WLIRP+Jasmine

World Literature Independent Reading Project Quarter 1 2009-2010 Note: In order for your book to qualify it must be by an author from a country other than the United States or the United Kingdom OR the primary setting must be outside of the United States or the United Kingdom.


 * Title: //The Kite Runne//r
 * Author: Khaled Hosseini
 * Author’s Nationality: Afghanistan
 * Setting (only list the primary settings): Afghanistan
 * Total Pages: 401 pages
 * Original Publication Date: June 2003
 * If your book is translated, who is the translator? If not translated write “NA” :NA
 * Do you currently have a physical copy of the book? Yes
 * If you do not have a physical copy, how soon can you get one? (Write “NA” if you have a copy.) NA

1. If you don’t already, obtain a physical copy of the book and bring it to class when instructed. 2. Become an expert on your book by the end of the first quarter. The quarter ends on October 15th, so you have about seven weeks to complete the book. Keep in mind that you will be reading this book in addition to assigned readings for class, so when the homework load is light read your book. This is also the book you should use for KIS Reads. 3. Read actively by taking notes in the book (use Post-its if it’s on loan), and make sure you understand the main conflicts, how the characters develop, and any major themes. 4. At the end of each weak, write a 100-200 word reflection about your reading. Use your notes or post-its for ideas. 5. Your book will be the basis of a writing project at the conclusion of the first quarter, so keep track of the book.
 * Directions:**

How many pages do you need to read per week to be completed by 15 October, 2009? Week 1: 31 August - 4 September: Week 2: 7-11 September: 1 - 86 Week 3: 14-18 September: 87 - 154 Week 4: 21-25 September: 155 - 230 Week 5: 28 September - 2 October: Week 6: 5-9 October: Week 7: 12-15 October: You must be completed with your book by Thursday, 15 October, 2009.
 * Once your selection has been approved, fill out the following:**

Reflection Week 3

Everything is going pretty well, and I’m keeping up with my reading plan. I currently finished reading until page 154. So far, there were many interesting facts to learn about Afghanistan and its culture, although everything felt really new to me in the beginning. The main conflict was Amir’s betrayal. Even though Amir is a genuinely nice and he is a smart boy, he betrays Hassan when it comes to the fight with Assef, the bully. Hassan have always treated Amir as a true best friend, but Amir realized that he never referred Hassan as a friend. From this period where Amir only watched Hassan getting beaten up by the bully, Hassan and Amir avoid each other, and they feel this blockade in between them. Rahim Khan is interesting in this part, because he is the one who actually supported Amir’s writing, unlike Baba, who never really cared or had interest in his son’s writing. I noticed that Amir and Hassan were getting farther apart from each other, and this is when Amir decides to tell his Baba lies that Hassan stole his birthday gift. I saw a little connection between The Kite Runner and Romeo and Juliet, that they are both from wealthy families. And how their fate is tangled up. Just like Romeo and Juliet’s fate, Hassan and Amir have pretty tough fate, and things are keep going into wrong directions.

Reflection Week 6

I finished the book!!! I think this book is really unforgettable, and unexpected events are keep coming out as the story goes on and on. The main conflict is Amir’s job to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from Afghanistan, where it changed a lot (in a negative way), full with dangerous Talibans. Since Hassan and his wife were both killed by the Talibans, Sohrab was sent to the orphanage. At that time, Talibans controlled everything that even taking a nephew out of orphanage was not easy. Sohrab is grabing my special attention because he is Hassan’s son, but at the same time, Amir’s nephew. And he was abused by the Taliban officers many times that he attempted committing suicide often. I see one connection with Romeo and Juliet. In both novels, they regret after someone’s death, realizing something new. Amir regrets his mean actions towards Hassan after his death, hearing that Hassan was his half-brother. Montagues and Capulets regret after the deaths of their children, realizing about their secret marriage and deaths.

World Lit Book Presentation

Introduction Hi everyone!! Let me begin about this book that I recently read. I read a book named Kite Runner, and the story takes place in Afghanistan. The narrator of this story is a boy called Amir, and he belongs to the rich family of Afghanistan. His father is called Baba, who is greatly respected in Afghan society. In Amir’s house, there’s this servant named Hassan, and he is also Amir’s best friend at the same time. Amir starts feeling jealousy towards Hassan when he notices how Baba favors Hassan, and when Baba wants Amir to be more like Hassan, who is really manly and brave. From this point, Amir and Hassan get awkward, and Hassan leaves Amir’s house. Later on in the story, Amir realizes that Hassan was his half brother, after Hassan was killed by the terrorists.

Body The novel The Kite Runner and Romeo and Juliet seem like exactly the opposite, but they actually share some similarities. First of all, both of them are from rich families. Both Amir’s family and Romeo and Juliet’s family are the rich and respected people of the town, with a lot of servants. Secondly, the main characters disobey their parents. In The Kite Runner, Amir disobey his father by only concentrating on writing. Despite Baba’s wish for Amir to be tougher, Amir wants to further establish his skill as a writer, and Amir is being supported by Baba’s friend, Rahim Khan. In Romeo and Juliet, they decide to get married secretly, even though they know that they are not allowed to be married to each other. In Romeo and Juliet’s case, they are supported by Friar Lawrence. Lastly, people regret afterwards in both novels. In The Kite Runner, Amir regrets about his past silly actions towards Hassan. After hearing of Hassan’s death and the fact that they were half-brothers, Amir feels sorry for Hassan, and he is very ashamed that he was always jealous of him. In Romeo and Juliet, Montagues and Capulets regret about their silly enemy-relationship, after the deaths of their children. Both novels are similar in a way that both of them feel remorse after the sacrifice of someone important. And there are a lot of differences to talk about. Most importantly, the setting is different. The Kite Runner takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan, while Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona, Italy. The time period is also very distant as well. While The Kite Runner is basically about a story of young boys from childhood to adulthood and their tangled fate, Romeo and Juliet is about two lovers and their unfortunate fate. Basically, Romeo and Juliet is very romantic, while The Kite Runner is very adventurous.

Conclusion Overall, The Kite Runner is a story full with drama of young boys and their adventurous growth. I would honestly recommend you to read this book, because it is really interesting to read. I’ve got no reason to be lying to you guys, so I’ll be honest. When I first got to see this book, it didn’t really capture my attention because it was a bit far from the kind of book that I used to enjoy reading. Once I got to be concentrated on this book, the story got more interesting, and I felt that this was a kind of book that could be approachable to anyone. I’m sure that even if this book isn’t quite your style, you’ll be able to get into this book.