The Kite Runner
analysis
motif/found poem/deconstruction
Keep track of one of the following motifs throughout the novel, by
collecting quotations which refer to it, implicitly or explicitly. Remember
that a motif is a recurring symbol, pattern, or theme. Your quotations do
not have to include the actual word, but the essence of it.
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kites
clefts/divisions
doubles
parallels between the
personal and the political
sacrifice and blood
writing and story
what is home?
journey
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guilt and forgiveness
identity
loyalty
courage
deception
dreams
masculinity
idealism and truth
quotations
• Keep track of the quotations that refer to your
motif.
• At the end of the novel, you will have a list of
all of the quotations related to your motif.
• Create a found poem with an analytical
paragraph that explains the significance of
your motif.
the found poem
• Arrange the quotations collected in order to create a found
poem which reinforces one or more of the significant
themes of the novel.
• The quotations may be used out of sequence.
• Make minor editorial changes in the quotations to improve
the clarity and artistry of your poem: remove/re-sequence
a quotation, omit a word, add a word, change word endings
for tense or number, add/change articles¸ etc.
• Consider your choices related to punctuation,
capitalization, line breaks, stanza breaks, indentation or
spacing to increase effectiveness.
• Do NOT make any editorial changes which change meaning.
Your goal is to be true to the themes of the novel.
the illustration
• Use one or more simple graphics to illustrate
your found poem.
• Your graphic elements will help to reinforce
the significant ideas this motif builds and how
it works.
• Your graphic may represent how the motif
changes over time.
the deconstruction
• Write a detailed deconstruction of Hosseini's purpose
in using this motif addressing EACH of the following
questions in its own paragraph.
• In what way(s) does this repeated imagery build the
significant themes/ideas of the novel?
• What does this imagery suggest about human nature?
• Explain the purpose behind the motif - provide
examples of this purpose in action with the quotations
- how does your evidence and explanation work?