**


 * This story depicts a war in the Shanahmeh.
 * How this story effects //The Kite Runner//:
 * This book of stories effects //The Kite Runner// because the Book of Kings is what is given to Amir by Hassan and Ali for his birthday. The following is a quote from the book of the scene where the Shanahmeh is given to Amir:
 * "A lump was rising in my throat. 'Thank you, Ali,' I said. I wished they hadn't bought me anything. I opened the box and found a brand new Shahnameh, a hardback with glossy colored illustrations beneath the passages. Here was Ferangis gazing at her newborn son, Kai Khosrau. There was Afrasiyab riding his horse, sword drawn, leading hsi army. And, or course Rostam inflicting a mortal wound onto his son, the warrior Sohrab. 'It's beautiful,' I said"(103).

I found the above information at [|www.wikipedia.com]

What was the story of Rostam and Sohrab?
__The Story of Rostam and Sohrab__: http://www.iranchamber.com/literature/shahnameh/08rostam_sohrab.php

__Rostam and Sohrab's Family Tree__:

code Sam --- Unamed Palace Courtier           King of Karbol |                                      |          |                                       |        Zal--Princess Rudabeh |                                  |                              Rostam--- Princess Tahmina |                                           |                                       Sohrab code

__Summary of Rostam and Sohrab__:

Rostam is born with amazing strength from his parents, Rudabeh and Zal. He grows into a boy within five days and to the height and strength of a young man within weeks. As a child, he is the only one able to kill a white elephant that is rampaging through the palace.

Rostam is sent to the White Mountain to get rid of rebels. He disguises himself as a merchant carrying salt because he knows the rebels will approach him to buy the salt. He overcomes the rebel fortress single-handedly and is hailed as a champion.

Later, his travels require a horse. All of the horses in the kingdom are paraded in front of him. Rostam places his hand on each of thehorses' backs, and they all buckle to the ground due to his strength. Then he sees a young foal, no one knows who this foal belongs to and no one can catch him. Rostam is the only one who can catch and saddle the foal. He says that the foal will be his war horse and calls the foal, Rakhsh, meaning lightning.

On his way to free King Kay Kavus from demons, he undergoes seven tests:
 * 1) The lion: Rakhsh gallops two days travel in one day. As the horse and Rostam rest, a lion appears. Rakhsh kills the lion while Rostam is sleeping.
 * 2) The desert: Rakhsh and Rostam get lost in a dry desert nearly dieing of thirst. Their prayers bring a sheep who leads them to a stream.
 * 3) The dragon: While Rostam is sleeping, a dragon appears. Rakhsh then strikes his hoof to the ground as the dragon vanishes and Rostam awakens. Rostam scolds Rakhsh for waking him up not knowing of the dragon. This happens twice more, each time Rostam is saved by his horse and each time Rostam yells at him. Finally, Rostam sees the dragon and fights it with Rakhsh’s help. Rakhsh bites the dragon and Rostam cuts off its head.
 * 4) The witch: Rostam and his horse find a banquet of food spread out under some trees and sit down to eat. A beautiful woman appears welcoming them. As Rostam praises her beauty and thanks God for creating her, she changes her shape into a hideous witch. Frightened by this, Rostam catches and kills her.
 * 5) Battle with Ulad: While Rostam once again sleeps, Rakhsh wanders into a field and starts eating the crops. The farmer, furious with the horse, tries to fight him. When Rostam awakens he pulls off the farmer’s ears. The farmer gets the hero Ulad to represent him. Ulad arrives with a whole army which Rostam destroys single-handedly. He then asks Ulad if he knows where King Kavus is being held. Impressed with Rostam, Ulad offers to be his guide and protector.
 * 6) Demon King Arzhang: The duo comes upon a demon encampment. Rostam and Rakhsh kill the demon king Arzhang as the other demons flea.
 * 7) The White Demon: King Kavus’s castle is besieged by demons. Rostam waits until dawn and kills the demons in their sleep. They capture the White Demon and cut out his liver. Kavus is set free and they have a huge party.

