1. MP2 Journal # 2 Kite Runner Pre-reading Anticipation Questions
Write three things you know, or think you know, about Afghanistan.
Your best friend is being attacked by four to five much bigger individuals. Do you jump in and try to help him? Do you get help? Explain.
Imagine you are forced to flee your home. You must leave everything. You go from being wealthy and well-respected to poor and ignored. How do you deal with the situation? Explain.
You get a second chance to correct the biggest mistake of your life, but it may cost you your life to do so. What do you do? Explain.
Your whole life is turned upside down, yet you keep going. Where do you find the strength to continue? Explain.

2. The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini

3. Afghanistan and its Neighbors

4. Afghanistan and its Neighbors

6. Fast Facts Afghanistan is part of central Asia, not the Middle East
Due to various invasions, Afghanistan has been influenced by many cultures: Greek, Arab (Muslim), Persian, Mongol
Afghans are multiethnic, generally not Arabs
The Hazaras (Mongol descendents) have long been persecuted for their ethnicity and Shiite religion; most Afghans are Pashtuns (Sunni Muslims)
Afghanistan has a long history of interference by foreign powers: Great Britain, Soviet Union, US
US supported Afghan rebels (mujahedin) in their fight against Soviet invasion in 1979

7. Hazaras and Pashtuns

8. Hazarajat

9. Islamic Beliefs
Power of God-Allah is omnipotent and omniscient. He is merciful and deserving of thanks for all that one has, but evil will be judged and punished.
The Right Way to Live-Modesty is emphasized in the dress code and sexual behavior. Adultery is prohibited.
Charity-One must give to the poor, and care for orphans when one is able.
Other Religions-Mohammed is the final prophet. Moses and Jesus are earlier prophets.

10. Islamic Beliefs
Gender Roles-Men are expected to be the caretakers of the family and have responsibility for taking care of their wife (or wives). Men are allowed to have more than one wife is they can treat them equally and provide for all of them. Women are not allowed to have more than one husband. Family Values-Chastity, modesty, and charity are emphasized.

11. Wahhabism…Radical Islam…
Saudi Arabia connection:
Abd al Wahhab in 18th century Arabia. Wahhab formed an alliance with the al- Saud family, one which eventually led to Saudi dominance in the area, and the establishment of Saudi Arabia.
Tenets
No object of worship other than God.
Rejection of the use of holy intermediaries to win the favor of God.
No name but God's to be cited in prayer.
These three principles are the basis of the zealous Wahhabi rejection of saints or icons, Muslim or otherwise. The Taliban's decision to destroy ancient statues of Buddha was influenced by Wahhabi backers.
A literal belief in the Quran.
A belief in the establishment of a Muslim state based only on Shariah, Muslim law.
A fervent rejection of all innovations not directly advancing Islam.
(In the 20th century, Wahhabi religious leaders accepted radio as a means of spreading Islam, but at least initially rejected television as a corrupting medium.)
No smoking, shaving or abusive language.
The rejection of leadership roles for women.
Mosque architecture is minimalist, lacking ornamentation or minarets.
Men must attend public prayer.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica  Encyclopaedia of the Orient

12. Setting Kabul, Afghanistan 1963-1981; 1980s Fremont, California;
The Kite Runner spans multiple countries and multiple decades, but at its center is Afghanistan.

13. Historical fiction
Definition: a novel set among actual events or a specific period of history; also called “historical novel”
However, it’s a story, not a history textbook.

