Socratic Seminar Questions, Parts I & II
NAME: James Holloman
TITLE OF WORK: A Thousand Splendid Suns
The proper question type The proper question type
was highlighted in the was highlighted in the
The question was not
question, the text reference question, the text reference
constructed correctly,
Question or direct quote was or direct quote was
and/or the question itself
Construction underlined, and the text underlined, or the text
was insufficient
reference or direct quote reference or direct quote
was properly punctuated was properly punctuated
_____/ 2 points per question _____/ 1 point per question _____/ 0 points per question
The student wrote
The student wrote insightful
The student wrote responses inadequate responses that
responses that were 1-
that were either 1-paragraph were neither 1-paragraph in
paragraph in length (3-4
Quality of in length (3-4 sentences) or length (3-4 sentences) nor
sentences) and included a
Responses included a direct quote with referenced the text or
direct quote with an in-text
an in-text citation included a direct quote with
citation
an in-text citation
_____/ 3 points per response _____/ 2 points per response _____/ 1 point per response
______/ 25 points
DIRECTIONS:
1. Write questions in the format given.
2. Highlight the first part of each question in the format of the question you provide, and
then underline the textual reference or quotation.
3. Provide a 1 paragraph short-answer response for each question you pose. Include
embedded quotes and an in-text citation.
1. Literary Analysis - Format: Literary Device + Quote from the Text
● Question: How does the use of foreshadowing when Rasheed tells Laila, “I swear you’re
going to make me kill you” (Hosseini 305). contribute to the plot and relate to events in
Laila’s future?
● Answer: Foreshadowing is used all throughout the novel, an example being Nana’s death in
part one. This quote from Rasheed contributes to the plot by setting a possible future
conflict for readers, especially with Rasheed’s frequent use of the word kill in part three. At
the end of chapter forty-five, we see this literary device come to fruition when Rasheed
really does try to kill Laila. The author writes, “He was still on top of Laila, his eyes wide and
crazy, his hands wrapped around her neck. Laila’s face was turning blue now, and her eyes
had rolled back. Mariam saw that she was no longer struggling. He’s going to kill her, she
thought. He really means to” (Hosseini 348). However, it becomes ironic when it eventually
becomes Rasheed who is killed. The foreshadowing relates specifically to this event in
Laila’s future.
2. Open-Ended - Format: Opinion Question + Text Reference
● Question: Do you think that Mariam should have murdered Rasheed? What do her actions
show about the change and development of her character?
● Answer: I believe that Mariam should have murdered Rasheed. Mariam saw that he was
trying to kill Laila, and she decided that, “He'd taken so much from her in twenty-seven
years of marriage. She would not watch him take Laila too” (Hosseini 348). This part of the
book holds a critical turning point for the development of Mariam’s character. At first, she
hates Laila, but eventually begins to warm up to. In the end, she would protect Laila from
Rasheed with her own body, but it isn’t until Mariam sees that Rasheed is going to kill Laila
that she musters up the strength and courage to fight back against Rasheed and kill him.
Mariam doesn’t want to kill Rasheed, but she knows that if she doesn’t both she and Laila
will be killed. That is why it was necessary for Mariam to do this, even though she knew the
consequences, so that Laila could escape and marry Tariq.
3. World Connection - Format: Real-World Application + Text Reference
● Question: How are the restrictions placed upon women by the Taliban different from the
restrictions placed upon men, and how do they contrast with the men and women in
America?
● Answer: When the Soviets ruled Afghanistan, women had many freedoms. They held jobs,
had an education, didn’t cover up, etc. Once the Taliban took over though, they placed
restrictions on all women, forbidding them to work, forbidding them to go anywhere
without a male, forbidding them from going to school, making them cover their faces in
public, etc. Men also had some restrictions, such as growing a beard, but they were treated
much better than women, who were thought of as contemptible slaves. The author writes,
“The freedoms and opportunities that women had enjoyed between 1978 and 1992 were a
thing of the past now- Laila could still remember Babi saying of those years of communist
rule, It’s a good time to be a woman in Afghanistan, Laila ” (Hosseini 259). This is very
different from the way men and women are treated in America today. Now, men and
women in America have equal rights, and both can vote, drive, have a job, go to college,
and enjoy many freedoms that the people in Afghanistan aren’t allowed.
4. Personal Connection - Format: Personal Connection + Text Reference
● Question: If you were Laila, would you have left the stable, secure life of safety in Pakistan
to return to Kabul after the Taliban left, without knowing whether or not the Taliban would
return or if there will be more bombs, and spend over a fifth of your life savings just to get
there?
● Answer: If I was Laila, I probably wouldn’t have left Pakistan to return to Kabul, after all
that I have gone through with my family dying and being abused by Rasheed. In chapter
50, the author writes, “Laila hears the voice of doubt whispering in her head. Are they being
foolish, she wonders, leaving behind the safety of Murree? Going back to the land where
her parents and brothers perished, where the smoke of bombs is only now settling”
(Hosseini 392). Laila has her doubts, but she still wants to go back to Kabul to help be
important and rebuild the city. I wouldn’t have wanted to go back, especially with the cost
of traveling there. She had a lot of courage to be able to do that without knowing what the
future might hold.
5. Universal Theme - Format: Universal Theme (Relates to Humans) + Text Reference
● Question: Explain how the themes of hope and endurance are seen through the hardships
that women have to face because of the restrictions set by the Taliban, and the way that
Rasheed treats Laila and Mariam.
● Answer: In A Thousand Splendid Suns, there are many themes that are portrayed.
However, one of the key themes seen throughout the novel are hope and endurance.
There are so many hardships that you see Mariam and Laila face that it is hard to keep
count. After Mariam kills Rasheed, she and Laila imagine where they will escape to. “They
would make new lives for themselves- peaceful, solitary lives- and there the wait of all that
they’d endured would lift from them, and they would be deserving of all the happiness and
simple prosperity they would find” (Hosseini 354). This shows that even after everything
they have been through, they endured it all and still held onto hope for a better future.
