Reading as Resistance: Reading Lolita in Tehran

Lesson 7
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ELA

Unit 5

10th Grade

Lesson 7 of 29

Objective


Analyze how the reading group develops Nafisi's ideas about insubordination.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi  — pp. 44–55, 56–59

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A Note for Teachers


This reading references sexual abuse of a child by a family member. Be sure that students are made aware of this content when assigned the reading.

Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

In what ways is participation in the reading group an act of insubordination against the regime?

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

What does Nafisi mean when she says on page 47 that every great work of art is "an insubordination"? How is the form of fiction rebellious? 

What do you notice happens in the reading group as the girls discuss Lolita on pages 50–52? Why is this significant?

What diction and imagery is used by Mitra and Nafisi to describe the reading group on page 57? How does the language develop a contrast between the mood inside and outside the room?

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

diction

a speaker or writer's word choice

mood

the emotional atmosphere of a scene or a text, which often evokes feelings in the reader

Text-based

vehemence

n.

(p. 50)

display of strong feeling; passion

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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.9-10.2
RI.9-10.10
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9.b
W.9-10.10

Next

Analyze Rushdie's purpose and rhetorical choices in his essay "On Censorship."

Lesson 8
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