Monday, July 11

It's 7/11. Go to 7-11 for your free slurpee!

And, as you come in, here is your Kite Runner assignment before we begin watching the movie. The movie must be completed & THE PROJECT COMPELTED by Wednesday! This means at least 30 minutes each day of the movie PLUS PROJECT TIME! You will be creating a kite starting tomorrow (Tuesday) and it will be due Wednesday.

For today, answer the following questions in your blog.

Read the following information:

“Hope is knowing that people, like kites, are made to be lifted up.”
- Afghanistan Relief Organization

Kite-running (Gudiparan Bazi) has been a favorite pastime in Afghanistan for
the last 100 years, but there are few on the streets of Kabul that can forget the
terror of living under the Taliban regime for so many years. Under Taliban rule, if
you were caught with a kite, many times you would be beaten and the spool
would be destroyed. However, since the fall of the Taliban regime, kite-running
has again resurfaced tenfold.
Kite-running is a two-person affair, with one person called the “charka gir” and
the other called the “gudiparan baz.” The charka gir is in charge of the holding
the wooden kite spool, around which the wire, or “tar” is wound. The second
person, called the “gudiparan baz” actually is in control of the movement of the
kite in the air. Kite flyers stand on tops of buildings, fighting with kites from all
over the city. The object is to strike down the kite of your opponent with the
string of your kite, after which you will be called the winner. The strings are often
made with razor wire which gives the sharpness to cut down other kites. After an
opponent’s kite is set free, it flutters away into the wind where it is usually picked
up by the local children, who fly it the next day as their own.
Kites are made of either extremely fragile tissue paper, or heavier more durable
mylar fabric. They come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. Kites range in price
depending on the size and materials used to make the kite. For a small, simple,
child sized kite, the price starts at just a few cents. For large, elaborate, colorful
kites, many with dangling adornments, the price can cost as much as [2 to 100]
Afghanis, or $2 US.

Blog Title: Kite Running

Each answer should be 2-3 sentences.
1. What is kite running? What are the roles of each person called? What do they do?

2. What is the history of kite running in Afghanistan? How long? Importance?

3. Kite running was not allowed during Taliban rule. Why do you think this is?

4. What signifance does kite running play in the movie, The Kite Runner? What does it help teach us about the characters?