References

Works Cited

Bahar Davary. "Miss Elsa and the Veil: Honor, Shame, and Identity Negotiations."

Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 25.2 (2009): 47-66. Project MUSE.

[Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 22 Oct. 2009 .


Kimberly Wedeven Segall. "Melancholy Ties: Intergenerational Loss and Exile in

Persepolis." Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 28.1 (2008):

38-49. Project MUSE. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 6 Apr. 2009 .

"Marjane Satrapis Persepolis and its cultural, educational relevance." Memory Wave Transmission Noise, drone, books, reviews. Web. 14 Dec. 2009. .

Naghibi, Nima, and Andrew O'Malley. "Estranging the Familiar: "East" and "West" in

Satrapi's Persepolis." ESC: English Studies in Canada 31.1 (2005): 223-47. Project

MUSE. Web. 10 Oct. 2009.

"Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi on Flickr - Photo Sharing!" Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Web. 15 Dec. 2009. .

"YouTube - Persepolis - English Version on Super Channel." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 15 Dec. 2009. .

"YouTube - Persepolis." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 15 Dec. 2009.

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Interview with Marjane Satrapi

Want to hear the real Marjane Satrapi's view on Persepolis and her life?

View this short clip with pictures and an interview of Marjane discussing the book, movie, and her family

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPkCP2cNpZg

Persepolis Movie Trailer (English Version)

For more resources, look into viewing Persepolis, the movie to have a better understanding of the book and of Marjane and her identity.

Watch the trailer below:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOHQaxORMgQ

Overarching Themes of Identity

Throughout the novel, Persepolis, the theme of identity is established. This theme of different forms of identity can also be depicted in the four daily lesson plans on our website blog. Persepolis is a graphic novel that follows the development of one young girl, Marjane, who along with the reader struggles to assimilate into every culture she is placed into. In this graphic novel, the reader is shown both the physical turmoil (with Satrapi coping with the rules and regulations that have been placed onto her as a Mulsim women) as well as the internal crisis Marjane undergoes throughout the entire novel. The Shah has overthrown and placed regulations onto those who have differing views (meaning Marjane and her family specifically). Marjane is first shown as a naive and complacent young girl. However, as novel unfolds Marjane becomes informed and decides to fight back against the rules and restrictions that have been placed on her. Overall, Marjane’s story depicts her life struggle of physical assimilation into culture after culture, as well as her internal battle which is essentially a reflection of the issues she faces as a young women coping with the fight against the Shah’s power to take over her country. This power eventually results in Marjane Satrapi’s loss of identity, which is prevelant throughout the entire novel. For instance, how Marjane is never truly able to adapt to the culture in terms of the clothing, music, or language used. Marjane is a representative of the loss of culture that her identity has undergone as a women of Muslim descent.

The four daily lesson plans have been incorporated into the website blog as a means for an outlet for students who do not fully understand or comprehend the major and minor themes in Marjane Satrapi’s novel The Complete Persepolis. The website has been written from the perspective of a high school English teacher to answer the lack of understanding discussed in the above statement. The lesson plans were divided into the four main themes we found to be most prevalent in the graphic novel, Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. For instance, the first daily lesson plan deals with issues of physical representation of one’s identity, specifically one’s religion. By having students undergo a mock simulation of wearing the veil, it is the objective and goal to have students fully understand the emotional as well as physical turmoil Marjane must have been experiencing when she was forced to wear a veil (a physical reminder of her religion and cultural identity day in and day out).

The second daily lesson plan was placed into a web blog as a outlet for students to comprehend the conflicting choices Marjane was forced to make, rather large or small. We always wanted to incorporate this aspect into the website blog to establish common ground and coherence among the many students viewing this blog. It was our belief that students would find this daily lesson plan as the most prevelant and relavent in their own daily life.

The third daily lesson plan was implemented into the website blog in order to address the issue of family relationships throughout the novel. Specifically, the close interpersonal relationships Marjane experiences with her Uncle Annosh as well as her mother and father depict the different voices and essentially identities Marjane is left feeling torn between throughout the novel.

The fourth daily lesson plan was placed into the website blog as a means to address transitions throughout the novel, and in turn the larger society. For instance, when Marjane makes her first trip overseas to Austria, she is left with the emotional turmoil and anxiety of dealing with her inability to assimilate into the Austrian culture. The above statements are reasons for the main characters desire to become an insider throughout the novel. Particularly, students should be able to pull the theme of identity that is incorporated throughout the entire piece, as well as the four daily lesson plan entries.

