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TEXT STUDY: “T
THE KITE
E RUNNER
R” KHALED
D HOSSEIINI
Bloom
msbury Publiishing: 2004
4
NA RS
SM
B C KENN
2 INTRODUCTION The aim of this text study is to help students to improve their literacy skills by working through the activities in this programme – reading, word study, writing, spelling, oral expression and thinking exercises. The programme was written for senior Secondary students or adults. Prerequisites for attempting the studies are independence at reading, comprehension ability and at least a Yr. 6 level at writing skills. The programme can be used independently by a student with minimum help from a tutor. If a student requires help with particular tasks, then the tutor must provide it. The oral activities will need at least one other person to participate. It is recommended that the student read each section, complete the activities and present the written work to the tutor for correction before moving on to the next section. The whole programme should take about ten lessons to complete. B C Kenna RSM 3 The Table of Contents Pages 1. Cover and title 2. The Context of the Novel 3. The Table of Contents 4. The Context of the Story …… Overview of Section 1 Language Studies 5. Question and Answer ……. Paragraph Writing 6. Study Guide Activities – Sect. 2. …… Overview ……….Language Studies 7. Interpreting a Memory, Dream and a Story …… Writing a Summary 8. Writing an Essay 9. A Dialogue …… Personal Reflection 10. Personal Reflection 11. Personal Reflection …… Section 3 of the Activities and Overview 12. Word Study …… Question and Answer 13. A Story Recount …… A Discussion 14. A Character Study of Baba in Point Form ……Section 4 and Overview 15. Language Studies …… A Narrative 16. Section 5 of the Activities ‐ an Overview …… Language Studies 17. Oral English …… Section 6 of the Activities – an Overview 18. Atlas Research …… Comparing Characters – Amir and Baba 19. An Evaluation of the Novel ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 4 The Context of the Novel “The Kite Runner” begins in 1975, Afghanistan, a village near Kabul. The story continues until 2002, when the main character, Amir, is an adult. During this time, Afghanistan suffers turbulent political changes – the fall of the Kingdom, the rise of a republic, an invasion by Russia, a take‐over by the Northern Alliance and finally the cruel power and influence of the Taliban. The different powers impacted tragically upon the characters and events in the story. Study Guide Activities for Section 1 (Pp. 3 to 51, chapters 2 to 5) Amir, the storyteller, reflects upon his childhood near Kabul, Afghanistan, and he introduces the readers to “The Kite Runner,” Hassan, who is Amir’s best friend and boy‐ servant at the same time. These chapters describe their boyhood adventures and their personalities. Included are family histories with information about the boys’ parents. A political change in Afghanistan threatens the peace of these characters. Language studies Explain the meanings of these words and phrases: (a) eloped: (b) notoriously unscrupulous woman: (c) congenital paralysis: (d) atrophied right leg: (e) hare lip: 5 Short answers about the story (a) What mischief were Amir and Hassan doing from the tree‐top? (b) How did Hassan serve Amir? (c) Hassan’s father was Ali. He suffered polio when he was a child. How did polio affect Ali? (d) Amir and his father, Baba, were very different personalities. Describe these differences. (e) How did Amir feel about his father? Do you think Baba was fair to Amir? (f) What political change took place overnight in Afghanistan? (g) Name the bullies who confronted Amir and Hassan when they were playing away from home. How did Hassan save Amir from a beating? ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Written Expression: Paragraph Writing Choose and write a paragraph on one of these topics. 1. Describe Hassan. Include ‐ (a) A description of what Hassan looked like (b) Describe Hassan’s work and play (c) Write about Hassan’s nationality and religion (d) Include Hassan’s skills and his academic deficiencies 2. Describe Amir’s home or Hassan’s hut. Include the following information: 6 (a) Location of the dwelling (b) A description of the house and its contents NB Always check your writing and correct any mistakes – sentences, the structure of your paragraphs, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Improve your expression by adding descriptive verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Neat presentation is all important. Study Guide Activities for Section 2 (Pp. 52 – 96, chapters 7, 8, 9) Chapter 7 is the most important chapter in the story, because the rest of the narrative pivots on the consequences of these events. In chapter 1, Amir says, “One day last summer, my friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. … I knew it wasn’t just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins.” The sins and their terrible repercussions on relationships are told in these chapters. Language studies Write the meanings of these words below. (a) insomniac: (b) periphery: (c) pomegranate: (d) sin: (e) atone 7 Interpreting memories and stories You relate the following memory, dream and story references to the actual events happening to Amir and Hassan. Discuss them. Pages 64, 65 ‐ Read “Two memories and a dream.” Interpret the quotation “…a rooster crows.” Page 67 ‐ The annual Muslim celebration of Abraham’s sacrificial lamb Quotation: “… its (the sacrificial lamb) imminent demise is