After Rakhsh is caught by Turkish horsemen Rostam goes to the King of Samangan for help. The King’s daughter, Tahmina, has heard about Rostam and has fallen in love with his description. When Rostam is sleeping, she comes into his room and he wakes to see her beauty. They instantly fall in love and marry. Tahmina helps rescue Rakhsh and after which Rostam leaves to go on more campaigns. Before he leaves, he gives Tahmina a bracelet of gems to give to their child. Tahmina never sees Rostam again.

Tahmina gives birth to a boy, Sohrab, who never met his father. At the age of ten, Sohrab asks who his father is and Tahmina tells him of the champion Rostam and gives Sohrab the bracelet of gems. Sohrab is told to keep his father’s identity a secret because she doesn’t want him to be called to war like his father.

The son of Rakhsh is given to Sohrab. This horse and Sohrab become widely known and the King sends him to war. Unknown by Sohrab, the war is against his father, Rostam.

Rostam and Sohrab meet on the battle field. Rostam is amazed by Sohrab’s magnificent strength. When Sohrab senses that this might be his father he tells Rostam not to fight. Rostam thinks Sohrab is trying to trick him and does not stop.

When they fight again Sohrab is very nervous and uncertain. He doesn’t want to fight and Rostam immediately wounds Sohrab. As Sohrab is dyeing, he tells Rostam how he has been looking for his father and shows him the gem bracelet. Sohrab dies. Rostam realizes that he has just killed his own son and he is overwhelmed with grief. He holds a royal funeral for his son as the story ends.

__Summary of__:
 * http://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/inside/corner/shah/prnsynopsis.html
 * http://www/iranchamber.com/literature/shahnameh/08rostam_sohrab.php

__Video Clips__:

The following video clips give a good overview of the story and show the culture Even though these videos are not in English, one can get an idea about the story through the visual expressions

__Part One__: media type="custom" key="347491"

__Part Two__: media type="custom" key="350081"

__Part Three__: media type="custom" key="350099"

**How might this story influence //The Kite Runner?//**
The story of Rostam and Sohrab greatly influences //The Kite Runner//. It is a story of mistakes made by fathers and of a great warrior's journey. Even Rostam's father Zal is neglected by his own father, Sam. Sam leaves his son at the foot of a mountain to be raised by a phoenix. Later, in a haunting dream, he was reminded of how badly he treated his son. Upon awakening, he goes back to get him. This occurs in the novel when, in Amir's dreams he is reminded of the wrong acts he has committed. For example, not taking action when Assef raped Hassan. In both stories dreams help to illustrate internal thoughts.

Rostam kills his son Sohrab in a battle never having met his child. This theme of fathers harming their sons is paralleled in //The Kite Runner// when Baba, Amir's father, leads to Hassan's death. If Baba had not kept the fact that Hassan was his child a secret then he would have gone with Amir and Baba to America instead of staying in Kabul and being killed by the Taliban. Just as Sohrab kept the fact that Rostam was his father a secret until right before he died. These secrets led to the death of the characters.

Sohrab, Hassan's son is named after Sohrab from Rostam and Sohrab. In Rostam and Sohrab, Sohrab is killed by his father because they did not know each other and they had a lack of relationship. In //The Kite Runner//, Sohrab tries to commit suicide because his father is dead and they can no longer have a relationship. This lack of relationship leads to Sohrab's (from Rostam and Sohrab) death, and the attempt of Sohrab's (from //The Kite Runner//) suicide.

Rostam is literally a warrior who journeys in search of a King and fights dragons and demons along the way. In //The Kite Runner// Amir is a figurative warrior in search of redemption. He must journey back to Kabul from America in order to rescue Hassan's orphaned child Sohrab. He fights Assef, the boy who raped Hassan, in order to win back the child. Although Amir does not literally fight dragons and demons, the demons live within him because he is plagued by his guilt for not having protected his half-brother Hassan.