Social, Political, Protest Writing
- Social and economic division causes oppression of some groups in society.
- The marginalisation of individuals or groups based on ethnicity, culture and/or religion has
damaging impacts.
- It is the responsibility of those in positions of power to be an advocate for the silenced; only
then can social change occur.
- Political institutions can be abusive of their authority, with detrimental consequences for
social groups.
- The Kite Runner:
- The economic divide between the Pashtun and Hazara people leads to an
ongoing cycle of divide.
- Links to religious leaders (during the Taliban rule) - justifying the violent
actions of the Taliban by using religion → has consequences on the
innocent victims.
- Silencing of the Hazara People's History in Textbooks → filtering
textbooks
- The Taliban abusing their power and oppressing women and children in
particular
- Ghazi Stadium
- Sohrab
- Tony Harrison
- Them & [uz]
- Skinheads being oppressed → lack of identity
- The oppression he faces because of the school system
- Harrison wasn’t treated as an equal
- Link to Divisions
- National Trust
- The oppression faced by those of lower social classes → due to
abuse of power etc.
- Acts of rebellion against oppression are not always overt, but they are always significant.
Explore the significance of violence …
- Tony Harrison:
- The national trust → highlights how violence was used as a means of controlling
vulnerable minority groups
- Violent imagery
- Highlights the hardships faced by minority groups
- Working
- Marked with D.
- The kite runner
, - Links to the events at Ghazi stadium
- The pomegranate scene
- Hassans rape
- The fight between Amir and Assef → highlights the importance of standing up to
authority
- Violence is used to assert dominance over a minority group → Amir
throws pomegranates at Hassan, while Hassan stands without fighting
back
- At Ghazi Stadium violence is used as a public display
- Asserting dominance and control over a larger group of people →
highlights the use of ‘deterrence’ - where people are less likely to
challenge these figures of authority since they are dangerous
- Violent imagery is used frequently in the later parts of the book, where Amir
returns to Afghanistan → highlighting the negative impacts of violence on the
country as a whole.
- Highlights how Harrison's poetry is silenced through its violence → highlighting the
generation's influence of violence → leading to social class divisions
‘Speaking out against unfairness is a key element of political and social protest.’
Explore the significance of speaking out against unfairness as presented in the two political
and social protest texts you have studied.
Remember to include in your answer a relevant detailed exploration of authorial methods.
[25 marks]
Essay Plan: The Significance of Speaking Out Against Unfairness in The Kite Runner and Tony
Harrison’s Poetry
Introduction:
- Define speaking out against unfairness as a key element of political and social protest
literature.
- Both The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Tony Harrison’s poetry address injustice,
whether through individual acts of defiance or literary and linguistic rebellion.
- Thesis statement: While both texts highlight the importance of challenging injustice, they also
explore the consequences of silence, complicity, and repression.
- Both writer's works act as a form of speaking out against injustices and unfairness →
highlighting the impacts of using individual voices to invoke a wider change
Speaking Out Against Social Injustice
The Kite Runner
- Social and economic division causes oppression of some groups in society.
- The marginalisation of individuals or groups based on ethnicity, culture and/or religion has
damaging impacts.
- It is the responsibility of those in positions of power to be an advocate for the silenced; only
then can social change occur.
- Political institutions can be abusive of their authority, with detrimental consequences for
social groups.
- The Kite Runner:
- The economic divide between the Pashtun and Hazara people leads to an
ongoing cycle of divide.
- Links to religious leaders (during the Taliban rule) - justifying the violent
actions of the Taliban by using religion → has consequences on the
innocent victims.
- Silencing of the Hazara People's History in Textbooks → filtering
textbooks
- The Taliban abusing their power and oppressing women and children in
particular
- Ghazi Stadium
- Sohrab
- Tony Harrison
- Them & [uz]
- Skinheads being oppressed → lack of identity
- The oppression he faces because of the school system
- Harrison wasn’t treated as an equal
- Link to Divisions
- National Trust
- The oppression faced by those of lower social classes → due to
abuse of power etc.
- Acts of rebellion against oppression are not always overt, but they are always significant.
Explore the significance of violence …
- Tony Harrison:
- The national trust → highlights how violence was used as a means of controlling
vulnerable minority groups
- Violent imagery
- Highlights the hardships faced by minority groups
- Working
- Marked with D.
- The kite runner
, - Links to the events at Ghazi stadium
- The pomegranate scene
- Hassans rape
- The fight between Amir and Assef → highlights the importance of standing up to
authority
- Violence is used to assert dominance over a minority group → Amir
throws pomegranates at Hassan, while Hassan stands without fighting
back
- At Ghazi Stadium violence is used as a public display
- Asserting dominance and control over a larger group of people →
highlights the use of ‘deterrence’ - where people are less likely to
challenge these figures of authority since they are dangerous
- Violent imagery is used frequently in the later parts of the book, where Amir
returns to Afghanistan → highlighting the negative impacts of violence on the
country as a whole.
- Highlights how Harrison's poetry is silenced through its violence → highlighting the
generation's influence of violence → leading to social class divisions
‘Speaking out against unfairness is a key element of political and social protest.’
Explore the significance of speaking out against unfairness as presented in the two political
and social protest texts you have studied.
Remember to include in your answer a relevant detailed exploration of authorial methods.
[25 marks]
Essay Plan: The Significance of Speaking Out Against Unfairness in The Kite Runner and Tony
Harrison’s Poetry
Introduction:
- Define speaking out against unfairness as a key element of political and social protest
literature.
- Both The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Tony Harrison’s poetry address injustice,
whether through individual acts of defiance or literary and linguistic rebellion.
- Thesis statement: While both texts highlight the importance of challenging injustice, they also
explore the consequences of silence, complicity, and repression.
- Both writer's works act as a form of speaking out against injustices and unfairness →
highlighting the impacts of using individual voices to invoke a wider change
Speaking Out Against Social Injustice
The Kite Runner
