3 Steps to Going to College!

The other day I was driving my friend to her orientation for the first day of sophomore year. Stressed out and nervous, she didn't know what to expect because it was her first day at a new school– in an American high school.

My friend is a transfer student from Shenzhen, China and coming to a new country, speaking a foreign language, and entering this crazy microcosm we call high school as a sophomore is a scary thing. She had no idea as to how to get into college, had no idea what college to go to, and no idea what major she wanted to do in college.

Sound familiar?

I think we've all been down that road before, or maybe you're experiencing it now. I remember as a freshman in high school I had no idea what I was going to do in the future so I joined a bunch of clubs and dabbled in a bit of everything. And really, that's how it should be. I found what I loved (Bioinformatics) and now I'll be attending a great college in the fall!

So how do we go from clueless young grasshopper in high school to ready and visioned college student? Well, I can't exactly tell you how to find your passion but I can help you at least go to a 4-year university.

So I've broken the criteria into three basic parts. 1. GPA 2. Tests 3. Extracurriculars

1. GPA

Okay so this is a no brainer. Good grades = good college (or college at all). But what does it really mean to get good grades? Is it simply the grades or do colleges look deeper than that? 

Well yes they do. 

In high school, classes are usually broken down into three types: regular (or CP, college prep), honors, and the dreaded AP and IB. Colleges know the difference between getting an A in CP English and getting an A in AP English. (For the schools that don't offer AP, you should dictate that in the college application.) 

The GPA system, for those who don't know, comes in weighted and unweighted GPA. For a weighted GPA, AP, IB, and Honors classes may count for more points than a regular class. It is up to your school and the counselor could tell you exactly how it works. For example, in a weighted system an A would count as a 5 for an AP class while an A in a regular class would count as a 4. 

Grades	AP, IB, or Honors weighted	regular
A	5	4
B	4	3
C	3	2
D	2	1
F	1	0

Some schools, like my high school, don't weight honors classes so asking your counselor would be the way to go. 

Next all we have to do is add up the scores from each class grade and divide by the number of classes you are taking and you will get your weighted GPA.

Colleges look at both the weighted and unweighted GPA and some colleges, like the University of Californias, will weight your GPA according to their own system. 

This website offers a somewhat accurate predictor of your chances. 

University of California Chances Predictor

This website is the best and super accurate with predictions! I recommend you make an account and explore it to its full extent. It is also used for sending out transcripts to colleges for $3 during the end of senior year.
Parchment

So back to GPA, if you want to go to an ivy league, aim for a GPA of 4.5 to 5.0. For a middle tier school like Boston University, NYU, or UCLA a 4.2-4.5 is the way to go. All UCs require a 3.0 or higher GPA in order to apply.

In high school, I took a total of 11 AP classes, 6 in senior year (yes, it was hell and yes, I hate high school). But it wasn't unmanageable. I ended the year with 2 Bs and 4 As. A pat on the back to me. My friend who was admitted to Harvard took a total of 16 or some ungodly number and received As in every class.

So to sum everything I just said up into one sentence...

Take hard classes and get As in everything.

2. Tests

And I'm not talking about the tests you take in class. Those you should do well on but these you should do great on. Like greatness oozing out of your skin when you sit down in the testing center. 

"The Big Almightys" 

• SAT
• ACT
• APs
• SAT IIs

But don't get too stressed about them because parents (especially if you're Chinese like me) tend to magnify the power of the tests to a larger degree than they really are. A great test score alone won't get you into an ivy league. And vice versa a mediocre score won't end your chances.

This year three of my friends were accepted into Harvard University. All three of them had SAT scores around 2200. This just goes to say that a 2400 won't guarantee you admission and a 2200 won't be the end of the world. 

Now that we've set its place, let's dive into each and understand each better. 