for a higher purpose.” What does this mean and how does it apply to Hassan? Page 86 ‐ Read Rahim Khan’s love story. What message is Rahim conveying to Amir? What does Amir’s recurring images of Hassan’s rape, tell the reader about suppressing guilt? Writing a summary It is important to be able to summarise a chapter of a novel. That means you write down the main events and their important consequences. Avoid the inclusion of unimportant details. Here is a simple example – “The ambulance, which was carrying a seriously ill patient, sped to a big, city hospital where the best help could be obtained. Because it was an emergency situation, the ambulance did not stop along the way.” (36 words) Summary – Without stopping, an ambulance carrying a seriously ill patient, sped to a city hospital. (14 words) A summary can be written in prose; that is story form like the above, or it can be written in point form – “Little Red Riding Hood”  Little girl in red hood and coat went walking through forest.  Met fierce wolf who pretended friendship. 8  Told him her destination and purpose.  Wolf raced ahead, hid Grandma, dressed in her clothes. etcetera Choose one of these methods and write a summary of chapter 7. Write only important facts and their consequences. Avoid unimportant information. Writing an Essay Essay writing is a formal way of informing a reader about a topic. It consists of the following: 1. Introduction – tell the reader what the topic is 2. The Body of the Essay – write 3 or 4 paragraphs of different lengths, each explaining required aspects of the topic. 3. A Conclusion – refer to the topic in the introduction and provide a short account of how it has been exposed in this essay. A Quotation Brotherly or sisterly love means ‐  friendly affection for the other  respect  mutual sharing  service and sacrifice  loyalty and forgiveness Using qualities from the above quotation and incidents from the text in Section 2, write an essay showing how Hassan treated Amir like a brother. Paragraph 1 Inform the reader that you are going to write about Hassan’s brotherly affection for Amir, using the above quotation and incidents from the text. Paragraphs 2, 3, 4 Find and write about incidents in the text, which illustrate the qualities mentioned in the quotation. 9 Concluding Paragraph – Write a brief account of how you have shown that Hassan was a true brother to Amir, by displaying appropriate friendship qualities in each of the incidents used from the story. (300 – 400 words) A Dialogue A dialogue is a conversation between one or more people. Actors on stage or in films learn and act out the role and dialogue (speeches) of their characters. Example: A Scene in a Dress Shop Shopkeeper: May I help you, Madam? Customer: I want to buy an evening dress, size 16, preferably off‐the – shoulder, with a price range from 200 to 300 dollars. Shopkeeper: I’m sorry, Madam. Our evening‐ wear salon is two doors down the street. We only sell day‐wear here. Imagine that you are listening to the dialogue between Ali and Hassan after the latter has been accused of stealing Amir’s watch and money. Write that conversation in about 400 words. Include information about why Ali insists that they should move away from Baba and Amir. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Personal Reflection We have come to the end of Hassan’s and Amir’s childhood. Readers can learn many valuable lessons about life from reflecting upon history and the lives of others – even fictitious others! Many good authors write about all of us in their characters and stories. The following quotations and ideas from the author, Khaled Hosseini, may help you to find yourself in his text. 10 Parents’ expectations of their children Baba: …he (Amir) is always buried in those books or shuffling around the house like he is lost in some dream. … I wasn’t like that! Rahim Khan: Children aren’t colouring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favourite colours. (Amir’s mother died giving birth to him.) Page 17 Amir: I always felt Baba hated me a little. And why not? After all, I had killed his beloved wife, his beautiful princess, hadn’t I? The least I could have done was to have the decency to have turned out a little more like him. Should we be blamed for nature’s failings, or another’s wrong‐doing? Racism and superiority Page 8, Amir reads about the history of Hassan’s people – the Hazaras and his own people, the Pushtuns. Amir: I read that my people had killed the Hazaras, driven them off their lands, burned their homes and sold off their women. How is the Pushtun/Hazara history similar to Colonial Australia and the Aborigines in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries? Superiority After cowardly Amir betrayed Hassan by running away when Assef was raping Hassan, Amir reflected – Page 68, Amir: I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me … the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right when he said, “Nothing was free in this world.” Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba. Was it a fair price? ... He was just a Hazara, wasn’t he? 11 Maybe you can think of worthy people living or dead, from other races who are superior to you. Guilt Page 1, in the first paragraph of the novel, Amir, now an adult, reflects upon 26 years of guilt. He states – “It’s wrong what they say about the past. (The past cannot hurt you) I’ve learned about how you can bury it. But, the past claws its way out!” Would the past torment us if we atoned for our evil doings? Does speaking to a trusted friend about the wrong we have done, help the torment to go away? In Chapter 3, Baba talks to Amir about sin. Find and read that talk. Baba’s theory is that all sin steals from another. Discuss this idea in relation to the wrong‐doing we commit. Is this theory of Baba’s relevant when people sin against themselves e.g. drug taking, smoking a packet a day, over indulgence of food, and other actions of self‐abuse? Study Guide Activities for Section 3 Pp. 96 to 165 Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13 In the 1970’s Russian troops invaded Afghanistan and took control of the government. Baba, a capitalist and wealthy business man, was not prepared to lose his wealth to a communist power, so he planned a secret escape for himself and 18 years old Amir. There were many soldiers at checkpoints and borders who were willing to let people leave their country for the right price! Amir and Baba escaped in 1981 through Pakistan, and were aiming to settle in the United States of America. This section of the novel tells the story of their escape and how difficult life is for each of them settling in California. Baba is no 12 longer wealthy and influential. American culture is very different from that in Afghanistan. In these chapters ‐ particularly Ch.13, we are given a clearer picture of Baba’s personality and character. Amir falls in love and the reader is acquainted with the marital customs of the Afghani Muslims. Language Study Write definitions for the following words: (a) refugees (b) unwittingly (c) scoffing (d) balcony (e) intertwine Write the answers to these sentences in full sentences – (a) What was Toor’s bad luck? (b) Why was Kamal so ill that he did not recognize Amir? (c) Write three of Baba’s difficulties when the pair settled in Fremont? (d) What employment did Baba obtain? (e) Why did Baba return the food stamps to the lady at Social Security when he began working? ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 13 A Recount A recount is telling about events that have happened. They may have been experienced or witnessed by the writer. A recount has the following structure: The Introduction ‐ information is provided about who is in the episode, when, where, why it occurred. The Body of the Story – write in detail what happened, putting the events in their correct order. This may take more than one paragraph. The Conclusion – make a final statement about the events e.g. “The car was a total wreck when it was placed on the back of a truck.” Then the writer can include a personal statement of his/her own e.g. “It was a miracle that anyone escaped alive.” In chapter 10 there are two episodes which show the reader what kind of a man Baba is – (a) Baba defended the honour of the young wife when the Russian soldier threatened her. (b) Baba attacked Karim at Jalalabad for withholding information about Toor’s truck. Write a recount of one of the above episodes. Read chapters 11, 12 and 13 In these chapters we are informed about the social customs the Afghanistan people experience when their young people fall in love. Discuss how they are different from customs in Western culture. What might be some advantages of Muslim practices? 14 Because Baba was a central character in the story and Chapter 13 records his death, it is important to reflect upon his life. Make a list of Baba’s characteristics and write beside them incidents from the story when he displayed those traits. For example: Baba’s Characteristics References from the Story Intolerance Baba resented Amir because he did not resemble Baba. He was intolerant of the Mullah’s teaching on sin. He hated the Russians – “F—k the Russians!” Agnostic When teaching Amir about sin, Baba stated, “If there is a god…” Baba refused to pray with the Muslim refugees. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Study Guide Activities for Section 4 Pp. 166 to 195 Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17,18 Chapter 14 is like an introduction to a new story. It reintroduces the theme of atonement mentioned in Chapter 1, in fact it returns to the phone‐call Rahim Khan made to Amir from Pakistan. Rahim is a dying man and he wants to see Amir before he dies. Rahim says, “Come, there is a way to be good again.” Amir realizes that Rahim has known about his betrayal of Hassan all these years, and now Amir is being given a chance to make atonement for his wrong‐
doing. In Chapters 15, 16, 17, Rahim tells Amir of Hassan’s story during the intervening years. The end of the story devastates the listener and challenges him to risk all that he has and holds dear, for the sake of repentance. 15 Language Studies (a) Why did Rahim go to Bamiyan in Hazarajat in 1986 to find Hassan? (b) Describe Hassan’s little home. (c) When Rahim, Hassan and his wife, Farzana, returned to Amir’s old home in the Wazir Akbar Khan District, what work did Hassan and his wife do to help Rahim? (d) Describe what Hassan’s mother, Sanaubar, looked like when she returned to Kabul to see her son. (e) What skills did Hassan teach his little son, Sohrab? A Narrative A narrative is a story and it has four parts: 1. Introduction – name the character/s in the beginning of the story 2. Complication – A problem occurs and is explained 3. Resolution i.e. how the problem is solved 4. Conclusion – a short paragraph telling how the story ends. Pretend you are Rahim Khan, an old man. You are ill and need a good servant to help you with your house. You knew Hassan when he was a boy and you go in search of him, offering him employment. He agrees to work for you. This story is told clearly in Chapter 16. Read it and rewrite the narrative in your own words, using the above structure. Give it a suitable title. Or Write the story of how Hassan and Farzana were murdered by the Taliban. Title it MURDER! 