A Thousand Splendid Suns powerpoint

2. Khaled Hosseini
 Khaled Hosseini was born on March 4, 1965 in Kabul,
Afghanistan
 At age 11, his family moved to France; 4 years
later, they applied for asylum in the U.S.
 Did not return to Afghanistan until 2001, where
he “felt like a tourist in his own country”
 All 3 of his novels became bestsellers:
-The Kite Runner
-A Thousand Splendid Suns
-And the Mountains Echoed
 Is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the UNHCR

3. Setting
 Takes place in Afghanistan from the early 1960s to
the early 2000s
 The novel begins in Herat
 Moves to the capital, Kabul
 Travels to Pakistan
 Returns back to Kabul

4. Language
 Told in 3rd person through chapters that alternate
the focus of either Mariam or Laila
 The speaker includes words spoken in Pashto
- “But he was a coward, my father. He didn’t have the dil, the
heart for it.”
 Very descriptive sentences
- “Mullah Faizullah recited prayers at the graveside and the men
lowered Nana’s shrouded body into the ground.”

5. Mariam
 Ethnic Tajik from Herat
 Illegitimate child of Jalil Khan and his housekeeper, Nana
 Grows up in a simple mud hut with Nana, but longs to be
accepted into her father’s family
 At age 15, her mother commits suicide, so her father
sends her off to marry Rasheed
 Her spirit is beaten down after 7 miscarriages and many
beatings of her husband
 Mariam finally finds love and and the family she has
always wanted in Laila and her daughter

6. Laila
 Ethnic Tajik from Kabul
 Extremely beautiful
 Falls in love with her friend, Tariq at a very young age
 Plans to attend a university in the future, but the dream is
shattered when her parents are killed in a rocket attack
 Rescued by Rasheed and nursed back to health by
Mariam
 Becomes Rasheed’s second wife when she comes to
believe that Tariq is dead
 Has two children: Aziza and Zalmai

7. Rasheed
 Mariam’s husband: an ethnic Pashtun
 Shoemaker living in Kabul
 Abusive
 Seeks a wife who will bear him a son
 When Mariam fails to have children, he treats her cruelly
and seeks to find a second, much younger wife
 Requires his wives to wear full burqa and to not leave the
house without him
 Eventually is killed by Mariam

8. Tariq
 Laila’s childhood friend and sweetheart
 Only has one leg as a result of being injured by a Soviet
land mine
 Flees to Pakistan during war
 Separated from Laila; she is led to believe that he is dead
 Eventually returns and the two run away to Pakistan
together
 Real father of Aziza
 Respects women as equals unlike Rasheed

9. Jalil Khan
 Mariam’s father
 Wealthy merchant and cinema owner
 Has 3 wives and 10 children
 Visits Mariam each week with gifts, but never lets her
come to his home
 Years later, Jalil regrets his mistreatment of Mariam and
seeks forgiveness
 Leaves her an apology letter and inheritance money,
which is found by Laila when she visits Mariam’s
childhood home

10. Themes
 Women and Femininity
- Gender Inequality
- Slavery to the Household
 War
- Afghani war against the Soviets
- Taliban Takeover
- 9/11 terrorist attacks
 Marriage vs. True Love
- Cruelty
- Mutual Respect

11. Literary Devices
 Symbolism
- Burqa
-Hospital
 Metaphor
-Nana tells Mariam that she is nothing but a “mugwort” that is
ripped out and tossed aside
 Irony
-When Jalil visited Mariam, he would raise her high in the air and
swing her around, but Nana told her that one day he would surely
drop her
 Simile
-It’s like someone is ramming a screwdriver into my ear.” -Rasheed

12. Quotes
 “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s
accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.”
 “You see, some things I can teach you. Some you
learn from books. But there are things that, well, you
have to see and feel.”
 “The past held only this wisdom: that love was a
damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a
treacherous illusion.”
 “But the game involves only male names. Because, if
it's a girl, Laila has already named her.”

13. Personal Reaction

14. Connection to Media
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir0FaK757Vw
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTxlh65Pe14

15. Which Character Are You?
 Based off of answering these questions, you can find out
which character you are from the novel, A Thousand
Splendid Suns.
 Keep track of how many points you have, because at the
end of the quiz, you will add them all up to match them
with the character you most resemble.
 All A’s—1 point
 All B’s—2 points
 All C’s—3 points
 All D’s—4 points

16. Let’s Get Started
 1. If the Soviets had invaded your hometown, what would you do?
A. Care for your family and hope that they leave soon
B. Leave with your family to another country
C. Try to continue on with your everyday lifestyle
D. Hope for a radical group to come and kick them out
2. How would you react if you were in an abusive relationship?
A. Leave your abuser and run away with your childhood love
B. You’re the one who would save someone from the abuser
C. Kill the abusive partner with a shovel
D. You’re the abusive one

17. This is Fun Right?
 3. What is/ will be your status on children?
A. Care for all of your children no matter what
B. You will love them even if you know them for only a short time
C. You never have kids
D. You only want a son so he can carry on the family name
4. If someone in your family died…
A. You are willingly sent away to live with a stranger
B. You walk all over the country looking for the love of your life
C. You are sent away to live with a stranger after putting up a fight
D. You find a person to create a new family with you based on your circumstances

18. I Know This Makes You
Want to Read the Book!
 5. What best describes your personality?
A. Bitter, frequently tense, spiteful from horrible memories of your past
B. Full of love and passion, caring, occasionally funny
C. Quiet, obedient to those of authority, very easy-going
D. Arrogant, rude, ungrateful, obnoxiously loud
6. If you were to have one of these, what would your biggest flaw be?
A. You give in too easily and never stand up for yourself
B. You have a very noticeable body disfiguration
C. You are incredibly lonely and hard to love
D. You have a horrible personality

19. You’re Almost Done!
 7. If you had one wish, it would be to…
A. Pursue a proper education at a prestigious school
B. Live a strong, individual life without the assistance of another
C. Live a happy life with a family who loves and cares about you
D. To have a son to replace all of your sorrow and regret
8. What best describes your daily life?
A. Constantly caring for or helping your family
B. Your activities change from day to day
C. Spending all day doing housework or chores
D. Working all da at your job and then coming home to a hot meal

20. So Close!
 9. Who is your favorite person?
A. Your close friend
B. Your loving partner
C. Your mother
D. Your kid
10. How would you fight back against someone?
A. Insult them with harsh words
B. Take off your fake leg and beat them with it
C. Hit them over the head with a shovel
D. Choke them

21. RESULTS
 10-17 points------Laila
You are kind and innocent, and you have a very mellow personality, which is why
so many people like you
 18-25 points------Tariq
You are passionate and loyal. You can always be counted on, and
everyone always wants to be around you
 26-32 points------Mariam
You are stubborn, but strong-minded. You may have had a hard life so far, but
things will turn around for you eventually
 33-40 points------Rasheed
You are hard-headed because you know what you want. You don’t care to listen
to anyone else because you think that you’re right all of the time