English 2 - outlines

outlines and thesis statements

Q1

Compare and contrast how the two authors expolre the theme of injustice and its effect on individuals. Focus on how characters experiences and choices develop this theme across the texts.

Q2

Compare and contrast how the two authors present the theme of ambition and the desire for a better life. Consdier how the authors use of chracters, plot ebents and symbols show this theme.

Q3

Compare and contrast hwo the two authors explore the idea of power and control in society. focus on how the characters respond to systems of authority and how this reveals the authors message.

Q1 : shaped by (social)/responses/accept vs. escape

Both Hassan and Balram are shaped by the inequality of their society, but their responses to it differ, While Hassan passively accepts his social position, Balram fights to escape his oppression.

Q1 P1: born unequal/Hazara vs. caste

Both Hassan and Balram experience the harsh realities of social inequality in their societies, which deeply influences their lives and limits their opportunities.

Q1 P2: response/passive loyalty vs. rebellion

Despite facing similar inequalities, Hassan accepts his social position with quiet loyalty, whereas Balram chooses to fight and break free from oppression.

Q1 P3: psych. impact/silence vs. revolt

 Both characters experience lasting psychological effects from the inequality they face, but while Hassan’s trauma deepens his silence, Balram’s intensifies his rebellion.

Q2: ambition/driven/moral growth vs. corruption

While both Balram and Amir are driven by ambition to escape their limitations, Balram’s desire for success leads him to embrace violence and corruption, whereas Amir’s ambition pushes him to seek redemption and moral growth.

Q2 P1: Amir = guilt → redemption

 Amir’s ambition is rooted in his guilt over betraying Hassan, driving him to seek forgiveness and rebuild his moral integrity.

Q2 P2: Balram = stuck → violent rise

Balram’s ambition to escape the “Rooster Coop” of poverty and servitude leads him to justify violence and moral compromise as necessary tools for success.

Q2 P3: both trapped/emotional vs. social

 Both Amir and Balram experience a profound sense of being trapped — Amir emotionally by guilt, Balram socially by caste — which sparks their ambition, but their methods and goals differ.

Q3: power shapes identity/guilt vs. survival

In The Kite Runner and The White Tiger, Hosseini and Adiga explore how societal power systems—like class and caste—shape personal identity, as Amir’s privilege leads to guilt and a need for redemption, while Balram’s oppression leads him to justify his ambition and violence as necessary for survival.

Q3 P1: born into roles/privilege vs. poverty

 Both authors present class and caste as rigid power systems that determine identity from birth, but while Amir is shaped by quiet privilege that fosters guilt, Balram is marked by visible subjugation that fuels his desire to rise.

Q3 P2: moral response/guilt vs. justification

 Faced with unequal societal power, Amir internalizes guilt and seeks redemption, while Balram rejects guilt entirely, using ambition and violence to reclaim power.

Q3 P3: future = healing vs. dominance

Though shaped by unequal systems, Amir seeks to heal through personal redemption, while Balram reinvents himself by rejecting morality and embracing dominance.