16 Study Guide Activities for Section 5 Pp. 200 ‐ 256 Chapters 19, 20, 21, 22 Amir sets out for Afghanistan to rescue Hassan’s 10 year old son, Sohrab. He is accompanied by a courageous driver called Farid. The trip is a rugged and dangerous one. Amir fears that he will never return to America, but knows that this is the only way he can make restitution to Hassan for his betrayal. The Taliban are now in control of Afghanistan, and their fundamentalist religious beliefs threaten the lives and well‐being of anyone who does not share their values or beliefs. Kabul is a war‐torn city and Amir is shocked by the destruction that he sees. It is well that he does not know what physical damage awaits him. Spelling Spell correctly these names – (a) Faird: (b) Armi (c) Hassna: (d) Afghansitna: (e) Paksitan: Answer the following questions (a) Why did Amir feel that Baba and Rahim Khan had betrayed Hassan and himself? (b) How did Amir react when he heard about Baba’s secret? (c) Can you make excuses for Baba’s behaviour? (d) When Amir returned to Kabul, how had that city changed? (e) Farid was very unfriendly towards Amir when they first met. Why? 17 Oral English Farid and Sohrab spent many frightening hours with the unconscious body of Amir as they escaped from Kabul in the depths of night. No doubt they drove on narrow, dirt‐tracks up mountains, wondering when the wheels of the Land Cruiser would hit a land‐mine and destroy them all. They could not risk meeting a checkpoint with a dying man, and a child who had no papers to allow him to leave his country. Pretend that you are Farid, retelling this dangerous escape to Pakistan. There is no description of it given in the novel. Exercise your imagination and tell of incidents from this journey. OR Imagine that you are Sohrab and tell about the meeting and the fight between Amir and Assef, at the Taliban officer’s house. This is well described in Chapter 22, pages 251 to 255. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Study Guide Activities for Section 6 Pp. 256 to 324 Chapters 23, 24, 25 Amir is badly wounded from his fight with Assef and is in the Peshawar Hospital. There is danger because the Taliban have friends in Pakistan. Sohrab is suffering from emotional trauma because of all that has happened to him – the murder of his parents, betrayal by the Director of the Orphanage, sexual abuse by Assef and guilt. He despairs when Amir proposes a plan that will help them get to America. Sohrab trusts no one. Amir is slow to recover from his wounds and the future looks very bleak. A passport for Sohrab is not forthcoming. 18 Atlas Research Use your school atlas to find these places in a map of Afghanistan – (a) Kabul (b) Jalalabad (c) Shidarwaza Mountain Range Find the following places in Pakistan – (a) Islamabad (b) Peshawar (c) The Khyber Pass Personal Reflection The following are sayings of various characters in the story. Interpret their meanings and apply them to your own life. You may share the interpretations or personal reflections that flow from this exercise.  A man who has no conscience and no goodness feels no pain of guilt.  The good some people do is born out of remorse, and that is what true redemption is. (Can a Christian believe this statement? Why?)  A person who cannot stand up for himself cannot stand up for anything!  Life is a train. Get on it!  Sometimes we lift ourselves out of the certainty of turmoil, but we find ourselves in a turmoil of uncertainty!  I am so tired – so tired of everything!  (Amir said the following when he was waiting for life or death news about Sohrab, in the Emergency Department of the hospital.) “ I see God here – in the eyes of people in the corridor of desperation. This is the real house of God, where those who have lost Him will find Him!”  The trouble with some people is ‐ they’ve always had someone to fight their battles.”  Does any life story end completely happy?  Maybe forgiveness is when the painful memories fade away. 19 A Comparison There is an old saying which is only partly true: Like father, like son! Amir saw the similarity between his betrayal of Hassan, with that of his father who had betrayed both Amir and Hassan. Baba had forever kept the secret of their relationship. Write an essay comparing Baba and Amir. You may use the following structure – 1. Introduction: Tell the readers that you are going to write about the similarities and differences between Baba and Amir. 2. The Body of the Essay: Write about the ways in which the two characters were similar e.g. they both loved Hassan. This part of the essay may take more than one paragraph. 3. Write about the ways in which the two characters were different – one or two paragraphs. 4. Conclusion: End the essay by pointing out whether there were more similarities than difference, and agree or differ from the statement – Like father, like son! An Evaluation of the Story The book critic from the Daily Express newspaper stated the following about Hosseini’s novel – “It is a remarkable story. It is like a short history of Afghanistan, mixed with a tale of friendship and love.” You write a paragraph saying why you agree or differ from the critic’s viewpoint. Provide evidence that supports your views. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ 20 21