http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/world/middleeast/13iran.html
what is it?
where is it from? who wrote/created it?
in a paragraph or two, why would this be useful to readers before they started reading? what ideas would you want them to think about? how would this piece help get at those ideas? do you agree or disagree with the ideas in the piece?

what is it?
where is it from? who wrote/created it?
in a paragraph or two, why would this be useful to readers before they started reading? what ideas would you want them to think about? how would this piece help get at those ideas? do you agree or disagree with the ideas in the piece?

http://www.islamic.org.uk/women.html
this is an article on women's oppression in Islamic countries.
This is a good article to read because it gives you a real sense of whats going to be going on in the book. Not just the article in the book but the two articles that are linked to the page that i have linked. these articles will be good to make people understand the impotence and understand the ideas of the modern Islamic person compared to the major religious ones who made it so that woman must wear the veil and keep concealed and were given no freedom what so ever.
in one of the links it takes you to a page were it list several rights that woman have in an Islamic land. some of these are: the right and duty to obtain an education, the right to obtain devorce from her husband, and the right to negotiate marrige terms of her choice. there are alot more rights listed but i picked these three because they seem to be major parts of the book. Marjane has trouble with these things and ends up coming to terms with them. such as the negotiate marrige right, her father makes it clear before he would let her get married her hudband must let her get a deivorce if she wishes. this is just an example but the article gives very usfull information as to these rights and its very helpfull to at least have an understanding of what rights woman have and were some of these ideas come from because it makes the book a little more clear with some background information.

Iran article/video

News Article

This is an article from the Washington Times about a journalist, Iason Athanasiadis, who was in Iran reporting on the elections and was locked in jail because the government thought she had information the Iranian government didn't want getting out into the public.
I think this article is useful for someone to read before reading Persepolis because it is a modern firsthand view of what can happen in Iran. I think that people have a general idea of what is happening there, and so they can relate/understand this article better. Plus, it seems very similar to how the Iranian government operated during the revolution, which was 20 years ago.

Video

This video is another, more serious viewpoint of what can happen in an Iranian prison. It is about an Iranian man, Ahmad Batebi, and how his picture was taken and it ended up on the cover of The Economist. This ended up sending Batebi to prison; this was decided in less than 3 minutes. There he would endure many months of torture, both physically and mentally.
This video was from 60 Minutes (now on youtube), interviewed by Anderson Cooper. I think that this video gives us an even better view of what can happen if you are caught doing something the Iranian government doesn't like. Batebi said that when he was in court about the picture, the judge said, "'You have defaced the face of the Islamic Republic that is a representative of God on earth. You have defaced it around the world. And therefore you have to be sentenced to death."
This video gets people to think about, and to know about a firsthand experience and what fear people in Iran go through just to not end up in jail in a similar situation, and what is probably the worst experience to happen while in jail. I think it also gets people to think that maybe not all Iranians are like their government, but that they live in obedience/fear, and do what they're told.

Response to da ?'s

Who would the book appeal to?
This book would seem to apple to more of a teenage to Young adult age group because it relates so well to the ideas and persona of the modern teen and young adult. its got more of a older persons generational type of lingo and a sense of not being for younger children. i mean you really wouldn't want to let your little five year old son read that book or you read it to them letting them look at the pictures.
What about it is appealing?
The book in general is kind of appealing because it makes it so without even trying to, it can relate to the life of a teen. I'm not saying every teen really goes out and just is all like oh there is some drugs i want to fit in and smoke it or take it. but yea there are struggles and that does happen with some teens. but it also kind of shows the real importance of looking for peer pressure and understanding your self as well as understanding whats going on around you.
What obstacles should student readers of this book be ready for?
Some obstacles student readers should be ready to jump are, just like basic facts about the different government and what happens in other countries. like with all the executions and secret police and things its kind of new. Because here in the united states we don't have things like that, we have a jury system and everyone has a free choice were as in the middle east they have huge religion were you cant even leave your house without a veil. Another obstacle is probably just the basic fact of drug use in the book. its not unheard of teens using drugs but for those unprepared to read about this it may come as a shock
What would students need to know about in order to understand the book?
Students would probably need to know a few different names for drugs such as pot they call it cannabis in the book. Students may also want to learn about a bit of the background and religion of this region and of parts of Europe at this time so they get a better understanding of how the generation at the time as a whole was growing up and how they were being taught,.
What issues does the book deal with that students might be interested in discussing?
The drug use may be something students would want to discuss. Because its such a major part of the book because a lot of discussions that Marjane makes are with the help or because of drug use . Another topic that students might want to discuss is the fact of like being able to do what you want or wear what you want.
Here in America we can basically wear what ever we want no consequences were as in Iran you have to wear a veil if your a woman and a robe thing so that the men don't get excited by them. This is quite a big issue for Marjane as it is showed at one point in the book were she yells "then don't stare at my ass!!!" because the guardians had just told her to stop running because her behind makes movements.
Is there any “mature” content in the book? If so, what kind of content? How would you deal with such content in class?
yes i would say there is some mature content in this book. it talks and shows to an extant of acts of drug use, sex, and violence. in class if these acts were to happen i would probably turn around and go home and go back to sleep thinking either that i am messed up in the head or else every one has gone insane. But if we were reading this in class and came across i really dont think it would be to big of a deal because everyone should be old enough and mature enough to deal with this...

