Teacher: Ms. Witczak a thousand Splendid Suns Pre-Reading Activity "a thousand Splendid Suns" is a 2007 novel by Khaled Hosseini. It is set in the Muslim, war-torn nation of Afghanistan

A Thousand Splendid Suns

By Khaled Hosseini

NAME:__________________________

English 306

Teacher: Ms. Witczak
A Thousand Splendid Suns

Pre-Reading Activity

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a 2007 novel by Khaled Hosseini. It is set in the Muslim, war-torn nation of Afghanistan.

Let’s activate our prior knowledge:

• 
  What do you know about Afghanistan and its people?
  
• 
  What do you know about the religion of Islam?
  
• 
  Given what you know, what are your expectations for the novel? Which of your assumptions and beliefs do you think will be challenged by the book?
  

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“Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye

Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass

One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs

And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls”

From “Kabul”, by Saib Tabrizi

Translated by Josephine Davis

The title of “A Thousand Splendid Suns” comes from a passage in a poem called “Kabul”, written by a 17^th c. Persian poet, Saib Tabrizi.

When we think of present-day Afghanistan, we imagine a war-torn nation, but this poem suggests a very different place.
Look at the book jacket through the lens of the poem. What do you think the “thousand splendid suns” of the poem will represent in this novel?
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A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

LEXICON
Throughout the novel, a variety of Farsi words are used. You will notice that they are always written in an italicized typeface in the book. Use this table to keep track of 25 words you learn.

FARSI WORD	DEFINITION	Page #
Ex: Harami	Bastard, illegitimate child.	p. 3
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A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

Annotated Table of Contents

Chapter	Synopsis	Page Numbers
PART ONE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
PART TWO
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
PART THREE
27
28
29
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
PART FOUR
48
49
50
51