KHALED HOSSEINI A Study Guide by Jeanne M. McGlinn RIVERHEAD BOOKS an imprint of PENGUIN GROUP (USA) INTRODUCTION A Thousand Splendid Sunstells the intertwined stories of the lives of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, both married to the same abusive man, during the years of the Soviet occupation, then the civil war and the Taliban dictatorship. This guide is designed to aid teachers in selecting re- sources that provide background to the novel. It also provides discussion questions and activities for before, during, and after reading the novel. Teachers can select the activities which best fit the needs of their students. This guide may also be useful to independent readers of the novel who are looking for resources to guide their reading. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Biographies of the author are available at several different humanitarian award from the agency, Hosseini was asked web sites. This short biography provides a link to the to serve as a goodwill ambassador. This site has an inter- Khaled Hosseini Foundation which Hosseini set up fol- view with Hosseini about his service to the UNHCR: lowing a trip to Afghanistan in 2007 for the United Na- http://www.unhcr.org/45d574692.html?gclid=CKjQ5ZS tions High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): vlZ4CFdA65QodFhf6pg. http://www.khaledhosseini.com/hosseini-bio.html. Hosseini was inducted into the Academy of Achievement Hosseini was selected as a Goodwill Envoy to UNHCR in in 2008. At this site you can listen to a podcast in which the United States in 2006. UNHCR was established in 1950 Hosseini describes why he became a writer: http://www. to lead international efforts to protect and provide solutions achievement.org/autodoc/podcasts/artpod-4-hosseini-vid. for refugee problems. In June of 2006 after receiving a HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN 1. Students will benefit from an overview of the geogra- “That’s the Asmai mountain directly in front of us … phy, history, and rich culture of Afghanistan. One re- to the left, is the Ali Abad mountain…Behind us, liable source which can serve as an introduction is east…is the Shir Darwaza mountain” (p. 59). the CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/li- 3. Hosseini weaves the history of Afghanistan through- brary/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html out the novel, starting in chapter 4 when Mariam’s Here students can learn significant facts about the father tells her about the bloodless coup of King Za- political history, geography, government, and people. hir Shah who had ruled for forty years. Ask students to begin to keep a timeline of these political/histori- 2. “Google maps” provides an excellent map of the cal facts in their reading journals or as a class project country. Students can select satellite and terrain on charts which will be posted in the class room for views and can manipulate the map to view the coun- easy reference. Students can note the historic event at try’s borders and land features. During reading, stu- the top of the chart and the personal events of the dents can trace the journey of Mariam when she main characters underneath. In this way students will leaves Herat, the city where she was born, for Kabul. begin to see how the personal events in the lives of When Tariq returns to Kabul he describes the jour- the two women are affected by the events taking ney of his family as refugees (p. 334). Later Laila place in the wider world. goes to Murree in Pakistan to live with Tariq until the war is over. Then she makes a return trip to 4. According to the web site of the International Cam- Herat, through Mashad in Iran (p. 392). paign to Ban Landmines, (http://www.afghan-net- work.net/Landmines/, Afghanistan has the heaviest Students can look at a city map of Kabul to locate concentration of landmines of any country in the the neighborhood where Mariam lives. Rasheed de- world. Ask students to read this web article and then scribes Deh-Mazang in detail and the surrounding to locate two other articles on the web to cross check mountains: “In the south and west part of the city. the statistics. Ask students to prepare a power point The zoo is nearby, and the university too” (p. 57) 2 A STUDY GUIDE TO KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS or web “scrap book” of the main facts they discover http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/ about the landmine problem and its impact on the asia/afghanistan/map_flash.html citizens of Afghanistan. A Lesson Plan at this web site provides useful graphics, 5. Throughout the novel, readers are reminded of Af- representing the distribution of ethnic groups. Ask ghanistan’s ethnic diversity. For example, when Mari- students to note references to ethnicity as they read. am is forced to marry Rasheed, her father’s wives as- Is the ethnic difference negative or positive? Are people sure her that he speaks Farsi even though he is a treated differently because of their ethnicity? How do Pashtun. Mariam is a Tajik. Students can read about these perceptions affect people’s interactions? What the different people who make up the ethnic diversi- other barriers to national unity are evident in Hossei- ty of Afghanistan at: ni’s description of the people and their history? BEFORE READING 1. A Thousand Splendid Sunstakes its title from a poem zens of this country. Ask students to read and make a by the 17th century Persian poet Saib-e-Tabrizi which list of what they learn from current news stories about can be found at this site: the war in Afghanistan, the current political situa- tion, and other issues confronting the people. Post http://www.afghan-network.net/Culture/kabul_ these lists for students to review as they read the nov- poem.html el. Discuss how the situation is changing for the peo- Ask students to read the poem and make a list of the ple. Is it improving or getting worse? After students images the poet uses to praise the city of Kabul. Ask have reviewed the news stories, discuss their sense of students if they have read other poems of praise, the future of Afghanistan. What are the problems called odes. You might ask if they have read the odes facing the nation? Do they see things improving and of the Romantic poets: Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian in what ways? Urn” or Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind.” An ode 3. Both Mariam and Laila are victims of spousal abuse. uses hyperbole and inflated language to glorify and Before reading the novel, ask students to read one or enhance the subject and to create feelings of appreci- more articles on identifying the signs of spousal ation in the listener. abuse, such as this list of the classic signs and symp- Discuss: What do you learn about Kabul from read- toms of abuse at: ing this poem? What is your favorite image in this http://www.abusefacts.com/articles/Classic.php poem? What is the poet’s purpose? Does the poet succeed in creating a sense of the beauty of Kabul? Make a chart outlining the roles of the abuser and the abused. Post this chart so that as students read, 2. Although Afghanistan is very much in the news, stu- they can identify and note plot events that match dents may have a vague understanding of the history these signs of abuse. of the war since 2001 and the impact upon the citi- THEMES Students may explore the following themes while reading Introduce students to this list of themes and make sure the novel: that they understand what each theme means. Ask stu- dents to note particular themes in their reading journals • Man’s inhumanity to man or on post-it notes as they read the novel. After students • Systematic victimization of women by patriarchal have read several chapters, ask them to review their jour- institutions nal or post-it notes to identify what they consider the • Spousal abuse main theme of this particular section of the novel. List • Resistance to victimization the theme(s) on a large chart and brainstorm the author’s • Power of education possible meanings. Ask students: What is happening? • Education for women Why is it important or significant? What does it mean? • Corrupting influence of absolute power What is the author saying about this theme? 3 A STUDY GUIDE TO KHALED HOSSEINI’S A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS DURING READING Building Vocabulary I. Part One Chapters 1-15 through Context Clues 1. The novel opens with a curse word, uttered in frus- The novel introduces students to Farsi words which they can tration by Mariam’s mother, when Mariam breaks a understand using context clues. For example, Nana speak- treasured heirloom. What does Mariam’s memory of ing about her father says, “He didn’t have the dil, the heart, this suggest about her sense of herself and her rela- for it” (p. 7). Students can infer that Nana is speaking tionship with her mother? How does this opening set about courage, the ability to stand up to do the right thing. the tone for the novel? Ask students to collect these words (they are italicized) as 2. Based on Nana’s and Mariam’s experiences, what can they read in a vocabulary notebook, by copying the pas- you infer about the lives of women in Afghanistan in sage in which the word is used on one side of their note- the sixties? Why does Nana forbid Mariam to go to book page and then explaining the meaning of the word school? What does Nana want for her and Mariam? based on context clues on the other side.