Jordan shepard
ENGLISH 102
SPRING 2015
JOURNAL
Jefferson Community College
English 102- Spring 2015
B. Smith
Journal Entry Guidelines
The journal is a “thought book”, a place where you can record your ideas concerning analysis, reactions,
and questions about the material we are reading. A conscientious journal will prepare you for the formal
papers and will help develop your talents as a reader and analyst of literature.
The journal, a compilation of “reflective” writing, has the following goals:
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To help you find focused topics of literary analysis to write about
To help you create clear and arguable thesis statements for your writings
To help you use specific detail and correct literary terminology (include quotes)
To help you become a more confident and perceptive reader of literature
*It is not a journal goal to complain and rant about how boring/outdated/strange you found
something. All pieces of literature are critically acclaimed and offer the opportunity for growth as a
reader. Consider each reading a chance to expand your horizons and cultural literacy, and look for
the positive elements!
Good, thoughtful journal entries are crucial in order to complete this class successfully. All
journal entries are possible essay topics for exams. Also, you must take journal writing
seriously. Each entry should have documented textual evidence and you must show that you’ve
thought about the question. Answer in complete detail.
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Analysis: When you analyze a text, you answer questions about the what, how, and why.
Always address the why and the how when attempting to explain any piece of literature –
critical thinking.
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Synthesis: A synthesis draws conclusions from, makes observations on, or shows
connections between two or more sources. In writing a synthesis, you attempt to make
sense of the ideas of two or more sources by extracting information that is relevant to
your purpose.
Synthesis then, involves not only understanding what others have to say on a given
subject, but also making connections between them, analyzing their arguments or
examples, and/or drawing conclusions from them. These are processes you routinely
employ in both your everyday life and in your courses whenever you consider the words,
ideas, or opinions of two or more people or writers on a topic.
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Develop or illustrate your thesis (main point in journal entry) by incorporating the ideas
of your sources into your response (incorporate textual evidence) in all instances to
support your claims and conclusions. You can accomplish this by either paraphrasing or
quoting directly.
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Document MLA style when quoting directly or incorporating the ideas of others as
textual evidence.
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All journal entries should consist of at least a page or more.
When creating your journal this semester, please follow these guidelines:
1. Each entry must be dated.
2. Each entry must be written on only one side of paper.
3. Unless specified otherwise, be prepared to hand entries in at the start of class. At the start of the
semester, the focus may be assigned, but later you will be expected to find your own focus. I may
ask people to share their entries with the class to initiate discussion.
I will grade your entries on a check (√), check minus (√-), minus (-), or zero (0) basis. Each entry
has a value of ten points. A check (√) will be worth the full ten points. A check minus (√-) will
be worth eight points, and a minus (-) will be worth 5 points. Entries may be deemed
unacceptable, in which case they will receive zero points.
NO LATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED unless prior arrangements have
been discussed personally with the instructor.
THE KITE RUNNER
You will be independently reading The Kite Runner. There will be weekly reading assignments
and a journal.
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You will need to complete journal entries for most chapters. Each journal is worth 10
points.
Before reading the novel The Kite Runner you need to understand the context of the story.
The story told in the novel occurs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the USA between the years 1978
and 2000. Two events in that period changed the lives of the people of Afghanistan:
1. The Russian invasion of 1979
2. The victory of the Taliban in 1996
The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan, where as a young boy, Amir lives a privileged life with his
father, Baba, and is friends with Hassan, his servant’s son. Amir desires his father’s approval,
and with the help of Hassan, enters a kite running tournament. Violent events occur after the
tournament, which have an impact upon the lives of Hassan and Amir. With the Soviet invasion,
Baba and Amir flee to America, where Amir continues his education, marries and becomes a
writer. But Amir is haunted by his memories of Hassan, and 26 years later he returns to
Afghanistan, which is now under the control of the Taliban, hoping to redeem his past actions.
Before reading the book, research the background context of the story. Find out information that
answers the following questions:
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Who are the Pashtun?
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Who are the Hazara?
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Why did the Pashtun persecute the Hazara?
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Who are the Taliban?
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From what ethnic group in Afghanistan and Pakistan do the Taliban mainly come?
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What kind of law and justice did the Taliban introduce and enforce in Afghanistan?
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Who suffered most under the Taliban rule?
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What pastimes, pursuits and educational opportunities did the Taliban ban? Why?
Reading and journal Schedule:
Week 1: Chapter 1-6 (pages 1-58)
Week 2: Chapter 7-10 (pages 59-124)
Week 3: Chapter 11-12 (pages 125-165)
Week 4: Chapter 13-19 (pages 166-242)
Week 5: Chapter 20-22 (pages 243-292)
Week 6: Chapter 23-25 (pages 293-371)
Date:
Chapter 2: Explain the racial implications established in this chapter. How does this inform the
reader about the relationship between Hassan and the narrator and between Baba and Ali?
Date:
Chapter 3: “There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of
theft. Do you understand that?” Who says this to Amir in “Chapter 3”? Do you agree with this
statement? Respond to these questions in a well-developed paragraph and explain your stance.
