The Kite Runnerby KhaledHosseini

AP Human Geography Portfolio Assignment

(Hyndshaw – Leesburg HS)

Part 1 – Response Journal (20 points)

Read for the pleasure and excitement of the story and the experience. Since you’ll have many opportunities to talk to others in class about the book, as you read, jot down your responses to each of the following quotes. What do you think the quote means? How does it fit in to the context of the story? What are your opinions about what is said? Does it remind you of anything in your life? Set this up in Cornell notes style and should not be one or two word answers.(dueWednesday, January 8)

Chapters 1-5

  • “There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.” (p. 17)
  • “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” (p. 22)
  • “… a person who wastes his God-given talents is a donkey.” (p. 32)

Chapters 6-9

  • “Afghans abhor customs but cherish rules.” (p. 52)
  • “But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.” (p. 58)
  • “In the end, the world always wins. That’s just the way of things.” (p. 99)

Chapters 10-14

  • “Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don’t have to say anything – that’s how it is between people who are each other’s first memories…” (p. 122)
  • “Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer.” (p. 125) Comment on this paradox. If you don’t know what paradox means, LOOK IT UP!
  • “For me America was a place to bury memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his.” (p. 129) How can a place or moving bury memories?
  • “People need stories to divert them at difficult times.” (p. 139)
  • “Life is a train. Get on board.” (p. 185)

Chapters 15-20

  • “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up to anything.” (p. 221)

Chapters 21-25

  • “A man who has no conscience, no goodness, does not suffer.” (p. 301)
  • “Perspective was (is) a luxury when your head was (is) constantly buzzing with a swarm of demons.” (p. 356)

Part 2 – Character Tracking (20 points)

Recreate the following chart on a separate sheet of paper. Complete each section for the characters listed. Some areas might have more than one or two responses. For instance, Amir makes several decisions throughout the book which will have consequences not only for him but also for others.(dueWednesday, January 8)

Characters / Describe their moral code. What do they seem to believe about right and wrong? / What events/actions suggest this?
(include page numbers) / What are the consequences/result of their actions? / Who else was affected by their actions? How?
Amir
Baba
Sanaubar
Hassan
Rahim Khan
Assef
Sohrab

Part 3 – Post-Reading Writing Assignment (20 points)

Choose ONE of the following writing assignments to complete after your reading of the novel. You must do someform of prewriting, a rough draft, and a final draft for your selection. You will have one week after the completionof the novel to finish this writing assignment(due Friday, January 10).

1. Write a letter to the author explaining your opinion of the book. You must directly reference the text of thenovel at least three times in your letter, and it must be at least four paragraphs long.

2. Pretend you are Amir, and write a letter to Hassan explaining your actions. Be sure to directly reference

the text of the novel at least three times in your letter, and it must be at least four paragraphs long.

3. Write an essay explaining the main theme or message of the book. This will take the form of anexpository essay.

Part 4 – Research Article Response (20 points)

At some point during your reading, you will need to find two articles about Afghanistan that is no more than 6 monthsold. You will write a summary of each article, and then explain how it helps you understand what’s going on in thenovel, the characters, or the country of Afghanistan itself. Be sure to staple the article to your response when youturn it in.

Part 5 – In Class Activities (20 points)

For the week or two after the break, we will be doing several activities in class the deal with The Kite Runner, Afghanistan and the culture of the people. These activities may include geography activities, response statements, discussions, Socratic seminars, etc. The sum of these activities will make up the final one-fifth of the total grade for the novel.