SAT:

• A roughly three hour test taken with the College Board
• mainly involves logic based questions
• 10 parts to the test with four categories: one 25-minute essay, math, grammar, and reading
• each part is about 10-30 minutes long 
• two breaks are given during the test
• 2400 is a perfect score with 800 in math, reading, grammar
• 1/4 of a point is deducted for wrong answers. Blank answers are not penalized
• offered 7 times a year (not during the summer)

ACT:

• A roughly 4 hour test taken with ACT
• mainly involves questions modeled after school material
• 5 categories: 1 essay, 60 math questions, grammar, english, and science.
• 36 is a perfect score
• no penalization for wrong answers so guess away

APs:

• each test is about 3-4 hours long depending on the proctors and how many students there are
• taken on the first and second weeks of May
• two parts: multiple choice and free-response 
• two hours for the multiple choice and 1 hour for the free response
• 5 is a perfect score

SAT II Subject Tests:

• taken on the same days as the SAT
• same level of hardness as AP exams so I recommend you take these with the AP exams
• about 2 hours of administration but 1 hour for the test
• up to three can be taken per test day

3. Extracurriculars

Do not underestimate the importance of extracurriculars. Today's colleges no longer need students who can only get As and study but also lead other students in a rally, organize a fundraiser, volunteer at a hospital, and defend against a zombie apocalypse. Yea, they're so needy these days sheesh. 

In freshman year, I was Public Relations officer in Speech and Debate club, active in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and National Honor Society (NHS). I realized I hated both. I also joined long distance track and ran 5-miles a day in the sweltering heat of SoCal. I do not recommend that. 

In sophomore year, I was in FBLA again (god knows why), didn't join NHS again because they only wanted my money, and ran another year of track. I also founded SAVE club on campus to spread suicide awareness. I volunteered four hours for four days a week for three months at the local library. 

In junior year I had 4 APs so I quit track, but I continued my club. During the summer, I interned at City of Hope National Medical Center doing research on natural language processing systems.

In senior year, I was Director of Membership in National Math Honor Society. I also had my own private tutoring service. 

My extracurriculars are somewhat weak compared to my successful friends but it kind of gives an example of the choices you have when it comes to getting involved. 

In conclusion, remember to include a sport, clubs, volunteer, and job experience onto your application. 

Thanks for reading this post and I wish you the best on your journey to college!

Shakespeare's Sonnet 20

Some may be wondering where all the Shakespeare is anyway on this blog. Well here it is my fair ladies and lads. Here thine is.

I will be posting more sonnets and fancy, lovely quotes, and remarks on plays from now on.

Shakespeare had a unique rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG as opposed to the Petrarchan rhyme.
Now let us put our hands together and enjoy one of his great sonnets.

SONNET 20 by Shakespeare

A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted 

Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion; 

A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted 

With shifting change, as is false women's fashion;

An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,

Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth; 

A man in hue, all hues in his controlling,

Much steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.

And for a woman wert thou first created; 

Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,

And by addition me of thee defeated, 

By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.

But since she prick'd thee out for women's pleasure,

Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.

A Clockwork Orange Inspired GC

As I mentioned in the last post, my group and I chose to do our GC around the theme of A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. 

What is a GC you ask? 

Well good question.

GC stands for "grand conversation". All the AP English classes in my school partake in this gala of wonderful cinematography at least twice a year, once per semester. 

Basically a group of friends, no less than 4 and no more than 5, are assigned a great work of literature such as the East of Eden, Frankenstein, Death of a Salesman, etc, etc. 

We are then instructed to read the book within a month or so and discuss within our group the thematic meaning behind the book. A lot of discussion and heated debate goes on. 

Then we turn in a thematic statement of which we believe the book revolves around. 

With this theme we create our own story and plot and film an entire short movie around it, no more than 15 minutes long. 

The best part is watching the theme, editing, filming, and background music all come together and watch/laugh at each other's films in class.

I hope you enjoy watching my group's GC and I want to thank my friends Crystal, Robert, and Matt for being the best GC partners there are!

Theme: Is the individual's freedom of choice more important than the good of society?

Khorosho: 

very good (translated in Russia)

Clockwork Orange Book Report

Similar to the last post, this is a long format book report for A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. This dystopian tale tells of a young teen named Alex and what begins as a normal, nightly extreme violence gone wrong. One of his gang members betrays him and Alex is sent to prison. He is then selected as the guinea pig to one of the government's experiments– a way to synthetically make the teenage desire for violence disappear. By doing so the government takes away Alex's free will and his love for classical music. The novel focuses on the idea of whether it is more important to maintain the individual will of each person or focus on the good of society as a whole.

