1. The Kite Runner
Day 2

2. Characters Amir: Narrator. Baba: Amir’s father.
Hassan: Amir’s friend/servant. Son of Ali.
Ali: Servant to Baba.
Rahim Khan: Baba’s best friend and business partner.
Assef: Neighborhood bully.

3. Important Points
Chapter 1 begins near the end of the story and the rest of the book is a chronicle of events that happened prior to that moment.
“There is a way to be good again.” It can be inferred that _____________________.
(something happens in the past that makes our protagonist ‘bad’)
The crimes of murder and adultery fall under Baba’s ‘one crime: stealing’ philosophy because they steal a life and a spouse.

4. Important Points (continued)
What could the kite symbolize?
Why do Baba and Amir have a strained father/son relationship?
Baba’s wife died giving birth to Amir
Amir openly craves and is motivated by his father’s approval
Amir is fearful of confrontation which to Baba is a sign of weakness

5. Important Points (continued)
How do we learn that literacy and education is tied to power and control?
Think about Amir and Hassan
Amir and Hassan are friends…this does not resonate well with Assef
Hassan’s kite running skill reveals that he has keen foresight and a ‘sense’ of the future.

6. Discussion Questions Chapter 1-
What is the significance of the past for the narrator?
What physical feature marks out Hassan?
Chapter 2-
How does the narrator introduce Hassan?
The boys’ lives run parallel to each other, how are they similar and how are they different?
Chapter 3-
Choose one quotation to describe Baba.
Is Amir’s father a religious man? A moral man? Is there a difference between these two things?
Chapter 4-
How does Baba’s relationship with Ali mirror Amir’s with Hassan?
Which denomination of Islam is Amir? Does Hassan belong to the same one?
Chapter 5-
How has Afghanistan changed forever?
Choose three quotations that describe Assef. What impression do they leave with you?
Chapter 6-
Does Amir enjoy winter?
Why is kite fighting important to Amir?

7. Writing Prompt Describe your favorite outfit.
Does that outfit hold any special meaning for you?
Does that outfit tell others anything specific about you/your personality?
If you were in an unfamiliar country, are there any aspects of the outfit that you might need to explain to the natives?

8. Non-fiction Text
Read the article, “Don’t tell Muslim women what to wear”
Please do not write on the article.
After reading, answer the questions from the next slide.
Get with a partner near you to discuss your clothing of choice compared to the article and Muslim women.

9. Non-fiction: Relate-to-text
 How does the text portray Muslim clothing? Is it in a positive light or a negative light? What context clues reveal the authorial bias? How does clothing define femininity in Muslim culture? Provide examples from your excerpt Can we relate this back to the portrayal of women and culture in The Kite Runner? Why or why not?