Kite runner Essay

 The Kite Runner contains many families that suffer in their own unique way. Two different fathers in the novel both are overbearing in their own way, which leads to their families falling apart. The author uses these families to dimistrait the theme of how overbearing parents will cause their kids to resent their family.  The main character Amir’s family’s major source of unhappiness was Baba’s decision to father an illegitimate child with the servant’s son. This created an unhealthy dynamic between The legitimate and illegitimate son where the legitimate son constantly had to fight for and earn his father’s affection from the illegitimate son. It got so bad that Amir, the legitimate child, forced the two families to separate. Ironically, Baba showing his son too much affection is what separated them in the end.  Amir’s wife Soraya has a broken family of her own. Her father was a famous General back in Afghanistan, but now does nothing but run a resale store as a hobby and cash in welfare checks. He sees himself as above the rest of his countrymen and too important to work labor. While he does nothing to improve his standard of living, he expects his daughter to not only be successful in school but pursue a high-paying job to his specification. This pressure makes Soray act out and rebel, leading her to compromise her Purity Within  The Afghani community. This sacrifices her chance at marrying, one of the major ways his family could have moved up socially and economically. Both of these fathers put unrealistic expectations on their children leading to broken families in a different way. Baba’s unrealistic expectations led Amir into destroying the family he loved while Sayora’s father’s overbearingness led her to ruin his family’s pride which he valued over everything. 

 | SG 7AP English Literature Scoring Rubric, Free-Response Question 1-3

Scoring Rubric for Question 3: Literary Argument 6 points

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row A
Thesis

(0-1 points)

7.B

0 points

For any of the following:
• There is no defensible thesis.
• The intended thesis only restates the prompt.
• The intended thesis provides a summary of the issue with

no apparent or coherent thesis.
• There is a thesis, but it does not respond to the prompt.

1 point

Responds to the prompt with a thesis that presents a defensible interpretation of the
selected work.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point:
• Only restate the prompt.
• Make a generalized comment about the selected work

that doesn’t respond to the prompt.

Responses that earn this point:
• Provide a defensible interpretation in response to the prompt.

Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the selected work must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need not

cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.

 | SG 8AP English Literature Scoring Rubric, Free-Response Question 1-3

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row B
Evidence

AND
Commentary
(0-4 points)

7.A

7.C

7.D

7.E

0 points

Simply restates thesis (if
present), repeats provided
information, or offers
information irrelevant to
the prompt.

1 point

EVIDENCE:
Provides evidence that is
mostly general.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Summarizes the evidence
but does not explain how
the evidence supports the
argument.

2 points

EVIDENCE:
Provides some specific,
relevant evidence.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Explains how some of the
evidence relates to the
student’s argument, but
no line of reasoning is
established, or the line of
reasoning is faulty.

3 points

EVIDENCE:
Provides specific evidence to
support all claims in a line of
reasoning.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Explains how some of the
evidence supports a line of
reasoning.

4 points

EVIDENCE:
Provides specific evidence to
support all claims in a line of
reasoning.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Consistently explains how
the evidence supports a line
of reasoning.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Typical responses that
earn 0 points:
• Are incoherent or do not

address the prompt.
• May be just opinion with

no textual references
or references that are
irrelevant.

Typical responses that earn
1 point:
• Tend to focus on

overarching narrative
developments or
description of a selected
work rather than specific
details.

Typical responses that earn
2 points:
• Consist of a mix of

specific evidence and
broad generalities.

• May contain some
simplistic, inaccurate, or
repetitive explanations
that don’t strengthen the
argument.

• May make one point well
but either do not make
multiple supporting claims
or do not adequately
support more than one
claim.

• Do not explain the
connections or
progression between the
student’s claims, so a line
of reasoning is not clearly
established.

Typical responses that earn
3 points:
• Uniformly offer evidence

to support claims.
• Focus on the importance

of specific details from
the selected work to build
an interpretation.

• Organize an argument
as a line of reasoning
composed of multiple
supporting claims.

• Commentary may fail to
integrate some evidence
or fail to support a key
claim.

Typical responses that earn
4 points:
• Uniformly offer evidence

to support claims.
• Focus on the importance

of specific details from
the selected works to
build an interpretation.

• Organize and support
an argument as a line of
reasoning composed
of multiple supporting
claims, each with
adequate evidence that is
clearly explained.

Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the fourth point in this row.
• To earn the fourth point in this row, the response must address the interpretation of the selected work as a whole.

 | SG 9AP English Literature Scoring Rubric, Free-Response Question 1-3

Reporting
Category Scoring Criteria

Row C
Sophistication

(0-1 points)
7.C
7.D
7.E
0 points

Does not meet the criteria for one point.
1 point

Demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or develops a complex literary
argument.

Decision Rules and Scoring Notes

Responses that do not earn this point:
• Attempt to contextualize their interpretation, but such attempts

consist predominantly of sweeping generalizations.
• Only hint at or suggest other possible interpretations.
• Oversimplify complexities of the topic and/or the selected

work.
• Use complicated or complex sentences or language that is

ineffective because it does not enhance the student’s
argument.

Responses that earn this point may demonstrate a sophistication of
thought or develop a complex literary argument by doing any of the
following:
1. Identifying and exploring complexities or tensions within the selected

work.
2. Illuminating the student’s interpretation by situating it within a

broader context.
3. Accounting for alternative interpretations of the selected work.
4. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.

Additional Notes:
• This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the student’s argument, not merely a phrase

or reference.