My group and I also filmed a GC around this book of which I will attach in the next blog post.

As always...you're very welcome.

Genre: Science Fiction/ Dystopian

Author: Anthony Burgess

Type: Novella

I. Main Characters

a. Alex, the protagonist of A Clockwork Orange, is self-righteous and, as natural human beings are, most preoccupied with his own well-being. He is immature throughout most of the plot, unable to understand the actual weight that lies with signing his name away to various people. 

b. F. Alexander, the bookish author that aids Alex after the police beat him up, is hypocritical, kind, and suspicious. He is hypocritical because of his desire to help the greater masses but his lack of concern for each single person. He was kind to Alex when he first arrived because he saw him as an ideal but then he turned ravaging mad as he saw Alex for who he was as a person.

c. Dim, one of Alex’s old droogies, is vengeful and corrupt. He represents the manipulations of the government as he later becomes a police officer and takes revenge on Alex for mistreating him. He was untrustworthy as a friend to Alex by allowing the police to capture Alex. 

d. Minister of the Interior is cold and pragmatic, his only concern is for the outcome but not the ethics of the process. He, like much of the other politicians, use Alex as a tool to achieve their own agenda. 

II. Minor Characters

a. Dr. Brodsky is the doctor that is in charge of administering Ludovico’s Technique on Alex. He is either oblivious or receives joy from Alex’s suffering. He is highly self-important and truly views what he does to Alex as good, calling Alex’s inability to make his own decisions Christian-like. 

b. Dr. Branom is Dr. Brodsky’s assistant. Alex instantly takes a liking to Dr. Branom for his bright blue eyes. He portrays a kind and friendly persona but nonetheless is unsympathetic to Alex’s pain. He delights in the science behind Ludovico’s Technique. 

III. Setting

a. The setting of the book takes place in both a larger city and the outskirts town surrounding it. The city is where Alex and most of the action with the government and his droogs take place while F. Alexander lives on the outskirts of a small town cottage. The language spoken by the adult characters in the story is of modern English. 

b. The time period is roughly 50 years in the past judging from the lack of television screens and the use of stereos. The novel was published in 1962; Ludovico’s Technique must have been considered advance for scientific innovation during the time. During the time it was published the novel would have seemed to take place in the near future. 

IV. Background Context

Anthony Burgess was inspired by many aspects from his background including his religion, Catholicism, his trip to Leningrad, witnessing himself the Russian thug youths, and his disapproval of communism. Catholicism instilled Anthony the idea of the inherent evil of man. During his trip to Leningrad, he witnessed a government that served the great good at the cost of the individual. He also met some of the teen thugs, and much of their bizarre attire and ways influenced the youth in A Clockwork Orange.

V. Symbolism

a. The milk-plus that the youth drink at the Korova Milkbar before each night of havoc represents the immaturity and powerlessness of the characters. Milk is fed to the young as a form of nourishment but the milk at the bar is laced with hallucinogens, creating a corrupt and moral-less generation of youth. They are all inevitably powerless against the government, perhaps foreshadowing Alex’s stolen freedom of choice.  

b. The constant repetition of dark imagery as depicted by the description of the nighttime represent the unrestrained domain of self-choice–where individuals such as Alex can be free to do as they choose. Only in the nighttime or darkness is Alex able to exercise this freedom even though in the day he faces his consequences. In the scene where Alex and the other cellmates kill the new cellmate, the prison room is dark except two red lights, and in this environment Alex is free to do as he chooses. In the daytime, however, he is betrayed by his cellmates and punished.

VI. Writing Style

An important aspect of the narrator’s voice is the “nadsat” slang the youth gangs speak in. This characterizes them from the other “goloss” of the adults. When Alex wants to impress or trick an adult he takes on a polite and over-the-top archaic speech of renaissance poetry. The way Alex speaks is what ultimately reveals his identity to F. Alexander, hinting that he was one of the rapists during that fateful night (fateful indeed). 

