THE KITE RUNNER (AO2)

Question 1

(f) bildungsroman

Answer 1

a literary genre that focuses on the psychological growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood.
(coming of age)

Question 2

(f) classic victorian novel

Answer 2

depicted 19th century life in a realistic manner. often as a form of social critique of the social/political issues at the time.

• Hosseini uses this convention to address the negative stigma surrounding Afghanistan post 9-11.

Question 3

(f) semi-autobiographical

Answer 3

literary works dealing partly with the writer’s own life but also containing fictional elements.

• Hosseini’s characterisation of Amir (e.g. when he leaves Afghanistan for the States) is a mirror of his own life.

Question 4

(f) postmodern novel

Answer 4

postmodern literature is a form of literature that is characterized by the use of metafiction, unreliable narration, self-reflexivity, intertextuality, and which often draws upon both historical and political issues.

• postmodernists often challenge authorities.

Question 5

(f) contrasting worlds

Answer 5

how characters or settings are contrasted to highlight underlying political or social issues.

(e.g.)
Hassan as Hazara / Amir as Pashtun

Afghanistan before war and turmoil / Afghanistan after the invasion of the Taliban

The portrayal of Afghanistan / The portrayal of America

Question 6

(s) redemption arc

Answer 6

a type of character development in which the protagonist develops from ‘bad’ at the start to ‘good’ through a journey of self-realisation. also a means of ‘atoning’ for past sins.

Question 7

(s) meta-fiction

Answer 7

a form of fiction that emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that reminds the audience that they are reading/viewing fictional works. (a story within a story)

• the kite runner uses storytelling, which is key in meta-fiction.

Question 8

(s) intertextual references

Answer 8

the shaping of the text’s meaning by another text. references that are less obvious or direct.

(e.g. assef’s allusion to a nazi boy?)

Question 9

(s) microcosms

Answer 9

A microcosm is a small society, place, or activity which has all the typical features of a much larger one and so seems like a smaller version of it.
(e.g. amir’s childhood home, which is a microcosm that reflects his internal struggles and conflict. the physical space becomes a metaphor for amir’s guilt and shame as well as his yearning for redemption.)

Question 10

(s) anagnorisis

Answer 10

a journey of self-realisation for the protagonist. the point in a play, novel, etc., in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances.

Question 11

(s) hinge chapters

Question 12

(s) epistolary

Answer 12

(of a literary work) in the form of letters. adds greater realism to the story and demonstrates different points of view/perspectives.

(e.g. Hassan’s letter to Amir)

Question 13

(s) setting

Answer 13

where the novel takes place/ is set.

Question 14

(s) introspective narrator

Answer 14

an examination of one’s thoughts and feelings. it is also a reflection of one’s mental and emotional processes. the voices of introspective narrators belong to the author, narrator and character.

(e.g. amir engages in introspective reflections on his own actions, feelings and motivations. his introspection is crucial because it reveals his internal struggles and growth of character.)

Question 15

(s) retrospective narrator

Answer 15

written using past-tense, first-person narration, a retrospective narrative is told from the point of view of a character looking back on past events.

(e.g. amir narrating the story from a point of adulthood looking back on his life and telling the story in hindsight)

Question 16

(s) unreliable but introspective narrator

Answer 16

an unreliable narrator is someone who is selective and possibly biassed in their storytelling.

amir: (1) selective memory to cast himself in a more favourable light
(2) justification of his actions, amir tends to justify actions that are normally questionable or harmful to others.
(3) limited understanding, his reflections and experiences for other characters may be limited because his narrative is one-sided or an incomplete portrayal of certain events.
(4) subjectivity, biassed/skewed narrative.
(5) child-like narrator at the beginning is unreliable.

Question 17

(s) cyclical motifs

Answer 17

recurring themes, symbols or motifs in literary works.

Question 18

(s) parallelism

Answer 18

Parallelism is a literary device where elements within a text mirror each other, creating a pattern or connection that adds depth to the narrative.

(e.g. father-son relationships; betrayal and redemption; kite running tournaments)

Question 19

(s) moral refrain

Answer 19

a moral refrain refers to a recurring theme, message, or lesson that is emphasized throughout a work.

(e.g. redemption and atonement, loyalty and sacrifice, culture and personal identity.)

Question 20

(s) cyclical structure

Answer 20

when the novel begins how it ends or ends how it begins.

(the kite runner starts and ends in America).

Question 21

(s) temporal shifts

Answer 21

the shift back and forth between time to tell a story. this contributes to the novel’s structure and provides depth to the characters and their relationships.

Question 22

(s) foreshadowing

Answer 22

is a narrative device in which a storyteller gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, and it helps develop or subvert the audience’s expectations about upcoming events.

Question 23

(l) stock/archetypal characters

Answer 23

characters who represent specific sterotypes and are usually based on cliches or social prejudices.

(e.g. assef as a classic victorian villian or hassan as the loyal side-kick)

Question 24

(l) translations

Answer 24

inclusion of language and translation adds layers to the narrative, highlighting the challenges and nuances of communication in a culturally diverse and war-torn society.

(e.g. language barriers; dari and pashto, two languages widely spoken in Afghanistan; cultural significance of language; poetry and literature)

Question 25

(l) foils

Answer 25

characters who entirely oppose one another. they contrast each other to highlight certain qualities. characteristics or themes.

(e.g. amir and hassan; baba and ali; assef and sohrab; amir and assef)

Question 26

(l) characterisation of doubles/dichotomies

Answer 26

character doubles and dichotomies to create complexity and depth in the narrative. these doubles and dichotomies involve characters who share similarities or opposites, often serving as mirrors to one another.

Question 27

(l) catalytic characters

Answer 27

catalytic characters are those who play a significant role in triggering or influencing change in the protagonist or the overall plot.

(e.g. hassan; baba; assef; rahim khan; sohrab)

Question 28

(l) irony

Answer 28

a situation in which there is a contrast between expectation and reality.

(e.g. baba’s words vs. his actions that are later revealed)

Question 29

(l) metaphorical/symbolism

Answer 29

represents a wider meaning or idea

(e.g. baba as a ‘bear’)