Quotation Identification: Match Each Quotation with the Letter of the Correct Author/Text

Quotation Identification: Match each quotation with the letter of the correct author/text from the box below. Note that options may be used once, more than once, or not at all.

Instead of sashaying along the red carpet like the artiste, the women of Change for Equality are busy petitioning and pamphleteering aboard Tehran’s metro cars. The regime has found them of sufficient threat to hand down suspended prison sentences to two activists.

Freedom of expression for Muslims is a one-way street; Muslims can criticize the West, but the West cannot criticize the practices of Islam.

It is that particular aspect of the lesson that the commodification of the memoir and its performance in the market might overshadow. Audiences must therefore remain vigilant in their reading of Satrapi’s successful life narrative as her popular “black-and-white” images are in fact anything but black and white since they undermine facile stereotyping in Iran as well as in the West.

I believe that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists. I also don’t want those Iranians who lost their lives in prisons defending freedom, who died in the war against Iraq, who suffered under various repressive regimes, or who were forced to leave their families and flee their homeland to be forgotten. One can forgive but one should never forget.

[It], to be sure, is hardly the greatest achievement for Iran's 32 million women, who enjoy the right to vote and to hold office, and work as teachers, lawyers, doctors and businesswomen. Nor is it the most urgent concern in an Islamic nation where women cannot work or get a passport without a husband's permission, where they must have a father's written consent to marry, where they can be divorced for no reason and where, with few exceptions, they automatically lose custody of their children when a marriage dissolves.

But these same liberals in Western politics have the strange habit of blaming themselves for the ills of the world, while seeing the rest of the world as victims. To them, victims are to be pitied, and they lump together all pitiable and suppressed people, such as Muslims, and consider them good people who should be cherished and supported so that they can overcome their disadvantages. The adherents to the gospel of multiculturalism refuse to criticize people whom they see as victims.

Whoever we were—and it was not really important what religion we belonged to, whether we wished to wear the veil or not, whether we observed certain religious norms or not—we had become figments of someone else’s dreams. A stern ayatollah, a self-proclaimed philosopher-king, had come to rule our land. He had come in the name of a past, a past that, he claimed, had been stolen from him. And now he wanted to re-create us in the image of that illusory past. Was it any consolation, and did we even wish to remember, that what he did to us was what we had allowed him to do?

This binary logic, on which Persepolis is also built on, might look like an improvement on the all-evil logic that was previously used in Hollywood to depict nations resistant to the United States […] But in fact the new logic is far more dangerous. The narrative is simple: an evil state has taken its good people hostage and is planning to destroy the planet with its dangerous weapons. The good states now must both liberate these innocent people from their evil rulers and remove the threat of such weapons by toppling those rulers. But you can't liberate a people if they are as evil as their state, so you always need to have good people. Hence the never-ending wave of memoirs by Iranian women whom we are supposed to liberate, starting with the controversial memoir by Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Unless specifically labeled [Mark all that apply], all questions will have only one answer.

Use the following paragraph to answer the next two questions:

In response to a youtube trailer for an American movie that portrayed and reportedly insulted the prophet Muhammad, thousands of protestors gathered outside of the US embassy in Cairo, Egypt on September 11, 2012. They scaled the walls, tore down and burned the US flag, and replaced it with a black flag bearing the words, “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his prophet.” The US embassy in Cairo issued a statement condemning “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims—as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.” The statement went on to add, “We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.” [Information courtesy of the BBC]

These incidents and the American response

a. would be soundly criticized by Ali / d. line up with Costantino’s theory about subversive
b. illustrate Nafisi’s point about the fanatical hysteria that follows revolution
c. would have been supported by Satrapi’s parents / action
e. prove Longman’s claim about the West’s apologist tendencies

The people that were protesting outside the US embassy would likely

a. agree with most of what Ali wrote / c. be offended by Persepolis
b. be upset with Longman’s uncomplimentary exaggerations about Iran’s government / d. embrace Nafisi and her stance on the West
e. be swayed by Costantino’s argument