VII. Theme

The novel revolves around the question of whether the greater good of the people is more important than the individual’s freedom. Burgess expresses his own opinion that no matter how lowly the individual is, it is inhumane to strip him of his freedom of choice. The novel addresses this by ultimately allowing Alex to realize good for himself as he comes to mature and rid of thug activities. The inhuman state of which Alex was succumbed to, powerless to even control his own body, puts the individual in the position of an animal. 

  

VIII. Structure

Alex is speaking as a storyteller from the future, reciting the incidents that happened in his youth. His speaks plaintively if the “nadsat” is translated. The events happen chronologically, separated into three major parts: his freedom, his physical confinement, and finally his mental confinement. Each part begins in a similar way with the question of “What’s it going to be, eh?”, but each time different as the individual retains less and less of his own free will. 

IX. Quotes

a. “What’s it going to be then, eh?”: This is a question of whether or not you want to take up the freedom of a choice, in other words, if given the freedom, what will the choice be. The signatures Alex signed where ironic because regardless of whether he signed or not he was to still be used by people. The choice to do violence was Alex’s own and this quote represents his slow but steady loss of individuality.

b. “Goodness is something chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.”: Burgess believed that sin is inherent in mankind; it cannot be forced upon him. When it is forced, the individual is depraved of choice and is no longer defined as a man. This represents the work as a whole that the government should not strip the individual of rights for the good of society.

c. “But what I do I do because I like to do”: Alex’s choice to commit violent acts was by his own determination. In addition, his choice to cease the same violence is for his own reasons as well. This quote is representative, once again, of the value on individual choice over good of society. 

d. “He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice” When Alex was on stage in front of the Minister, Governor, etc, he was no longer a human of reason but the sickness guided his actions so that in order not to fall over sick he had no choice in what he wanted to do but to do what would allow him to survive. These basic survival instincts compare him to the similarity of an animal, incapable of reason. 

X. Summary

Alex, a fifteen year old teen is the self-proclaimed leader of his gang. He and his friends commit violent acts of rape, assault, and damage to the older generation each night. After a falling out with one of his friends, Dim, he and his friends prepare to rob an old lady. Dim takes the chance to enact revenge on Alex by whipping him unconscious so that Alex awakens to be arrested by the police. One night Alex and his prison mates accidentally kill one of the new cellmates; the blame was all placed on Alex and the Minister choose Alex to be the guinea pig for Ludovico’s Technique. Alex undergoes the procedure much under his will after he realizes what the government was doing to him and tries to escape but fails. Soon after he associates sickness with violence and so he is unable to commit violence of any short. 

Alex returns home to find that a tenant named Joe has taken his room and even his place as a son. Frustrated, he runs away. He goes into a bookstore hoping to find out how to commit suicide, but runs into an old man he once assaulted. Several old men beat Alex up as Alex is now unable to defend himself. The police arrive and by chance Dim and one of Alex’s old enemies are now cops. They take him to the outskirts of town and beat him. Alex drags himself until he comes to the house of F. Alexander, a political dissenter and writer. He helps Alex recover but develops suspicions as he remembers Alex’s voice as one of the boys who killed his wife. Alex is then used by political dissenters to throw over the government. He is given a room to live where in the dissenters manipulations, Alex throws himself out of the building, placing him in the hospital for a week. 

His condition is reversed and he is then used by the Minister to regain popular approval. In the final chapter he creates another gang but he is no longer interested in violence and craving for a family of his own. 

Kite Runner Book Report

Now that I am officially done with AP Literature and Composition, I can finally post my essays without my teacher assuming I copied them all from online.
This was the book report I wrote for The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It's a hauntingly beautiful tale about two best friends whose lives were torn by the war in Afghanistan and their different cultures.

And without further adieu, here is my book report following the format of
I. Main characters
II. Minor characters
III. Setting
IV. Contextual level (background of the author)
V. Symbols
VI. Author's writing style (rhetorical level)
VII. Dominant philosophy (thematic level)
VIII. architecture (structural level)
IX. representative quotes
X. short summary

You're very welcome guys, because for you a thousand times over.

