A Thousand Splendid Suns Revision and Extract Reading

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 4

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Time period 1959 - 2002

Setting: Afghanistan

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Afghan-American

Born in Kabul, 1965

Moved to USA, 1970

Practices internal medicine

His second novel (2007); his first novel was The Kite Runner (2003)

This first novel was:

• First Afghan novel to be written in English.
• Over 9 million copies sold worldwide.
  
• Translated into over 25 languages.
  
• Is on the list of "Banned and Challenged Books"
  
• Graphic details, sexual violence
  
• The film was banned in Afghanistan.
  
• The child actors left Afghanistan for safety reasons. 

Words that come to mind
when you think of Afghanistan?

Afghanistan

• Landlocked (Pakistan, China, Iran, etc..)
•  Mountainous
• Modern country in 1960s and 1970s -> no headscarves, women went to school, art, music, fashion shows
• Always an interesting country in bigger conflicts for power between the West and the East (USA/England - Soviet Union)
• Soviet-Union supported coup d'etat
• Soviet Union attacked from the North and took over Kabul
• Afghan president that listened to the Russians
• Chaos in Afghanistan - Russian soldiers didn't know what they were doing there. Thought they were fighting against the USA. 
• Struggle for power in Afghanistan - Taliban won - Islamic republic -> 9/11 -> war in Afghanistan -> Bin Laden 

A Thousand Splendid Suns

the author

Khaled Hosseini

What do you remember
about the novel?

Now read the extract from the novel 

on pp. 12-15

What caused the violence
in this scene?

What is the relationship between Laila and Aziza? How do you know before it is confirmed by the writer?

Why doesn’t Laila hear any screams or protests from Mariam when she is being beaten?

How does Laila cope with the
extreme abuse?

How does the writer show the reader how much time passes in the extract?