TateUPLANRationale&BigQuestions

Rationale for Khaled Hosseini’s //The Kite Runner// Prepared by Julia Tate


 * Big Questions:**
 * What is a worldview?
 * What kind of worldview do we, as Americans, have?
 * How do you deal with worldviews that are different from your own?
 * Do you think we’re biased in our worldview and our perceptions of other worldviews?
 * What does literature teach us about the different relationships we have?

Set in war-torn Afghanistan, //The Kite Runner// by Khaled Hosseini follows the story of two boys, Amir and Hassan. Amir comes from a very prestigious and wealthy family, while Hassan is a Hazara, an ethnic minority who usually serve the wealthy. In this case, Hassan and his father, Ali, serve Amir’s family. Hassan, being gentle and loyal, treats Amir with the utmost respect and care, while Amir, jealous of Hassan’s goodness, does not always treat him well even though he considers him a dear friend. At the crucial turn of the book, Amir witnesses an act of violence being committed on Hassan and does nothing to intervene or stop it. The story centers on this betrayal and hones in on Amir’s search for redemption throughout the course of the novel. When Afghanistan is invaded, Amir and his father flee to a refugee camp and then immigrate to America later on. Years later, in search of redemption for his past sins, Amir travels back to Afghanistan, where he finds himself faced with an opportunity to atone for his betrayal of Hassan. //The Kite Runner// is a beautifully written novel that is worthy of study in world literature classes. It paints an entirely different picture of the Afghanistan that Americans have come to know from the media since 9/11, a more sentimental picture of a simple home life torn apart by war and betrayal of trust. Students are able to view Afghan culture from a different perspective other than war. They also explore relevant and historical conflicts of this region, such as the dispute between the Suni and Shi’a (also known as Shiite) Muslims in the region, as well as the bond between the Pashtuns and the Hazaras, two ethnic groups. Understanding these relationships and what becomes of them in the novel allows students to open their eyes to conflict in other parts of the world between social groups and explore similarities between Afghan conflict and American conflict between ethnic groups and social classes. Hopefully, this book will break the common stereotypes students have of Muslim culture and shed new light on areas that they may have not been exposed to before. The themes in this book, such as complex social justice/injustice, family bonds, and the discrimination from one class to another encourage students to discuss the material and expose them to more sensitive subjects.  Two important but potentially disturbing scenes occur in the novel: the rape of a child and a confrontation with a child that has been sexually abused in the past. Although not graphic in nature, these scenes might be upsetting to students and parents, and it is important that they are discussed with care and discretion. In the classroom, we will discuss the roles each character plays in the book and pay careful attention to sensitive subjects such as rape and assault. Additionally, students will journal throughout the novel, recording their reactions and thoughts about the reading, and should feel free to discuss their entries in class with regard to the classroom being a personal space. Our classroom is a safe zone, and students should feel free to discuss their ideas with other students and the teacher while exercising care and respect for the classroom space and other students’ welfare. //The Kite Runner// is a novel that encourages students to think about their worldview and how they perceive others’ worldview. Throughout the course of the novel, student ideas may change. What I aim to do with this book is to encourage students to expand their thinking beyond themselves and their culture, and to put themselves in the shoes of a culture they have possibly stereotyped due to the media. I believer //The Kite Runner// allows students to see beyond the “barrier” between worlds and lets them see the world through another person’s eyes.