Symbolism
What does the kite symbolise is the novel?
What is kites symbolise freedom and also the feeling of needing to escape and get away, but you’re always tied back.
What were the first words spoken by Amir and Hassan?
What is 'Baba' and 'Amir'.
Why does Amir hide money under Hassan's bed and accuse Hassan of stealing it?
What is he wants Baba to make Hassan leave so he didn't have to face his guilt everyday.
What does Rahim Khan say to Amir over the phone?
What is 'There is a way to be good again'.
. "Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer."
What is this quote referring to?
What is reflecting on Baba's nostalgia for Afghanistan and not understanding Western culture.
Who said, "If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son."
What is Baba
According to Ali, why did Amir and Hassan have a special bond?
What is they were breast fed by the same woman.
What is the aesthetic feature used in this quote?
"It's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out."
What is personification
What does the harelip/cleft lip symbolise in the novel?
What is Hassan's hare lip shows the difference between his and Amir's class/ status within the Afghan society.
According to Baba, what is the greatest sin?
What is Theft.
Baba pays for Hassan’s surgery as a way of feeling better about his own guilt for betraying him and Ali. Why does Baba feel guilty?
What is Hassan is his secret son.
What is the symbolism in this quote?
“I thought about Hassan’s dream, the one about us swimming in the lake. There is no monster, he’d said, just water. Except he’d been wrong about that. There was a monster in the lake. It had grabbed Hassan by the ankles, dragged him to the murky bottom. I was that monster.”
What is Amir uses a metaphor to compare himself to a monster due to his betrayal of Hassan.
Fill in the blank.
"I feel like a _________ in my own country."
What is tourist.
‘Afghanistan is like a beautiful mansion littered with garbage, and someone has to take out the garbage.'
Who is Amir referring to in this quote?
What is the Taliban
What is a quote from the book that represents Hassans loyalty to Amir?
"For you a thousand times over."
What aesthetic feature is used in this quote?
"Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba,"
What is metaphor
What does the lamb symbolise in the novel?
What is in Islam, as in Christianity, the lamb signifies the sacrifice of an innocent. Amir describes both Hassan and Sohrab as looking like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
For what did Amir feel Baba blamed him?
What is his mother's death.
Fill in the blanks.
“In the end, ___ _____. ____ _____ because I was a ______.”
What is 'I ran' 'I ran' 'coward'.
“Do you want me to run that kite for you?” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he swallowed. The wind lifted his hair. I thought I saw him nod. “For you, a thousand times over,” I heard myself say. Then I turned and ran.”
How is circular narrative used by Hosseini in Amir's journey to redemption?
What is Hassan runs the kite for Amir in the beginning of the novel and Amir then runs the kite for Hassan's son, Sohrab, at the end of the novel.
Which character says this quote?
"Afghanistan is the land of Pashtuns. It always has been, always will be."
What is Assef
"For me America was a place to bury my sins".
What does this suggest about the character of Amir?
What is Amir's inner struggles with guilt, his quest for redemption, and his desire to escape the shadows of his past.
What is this quote referring to?
“Then I understood: This was Hassan’s final sacrifice for me…he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time”
What is after Amir planted the watch and money under Hassan’s mattress.
What language device is used in this quote?
“My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last”
What is juxtaposition
How does the novel use the setting of the 'pomegranate tree' to symbolize the changing relationship between Amir and Hassan?
What is the pomegranate tree symbolises the initial innocence and happiness in their friendship, and later, the loss and estrangement between them.
What is Amir referring to in this quote?
“All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption.”
What is winning Baba's love and approval after the kite tournament.
“We all had our reasons for not adopting. Soraya had hers, the general his, and I had this: that perhaps something, someone, somewhere had decided to deny me fatherhood for the things I had done."
What does this quote suggest about Amir's guilt?
What he can't escape his past.
In what way does Amir's relationship with Sohrab symbolise his quest for redemption?
What is it reflects Amir's efforts to make amends for his own childhood mistakes and betrayal of Hassan.
‘Does he think I’m a thief?’ Baba said, his voice rising. People had gathered outside. They were staring. ‘What kind of a country is this? No one trusts anybody!’
What is this quote referring to?
What is Baba not understanding American values and beliefs.
What role does Assef play in Amir’s quest for redemption?
What is Assef is an antagonist who embodies Amir’s past guilt and the challenges Amir must face to seek redemption.
“Then Hassan did pick up the pomegranate. He walked toward me. He opened it and crushed it against his own forehead."
How is Hassan displaying loyalty in this quote?
What is self-sacrifice and respect for Amir.
What aesthetic feature is used in this quote?
I had killed my brother. I had killed my friend. I had killed my friend with a single blow."
What is repetition.
What does the bear symbolise in the novel?
What is bears symbolise strength, protection, and bravery – the bear is used as a larger metaphor for reputation and status
How does Amir’s relationship with his father, Baba, influence his journey of redemption?