Towards the end of her Preface, Ali includes two paragraphs that begin “I am feeling optimistic” and “I am optimistic.” However, these two paragraphs go back and forth between the mention of positive occurrences and qualifications which indicate that there is still a long way to go. The attitude and structure of this part of Ali’s work most closely mirrors that of

a. Satrapi / d. Longman
b. Nafisi
c. Costantino / e. Derakhshan

Which of the following pairs of authors focuses mostly ontheir own personal experience?

a. Saba and Derakhshan / d. Nafisi and Satrapi
b. Ali and Longman
c. Satrapiand Costantino / e. Ali and Nafisi

Which of the following works have been arranged in order of language level, from lowest to highest?

a. Costantino; Ali; Saba / d. Nafisi; Costantino; Longman
b. Longman; Ali; Derakhshan / e. Ali; Saba; Satrapi
c. Satrapi; Nafisi; Costantino

Based on the readings in the unit, which of the following authors seems least optimistic about the future of Iran?

a. Saba / d. Longman
b. Nafisi
c. Costantino / e. Derakhshan

Which of the following authors is raised in Iran and leaves? [Mark all that apply]

a. Satrapi / d. Longman
b. Nafisi
c. Saba / e. Derakhshan

Which of the following pairs of authors begins by examining photographs?

a. Nafisi and Ali / d. Derakhshan and Saba
b. Ali and Costantino
c. Satrapi and Longman / e. Nafisi and Satrapi

Which of the following works was published before 9/11?

a. Reading Lolita in Tehran / d. “Persepolis Reduces Iran to Black and White”
b. The Caged Virgin
c. “The Quiet Revolution in Iran” / e. “Marji: Popular Commix Heroine Breathing Life into the Writing of History”

Which of the following authors write for purposes that are the most similar?

a. Derakhshanand Costantino / d. Satrapi and Saba
b. Longman and Ali
c. Costantino and Nafisi / e. Nafisi and Satrapi

Why is the book probably titled Persepolis?

a. It is the name Satrapi gives herself as a child when she thinks she is a prophet / d. It is a reference to the evils of imperialism
b. It emphasizes Satrapi’s ties to and reverence for ancient Persia
c. It is an ironic comment on how the West views Iran / e. to memorialize all of those who died in the city during the war with Iraq

Which of the following is NOT one of the ideologies Marji tries out and abandons in Persepolis?

a. Her mother’s Persian philosophy / d. Democracy
b. Dialectic Materialism
c. Religion / e. Nationalism

In Persepolis, God never appears again after

a. Satrapi goes to protest / d. the Baba-Levys’ house is bombed
b. Satrapi’s mother hits their maid
c. the death of Satrapi’s grandmother / e. Anoosh is executed

In contrast to young Satrapi, her father, as portrayed in Persepolis, is

a. more idealistic / d. more practical
b. more religious
c. more patriotic / e. more consistently angry

Persepolis seems to be aimed at an audience that is _____; this is likely because Satrapi ____.

a. largely Muslim; is trying to make them question their ideas about women / d. largely academic; thinks they are the only ones who will understand the work’s subtlety
b. Western and fairly young; wants to change the next generation’s ideas about Iran
c. currently in power in the West; trying to get them to rethink their foreign policy decisions / e. old enough to remember the Islamic Revolution; wants to rely on their memories to make her point
The message of the cartoon to the right most closely resembles points made by
a. Nafisi / c. Satrapi
b. Ali / d. Saba
e. Derakhshan
/

Of Costantino’s many claims, which describe not only Persepolis but also Reading Lolita in Tehran?[Mark all that apply]

a. that Westernreaders are comfortable with the narrative of an educated Iranian woman struggling to survive in an oppressive country / d. that the author’s work investigates the relationship between public and private histories
e. that the author takes familiar objects and
b. that the author challengesdominant cultural assumptions about Muslim women
c. that the author is telling a universal story of good and evil in which both the author and the Western reader are blameless and on the “right side” / redefines them as something sinister

