Learning objectives: To analyse Chapter 20 of “The Kite Runner” and prepare for a piece of creative response to the novel.
Make notes on these questions about chapter 20:
1. How is the description of Kabul on pages 214-216 contrasted with the reminiscences of Farid and Amir? How does this affect their relationship?
2. On pages 216-217, how does Hosseini use language to allow Amir to communicate his fear of the Taliban?
3. On pages 217-219 how does the tone of Amir’s narrative change when he meets the beggar? How does this fit into his ‘journey’ to find Sohrab?
4. How does the tone of the episode about the entrance to the Orphanage contrast with what they discover about the Orphanage and the director in the rest of the chapter?
5. What does this tell us about the experience of Afghanistan and about how this may have affected the moral outlook of its people?
Amir’s letter to Soraya
Imagine you are Amir and you write a second letter to Soraya just after you have visited the orphanage in Kabul. In your letter you explain:
· How your journey has unfolded since crossing the Khyber Pass
· What happened at Wahid’s house
· Your experience of returning to Kabul
· What you found at the orphanage
· How these experiences have affected you
Try to imitate Amir’s voice by including a combination of description, reported speech and personal responses of an emotional kind. Try also to include Pashtun/Farsi words where you can to reflect this feature of his narration. Use chapters 19 and 20 to help you plan and write your letter. Try to write about 600 words. You could begin:
Soraya jan,
I hope all is well back in America for you, General Taheri and Khala Jamila. I am truly distraught by the devastation I have witnessed here…
2. On pages 216-217, how does Hosseini use language to allow Amir to communicate his fear of the Taliban?
3. On pages 217-219 how does the tone of Amir’s narrative change when he meets the beggar? How does this fit into his ‘journey’ to find Sohrab?
4. How does the tone of the episode about the entrance to the Orphanage contrast with what they discover about the Orphanage and the director in the rest of the chapter?
5. What does this tell us about the experience of Afghanistan and about how this may have affected the moral outlook of its people?
Amir’s letter to Soraya
Imagine you are Amir and you write a second letter to Soraya just after you have visited the orphanage in Kabul. In your letter you explain:
· How your journey has unfolded since crossing the Khyber Pass
· What happened at Wahid’s house
· Your experience of returning to Kabul
· What you found at the orphanage
· How these experiences have affected you
Try to imitate Amir’s voice by including a combination of description, reported speech and personal responses of an emotional kind. Try also to include Pashtun/Farsi words where you can to reflect this feature of his narration. Use chapters 19 and 20 to help you plan and write your letter. Try to write about 600 words. You could begin:
Soraya jan,
I hope all is well back in America for you, General Taheri and Khala Jamila. I am truly distraught by the devastation I have witnessed here…
Image: Kabul's forgotten children by Massoud Hossaini.
