Introduction

Welcome to the ‘fourth’ lesson!

Grammar¹

Today we started class by reviewing out four prepositions from yesterday and nouns. Afterwards we looked at possessive nouns.

Prepositions

about	atop	down	of	through	without
above	before	during	off	throughout
across	behind	except	on	toward
after	below	for	onto	under
against	beneath	from	out	underneath
along	beside	in	outside	until
amid	beyond	inside	over	up
among	but	into	past	upon
around	by	like	regarding	with
at	concerning	near	since	within

Kite Runner

Audio Readings

Some of you have mentioned you would like to listen to the book at home; there is already a link posted in Google Classroom to one recording. If, however, you do not like that recording please find below a few alternatives. Alternatively you can hear the author read the book here.

Chapter	Links
1	1, 2
2	1, 2
3	1, 2, 3
4	1, 2, 3
5	1, 2, 3
6	1, 2,3
7	1, 2, 3
8	1, 2, 3
9	1, 3
10	1, 3
11	1, 3
12	1, 3
13	1, 3
14	3
15	3, 4
16	3, 4
17	3, 4
18	3, 4
19	3, 4
20	3, 4
21	3, 4
22	3, 4, 5
23	3, 5
24	3, 5
25	3, 5

Vocabulary²

Term	Definition
Frenzied	Violently excited
Makeshift	A temporary substitute
Indignity	Treatment or circumstances that cause one to feel shame or loose one’s dignity
Monologues	A long speech by a single person
Slurring	To pronounce indistinctly so that words run into one another
Maverick	A lone wolf; rebel
Chagrin	Annoyance or distress at having failed or been humiliated
Invigorating	To energize or fill with life
Daunting	Seeming difficult to deal with in prospect, intimidating
Bemoaned	Express discontent or sorrow over something

Prompts

  As you read or listen to chapter thirteen take notes surrounding these points, some questions may require you look up meanings:

• How is the lafz ceremony different from Swedish customs? American customs?
• Why do you think Amir wonders if Hassan ever married?
• In the last chapter we heard Amir acknowledge a double standard for men and women, how has this chapter dealt with that?
• What do you think of the relationship between Soraya and General Taheri?
• What is atonement?
• What problems do Amir and Soraya have when trying to have children?

Preliminary Reading Schedule

Oct.						Nov.
12	13	19	20	26	27	2	3	9	10	16	17
Ch 11	Ch 12	Ch 13	Ch 14-16	Ch 17-19	Ch 20-21	x	x	Ch 22-23	Ch 24	Ch 25	Kite Runner Exam

If you are behind the reading schedule (that is to say you have not read up to chapter 13) it is your responsibility to come to me, either in person or email, and let me know so we can come up with a plan to get you caught up.

Film Comments

The following comments on the film are taken from Study.com³ and are worth reading if you plan to watch the movie. NB! They contain spoilers.

Difference: Cleft Lip One of the first differences you might notice between the film and the book is that Hassan, the main character’s best friend, doesn’t have a cleft lip in the film. In the book, the cleft is mentioned quite a few times. In fact, the first time Hassan is introduced, he is called ‘’the harelipped kite runner.’’ In the book, the harelip may have been a way to emphasize the ethnic difference between Hassan, who is Hazara, and the other ethnicity, which was Pashtun.

Difference: Hassan’s Rape Another difference between the book is the scene when Assef rapes Hassan. In the book, the rape scene is described in detail. In the book we’re told ‘‘Assef knelt behind Hassan, put his hands on Hassan’s hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan’s back and undid his own belt buckle with his free hand. He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn’t struggle. Didn’t even whimper.’’ In the movie, We see Hassan get shoved down and his pants pulled down. Assef unbuckles his pants and the scene cuts away. We can understand the limitations of this scene since it would typically be much too graphic to show much else. The film is rated PG-13.

Difference: The Beating Another difference between the book and the movie comes when the main character, Amir, goes to rescue Sohrab, who is Hassan’s son, from Assef, who is now a member of Taliban. In the book, Assef beats the daylights out of Amir. He has to stay in the hospital for over week. In the movie, Amir and Assef fight, but Amir is not hurt badly enough to end up in the hospital. One reason for this difference is that the stay in the hospital can be left out of the plot without damaging the story line. So this cut may have been strictly for time-saving purposes.

Difference: The Suicide Attempt In the book, Sohrab attempts suicide after learning that he would not be able to go straight back to America. After Amir tells him that he may have to stay in the orphanage before he comes to the United States, Sohrab cuts his wrists open while in the bathtub. In the movie, Amir is able to bring Sohrab straight back the United States and there is no suicide attempt. This edit may have been to save time in the movie.

Homework

You are learning a language that is (thanks in large part to the internet) ridiculously easy to come into contact with. This means a “standing homework assignment” to expose yourself to the English language. The type of exposure⁴ could be: news reports, YouTube, books, podcasts, video games, music, TV/films, comics, self-compositions, TikTok,  fanfiction, etc. Once I have Google Classroom you will start to keep a log of your interactions with English in a journal.

Up Next: 05 - Class Redirect