Surviving Repression: Persepolis

Lesson 12
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ELA

Unit 4

8th Grade

Lesson 12 of 22

Objective


Explain how specific incidents impact and reveal aspects of characters, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi  pp. 47 – 71

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A Note for Teachers


Today's lesson contains sensitive content that may be upsetting or triggering for students. Emphasize respectful communication, critical thinking, and context understanding prior to engaging in today's reading. Name for students resources they can leverage within the classroom or school day to process their emotions. 

  • In particular, today's reading includes descriptions and drawings of torture (pp. 50–53), including one in which a penis is visible (p. 51), another in which cigarettes are used to burn people (p. 51) and another in which a body is cut in pieces (p. 52). A character also uses the word "shit" (p. 55). Images of murder victims also appear on pages 65–66. 

Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

What impact does Anoosh's death have on Marji and her understanding of the world? How does Satrapi depict this change in Marji in both words and images? Provide at least two examples, using text and images to support your answer.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Key Questions

  • How does hearing about the torture of political prisoners impact Marji? Provide at least two examples using text and images from pages 50–53 to support your answer.

  • How does listening to Uncle Anoosh's stories impact Marji? What does her reaction reveal about her character? Provide at least two examples using text and images from pages 54–61 to support your answer.

  • How are many Iranians responding to the rise of the new Islamic government? How does this differ from Anoosh's perspective of the future? Provide at least two examples using text and images from pages 62–69 to support your answer.

Exit Ticket

Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

coming of age

a phrase used to describe the transition from childhood to adulthood, which is often applied to the genre of literature or film/television that explores this time of a person's life

Homework


To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Book: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi  pp. 72 – 79

  • Article: “The Stolen Revolution: Iranian Women of 1979” 

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What happens to Marji's mother when her car breaks down? (Persepolis)

  • How does this affect her mother? (Persepolis)

  • How do Marji and her family respond to the government's new rules? (Persepolis)

  • What did many women hope would happen when the shah was overthrown? ("The Stolen Revolution")

  • What actually happened when the shah was overthrown? ("The Stolen Revolution")

  • What rules were put into place by the new fundamentalist government? ("The Stolen Revolution")

Notes for Teachers

Tonight's reading contains profanity and references to rape. It also contains depictions of physical violence, including a person getting stabbed in the leg.

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Common Core Standards


  • RI.8.3 — Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
  • RI.8.5 — Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.

Supporting Standards

L.8.6
RI.8.1
RI.8.2
RI.8.4
RI.8.10
SL.8.1
SL.8.4
SL.8.5
SL.8.6
W.8.1
W.8.1.a
W.8.1.b
W.8.4
W.8.9
W.8.9.b
W.8.10

Next

Drawing evidence from two texts, explain the impact of the Iranian Revolution on women's rights, and how women resisted the changes imposed by the new regime.

Lesson 13
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