For Next Week: Martel, Life of Pi, Chapters 1-36 (or as much as you can!)

Sorry for the delay--my new laptop is rejecting Zoom! But I finally got the new video up. Read Chapters 1-36 (or as much of them as you can) and watch this video and comment by next week's class. Enjoy--I think it's a really fun and thought-provoking book! 

For Next Week: Finish Persepolis, from chapters "The Return" to "The End"

Hope you're enjoying Spring Break! For next week, be sure to finish Persepolis, reading the remaining chapters, "The Return" to "The End" (and use this time to catch up if you're behind!). I e-mailed everyone's paper comments back to them, so please let me know if you didn't receive an e-mail. Remember that you have all semester to revise either Paper #1 or #2 (and you'll have time to revise #3 as well, before long).

When we return, we'll have an in-class writing on Persepolis which might be about ONE of the following topics (so make sure you're familiar with them as you read). You DO NOT have to answer them now--they're for next week's classes! 

* Why does Marjane fall into a deep depression upon returning to Iran? What kind of identity crisis does she experience once she's home and among family?

* Why does Marjane's boyfriend and grandmother act so differently to her lie about the man on the street? 

* Even though the government regulates every aspect of men and women's lives, how does Marjane show us that most people remain 'free,' especially her and her friends? How do they rebel against the government without getting caught?

* Related to the above, why don't more people revolt and rebel against the government? What keeps the people so docile when they would love to overthrow the powers-that-be?

* Why would Satrapi claim that fundamentalist Islam is anti-Iranian? Why can the true spirit of the Iranian people (as she sees it) not be represented by such a repressive government?

* Why does she decide to divorce her husband and leave Iran for the second time, knowing that she might never return? 

Blog Response #6: Persepolis, Part II: Chapters "The Soup" to "The Return"

 

NOTE: I won't give you a new blog video today, since so few people seemed to have watched and responded to the last one. So I'm giving those who haven't responded a chance to go back and watch/respond to it for credit. But this is one-time thing, so be careful! I don't want you to go into midterms with missed assignments. 

For NEXT WEEK, be sure to read the chapters "The Soup" to "The Return." This is NOT the entire book--we'll finish that after Spring Break. But read these chapters for now and then we'll have an in-class writing prompt on Monday/Wednesday. 

The prompt for next week's class is below if you want to start thinking about it! I'm giving it to you early since I want people to make sure they've read enough to answer it...I'm worried people aren't reading and are falling behind in the class. Mid-terms are this week, so it's a great time to reassess your commitment to the class! 

Next Week's In-Class Response (don't respond with a comment-we'll write this in class): Marjane fled Iran to the relative safety and freedom of Vienna, where her parents hoped she could get a proper education. However, even though Vienna promises her everything Iran withheld from her, she has a traumatic experience and almost dies. Some people suggest that "complete freedom is a kind of prison." Why does this prove true for Marjane? Why does moving from the control of fundamentalism Islam to the freedom of democratic Europe prove so dangerous for her? How could freedom offer its own dangers to society and those living in it?

See you next week!