The Kite Runner and How to Read Literature Like a Professor
In order to give all of our students a proper head start in their classes, each student will be required to complete a pre-course reading assignment prior to the start of their English class next year. English teachers will begin the semester with lessons and assessments based on the assigned pre-course reading. Each student must complete a dialectical journal (instructions below) and will take a test over their reading during the first two weeks of the semester. Pre-course assignments are as follows:
World Literature:
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah (on-line copy available).
Assignment: Dialectical Journal (to be submitted to turnitin.com).
Honor’s World Literature: The Kite Runner and How to Read Literature Like a Professor
- The Kite Runner
o Complete a Major Works Data Sheet and submit to turnitin.com by deadline established.
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor – Chapters 1, 4, 6 and 10. Assignments
- Chapter One – “Every Trip is a Quest” : Write a 1 ½ to 2 page essay in MLA format (12 font, Times New Roman, double spaced, work cited page) outlining each of the five elements of a quest and then applying them to Amir in The Kite Runner.[unique_solution]
- Chapter Four – “Now Where Have I Seen Her Before”: Summarize the chapter by defining and then explaining intertextuality. Indicate and then explain TWO (2) examples from one literary work to another literary work OR one literary work to a movie.
o Chapter Six: “…Or the Bible”: Write a brief summary of the chapter focusing on the central message. Then find an example of a Biblical allusion in a literary work (excluding the works mentioned in How to Read Literature Like a Professor)and then explain how the allusion enhances your understanding of the text.
o Chapter Ten: – “Never Stand Next to the Hero”: a. Explain the differences between round and flat characters. B. What point is the author making when he says, “Never stand next to the hero?” c. Identify and then how this fits with an example from literature OR a movie.
All books may be purchased from local bookstores, downloaded online, or checked out from a local library. Instructions for your assignment are located below.
Instructions for Dialectical Journal
- Label the left side of your journal, “Chosen Quote” and label the right side, “Respond and
Analyze.”
- The left side is where you will record quoted text and page numbers from the novel.
- The right side is where you will record the matching analysis: your opinions, comments, inferences, insights, questions, etc. Consider what makes the writing stand out as unique and memorable.
- Your entries should reflect the scope of the entire novel: Select quotations from the beginning, middle and end of the text.
- As a general rule of thumb, responses should be longer than the selected material you are referencing. The significance of the text to the overall work should also be related.
You must have at least six entries for the work.