The theme of identity is incorporated into the aspect of Psychology, because the main character is reflective of both her own thoughts, wants, and desires. The reader is able to acquire a similar understanding and emotion of helping one’s fellow neighbor. Through this theme of common good, students will be able to acquire a better, more in depth retrospective understanding of themselves in comparison to the main character in the novel. There are many ways in which teachers can and should use this novel,Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi within a classroom setting.

This novel is extremely applicable within the classroom setting, and should be used as a reference for high school students looking for content involving identity. Evidence of this can be viewed in the following quote.

"A great way, I feel, to use Persepolis in a class lesson would be a as a study in non text based literature. Many times, English classes tend to only focus on novels and poetry, and never really delve into other forms of writing, such as memoirs, nonfiction essays, plays or scripts, and graphic novels"(Ryneb, 2008).

This author believes that it is of critical importance for these types of minority texts to be incorporated into the classroom and used and engaged with students as much if not more than the classical novels we are accustomed to. The novel is addressed as a strong piece of work because of its authentic and diverse representations of different and often times minority cultures. Because the themes presented in the novel,Persepolis, contains such deep and often times difficult controversial issues, the author discusses the importance of engaging other pieces of literature such as, historical references and other pieces of work which are more easily utilized in the classroom setting by high school students within the curriculum. This novel is relevant due to the controversial media in today’s society, dealing with the war in Iraq. Students are able to relate to these topics more easily because of their applicability in today’s modern era. Graphic novels also answer the void of getting students to read different forms of literature.

For instance, graphic novels are a more engaging way to address such controversial issues such as religion, cultural identity, war, and rebellion for students rather than strictly reading a history novel. The following quote discusses the key points and elements our group was addressing through the use of a daily lesson plan website blog.

"Satrapi’s book is very useful in the classroom because of it’s diversity and originality. Persepolis has a wide range of emotions and feelings that can create lively discussions in the classroom. It also spices up the classroom learning, creating a new and fresh reading that can provide relief from learning from text based books" (Ryneb, 2008).

Daily Lesson Plan #4

Introduction to the lesson: Transitions

“Marjane's identity, as an adolescent has been formulated against a background of loss, because of the Iran-Iraq war and civil unrest and because her parents have sent her into exile in Austria, to keep her safe. Staying with family friends, Marjane meets Shirin, another teenage exile in Vienna. Moving from the war zone to Europe creates an identity dislodgment for Marjane. As Shirin talks about her pearly pink lipstick, Marjane thinks, "What a traitor! While people were dying in our country, she was talking to me about trivial things." Having experienced war, bombings, disappearances, and secret police raids, Marjane feels detached from Iranian exiles, who have forgotten the violations of their homeland. The traumatic experiences of war have been part of her childhood, and the amnesia about these events creates anger and distance” (Segall 38-49). Marjane is sent to Austria as a means to be safe and start a new life as a teenager, yet transitioning brings on new people, new school, new food, and a new culture. Prior to assimilating, Marjane thinks it’s wrong for Shirin to be thinking about lip stick at a time during war but then Marjane becomes Shirin, she assimilates herself to wearing make-up. Marjane has undergone transitions from hostile war environments to westernized culture and back and she grew up through it all, all the changes and all the pressures of religion and rebellion.

“There are many signs of an uneasy, yet desired, return. Having left Iran as a teenager, she has grown up in Europe, and her father does not recognize her at first—a failed recognition. She notices that her parents seem older, shorter, and less "imposing," and despite their "comforting words" of welcome home, she proceeds to her room and does not speak of her time in exile. Her exile experience, with the temporary cultural aphasia of identity, now feels unspeakable, because she has been disconnected from Iran; it is an uneasy return to reemerge with war victims” (Segall 38-49).
When Marjane comes back and sees that her parent’s looks older, shorter, and different, it becomes a reality that she was away from all the terror in Iran. She missed out on what her family was experiencing during a rough time. Marjane was disconnected from Iran while she was in Austria which can sometimes be detrimental when moving from place to place because you go on thinking that you are missing out on your family and friends along with the feeling of missing out on events and what happens in your hometown and culture. It’s very uneasy to return to a time of war because all the emotions, all the fear and anxiety comes back to a person that has to relive all the things he/she lived before the transition process.

