Part 4: Chapters 48-51

After reading Part 4 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• How does Laila's life in Murree contrast with her life in Kabul? 
• What forces tug on Laila to return to Afghanistan?

• How does the letter of Mariam's father show his character? (Does it redeem him in some way?)

• What is your overall reaction to Part 4?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group. 

Part 3: Chapters 27-47

Wow, this part of the book was action packed!  After reading Part 3 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• What is the significance of Mariam & Laila having tea together? 
• What does Mariam come to understand about motherhood? 

• Is Mariam justified in killing Rasheed? 

• What is your overall reaction to Part 3?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group.  

Part 2: Chapters 16-26

After reading Part 2 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• Why does Laila's father believe in the importance of education for women? 
• What is the role of religion in the novel? 

• In what ways is Laila like her mother and in what ways is she like her father? 

• What is your overall reaction to Part 2?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group.  

Part 1: Chapters 1-15

After reading Part 1 of A Thousand Splendid Suns, consider the following discussion questions:

• Based on Nana's and Mariam's experiences, what can you infer about the lives of women in Afghanistan in the sixties? 
• How does Rasheed feel about the westernization of Afghanistan?

• What are Rasheed's reasons for making Mariam wear a burqa? (What do they tell us about his ideas of his role as a husband and man? What do they tell us about his expectations for Mariam?)

• What is your overall reaction to Part 1?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from a study guide to Khaled Hosseni's  A Thousand  Splendid Suns developed by Jeanne M. McGlinn from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group.  

After my last blog post, I received many e-mail requests to postpone the discussions due to family vacations, work schedules, summer school, and as one student put it, "junior year burnout."  Another student expressed that she needed more time to track down the book and movie.

Summer can be a busy and exciting time, but we are exactly 5 weeks out until the first day of school and I want to ensure that you have enough time to complete the summer requirements.  So, without further ado...

After viewing the film, The Kite Runner, consider the following discussion questions:

• What are some of the human rights issues or injustices that are portrayed in this film?

• Could Hassan be considered wealthier than Amir in some ways? Why or why not?  Define wealth.  (Hint: What are some criteria we can use to measure one's personal inner wealth?)

• How did war, conflict and human rights abuse change the characters in this film?

• What is your overall reaction to the movie?

Feel free to post a response for 1 or all of the discussion questions.

These discussion questions were taken from The Kite Runner companion curriculum developed by Amnesty International USA, The Human Rights Education Program.

Getting Started

I hope that everyone is having a great start to summer! Now it's time to get things started. In the next two weeks, you should make a plan to watch the movie The Kite Runner. Currently, it's on the Netflix Instant Queue, which means that if you have a Netflix account, you can view it online. I would also suggest checking the public library. Invite your friends over for some popcorn and make it a social event! Secondly, you also should be trying to acquire a copy of the book A Thousand Splendid Suns. We will start reading Part 1 of the book on July 9th. Enjoy the sunshine! Happy viewing (of the movie)!

Welcome to the Summer Reading Blog!

Before the first day of school, each 12th grade student is required to first view the movie The Kite Runner and then read the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini.

Our goal of this blog is to create a space for discussion to help improve your comprehension of the assigned movie and book.  If you choose to participate, you will start senior year feeling more prepared and confident.
I like this equation:

a strong start to senior year = higher grades = you + happy

So, who wants to join the discussion? :O)