Book Report: Kite Runner 

Title: Kite Runner

Genre: Historical Fiction

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Type: Print 

Date Published: May 29, 2003

I. Significant characters 

Amir is the narrator of the story. He is very insecure about his position especially in his youth where he tried to reestablish his higher status by bullying his friend/half-brother, Hassan. He is often jealous of his Baba’s affections toward Hassan and demotivated by his father’s lack of affections. As Rahim Khan said, Amir tends to punish himself too roughly, feeling guilty for the sins he committed which shows the presence of guilt and a sign for the want of redemption. 

Hassan is Amir’s best friend and as Amir later finds out, his half brother as well. He is loyal, forgiving, and brave. As children, he protected Amir from the bullying of Assef and stood up for what he believed was right. He was a loyal and dedicated friend that watched over Baba’s house in Kabul even with the threats of the Taliban soldiers. His forgiving nature allows his heart to forgive and forget the past sorrows of what Amir did to him and how his mother abandoned him. 

Baba is the biological father of Amir and Hassan. On the surface, Baba is a respected man, the beneficiary of orphanages, and generous to the poor. Inwardly, he is cowardly, unable to challenge the codes of society and accept Hassan as a son, and denying Amir love as he connects Amir’s image with his own guilt. 

General Taheri is the friend of Baba and father-in-law of Amir. He is in a way the foil of Baba. He is pretentious and unwilling to work lowly jobs to support his family, relying on government food stamps while Baba refuses to use welfare and works a laborious job to support his family. Taheri is distant with his wife and daughter, choosing to live in his past memories than move onto the future– in short, unrealistic. 

II. Minor characters:

Assef is Amir and Hassan’s childhood bully. He rapes both Hassan and his son Sohrab and boasts about killing Hazaras. His character doesn't change from childhood to adulthood. He possesses traces of fairness for before he challenged Amir to a fight he promised his freedom if he were to win. But with that said, he pulled out his brass knuckles and fought unfairly. He is incapable of remorse and is described as a pure villain.

Sohrab is Amir’s nephew and Hassan’s son. Although he represents his father physically and is skilled at the slingshot, Amir notes his spirit was not like Hassan’s– Sohrab is deeply depressed and mistrustful, falling into a silence. 

III. Settings

The time period took place before the take over of the Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. Amir was born in 1975 during of which Kabul was a growing cosmopolitan. Peace was torn apart by the Soviet invasion and later Taliban rule. The resentment between the Shia and Sunni Muslims has persisted since 632 AD since Muhammad died. That resentment increased by the Taliban’s cruel oppression. Since their overthrow of President Burhanuddin Rabbani in 1996, they massacred Hazaras and enforced strict regulations. The strife of the time period is the setting for much unrest and violence throughout the world as the fall of the Twin Towers, the Berlin Wall, and the city of Kabul. 

b. The setting takes place first in Kabul, Amir and Hassan’s hometown. There Amir leaves to San Francisco to take refuge and coming back to his homeland after many years to find unimaginable destruction. He travels across many cities in Afghanistan in hopes to find Sohrab. 

IV. Contextual

Much of the Kite Runner was inspired by Khaled Hosseini’s own life. He too was born in Kabul to an upper middle class family, and his father, like General Taheri in the novel, was a government official. His family left Kabul before the revolution and came to San Jose. He too wrote stories as a young boy but unlike Amir worked through college as a medical student, eventually becoming a doctor and now a full-time, successful writer. Although the characters in the novel are fiction, much of the historical background is true, the coup de’ tat of the Afghanistan president, the Soviet take over, the rise of the Pashtuns. 

V. Symbols

The kites appeared during the beginning of the novel as the good memories between Hassan and Amir before the revolution and killings and again in the very end as the closing of the novel and the rekindling of a relationship between Amir and Sohrab. Kite running represents the good within the bad. The good memories that were a part of Amir’s childhood and the everlasting connection it had with Hassan. Their physical symbolism represents a free flying body, but so fragile and tittering on the verge of fall. The kite itself is a symbol for the nature of happiness in life, fleeting and delicate, readily soaring but easily damaged. 

Sohrab himself is a symbol of the battered Afghanistan state. He is raped and orphaned into a perpetual silence. He attempts to commit suicide and the life has been drained out of him from all the tragedies. He is a physical representation of his father and a symbol of redemption for Amir. In helping Sohrab find a safe home, Amir himself has in a way been forgiven by Hassan. 