Response to Book Questions 10/29

Who would the book appeal to?
I think this book would appeal to anyone who wants to learn about a culture that most of the world doesn't know much about. I also think it would appeal to other people that have moved to a foreign country that can relate to all the issues of trying to fit in to an entirely new environment. It also, for a majority of the book is an easy read, there are a few terms that westerners and those who aren't familiar with Middle Eastern geography wouldn't know, but usually Satrapi explains in footnotes so you aren't totally lost.
What about it is appealing?
I think this book is appealing because of its' unique take on a biography. Since it's in graphic novel form I think that makes it more interesting to a broader range of people, but it also keeps that drama of Satrapi's life, so people who aren't fans of graphic novels, I think, can still read this book because of the storyline.
What obstacles should student readers of this book be ready for?
The book does start off slowly, so it can be somewhat of a challenge to get into the book. But, if you can hang in there for the first few 'chapters' I think it is a book that can be enjoyed. Another obstacle, or something that I think would repel some people, is the amount of death and loss that takes place in the book. Since this book takes place during the Iranian war there is a lot of death in the book, but I do think Satrapi does do a good job of conveying the idea and sense of loss through her drawings but not as gory as it could be.
What do students need to know about in order to understand the book?
As I mentioned before, there are some Middle Eastern terms in the book, and you should be somewhat familiar with them, otherwise you might end up not fully comprehending the book. But, since war is a big part of the book, and most people have experienced living in a war zone, Satrapi tried to explain how difficult it is.
What issues does the book deal with that students might be interested in discussing?
Some of the bigger issues are war, living in a foreign land, and just plain growing up. The first two are interesting and I'm sure people like to speculate about what happens when you're in that kind of situation, but the last one, growing up, is something we can all relate to. Satrapi tells us her life story, which does go beyond our age, but it gets us to think about 'what will happen when I'm that old.'
Is there any “mature” content in the book? If so, what kind of content? How would you deal with such content in class?
There is some mature content. Although most of it is talked about in dialogue (death, torture, sex), there are a few time when Satrapi does show us in pictures how bad things are. I think that we are all old enough to handle what 'mature' content there is in the book (Some of us have probably already experienced some similar experiences). I think we can talk about the mature content if it is significant to whatever topic we are on, otherwise we can just skim over it if it doesn't seem related to what we are talking about.

Book Questions 10/29

Who would the book appeal to?
I believe this book would appeal to people in High School and above. There are some very mature contents in here that would be inapproiate for young kids. There are also so very big words and very difficult concepts that even someone in 9th grade would have trouble understanding.

What about it is appealing?
The fact that it has pictures and it is a graphic novel. Marjane Satrapi uses a good mix of humor and serious tone to make it attractive to read. the fact that u can see the pictures of whats going on makes it much easier to understand whats going on at all times. Its and easier read because of this Teens will be more likely to enjoy it.

What obstacles should student readers of this book be ready for?
There is random Arabic through in here and there. and concepts that wouldn't make sense to an average American but would make sense to someone from Iran. It also starts off slow but after u get past the beginning it takes off. There are also random times were things get confusing because she cant remember somethings and so not everything adds up right away.

What do students need to know about in order to understand the book?
They need to know a little bit about Middle Eastern culture. They need to know about sex and other more mature things. If your over the age of 14 you should be old enough to understand most of the concepts in this book. But doing a little extra research on Iran and its revolution would help.
What issues does the book deal with that students might be interested in discussing?
I think students would be interested in talking about the funnier parts of the book. There are alot of interesting parts though. I think kids would probably just like talking about the majority of the book cause must of it is interesting and different from what happens in are everyday lives. Its set in Iran and about a girl growing up there that is very interesting to see what its like to grow up there.
Is there any “mature” content in the book? If so, what kind of content? How would you deal with such content in class?
Ya there is alot of mature content in this book. They talk a few times about sex and they show some stuff like at one point a guy gets peed on while getting totured. So ya there is alot of mature content in this book. It wouldnt be hard to deal with in class you would just talk about it like everything else. seniors and Juniors in high school should be mature enough to talk about these kind of things

answer to the qustion

the most difficult part that she had been through would have to be losing all her friends that went to America or that has been killed or arrested. in her place i probably would have done the same thing but been really sad about it. then fight for it like the mighty spartan. ooh Ra. I'd fight for the right for them to come back so they wouldn't have to flee in fear.