Tasks: The Kite Runner

1. Go to the first pages of Chapter 2 and take note of how the character of Hassan is presented to the reader. Write down keywords and direct quotations that describe Hassan's appearance and personality.
2. Choose one quotation that in some way interests, surprises or even confuses you and discuss its meaning with a classmate.
3. The author uses the phrase "Hassan the harelipped kite runner" to introduce the character of Hassan in the first chapter. Why do you think it was important to emphasise his physical appearance in this way?

Imagine that you are a movie director, filming the opening scene of a movie that starts with the simple instruction: "A kite is flying in the air"

Give an outline two very different opening scenes:

1. An opening scene that celebrates freedom, happiness and independence. Choose an appropriate song to emphasise your message.
2. An opening scene that is low key, heavyhearted and sorrowful. Choose an appropriate song to emphasise your message.

In an interview with the newspaper The Guardian in 2013, Khaled Hosseini says "In Afghanistan, you don't understand yourself solely as an individual. You understand yourself as a son, a brother, a cousin to somebody, an uncle to somebody. You are part of something bigger than yourself. The things that happen within families … I'm so fascinated by how people destroy each other and love each other."

How is this reflected in the excerpts you have just read?