How does Kim relate to me, personally?

Well, this probably isn't all I am going to say on the subject of how "Kim" relates to me, it is one of my first things that I noticed. Kim's an orphan. You learn it in the first chapter of the book, he is being raised by a half caste woman who used to know Kim's mother. This fact that Kim is an orphan really stays with me when I read the book, I can't forget about it. The reason behind this being that my family is currently in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, my soon-to-be siblings are considered orphans and it kills me to think of any child being raised on the streets without even the comfort of having a mother or father.

Another thing that stood out to me to is that in this book Kim is on the mission to become a man. I see this in my little brother, who is 11, at the time. He wants to have fun and play, but he also wants to try knew things and meet new people, and make his own decisions, and well.. grow up.

I also see Kim as a boy who is striving for the approval of the people around him. And, well I am a teenager, so it definitely relates to me personally. Kim seems to always be looking for a father figure to look up to and a man to be proud of him. I am lucky enough to say that I don't relate to this; I have the most amazing, most crazy dad ever and I know that he will always love me no matter what stupid things I say or do. But, I do have many friends who relate, friends whose fathers have left their families or merely don't care enough to be considered a father figure.

Have you read "Kim" yet? If so, how did it relate to you as the reader?

My description of Kim.

I thought that this might be something fun to try: Describe Kim (the character) in 20 words

So here is my attempt:
Urchin
Poor
Orphan
Adventurous
Irish
Mature
Focused
Creative
Traveler
Curious
Friendly
Smart
Skilled
Independent
Ambitious
Creative
Learner
Talented
Intelligent
Outgoing

Is there anything you would add or do not agree with?

Side Note: Blog Looks

So when I started this project and decided to do a blog I though I would use beautiful Indian fabrics, and dancers to make my blog "pretty". But, then I though about it and that it not what "Kim" grew up in. He was indeed the "poorest of the poor" so I decided to use a slum, which is what I picture to be what Kim lived in. The bright colors are because when I think of India, I think vibrant and bright colors.

Vocabulary

One thing that really stopped me from enjoying the book as much as I could have was not knowing what I was reading. Below, I am going to give you a few definitions that will help you in understanding this book.

lamasteries: monasteries for lamas

Kim's Horn: I found out that this is a Masonic Symbol.
Joss: An idol
Bu'ts: religious images, like a painting of Jesus, Buddha or a goddess
Lala and Mian: is pretty much saying Sir or Mam, it is a sign of respect, Lala is used for Hindus and Mian is used for Muslims. Used for nobles.

The Bodhi Tree: For someone who has not studied religions, this is where it is said that Buddha gained enlightenment.


the Wheel of Things: this is the cycle of death and reincarnations that Buddhists try to escape
Yogi: Someone who is good at or does a lot of yoga
crotons: plants with large leaves
Urdu: A language that used to be used between Muslims and Hindus in India.
stupas: Monuments that are specifically Buddhist
The Sirkar: The Government of India
Marking of the dead: In wars in India that bodies of deceased soldiers where often badly mutilated
naik: is the equivalent rank to Corporal in the Indian Army and Pakistan Army
nol-kol: a pumpkin
Flux:Diarrhea or dysentery
cowrie: A shell that could be used as money in coastline cities

Caste: Each of the hereditary classes of Hindu society, distinguished by relative degrees of ritual purity or pollution and of social status. Pretty much, if you were of a low caste you would be a cleaner and high caste you could be a governor etc
Shaitan: satan; the devil
screws: cheap, badly trained horses
dry washings: purification before prayer

I was going to use OED definitions but I don't have access to their website. These are compiled from Websters dictionary, google, and the short definitions in one of the copies of Kim I checked out from the library.

First Reactions.

Written May 13, 2011

Honestly my first reactions was that this book started off a bit boring. It starts off slow but the first chapter is vital in understanding the book. I started to get a little more intrigued as it started talking about the "Punjab" as I have been studying Sikhism in my religions class and the Punjab is the main region where Sikhs live.

I am one who likes hearing about peoples pasts and this is where you get to hear about Kim's parents, and his heritage. Kim's father was a soldier, a drunkard, and died when he was young. He never really knew his mother. He is orphaned. He is also Irish but "is burnt so black" that he blends right in. He may be Irish by blood but he blends in and lives like an Indian. Kim is poor, really poor.

He seems to be on a search for new parents, or new role models. In the first chapter he meets a Tebeten Lama in Punjab. He is intrigued by the Lamas clothing and can tell that the man is not from around there, so he calls him over to talk to him, and that is where his storyline really begins.

One thing that I have found a little bit confusing is the words they use like: Khitai, dewas, but-parasts, etc.

I plan on doing a post of all the words that I have now learned the meaning of next.

So far I like it, but, its definitely not one that I would choose to read in my free time.
It seems more to be targeted towards boys who are interested in the adventure and problem solving. We will see if my opinion on this changes as I read on.