Date:
Chapter 4: Do you think that Amir and Hassan are friends? Respond to these questions in a
well-developed paragraph and give evidence from the novel to explain your stance.
Date:
Chapter 5: Who is Assef and who is his idol? What does this tell the reader about his
character?
Date:
Amir had never thought of Hassan as his friend, despite the evident bond between them, just as
Baba did not think of Ali as his friend (page 22). What parallels can be drawn between Amir and
Hassan’s relationship, and Baba and Ali’s? How would you describe the relationship between the
two boys? What makes them so different in the way they behave with each other? What is it that
makes Amir inflict small cruelties on Hassan?
Date:
Chapter 5: What present does Baba give to Hassan for his birthday? Why is it ironic that
Hassan stops smiling?
Date:
Chapter 7: Why does Amir say that he is both a hero and a coward during this chapter?
Respond to these questions in a well-developed paragraph.
Date:
Chapter 8: “Everywhere I turned, I saw signs of his loyalty, his goddamn unwavering loyalty”.
Who says this in “Chapter 8”? Explain this frustration. Respond to these questions in a welldeveloped paragraph and explain your stance.
Date:
Chapter 9: What is the only gift that Amir receives for his birthday that does not feel like
“blood money”? Summarize why Amir puts his new watch and a handful of money under
Hassan’s mattress. What happens as a result?
Date:
Chapter 10: Summarize the most significant events of the chapter.
Date:
Chapter 11: “For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn
his”. Explain and respond to this discrepancy between Amir and Baba in a well-developed
paragraph.
Date:
Chapter 12: “I envied her. Her secret was out. Spoken. Dealt with . . . I suspected there were
many ways in which Soraya Taheri was a better person than me. Courage was just one of them”.
Explain and respond to Amir’s reflection between in a well-developed paragraph.
Date:
Chapter 13: What does Amir say is “sleeping between [he and Soraya]”? Why does he say
this? Explain and respond in a well-developed paragraph.
Date:
Chapter 14: Who called Amir? What did he say to him? Why is this significant/what does it
force Amir to do? Explain and respond in a well-developed paragraph.
Date:
Chapter 15: Describe what has happened to Afghanistan since Amir has left. Give specific
examples.
Date:
Chapter 17: Why is “Chapter 17” arguably the most pivotal chapter of the novel? Summarize
the new information that the reader is given in the chapter. What was your reaction to that
information?
Date:
Amir’s confrontation with Assef in Wazir Akar Khan marks an important turning point in the
novel. Why does the author have Amir, Assef, and Sohrab all come together in this way? What is
the significance of the scar that Amir develops as a result of the confrontation? Why is it
important in Amir’s journey toward forgiveness and acceptance?
Date:
Chapter 21: Amir says, “I don’t want to forget anymore”. What and why does he not want to
forget anymore? Why is this significant?
Date:
Chapter 24: Amir finally understands in Chapter 24 “the way to be good again”. What is that
way and what does Amir ultimately decide to do in this chapter.
Date:
Chapter 25: “I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn’t
care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on
my lips. I ran”.
The novel closes with the image of Amir running. Is he running toward something or away from
something? Who/what is it? Who is “the Kite Runner”?
Date:
Khaled Hosseini vividly describes Afghanistan, both the privileged world of Amir’s childhood
and the stricken country under the Taliban. How did his descriptions differ from ideas that you
may already have had about Afghanistan? What cultural differences become evident in the
American passages of the novel? How easy do the Afghans find it to settle in the U.S.? Compare
the social structures of Amir’s life in Afghanistan vs. those he encounters in America.
Date:
Narrative Perspective
Point of View; Amir is both a character in the novel and the narrator, and can only tell the story
from his point of view. What is the impact of this narrative technique?
Date:
Style
Discuss how the author uses literary devices to engage his reader. For example record examples
of foreshadowing and description to create suspense or interest.
Date:
Symbolism
Kites & kite-running, pomegranate tree, stories and books, blood, the lamb, the harelip …
with what events, characters, ideas, thoughts or feelings do you associate these symbols? Why?
Date:
Friendship
The friendship between Amir and Hassan is a driving force of the novel. Describe the changing
nature of this friendship.
Date:
Family
Describe the relationship between Amir and his father, Baba.
Date:
Ethnic Rivalry
Inequalities exist in Afghanistan between the Pashtuns, who are Sunni Muslims (Amir & Baba
are in this group) and the Hazaras, who are Shi’a Muslims (Ali and Hassan are in this group).
What evidence can you find of the discrimination of the Hazaras?
Date:
Growing up
Throughout the story, Baba worries because Amir never stands up for himself. When does this
change?
Date:
Themes
What themes are portrayed through the following symbols – kites and kite running, blood, the
lamb, the hare-lip?
Date:
Narrative Structure
The novel starts with Amir’s memory of a kite tournament and ends with Amir kite running for
Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Why do you think that the author chose to frame the novel with these
scenes?
Date:
Contextual Understanding
What have you learnt about Afghanistan’s culture and history from this novel?
Date:
What is the significance of the novel’s title? What might the kite fighting tournament symbolize?
Does the competition’s combination of physical brutality and aesthetic beauty parallel any other
aspects of the book?