774 million adults worldwide are illiterate. In many places, people are not given the opportunity to get an education. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir is lucky enough to learn to read and write, while many people in his country, including his servant, are illiterate. The power of literacy and the written word in the book is shown through Amir's educational power against Hassan, Amir's love of poetry and books from a young age, and the influence of Amir's stories in his relationships. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Amir uses the power of literacy against Hassan several times in the book. Hassan is his servant and best friend, and Hassan is incredibly loyal to Amir and does everything Amir says. “What use was a servant of the written word?” (15). It is well known that Hazaras are illiterate and always will be. Hassan would be illiterate just like his father and like every other Hazara in Afghanistan. Amir takes advantage of the fact that Hassan did not have the opportunity like him to receive a proper education and learn to read. When the two of them were young, Amir read to Hassan under the pomegranate tree. “My favorite part of reading to Hassan was when we came across a big word that Hassan didn't know” (15). Amir used his literacy advantage against Hassan and revealed Hassan's ignorance. “I'll use it in a sentence for you. When it comes to words, Hassan is an imbecile” (15). Hassan, knowing nothing but loyalty towards Amir, believes him. When Hassan grows up, he learns to read and write and writes a letter to Amir. He promises himself that he will not let his son grow up illiterate like he did. Amir develops a love for books from a young age. His mother was a poet and kept many books in the house. Amir discovers these books and reads everything he can. During the game of Sherjangi or “Battle of Poems,” Amir won every round and was able to recite a line from a poem by heart. “Once I took on the whole class and won” (10). After reading all of his mother's books, Amir began going to bookstores and buying as many new books as he could get his hands on. “I bought one a week from the bookstore near Cinema Park and stored them in cardboard boxes when I ran out of shelf space” (11). His father, however, disapproves of this. "Real men don't read poetry - and God forbid they write it!" (11). Although Baba married a poet, having only one son who was not manly and liked to read was not what he wanted in a son. Amir's stories influence his relationships with other people. One of the most notable examples of this is her relationship with Rahim Khan, her father's business partner. While his father disapproves of his writing and reading, Rahim Khan is Amir's biggest fan. When Amir started writing stories, Amir tried to get his father to read one of his stories. His father showed no interest in his son's passion and Rahim Khan was the one who saved the day. “Can I have it, Amir jan? I would love to read it” (17). Since then, Amir's writing has been an important part of his relationship with Rahim Khan. For Amir's birthday, Rahim Khan gave him a leather-bound notebook for his stories. Rahim Khan understood Amir's passion for the written word, and for this reason Rahim Khan was the father Amir wished he had. Another relationship heavily influenced by Amir's love of stories is his relationship with Soraya. The first time Amir talks to Soraya, they talk about books. He asks her what.