The Swing

This photograph portrays the theme of complete innocence. This is a child that has not yet learned the harsh realities of the world. Skaidra, displayed in this photograph, is young which represents innocence, the same innocence can be found in Amir due to his youth. When looking at the photograph in its entirety we see that Skaidra is protected by a variety of different sources. One such source is the swing itself with the protective bar in front keeping Skaidra from falling out and potentially injuring herself. Likewise in The Kite Runner Amir is protected by Hassan from physical and emotional danger. Hassan acts as Amir’s safety swing, holding him up and securing him when necessary. The frailty of Skaidra and Amir could be easily seen if these protective swings were broken. Skaidra would fall and be physically hurt, whereas Amir would be emotionally damaged. The fence behind Skaidra can be seen as a way of keeping the dangers of society out, in the same way that Baba kept the truth away from Amir. Baba protected Amir from society’s narrow minded views about religion and class systems. This fence could be viewed in the same way as the teacher from the Blood Diamond Benjamin, who is a teacher who has dedicated his life to protecting the innocence of his students. He offers them a place to heal and regain their childhood. All these different forms of innocence could be toppled with one substantial event, forcing them out of their innocent safety zone, and into unknown territory.