Ali’s stance on Muslims and who is to blame for problems that Muslim women and countries face is most closely echoed by that of

a. Satrapi / d. Longman
b. Nafisi
c. Costantino / e. Derakhshan

Derakhshan and Costantino agree on all of the following EXCEPT

a. Persepolis reinforces the reader’s notions of Western benevolence / d. Persepolis deserves praise for its drawings
e. Persepolisundermines stereotypes of Iranian
b. Persepolis stereotypes the Islamic leaders as uneducated and brutish
c. Persepolis fits into a genre with Reading Lolita in Tehran / women

Which of the following authors writes specifically (if not only) to Muslims?

a. Satrapi / d. Longman
b. Ali
c. Costantino / e. Derakhshan
ab. Saba

When Nafisi speculates about Sanaz’s thoughts, she asks, “Is she angry that women of her mother’s generation could walk the streets freely, enjoy the company of the opposite sex, join the police force, become pilots, live under laws that were among the most progressive in the world regarding women?” ______might say that this positive picture of the past______.

a.Satrapi;is misleading, since that was the time when the Shah was in power, so there were all kinds of atrocities being committed, and people being unfairly imprisoned / c. Costantino; is similar to the slippage involving the keys, making the familiar unfamiliar
d. Ali; is exaggerated, since the West was
b. Derakhsahn; is exactly the idea of pre-revolution Iran that he was trying to paint for his readers / not yet involved in Iran at the time
e. Longman; is just wishful thinking, as Iran’s laws about women were actually much more oppressive then

Ali and Derakhshan would agree ______; however, they would disagree ______.

a. that the West should not interfere in the Middle East; about the impact of Iranian “exile narratives” / d. that some causes are worth dying or going to prison for; about Western stereotypes of and attitude towards Muslims
b. that Iran has changed since the revolution; about whether this change is positive or negative
c. that there has recently been progress in some Muslim countries; how we should view Bush and the US military / e. that Muslims must learn to be more tolerant; about the extent to which Muslims need to question their religious teachings

Both Satrapi and Ali turn to _____ and then ultimately reject _____.

a. America as a place of hope; their families / d. literature for comfort; their native
b. Western philosophy; God and religious teachings
c. politics as a way to fight stereotypes; politics altogether / languages
e. their grandmothers for moral teaching; Communism

Ali writes, “I was taught that … We Muslims are chosen by God. They, others, the kaffirs, the unbelievers, are antisocial, impure, barbaric, not circumcised, immoral, unscrupulous, and above all, obscene; they have no respect for women; their girls and women are whores.” This description sounds very similar to

a. What Satrapi’s uncle tells her when he comes to visit / d. What one of the athletes tells Longman when asked about the other Olympic athletes
b. Nafisi’s husband tells her
c. Satrapi’sgrandmother says about her Jewish friend / e. what Yassi’s Pillsbury Dough Boy teacher tells her

Satrapi mentions that she talked about romance with her friend, Neda Baba-Levy. There is a frame of Neda looking dreamily into space and saying, “…One day a blond prince with blue eyes will come and take me to his castle.” This frame is most reminiscent of

a. The dreams of Anoosh / d. what Derakhshan sees as the unhealthy
b. Nafisi’s description of rebellious Yassi
c. Costantino’s claims about fairy tale diction in Persepolis / influence of the West on Iranian children e. Longman’s claim that most of the Iranian women are living in a fairy tale world if they think they can medal in the Olympics

Costantino uses the term “Commix” when describing Persepolis because

a. she, like Saba, sees it as a lower art form than a regular novel / d. she is trying to argue that it is worthy of academic study
b. it is both a film and a graphic novel
c. she is trying to connect it to Nafisi’s work / e. Satrapi has created an entirely new genre

One of the major differences between Satrapi and Nafisi is

a. Nafisi makes the religious police seem far more human an sympathetic / d. Nafisi believes the people are partly to blame for the oppression they suffer
b. Nafisi is more accepting of the veil
c. Nafisi is not so interested in Western things / e. Nafisi was too young to remember the Islamic revolution, and only knows about it through the stories of her parents

Which of the following authors explicitly use language that recalls the American Civil Rights movement in order to anger the audience or make them righteously indignant on behalf of Iranian women?

