Reading as Resistance: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Lesson 16
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ELA

Unit 5

10th Grade

Lesson 16 of 29

Objective


Analyze how individuals show resistance to the government's cultural revolution as it impacts the University of Tehran.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi  — pp. 137–140, 146–153

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

What forms of resistance do you see individuals take as the revolution impacts life at the University of Tehran, and what are the consequences of each? 

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

How does the anecdote on pages 138–140 about Professor R, the magician, help to characterize him? How does his characterization compare to how Nafisi first described him on page 34?

How does Nafisi's attitude towards wearing the veil compare with her female colleague, the "modern" (152) woman? How would each woman define freedom?

What is the tone of Nafisi's final paragraph on page 153? What is the effect of ending this section this way?

Vocabulary


Text-based

dissent

n.

(p. 146)

a strong difference of opinion on a particular subject, especially about an official suggestion or plan or a popular belief

comply

v.

(p. 152)

to act in agreement with another's wishes or in obedience to a rule

Homework


  • Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi  — pp. 160–182

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What happened between Laleh and the guard at the university?

  • Where does Nafisi go immediately after her meeting with Mr. Bahri?

  • What "survival game" does Nafisi play?

  • How does Nafisi's experience compare with her husband's?

  • How does she cope with life after losing her teaching job, both personally and professionally?

  • Describe the first meeting between Nafisi and her magician.

  • Who is Mrs. Rezvan? What role does she play in Nafisi's return to teaching?

  • What is the magician's advice to Nafisi on returning to teaching?

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Standards


  • RI.9-10.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • 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.9-10.5
RI.9-10.10
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9.b
W.9-10.10

Next

Analyze how Nafisi grapples with the moral dilemma of complying with wearing the veil to return to teaching.

Lesson 17
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