Exploring ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini Using the Parallel Curriculum Model as a Planning Framework
The Core Curriculum
Theme
Goodness – a magnet for evil
Love has the capacity to create a
monster
Love has two bedfellows: hate and
fear
Loyalty breeds contempt
To get away with a heinous crime is a
curse
Does hope play a role in this story, a
story which seems driven by
despondency and the demons in
Amir‟s life? Discuss with illustrations
from the text.
Character
Create a family tree for Amir
Hassan – the sacrificial lamb. Discuss
Baba is called „Mr Hurricane‟; people
respond to him „like sunflowers turning
to the sun. What does this tell us?
Baba says, “Better to get hurt by the
truth than comforted with a lie” (end
ch. 6). What if he had lived by this?
„There is a way to be good again‟ –
What challenges did Amir face as he
sought to achieve this? How
successful was he?
Amir says, “I became what I am today
Juliet Martin, UC Education Plus (2008)
The Curriculum of Connections
The story of David and Goliath
is alluded to in „The Kite
Runner‟. Who are the Davids
and who the Goliaths? Provide
details and explanations.
(analysis)
Powerless or Empowered? –
Consider the impact of „class‟
(and/or religion) as seen in the
lives of the characters and
elsewhere.
Hassan was a Hazara, a Shi‟a
Muslim and Amir a Sunni, also
Muslim. What are the
differences/similarities?
Wordsworth was the creator of
the now famous aphorism „The
child is father of the man.‟ How
much of the adult Amir in San
Francisco is evident in the
young Amir in Kabul?
What similarities are there
between a novel and a film of
the same work? Consider
character portrayal, theme, plot
elements.
„Social, political, economic or
geographic conditions often
shape character and narrative.‟
To what extent is this statement
true of “The Kite Runner”? **
The Curriculum of Practice
Similarities and differences
between the two novels by
Khaled Hosseini
The evolution of a novel
The practices of a writer – how
much has Hosseini‟s background
influenced this novel – is there an
autobiographical element(s)
Through fiction a writer provides a
lens through which the reader can
view the real world. How does
the choice of narrative viewpoint
manipulate the reader to view the
world as he/she portrays it?
Hosseini speaks through a male
voice in “The Kite Runner‟ and a
female voice in “ A Thousand
Splendid Suns”. In your opinion
should a writer speak from the
perspective of their opposite
gender?‟
OR
Writers often chose to write from
the viewpoint of the opposite
gender. How successful do you
think Hosseini is in representing
the viewpoints of both genders?
The Curriculum of Identity
“I see you‟ve confused what
you are learning in school
with actual education.”(Baba
to Amir, ch.3.)
Baba appears to believe that
school learning is not real
learning. In discussing the
concept of „actual education‟
(what you believe it to be)
judge the contribution this
novel has made to your „real‟
education.
Khaled Hosseini is presently
working with a United
Nations organisation to raise
awareness of refugee issues.
Choose a refugee group in
New Zealand and investigate
the issues they face. Draft an
action plan that shows how
you could make a difference.
(synthesis)
To what degree has this
novel contributed to your
understandings of a people
whose lives are in constant
turmoil?
Which character(s) do you
identify with in this story?
What have you learnt? What
questions have emerged?
Explain.
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The Core Curriculum
at the age of twelve, on a frigid
overcast day in the winter of 1975.”
How much do you agree with this?
What other influences may have
„created‟ Amir?
„There is a way to be good again‟ –
What challenges did Amir face as he
sought to achieve this? How
successful was he?
Characteristics:
o Baba and Amir
o Amir and Hassan
o Hassan and Ali
o Ali and Baba
o Soraya Taheri and General Taheri
Identify and place on a Venn diagram the
characteristics of (2?) pairs of characters
above. (Shared characteristics will go in
the inner space.)
The Curriculum of Connections
Literature is a product of
politics. What political ideals are
at the heart of this novel? **
Pain, prejudice, poverty and
passion are often experiences
that shape lives. Are these
experiences that have shaped
the lives of the main
characters? Are there other
experiences that have been
influential? **
The Curriculum of Practice
Do writers have a responsibility
to their readers/society? (For
example: to convey messages of
hope/redemption.)
What are the decisions faced by
a film director when a work is
adapted for screen? How
successful do you think the film
director has been in conveying
the essence of the novel, “The
Kite Runner:”? To what extent do
you believe the filmmaker and
novelist shared the same
purpose?
The Curriculum of Identity
In what ways does this book
impact you and your life?
Explain
In Ch. 10 Baba fills his
snuffbox with soil as he is
leaving Afghanistan. In Ch.
19 – Amir returns to Kabul.
He talks about the soil and
his sense of belonging. To
what degree do you identify
with this? Explain
** Reference: UB papers
Plot
„For you a thousand times over‟ – find
each time this phrase is used in the
novel and explain the significance of
each occasion.
Writer’s Style
Compare reading „The Kite Runner‟
to a ride on a roller coaster. Look at
your evidence and identify aspects of
Khaled Hosseini‟s writing style
“The Kite Runner” is a kite runner. In
what ways?
Juliet Martin, UC Education Plus (2008)
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The Core Curriculum
Setting
Much of the story is set in
Afghanistan. Consider such aspects
as history, culture, every day Afghani
life and make links to the characters
and the main events in the story.
Juliet Martin, UC Education Plus (2008)
The Curriculum of Connections
The Curriculum of Practice
The Curriculum of Identity
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