Notes

Chapter 4
What does it mean to be a friend? Describe the kind of relationship you have with your closest friend. Amir says, “I never thought of Hassan and me as friends.” What prevents Amir from calling Hassan a friend? Do you think that Hassan would call Amir a friend?

OR

In what ways have you seen Amir acting ethically (with kindness, generosity, etc.)? In what ways has Amir acted unethically (with cruelty, selfishness, etc.)? Overall, do you think Amir is a good person at heart? Why or why not?

Chapter 5 Based on what you know so far, what kinds of ideas about race are people in Amir’s culture exposed to? (Consider what you’ve heard from Assef as well as Amir). To what extent do you think Amir accepts what Assef says about race? Support your answer.


Chapter 6 Choose three quotations in the chapter that reveal something about the relationship between Hassan and Amir (look especially for quotes that show who has more power in the relationship). For each quote of the three quotes that you choose, what does the quote reveal about the relationship between the two boys.



Chapter 7 Briefly describe a time where you saw or heard something happen that you knew was wrong, but didn’t stop it. Why didn’t you stop what was going on? (Did you not know how? Were you afraid? Etc.)

When Hassan is being attacked, Amir simply watches and then runs. He explains, “The real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba” (77). What does Amir mean? How is Hassan “the lamb” that he has to “slay”? Where else does a lamb come up in this chapter? What effect does it have to describe Hassan as a lamb?