Parvana's Journey

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. The novel is set in Afghanistan. On which continent is Afghanistan located? What languages are spoken there? What religion is primarily practiced? What are some notable historical events that have happened in Afghanistan?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the geographical setting of the novel: a war-torn, early 21st-century Afghanistan. A landlocked country in Central Asia, Afghanistan has a rich history and has been important for transit between European, Middle Eastern, and Asian empires. The primary languages are Dari, a form of Persian, and Pashto, the language commonly used by the Pashtun, an ethnolinguistic group. The majority of the people in Afghanistan practice Islam. Students may be aware of recent political developments in Afghanistan, including the US invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban government’s takeover, and the withdrawal of US troops. Ellis’s novel begins in the aftermath of the Taliban invasion and during the initial airstrikes on Afghanistan as Parvana and her companions navigate their childhood in a war-torn country. This question, as well as the resource below, relates to the activity.

• The World Factbook by the CIA shares a general overview of Afghanistan.
• PBS provides a timeline of important events in 20th/21st-century Afghanistan, along with a brief history of the country before the 20th century. (This resource relates to the activity.)

2. Who is the Taliban? What are some of its policies? How is the Taliban perceived globally?

Teaching Suggestion: This question introduces an important political group in Afghanistan: the Taliban. After the withdrawal of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) forces in the early 1990s, a power vacuum in the region led to the rise of political fundamentalist groups, one of which was the Taliban in Pakistan. The Taliban is a Pashto-ethnic group that believed in an extremist form of Islam. The Taliban (which means “the students” in Pashto) controlled the majority of Afghanistan by the mid-1990s, and it introduced a series of conservative policies that limited the freedom of religion, education, and daily life for Afghans. In particular, the policies limited freedom for women. Although the US and its Allies attempted to overthrow the Taliban after the September 11th attacks in the US, the political group was able to retake most of its power back by 2021 when the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. Most countries do not recognize the Taliban as a legitimate form of government, with many countries refusing to acknowledge Taliban diplomats and the United Nations temporarily suspending their leadership at the General Assembly. In the novel, Ellis alludes to the lifestyle changes women must endure living under Taliban rule, particularly regarding women’s dress and enforced modesty.

• The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) provides information about the political group in “The Taliban in Afghanistan.”
• The BBC discusses the Taliban’s decision to prevent female humanitarian workers from employment in Afghanistan.

Short Activity

Imagine that you are forced to leave your home, and you only have 30 seconds to gather your belongings. Which items would you bring? Why? Share your responses with the class. How are your responses similar to or different from your classmates’ responses?

Teaching Suggestion: This short activity encourages students to place themselves in the perspective of a displaced person. Throughout the novel, Parvana and her companions are forced to make quick decisions as they find themselves without food, clothing, and shelter at a moment’s notice. While many students may first think to take mementos, practical items like shoes, coats, food, and water are the most essential for people facing an arduous journey.

• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) highlights the stories of several people on the move (PoM) and what they chose to bring with them on their journeys.
• The Mercy Corps organization shares the most important items that refugees need for survival.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Consider the effects of war on populations. How are different groups of people (e.g., adults, children, men, women, etc.) affected by war in their country?

Teaching Suggestion: This question links with the Discussion/Analysis Prompt, as well as the themes of The Effects of War on Children and The Senseless Nature of War. Ellis’s novel is told from the perspective of children who are forced to grapple with the burdens of war. In this vein, Parvana, Asif, and Leila must take on adult responsibilities, like feeding, clothing, and sheltering themselves and Hassan. While the novel does not delve into this topic, children—in particular, girls—are at a high risk for human trafficking during times of political and financial instability. This is lightly alluded to at the end of the novel when the man tries to sell his baby for food. Regardless of demographics, war has a destabilizing effect on countries and it reduces access to food, increases the likelihood of casualties, and hurts the psychosocial well-being of the surviving populations.

Differentiation Suggestion: For more advanced students, the following question may be added: Select one war-torn country. Research and summarize the effects of war on the country’s population.