Kimberly Wedeven Segall. "Melancholy Ties: Intergenerational Loss and Exile in Persepolis." Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 28.1 (2008): 38-49. Project MUSE. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 6 Apr. 2009 .


Purpose: To have the students reflect on how Marjane felt when she left home in Iran and went to Austria and then eventually France.

Overall lesson topic/title: Marjane’s Transitions

Grade Level Content Expectations: This lesson is designed for high school level students.

Goals/Objectives:
 Knowledge Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to practice their writing skills without worrying about being graded.

 Commitment Goal: Students will write their journal entry/reflection based on how they would feel leaving their home and family at a young age and traveling to a new country.

 Materials/supplies needed: A journal and a pen or pencil.

 Procedures & approximate time allocated for each event: 10-15 minutes possibly longer if students need more time to gather their thoughts

Closing summary for the lesson: Students will write a brief journal entry (no page length required) and then put their desks in a circle to have a class discussion on the topic of transitions.


Transitions Writing Assignment

There is one component to this assignment:

(1)Journal Assignment: After reading "The Dowry" chapter in Persepolis on pages 143-153, you should apply how you feel after reading this section and apply it to your journal entry.

Assignment: In this journal entry, you will be free writing about how you would feel if you were put in Marjane’s position. Do you think that you would be mature enough to leave home at age 14? How would you feel if the new country you are living in is not as glamorous as you originally thought? Use these questions and then continue free writing until you have all of your thoughts on paper.

Daily Lesson Plan #3

Introduction to the lesson: Family Relationships

Satrapi visually depicts in a graphic novel how stories of violation become part of a family’s social dynamic. Persepolis shows how stories of violence pass between parents and their children in a way that embeds family groups within a time of personal grief, and traumatic occurrences. The graphic images of dying bodies that Satrapi portrays do not provide comfort or a sense of relief for the reader. However, they are an outlet for the reader to cope with the horrific events of the novel. In the end, the author does an eloquent job of depicting how one family’s loss is transpired into the bond of identification for one girl, Marjane. Through this development of identification the reader is able to view the emotional turmoil that one loss has on an entire family as a result. “In Persepolis, Satrapi focuses on the family memories of the youthful Marjane. Satrapi depicts many family characters telling their story to the child Marjane. For example, her Uncle Anoosh states, “I tell you all this because it’s important that you know, our family memory must not be lost,”(Satrapi 60). The text serves as an intimate commemoration of the dead as seen in a prison cell scene with the child Marjane and her uncle. As a form of mourning, Persepolis remembers, names, and honors Satrapi’s uncle” (Segall, 38-49). It’s evident that in Persepolis, family relationships are prevalent in times of war, change, and holding memories forever.


Kimberly Wedeven Segall. "Melancholy Ties: Intergenerational Loss and Exile in Persepolis." Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 28.1 (2008): 38-49. Project MUSE. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 6 Apr. 2009 .


Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to have students develop and connect on family members that have impacted them in similar ways as the family members in Marjane Satrapi’s story.

Overall lesson topic/title: Family

Grade Level Content Expectations: This lesson is designed for high school level students.

Goals/Objectives:
 Knowledge Goal: The goal of this activity is to focus students’ writing around the dynamic relationships of family members in their lives with those in Marjane Satrapi.

 Commitment Goal: Students will write their essays based on authentic real life situations involving experiences with members in their family.

 Materials/supplies needed: A computer to write the essay, and a printer.

 Procedures & approximate time allocated for each event: This assignment will take approximately take 4 hours total.

Closing summary for the lesson: Students will write a brief 4-5 paged essay depicting a similar family member who has impacted them in similar ways depicted in the novel, Peresoplis, by Marjane Satrapi.


Persepolis Relationship Essay Assignment

There is one component to this assignment:
(1) Analytical Compare and Contrast Essay: This is a compare and contrast essay and should be written in an analytical format.

Assignment: In this essay you will be reflecting on the experience of wearing the veil as a whole. The importance of this essay is to focus on the identity crisis Marjane Satrapi under went in her novel in comparison to the relationship she carries with members in her family. Feel free to pull evidence, and direct quotes from your experience in order to support your claim.