VI. Writing Style

The author’s writing style is raw and simple. The words are informal and the description of the conversations are life-like. Because of this the language isn't the main factor that creates profoundness but the story itself. Hosseini often refers to words in Afgahnistan tongues like Dari and Pashto to create a realistic feel to his characters. 

VII. Theme

The main theme that follows Amir throughout his life is the nature of guilt and the search for redemption. He realizes in the end that no matter how hard he tries he cannot bury away something from the past and that good will come out of guilt. Amir suppresses thoughts of Hassan, a fear that keeps him living in ignorance. When he finally comes to terms with himself he embarks on a mission to save Sohrab. He is allowed redemption and satisfaction with himself when he stands up for what is right in the end. 

VIII. Structural Level

The story begins as a present day look into the past. Amir reminisces on his childhood in Kabul with Hassan before he leaves to visit Rahim Khan. The story then reaches December 2001 and so it continues on into the future as Amir journeys to find Sohrab and they eventually go back home to San Francisco. Along the way the story flashbacks multiple times to random moments of Amir’s memories– the memories that he most significantly remembers. 

IX. Quotes

“For you, a thousand times over” This is perhaps my favorite quote of all time. It very well encapsulates the loyalty and love Hassan had for Amir and the haunting words he spoke are still imprinted in Amir’s head which is made obvious when Amir cries upon hearing it being said. In the end when he accepts his redemption, Amir too says these words but this time to Sohrab paralleling the love Hassan had for Amir with the love Amir has for Sohrab.

“That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.” This quote foreshadows the events to be explained in the novel to come. It summarizes the theme and the entirety of the plot as Amir tries to bury his past but finding it impossible as he is stained with guilt.

“My body was broken—just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later—but I felt healed. Healed at last. I laughed.” This quote from the Assef fight scene shows Amir laughing hysterically while being brutally beaten. Amir feels he deserved this and having been beaten is now redeemed from his sins and “healed” from his pain, his real pain which is the guilt afflicted wounds of the past. 

“But I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn't want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I damned myself.”Amir’s mentality was that he let Hassan be raped by Assef for Baba. He didn't do it for himself. Amir’s prominent character trait is his inability to stand for what he knows is right. He allows his fears and desires to guide him. His father’s approval meant more than a friend’s rape and a war-torn country made him fear for his own life enough to leave Sohrab. The quote was the first of many to come that shows the slow transition Amir made has he became a man and stood for what he knew was right. 

Summary

Amir and Hassan were childhood friends that grew up together in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir was Sunni while Hassan was a Shi’ite. Hassan worked with his father, Ali, as Amir’s family servants. One day during a kite flying competition Hassan was raped by Assef, a constant bully and Amir watched without helping because he wanted to take the kite home to win the approval of his Baba. Amir and Hassan’s relationship was never the same again. Soon after Ali found out about the rape, he and Hassan left Baba’s home. 

A revolution in Afghanistan forced Amir and Baba to flee to America where they moved to San Francisco to begin a new life. Life was difficult for Baba and he found it hard to transition but nonetheless he worked hard as a gas pumper to provide for Amir. Amir graduated from high school and went on to junior college. During the summer he and Baba would buy used goods and resell them at the flea market. There Amir fell in love with Soraya. Around the same time Baba was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Baba helped Amir by asking for Soraya’s permission to marry Amir and the two were engaged. After a expensive, traditional wedding ceremony, Baba passed away.

Rahim Khan called Amir to come see him before he died from illness. Amir flew back to Afghanistan to visit Rahim Khan in Peshawar. There Rahim Khan told Amir the whole truth of Hassan–that they were half brothers. Amir was torn between his own safety and ignorance and his calling of redemption. He chose to stay and help find Sohrab. He travels with Farid to Kabul but finds that Sohrab is in the hands of Assef. He battles one last time with Assef. He and Sohrab escape after Sohrab slingshots a ball into Assef’s eye. Sohrab attempts suicide when he finds out he might have to return to an orphanage but eventually Amir and Sohrab both make it to America. Sohrab sinks into a frozen silence of which is just barely cracked in the end of the novel as he and Amir fly kites together.