Seth Benson

English 10: Honors World Literature

The Kite Runner Author: Khaled Hossini

Themes
o The Search For Redemption
Amir looks for redemption for a sin that he committed as a child.
o The Love and Tension Between Fathers and Sons
There is a lot of tension between Amir and Baba throughout the book,
because Amir feels like Baba is always disappointed in him.
o Guilt
Amir feels guilty about not doing anything when his friend was being
raped.

Characters
o Amir- main character
o Hassan- Amirs best childhood friend
o Baba- Amir and Hassans father
Plot Structures
o Amir and Hassan live through the collapse of the Afghani government
in the 70s
o He eventually comes back to Afghanistan to talk to his old friend, but
discovers Amir has died and has an orphaned son in Afghanistan
o Amir takes him back to America to live with him and his wife

The Joy Luck Club Author: Amy Tan

Themes
Chinese vs American Culture
o Chinese people had Chinese opinions, and American People had
American Opinions. Usually the American opinion was better. Rose
o I was raised Chinese way: I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow
other peoples misery, to eat my own bitterness An-mei
Struggle between religion and superstition
o My mother believed in Gods will for many years. She said it was faith
that kept all these food things coming our way, only I thought that she
said, fate, because she couldnt pronounce that, the, sound in faith.
And later I discovered that it was fate all along.
o Some believed that they could tell the future
o If a house was slanted a wrong way the baby would die
Characters
o Mothers
Suyuan Woo
An-mei Hsu
Lindo Jong
Ying-ying St. Clair
o Daughters

June Woo
Rose Hsu Jordan
Waverly Jong
Lena St. Clair

Hamlet
Themes

Cowardice
o Ophelia, Hamlet, and Claudius all show cowardice through their deaths.
o Claudius killed his brother for the throne
o Hamlet is afraid of killing Claudius to avenge his fathers death
o Ophelia killed herself because of the stress in her life.
Revenge
o Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes each commit acts of insanity in pursuit
of revenge for death.

Characters

The Ghost/ King Hamlet- Hamlets deceased father that was murdered by
Claudius
Hamlet- Prince of Denmark, main protagonist
Queen Gertrude- widow of King Hamlet, now married to Claudius, Hamlets
mom
Ophelia- Hamlets lover/former lover, Laertes sister and Polonius daughter
Laertes- Ophelias brother, a ery good fencer
Polonius- father of Ophelia and Laertes, councilor to King Claudius
Horatio- Hamlets close friend and confidant from college
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- childhood friends of Hamlet/ spies for King
Claudius
Fortinbras- Prince of Norway

Vocabulary

Firmament- sky
Portentous- threatening
Pious- devout
Pestilent- destructive; deadly
Imminent- ready to happen; inevitable
Calumnious- slanderous
Resolution- firmness; resolve
Paradox- something that seems absurd; or against reason
Cunning- skill in deception
Abatement- decline; end
Convocation- gathering
Perilous- dangerous
Tedious- dull and lifeless

Promontory- high land jutting into the sea

Apparition- ghost; spirit
Commission- order
Canon- church law
Countenance- expression of the face
Discourse- conversation
Sovereign- supreme in power
Perceive- notice; see
Visage- face or facial expression
Impetuous- hasty; impulsive
Profound- having intellectual depth; intensely felt
Rendezvous- meeting; encounter
Prodigal- wasteful; extravagant
Treachery- act of disloyalty
Umbrage- displeasure; resentment
Sullied- tarnished
Malefaction- evil deed; crime
Churlish- ill-mannered
Conjure- call up
Equivocation- statement with two possible interpretations
Potent- strong; effective

Journaling Rules

Every single journal should have date and number on it

Every journal should go to the bottom of the page
Every journal should be school appropriate
If something is too personal, write please dont read at top of page
If you forget your journal, you must staple the lost entry into your journal

Letter Writing
1. Date
2. Your Name
Your Address
3. Recipient Name
Recipient Address
4. Dear Recipient
Body
5. Closing and signature
6. Printed Name

Conducting Research

What kinds of questions should you ask about a source to make sure it is
credible?
o Is the ending of the website .org, .edu, or .gov/ NOT .com

Is the publisher/ creator a reputable/ know source

If not, is their website up to date
Do not include all information you have researched in a research presentation
because some of the information not be supportive of your presentation
o

Composition of Thesis Statement

Persuasive
Makes a claim based on an opinion, evaluation, or interpretation
about a topic and proves this claim with specific evidence
Analytical
Breaks down the topic into parts, examines each part, and
determines how much each part relates to the whole topic
Expository
Explains something to the audience
The List (Road Map)
Contains essays topic, point, and three supporting reasons
The Umbrella
Contains essays topic point and alludes to reasons why the
reader should believe you
Does not directly state the supporting reasons, but alludes to
them
The thesis statement should act as a guide to the paper
1st point is main topic of 1st paragraph and so on
Intro and closing paragraphs focused on whole topic rather than
supporting points