Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: Parallelism Analysis

There are several parallels—repetitions of events, ideas, or situations—in The Kite Runner. Some of these include One-Eyed Assef, harelip, watch/money, kite running, Shahnamah (the story of Rostam and Sohrab), Hassan and Ali's home, Assef’s promise/threats, irrational laughter, and redemption. Examine one of these parallels and answer the following questions:

• What theme/lesson does this parallel best support?
• Does this parallel show character growth or change occurring?
• What comparison is Hosseini making through this parallel?
• How is the parallel Ironic?

Teaching Suggestion: Assign individual students, pairs, or small groups a parallel. Give them about 10-15 minutes to find 2-4 examples of their parallel in the text. Have groups alternate presenting their parallel to the rest of the class or have them share with other groups in a jigsaw.

ACTIVITY 2: The Hero’s Journey Breakdown

The hero’s journey is a useful framework for studying a character’s growth. Amir follows the stages of the hero’s journey as he grows from someone who is immature and selfish to someone who learns how to sacrifice, show loyalty, and overcome challenges.