The Kite Runner

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about life in Afghanistan? What do you think it would be like to grow up in a country amid such turmoil?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will likely be familiar with the War on Terror and the Taliban’s current occupation of Afghanistan. To understand the characters in The Kite Runner, we have to imagine what it would be like to have always lived amidst such conflict and turmoil. Perhaps have students write short journals and then share their answers with the class. Having them recount examples that they have seen of what life is like under Taliban rule from the news might help them to connect their prior knowledge to the world in the novel.

• This video from Feature History summarizes the political conflicts in Afghanistan during the span of The Kite Runner.
• This article from the Council on Foreign Relations explains the Taliban’s presence in Kabul 20 years ago as well as their current occupation.

2. What is prejudice? What current examples of persecution are you aware of from around the world?

Teaching Suggestion: The Kite Runner shows how prejudice impacts the lives of women, like Soroya, who are held to different standards and not given the same opportunities as men. Additionally, the story depicts the persecution of the Hazara people and attempts of Pashtuns to hide the truth of the persecution. In the end, Hassan is killed because he has no credibility as a Hazara man. While war impacts everyone, The Kite Runner shows how it makes life even worse for marginalized groups. Have students discuss the groups that are currently persecuted or face prejudice around the world. Can they think of examples from history? How did those groups fare during wars/conflicts?

• This video from 2021 discusses the history and current persecution of Hazaras in Afghanistan.  
• This article from Amnesty International gives helpful context of women’s rights in Afghanistan over the past several decades.