Reading as Resistance: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Lesson 12
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ELA

Unit 5

10th Grade

Lesson 12 of 29

Objective


Analyze how and why Nafisi uses flashbacks to structure her memoir.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi  — pp. 81–96

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

What is the purpose of Nafisi's use of flashbacks in Part 2? What does she reveal about her personal life and about the political context, and how does it relate to Part 1?

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

How does the scene at the Tehran airport indicate a shift in Part 2 of Nafisi's memoir? What does the airport symbolize to Nafisi personally?

How does living abroad, particularly in the United States, impact Nafisi's feelings about Iran and the revolution? 

What does Nafisi think the best fiction should do? What parallels exist between Nafisi's discussion about the purpose of fiction inside the classroom and her personal experience outside the classroom?

Vocabulary


Text-based

subversiveness

n.

(p. 94)

behaviors or activities that try to destroy or damage something, especially an established political system

immutable

adj.

(p. 94)

unchanging over time or unable to be changed

Homework


  • Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi  — pp. 96–106, 111–113, and 117–121

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What does the new regime do following the revolution?

  • What does Mr. Bahri ask Nafisi to teach more in her class?

  • Who does Nafisi see one night on television? How does she react?

  • How does Nafisi describe Mr. Bahri? On what point do he and Nafisi disagree?

  • What is the "nest of spies"?

  • For what reason does Nafisi cancel class?

  • What threat do faculty members begin to face, and for what?

  • What is Mr. Nyazi's opinion of The Great Gatsby? What idea does Nafisi have in response?

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Standards


  • RI.9-10.3 — Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
  • RI.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
  • RI.9-10.5 — Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RI.9-10.1
RI.9-10.10
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9.b
W.9-10.10

Next

Analyze the shifting mood of the revolution and how it impacts life at the university. 

Lesson 13
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