Assignment Five: Continuing Persepolis

Hi all! I’m really enjoying your responses to last week’s questions. Don’t forget to respond to one of your classmate’s responses as well as posting a response of your own. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow during either 6^th or 8^th.

Assignment #5

Nothing to watch this week!

Read Persepolis through pp. 100 (up to “The Wine).

Write Respond to 8 of 10 of the following questions. You must answer 9-10 and then can pick any six from the remaining question. Submit to Susannah (email) by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 21. These responses should be reasonably robust—at least 5-6 sentences apiece.

Please note any allusions, references, events, etc. that are confusing or unfamiliar—while I assume you’ll probably look up things you don’t know, this information will help me better teach the material in the future.

1)     What do you notice about the way women respond to the veil?

2)    Why do you think American pop culture has such an effect on Marjane and her peers?

3)    Comment on Marji’s relationship with God. How and why does it change/evolve?

4)    As a character, what does Mehri bring to the story?

5)    According to Marji’s dad, why will there never be peace in the Middle East? (In “The Party”) What do you think?

6)    What ideas about heroism does the story present? Comment on the way that heroism as a concept can vary by culture or region.

7)    As a character, what does Anoosh bring to the story?

8)    Write about one or both of Marji’s parents and how they influence and shape her outlook on the world—you can write about them as broad characters or focus on specific moments in the chapters.

9)    In what ways is Marji’s coming-of-age familiar and/or universal? What elements of her experience are unique to her particular circumstances?

10) Discuss a moment where the format (as a graphic novel) helps you understand an aspect of Marjane’s character or life experience in a way that a solely written description could not.