Monday, November 3, 2014

All Boys, All Blogged: November 3, 2014

Focus: What larger patterns are you starting to find in The Kite Runner, and why are they important?

1. Warming up with a rousing round of book talks!

2. Brainstorming motifs from The Kite Runner together on the board, then drawing them together to form good discussion questions.  Each of you should post your best one on today's blog and then pick one to reply to.

For example, let's say that one of the motifs on the board is violence, and that another is redemption

You could ask a question like this: Is violence a way of achieving redemption? 

Or, you could ask something like this: Can Amir ever find redemption for the violence he allowed to happen to Hassan?

Again, once you've posted your question on the blog, please reply to someone else's question.

3. Returning to the hero's journey: Look over the first page of the Joseph Campbell's hero's journey chart given in class today.  With a partner, fill out as much of the first page as you can for The Kite Runner:
  • Think "outside the box" a little.  For example, there may not be any actual dragon battles in The Kite Runner, but there are battles with monster-like people and ideas.
  • Be as specific as possible, citing quotations or at least page numbers whenever possible.
  • Stay in the middle column (the column on the right will be used later).
  • Don't worry if every single step doesn't apply; you can leave a couple of boxes blank if they don't work.

3. Starting Chapter 14 together, if time allows

HW:
1. Finish reading and annotating Chapters 14, 15, and 16 in The Kite Runner.
2. Leaders and discussers need to be prepared for tomorrow's fishbowl discussion.
3. No vocabulary this week.

56 comments:

  1. Is money a substitute to loneliness?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, because with money you can but things that make you less lonely. Like a dog.

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    2. A lot of times, people can try to cover themselves in money to try to drown their losses and forget about the people that have left them, but I do not think that this will ever be a successful long term cure. It is important to face your problems.

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  2. Does the kite represent the wanting of dreams?

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  3. Does Amir fear the violence from Assef towards Hassan?

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  4. Will Amir's writing ever earn him redemption for all that he has done wrong in his life?

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  5. Is religion the driving factor for loss?

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  6. Is the kite a symbol of redemption or loss?

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    1. The kite is a symbol of loss because Amir lost his friendship with Hassan and he also lost Ali and Hassan as servants.

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    2. I think the kite could have definitely been a symbol for the first half of the book but so far in the second half there have not been any mentions of kites i don't think

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  8. Does redemption come from loss?

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    1. I think redemption does come from loss. The person would have nothing to redeem if they didn't lose anything.

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    2. I think loss is the main driving factor/motivator for redemption

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  9. Does the monster in the dream represent something bigger than just what happened to Hassan?

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    1. Yes I think so, Wilson. I think that monster represented Amir himself because of all the bad decisions he made Wilson. Do you understand what I am saying, Wilson?

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  10. how will amir make it up to hassan

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  11. Is Amir's hesitation from fear or from something else?

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    1. I think Amir hesitated because he was fearful of Assef.

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  13. Has Amir reached the point where he's lost all trust in Hassan or is there still some trust between them.

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    1. There must be something still between them. I really hope they find each other again.

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  14. Does loss effect the result of dreams?

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    1. I dont know. I think it depends on how much you want the dream.

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  15. Does fear create an inability to act?

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    Replies
    1. Fear creates the inability to act because the person is scared of the outcome of whatever action occurs.

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    2. I think fear can create an inability to act, because if you are so afraid of something why would you do it or get near it.

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    3. Fear has been proven to cause a "Fight or Flight" reaction in your brain, so no, fear is a great motivator. However, its what it motivates you to do that is the issue.

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  16. Do the memories of Hassan bring inability to remember the past for Amir?

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  17. Is violence caused due to envy and fear?

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    Replies
    1. Yes violence usually comes when you are feeling threatened or fear.

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  18. Does America help Amir forget his loss of Hassan?

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    1. I think it helps because he is not in Afghanistan, he is not surrounded by memories of his friendship with Hassan.

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    2. I don't think America has made Amir forget because he still thinks about him and the event that happened.

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  19. Is Amir's writing helping him find redemption for the things he did to Hassan?

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    1. I think that his writing is a source that is helping him through his life. Without writing he would be totally lost in life.

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  20. Is Amir hesitant towards the idea of Kite Running because of what happened to Hassan?

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    1. I think that it is safe to say that. He may also be hesitant of it due to everything else that happened in Afghanistan.

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  21. Is Amir a "monster" for having the inability to help Hassan?

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    1. I believe that Amir is the monster in Hassan's life, but Hassan doesn't know it yet.

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  22. Can Amir ever picture the kite without remembering his dreams?

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  23. Is a violence related to loss?

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    1. Yes i think so in this book

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    2. I believe violence cannot solely come from loss. Many things violence can be related to are: anger, jealousy, greed, etc. All of which come from some sort of loss and want for more.

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    3. I think so because usually when people are related to loss they are mad or unhappy. When people are unhappy they can usually relate to violence

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  24. Does living in America represent having no more fear about where they are living?

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    1. I think living in America does not bring fear but it brings in the aspect of guilt and regret instead.

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  25. Replies
    1. I would say that true love does bring happiness

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    2. No, it can bring sorrow and guilt like it did to Amir, but in some cases, yes it can.

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    3. I think in some aspects it does bring happiness in your life.

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  26. does the kite symbolize dreams?

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  28. Does envy relate to loss?

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  29. How can Amir find redemption when he has and inability to act because of Hassan?

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  30. Does Amir fear his hesitation towards dreams?

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