a. Satrapi and Costantino / d. Derakhshanand Costantino
b. Ali and Derakhshan
c. Nafisi and Longman / e. Satrapi and Ali

After 9/11, many western Muslim women began wearing the hijab in an attempt to become “visible Muslims.” Shaista Aziz, a woman living in the UK, was part of this movement, and after two years of wearing the hijab explained the effect of the change;“The piece of cloth is much more than material to me—it’s my identity… the hijab has become part of me.” While Aziz means this in a positive way, _____ would agree that this statement became true for many women in Iran, but would see the issue in _____.

a. Satrapi; an even more positive light / d. Longman; a more politically charged way
b. Ali; a more ironic way
c. Derakshan; a more negative light / e. Nafisi; a more negative light

What is likely the reason Saba opens with a reference to Iranian bread and actually uses the term sangak?

He wants the readers to feel as if they are learning about Iran right away
It is the beginning of a pattern that has to do with food comparisons
He wants to dehumanize Satrapi by comparing her to something inanimate

He is trying to suggest that he is credible by establishing himself as a real Iranian
He wants to create a suggestive double entendre

Saba compares Persepolis to Scooby Doo and Popeye in order to

make it seem more familiar to Western readers, so that they can relate more easily
criticize it and make it seem childlike and foolish

/ c. suggest that it is outdated
d. celebrate the fact that it is written from a woman’s point of view, not a man’s
e. emphasize what a good animated show should be

Saba’s comment that Satrapi’s“outlook dumbs down one of the most complex issues of our time,” suggests that on this point, he is most in agreement with

a. Ali / c. Nafisi
b. Derakhshan / d. Costantino
e. Longman

In his sixth paragraph, Saba writes:

“Satrapi, fine-tuning her product for every country in the world but Iran, doesn’t have to bother with Farsi as the native language of her characters. The French version of the film includes such authentic Iranian voices as those of Chiara Mastroianni and her mother, Catherine Deneuve. The English version is to feature equally authentic Iranian voices of Gena Rowlands, Iggy Pop and the renowned Iranologist Sean Penn.”

The tone of this passage is

a. ironic / c. satirical
b. sarcastic / d. complimentary
e. detached

Although Saba and Derakhshan both criticize Persepolis, they disagree with one another when it comes to

a. the quality of the drawings / c. the value of the film version
b. the idea that Satrapi presents a distorted picture of Iran / d. the discussion of free speech
e. defining Satrapi’s audience

Saba argues that “the best hope for a genuine civil society in Iran” lies with those groups who “cannot be accused of having Western support.” His claim here is the exact opposite of the argument made by

a. Satrapi / d. Longman
b. Ali
c. Costantino / e. Derakhshan

For the most part, the male authors in this unit argue ______; on the other hand, most of the women argue ______.

a. Persepolis is more complex than it first appears; that Persepolis is oversimplified and dangerous / d. that women are the root of religious and political problems in Iran; that the men are to blame
b. that the West needs to come to the aid of Iran; things are improving in Iran
c. about literary concerns; foreign policy and real world issues / e. that Iranians are improving matters on their own; that the Islamic regime is very oppressive

At one point in his article, Derakhshan asks “Where in Europe or North America can the son of a blacksmith suddenly ascend to presidency out of nowhere and unhesitatingly start holding the rich and the powerful accountable?” Which of the following authors discusses such social mobility in a negative light?

a. Costantino when she writes about Muslims refugees in France / d. Longman when discussing Hashemi and her rise to power
b. Ali when she discusses some of her fellow Parliament members
c. Satrapi when she portrays the window washer who has become a hospital executive / e. Derakhshan and his portrayal of Satrapi as a spoiled rich girl

In other writings, Ali has admitted that she lost her faith after 9/11 and became an atheist. Which other author experienced a similar religious disillusionment after a traumatic event?

a. Satrapi / d. Longman
b. Saba
c. Nafisi / e. Derakhshan

Matching: Using the choices below, match the audiences, purposes, tone, rhetorical strategies, etc. with their respective works. Answers may be used more than once.