14. Purpose?
"Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures." ~ Jessamyn West , American novelist
Allows the reader to connect to the past in a personal way
Readers experience history possibly the way a person contemporary to that history might have

15. The Kite Runner – Historical Fiction
How does the cultural context of the novel—both of Afghanistan and America— impact Amir?
Culture:
Religion
Social hierarchy (class structure)
Art (music, literature, dance, etc)
Social etiquette (how one behaves)
Social equalities (inequalities)

16. The Kite Runner – Historical Fiction
Do you think Khaled Hosseini is more interested in his readership discovering historical truths or emotional truths? How do you know?
Historical truths = portrayal of historical facts
Emotional truths = demonstrate aspects of the human condition

17. The Kite Runner: Characters
Amir
Main character and narrator
Best friend of Hassan, son of Baba, husband of Soraya
Makes a decision as a child which haunts him in adulthood
Hassan
Best friend and servant of Amir
Introduced as the son of Ali
Loyal to Amir despite any impact it may have on himself
Baba
Father of Amir
Wealthy citizen of Kabul who is known for his public works
Has a strained relationship with his son, Amir
Respected by citizens of Kabul

18. Characters Ali Servant of Baba, father of Hassan
Like a brother to Baba
Leg crippled from Polio
Poor
Dies from a landmine explosion
Hazara
Rahim Khan
Business associate and close friend of Baba
Has a close relationship with Amir
Also the main reason Amir returns back to the Middle East

19. Characters Assef Antagonist
Neighborhood bully who hates Hassan because he is of Hazara descent
Firm believer in the ways of Adolf Hitler
Future leader of Taliban
Takes Sohrab from orphanage in Kabul
Soraya
Afghan living in California
Wife of Amir
Sohrab
Orphan son of Hassan
Suffers from depression, and attempts suicide

20. Foils: Fathers and Sons
Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy, and Hassan, a Hazara and the son of Amir's father's servant, Ali, spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. Amir’s father (who is generally referred to as Baba, "daddy", throughout the book) loves both the boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. Amir also fears his father blames him for his mother’s death during childbirth. However, he has a kind father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, who understands Amir better, and is supportive of his interest in writing stories.

21. The Antagonist
Assef, a notoriously mean and violent older boy with sadistic tendencies, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara, according to Assef an inferior race that should only live in Hazarajat. He prepares to attack Amir with his steel knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, threatening to shoot Assef in the eye with his slingshot. Assef and his henchmen back off, but Assef says he will take revenge.

22. The Kite Runner : Themes and Archetypes
The Scapegoat
The Sacrifice
The Loss of Innocence
Coming of Age (Journey to Maturity)
Sin and Redemption
Fathers and Sons
Betrayal and Loyalty
The Brutality of War
The Evil of Prejudice

23. The Kite Runner: Quotes
I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years. -(Amir)

24. Quotes
Then he would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break. Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words.
Mine was Baba.
His was Amir. My name.
Looking back on it now, I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975and all that followed was already laid in those first words.-(Amir)

25. Quotes
With me as the glaring exception, my father molded the world around him to his liking. The problem, of course, was that Baba saw the world in black and white. And he got to decide what was black and what was white. You can't love a person who lives that way without fearing him too. Maybe even hating him a little.-(Amir)
I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.- (Amir)

26. Quotes
War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more than in times of peace. - Baba
But that's what I'm saying to you... That there are bad people in this world, and sometimes bad people stay bad. Sometimes you have to stand up to them. –(Amir)
There is a way to be good again. - Rahim Khan
For you, a thousand times over. -Hassan, Amir

27. Afghanistan Background Film
Bitter Lake (History teacher’s edit)
By Adam Curtis
BBC documentarian
“Politicians used to have the confidence to tell us stories that made sense of the chaos of world events. But now there are no big stories and politicians react randomly to every new crisis - leaving usbewildered and disorientated. Bitter Lake is an adventurous and epic film by Adam Curtis that explains why the big stories that politicians tell us have become so simplified that we can’t really see the world any longer. The narrative goes all over the world, America, Britain, Russia and Saudi Arabia - but the country at the heart of it is Afghanistan. Because Afghanistan is the place that has confronted our politicians with the terrible truth - that they cannot understand what is going on any longer. The film reveals the forces that over the past thirty years rose up and undermined the confidence of politics to understand the world. And it shows the strange, dark role that Saudi Arabia has played in this.”

28. HW Argument Essays Due 12/6 11:59 PM and 12/7 11:59 PM
Kite Runner: read Chapters 1-4
(Due Friday 12/2)