Fine Print: This is an essay, and so, should conform to basic style and format conventions, such as 12 point book fonts, 1’’ margins, double-spacing, no additional spaces between paragraphs and so on. Paragraphs should develop one clear idea. Paragraphs should be linked by thematic transitions and connections. The essay should have a refined and unified central arc. There should be an introduction and a conclusion. If you are at all confused as to the basics of such conventions, consult a style manual.
However, this is also a reflection essay, and as such you should use “I” when appropriate, and are required to draw on your own experience.

*Fine print taken from ENG 210 Dr. Cohen Micro-Essay Rubrics.

Here is a fun ice breaker activity to engage the characters of Satrapi's novel, Persepolis.


V W L H A C F K O Y N A Q F F
Q X G C K A Q G L G M V T P S
J T D A R K D S Q L H E M O L
T Q X H Z A Z R C B I F V T V
I E S B X R G S F R J C B I X
I A H V Y L S D D Y Z V Y H B
K X I P I S L A M H Z T R D D
F K P B O D O G W O V H R X Z
J Z T N C R Z D J S B M S Q Q
D X Y D I N P B R I J S K I S
S E T R A C S E D E N E R M H
A N K G D L D S A H Z M M E O
J Z I M H L U W Z V C A P T F
H W H I M S U G Y W R T I A C
H J U M U F O U G X U E Z F Z




ASHRAF, FATEMI, GOD,
ISLAM, KARL MARX,
PROPHET, RENEDESCARTES, REZAI

Daily Lesson Plan #2

Introduction to the lesson: Conflicted Choices

The relationship between East and West shapes the narrative throughout Persepolis. The first chapter on the veil introduces us to a split image of Marji; one half of her is veiled against a background of Persian artwork, which signifies Eastern culture and the other half of her is unveiled against a background of instruments of technology and science, signifying Western culture. The picture of Marjane’s life split between Eastern and Western culture and the split of black-and-white illustration represents Marji choosing between two lives. This represents the life in Iran for her and her family and then the tools and technology foreshadows her transition the old cultural aspects of Iran that she first identifies with to the modern, Industrial, Westernized culture she assimilates into when she enters a new country.

Naghibi, Nima, and Andrew O'Malley. "Estranging the Familiar: "East" and "West" in Satrapi's Persepolis." ESC: English Studies in Canada 31.1 (2005): 223-47. Project MUSE. Web. 10 Oct. 2009. .



Daily Lesson Plan

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to have students draw on similar experiences around conflicted choices as Marjane Satrapi.

Overall lesson topic/title: Conflicted Choices

Grade Level Content Expectations: This lesson is designed for high school level students.

Goals/Objectives:

 Knowledge Goal: The goal of this activity is to focus students on developing a coherence between situations in Marjane Satrapi’s life and their own in a concise written essay format.

 Commitment Goal: Students will write their essays based on authentic real life situations.

 Materials/supplies needed: A computer to write the essay, and a printer.

 Procedures & approximate time allocated for each event: This assignment will take approximately take 2 hours total.

Closing summary for the lesson: Students will write a brief 1-2 page essay depicting similar experiences they have encountered or dealt with directly based on a difficult conflicting choice they had to make.



Persepolis Conflict Essay Assignment

There is one component to this assignment:

(1)Reflection Essay: The reflection component of your assignment should be the application, observation, and evaluation aspect of your assignment.


Assignment: In this essay you will be writing and drawing on similar experiences you encountered in your life. The importance of this essay is to focus on the similarities between Marjane Satrapi’s conflict of decisions she under went in her novel. Feel free to pull evidence, and direct quotes from your experience in order to support your claim.

Fine Print: This is an essay, and so, should conform to basic style and format conventions, such as 12 point book fonts, 1’’ margins, double-spacing, no additional spaces between paragraphs and so on. Paragraphs should develop one clear idea. Paragraphs should be linked by thematic transitions and connections. The essay should have a refined and unified central arc. There should be an introduction and a conclusion. If you are at all confused as to the basics of such conventions, consult a style manual.
However, this is also a personal comparative essay, and as such you should use “I” when appropriate, examples from life experiences are required to draw on your own experience.

*Fine print taken from ENG 210 Dr. Cohen Micro-Essay Rubrics.