What is Amir attempts to redeem himself by fulfilling Baba’s expectations and ideals
What role does Sohrab play in Amir’s process of confronting his guilt?
What is Sohrab's suffering and need for protection forces Amir to confront his past and redeem himself.
What role does Rahim Khan play in Amir’s journey toward redemption?
What is he helps Amir confront his past and offers him a chance to make things right.
"Why did I play with Hassan only when no one else was around?”
What is the answer to this quote.
What is because Hassan was a Hazara, and as a Pashtun Amir was ashamed to be Hassan's friend.
What is the significance of Hassan's cleft lip in the novel?
What is it symbolises Hassan’s vulnerability and social status.
How does Soraya’s past impact her relationship with Amir?
What is Soraya is ashamed of her past due to Afghan values and beliefs in relation to intimacy before marriage. Amir challenges gender roles and still wants to marry Soraya, despite her past relationship.
Motif: A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book or play.
What is an example of a motif in the story?
What is redemption
What is the symbolic meaning of the ‘pomegranate’ scene where Hassan crushes the fruit on his forehead?
What is reflects Hassan’s willingness to endure humiliation and show loyalty to Amir.
What does the revelation of Baba’s secret about Hassan's parentage signify for Amir’s understanding of his father?
What is it helps Amir understand Baba’s complexity and contributes to his own journey of forgiveness and redemption
How does the revelation of Hassan’s true parentage affect Amir’s guilt and remorse?
What is it deepens Amir’s remorse as he realises the depth of his betrayal and the impact of his actions.
What does Sohrab’s eventual decision to speak again signify in terms of Amir’s redemption?
What is it represents Sohrab’s forgiveness of Amir and the healing of their relationship
How are Hazara people different to Pashtuns?
What is the Hazaras are a group originally from Asia, and therefore have more Asian than Arabic features, and were historically persecuted by the Pashtuns.
What does the slingshot used by Hassan and Sohrab symbolise?
What is resistance, courage and protection.
What does Hassan do as an adult to once again prove his loyalty to Amir?
What is try and save his childhood home from the Taliban.
What language device is used in this quote?
“I became what I am today at the age of 12 on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975”
What is foreshadowing
Identify the specific scene where snow plays a crucial symbolic role and explain how the presence of snow in that scene enhances the themes of redemption and emotional struggle.
What is the snow represents a blank slate or new beginning. It reflects Amir’s hope for redemption and his desire to cleanse himself of past guilt. The purity of the snow contrasts with the past betrayals and conflicts, symbolising Amir’s attempt to start anew and make amends.
What event occurs at the apartment in San Francisco between, Baba and Amir, and how does it reveal the complexities of Amir’s relationship with Baba, especially in the context of their differing values and expectations?
What is the event that occurs at the apartment in San Francisco is the discussion between Amir and Baba about Baba’s disapproval of Amir's writing career. Baba, who initially disapproves of Amir’s passion for writing and his perceived lack of masculinity, struggles to understand Amir’s aspirations and values.
In The Kite Runner, Amir’s guilt over a specific event deeply affects his actions and decisions later in the novel. During a key moment in the story, Amir reflects on his betrayal of Hassan and the consequences of his actions. What specific object does Amir associate with his overwhelming sense of guilt, and how does this object serve as a metaphor for his emotional burden throughout the narrative?
What is Amir associates with his overwhelming sense of guilt is the kites. The kites in the novel symbolise both Amir’s childhood joy and the deep-seated guilt he feels over his betrayal of Hassan.
How does the use of the 'kites' as a recurring symbol reflect the theme of redemption in the novel?
What is kites represent the possibility of repairing broken relationships and seeking forgiveness.
"She was a beautiful woman. She had given up a singing career to marry my father. Her song had been silenced by the demands of her new life."
What does this quote suggest about societal expectations of women in Afghanistan?
What is traditional expectations and responsibilities imposed upon women in Afghanistan.
In The Kite Runner, a character named Rahim Khan plays a significant role in Amir's journey. What specific personal item does Rahim Khan give to Amir when they first meet after many years, and what does this item symbolize in the context of Amir's quest for redemption?
What is a photo album that includes photographs and information about Sohrab. It symbolises catalyst for Amir's quest for redemption .
In The Kite Runner, Amir and Hassan’s friendship is marked by various moments of tension and loyalty. During a pivotal scene, Amir’s reaction to Hassan’s act of kindness is crucial to the development of their relationship. What specific act of kindness does Hassan perform for Amir that leads to a significant turning point in their friendship, and how does Amir's response to this act reflect his internal conflict?
What is Hassan refuses to hand the kite over to Assef because he made a promise to Amir to return it to him.
Identify a specific instance where Hosseini uses foreshadowing in the novel, particularly through a character's dialogue or a significant event that hints at a future outcome. Explain how this foreshadowing contributes to the overall themes of the story.
What is one instance of foreshadowing in The Kite Runner is when Rahim Khan tells Amir, “There is a way to be good again.”
It suggests there is hope for Amir to make amends and find personal redemption.