The Kite Runner chapters 20-end

Well, I'm going to leave the content of this week's posts up to you. Please don't rehash what's already been said, but here are some ideas....
Does Amir find redemption? Explain.
What do you think about the end of the novel? Are you satisfied? Explain
Thematic statements are sometimes implied, but sometimes they are explicitly stated in the text. See if you can identify a statement that a character actually says that reveals a universal truth.
Follow through with motifs and symbols you have mentioned. As they show up again in the novel, how does that intensify their meaning and make their use more complex?
Remember the David and Goliath scenario that played out between Assef and Hassan in the first part of the book? See if you can recognize something similar happening during the reading for this week.
Or you can apply any of the ideas from Foster's text to this novel.
These are just some ideas. Tackle 2 of them, or come up with some ideas of your own. Remember I'm looking for thoughtful comments that indicate careful and sophisticated reading. We will be digging into the novel when we meet in class. I am so looking forward to meeting all of you!!

The Kite Runner Chapters 11-19

After this week's reading I'd like for you to focus on at least two of the following elements when you blog:
1) Comment on the structure of this novel. How is it organized and how does the organization aid or guide the reader?
2) Comment on Amir. How do you feel about him now as opposed to earlier in the novel?
3) Comment on Hosseni's style of writing. What are elements of his word choice, sentence structure, tone that make his writing style unique? Perhaps choose a short passage that illustrates what you notice.
4) If you didn't in the last post, write a thematic statement that indicates what Hosseni is tr
ying to say about one of the subjects I listed.

Remember that themes are universal statements that comment on the human condition. For instance, you wouldn't want to write on the AP exam that the theme of a passage is guilt. That is a subject, not a theme. A theme could be that guilt has the power to consume and destroy. That is a universal idea that relays what the author is trying to say about guilt. Or how about love?? That is a subject, but what is the author trying to say about love?Love is a double-edged sword; with the joy of love comes an equal amount of pain. People exhibit love in many ways; some through kindness and tenderness, some through jealousy, some through obsession.See how these are complete sentences that actually pinpoint what the author is trying to say about a particular subject???? Writing thematic statements will be a focus for us in class because you will be expected to identify them and compose them on the AP exam. Do the best you can.
We will go back to Foster's ideas next week, so keep noting elements of the novel that you recognize as important to meaning. Many of you have done a great job with symbols, allusions and irony!!

The Kite Runner Chapters 1-10

This week I have asked that you read chapters 1-10 of The Kite Runner. I think you will find this book challenging in terms of content and engaging as well. As you read, think about the following subjects and comment about themes that are being developed as they relate to these subjects. Remember that a theme is a declarative statement that indicates what the author is trying to say about the particular subject.
-Role of books, literacy
-Friendship, guilt, redemption
-Father and son relationship
-Coming of Age
-Discrimination, prejudice, class structure
-Master/Slave relationships; loyalty, devotion and duty

Please choose one of the subjects listed, then suggest a thematic statement related to that subject, then explain how that theme is relayed in the chapters you have read. I would also like you to comment on some emerging symbols and motifs as related to Foster's book. There are several ironies that occur in these chapters, and there should be some things that jump out at you as symbols. Explore those in your responses as well.

Just a quick note that this book contains some disturbing elements and a few ugly terms. These elements are not gratuitous, but they serve to develop meaning and drive the plot forward in a complex manner. I hope that you will all read with an open mind and recognize that the purpose of the violent acts and language is to characterize the prejudices and conflicts of the time period the novel reflects. Please email me with any questions or concerns. Thanks!

Wuthering Heights Chs. 17-end

For the last half of the novel, I would like you to consider the following ideas. Please choose two, but be careful not to repeat ideas and analysis from last week's comments.

Motif: patterns of objects, colors, ideas that show up in the novel that work to develop theme(dogs/beasts/devils/storms/sickness, etc). Choose a motif and trace its development through the novel. Cite a couple of references of this motif and analyze how you think this repeated element helps develop meaning and theme in the novel.

Resolution of conflict: Identify, analyze and evaluate how conflicts are resolved. Are you as a reader satisfied? Were all the conflicts resolved in a way that makes sense according to your analysis of character?

Symbolism: Choose a symbol (other than weather, please - that one seems to have been discussed quite thoroughly) in the novel and explain its significance to meaning.

Politics/Social Class: Analyze what Bronte reveals about social class through her work.

Names: Analyze the significance of the name of a character (or characters since so many of them share names) or place in the novel.

Many of the above topics will also require you to discuss theme. Be sure to consider theme as a statement rather than a single word. Theme is a universal idea the author relays in his/her work.

Wuthering Heights Chs. 1-16

Your responses aren't due until the 12th, or is it the 11th? Whichever is the Sunday after the 4th. Simple math tells me that's the 11th - okay. Anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and post the ideas I'd like you to discuss in case anyone wants to get ahead. Basically, I want you to think about the following ideas as you read and choose TWO of them to discuss and analyze in your post:

Setting
Characters
Point of View
Conflict

It will not be sufficient to merely describe setting, characters, etc. I would like you to analyze the effect of these ideas. Take setting, for instance. You can consider Foster's ideas about politics or seasons or geography. Describe setting and explain what effect it has on the novel from one of these angles. Or you oculd identify point of view and explain how the narrator and the filters through which we are hearing the story are manipulated for a specific effect. Just be clear on the two ideas you are discussing, identify the basics really quickly and then jump into analysis. Feel free to use specific quotes or passages from the novel to support your analysis. As always, email me with questions or post them on the blog.

Quick update on our reading schedule

You should be finished posting on the Foster text by next Sunday, the 28th. The following Monday or Tuesday, I will post the guiding questions for the first half of Wuthering Heights, but note that you will have until July 11th to read those chapters and post. This "break" week will allow you to catch up on posts if you've missed one, as I know a good many of you have been off doing interesting things. Just be sure to look on the blog for my updated post by the 5th so you will be aware of the topics I want you to discuss from the first have of Wuthering Heights. If you are reading ahead, then I want you to be sure to apply anything you can from Foster's text to Bronte's novel. That will be part of your assignment.

How to Read Literature - Chs. 18-26

Ok - this is our last set of chapters from Foster, and I think you will find them equally as interesting as the other chapters. I still want you to focus on the ideas in two chapters and apply these to works you've read, but here's your challenge: Choose one of the ideas in a text you've already discussed and analyze how an idea in this last set of chapters also applies to that example. For instance, if you talked about the journey or quest chapter, use the same example you applied to that chapter and take it a step further by applying the ideas in the "Geography Matters" chapter (19). Where did the journey take the protagonist and why are those specific locations significant according to Foster? Some of you have already discussed rivers and bodies of water; how can you connect those examples to the chapter on baptism (18)? I hope you understand what I'm asking. I still want you to comment on two new ideas, but for at least one of them, apply the idea to an example you've already used. Please let me know if you have any questions. Remember you can always email me at williamsholly@hotmail.com if you don't feel comfortable asking questions on the public blog.