Classroom Activities
Tyranny and Resistance Observation Journal
In order to aid in my students' understanding of tyranny and resistance, I will have them keep track of it and their thoughts about these concepts as we explore the world and historical context of Persepolis in a four-columned graphic organizer, labeled Tyranny Tenet, Examples from Texts/ Notes, Connection to Today, My Thoughts. For tracking examples of tyranny, I will have students write down the tenets of tyranny as the first column. Students will have these from their notes on Aristotle. For the Examples column, they should have examples from the Shah and the Ayatollah that come from either their notes about the historical context, from the graphic novel with panel and page number included, and examples from Ghamari’s memoir, Remembering Akbar, with page numbers included as well. For the Connection to Today column, they can add where they see this tenet of tyranny in their own lives, using home, politics, school, etc. The last column, My Thoughts, should be the column where they reflect about what they are learning about tyranny and power.
Students should have another section where they record examples of resistance using a three-columned graphic organizer, labeled Person/Group, Act of Resistance, My Thoughts. While reading Persepolis and the excerpts of Remembering Akbar, they should record which person or group is resisting tyranny, using text evidence, and how they are resisting. It may be worthwhile to have a discussion about the different types of resistance. Students may mention protests, marches, strikes, boycotts, and sit-ins. Questions you should direct your students to when thinking about resistance: Do the agents of resistance work within the system or do they try to burn the system down? Is it organized? Is it violent or nonviolent? Is it through written word or physical action, or both? In the My Thoughts column, students may reflect generally about this act of resistance or connect it to their own lives.
Using Remembering Akbar to Understand “The Heroes” and “The Sheep”
In this section, I want to carefully select excerpts to pair with the two chapters “The Heroes” where we first learn what was going on in Evin prison by way of two communist prisoners, friends of Marji’s parents, and then “The Sheep,” where we not only meet Marji’s Uncle Anoosh, a communist revolutionary, but learn the fates of the two prisoners from “The Heroes.” Behrooz Ghamari’s memoir Remembering Akbar will complement these two chapters on what actually went on inside this prison’s walls and what went on in the minds of the prisoners. Reading short excerpts from this book will give students a better understanding of the Revolutionary Guards’ treatment of prisoners and the mental and physical toll it took on communist inmates. Using the chapters“This Too Shall Pass,” “A Theory of Praxis,” “Things Fall Apart,” and pages 162-164 from “Mahler’s Symphony No. 1,” students will get a better understanding of what life was like in Evin prison. To show the dangers of being a communist in Iran, have students read the chapter “What is to be Done.” Lastly, I would use the chapter “Arzhang.” Teachers could also use Ghamari’s article “I Was a Prisoner in Iran. I’ve Seen the US Meddle in the Region for Decades” instead of the memoir’s chapters for the sake of time. I would assign these as additional outside readings to be discussed in class while discussing the two chapters mentioned in this section.
Protest and Propaganda Simulation
For the end of this unit, I want my students to really think about power and resistance and actually put it through a simulation. Here is the beginning of the simulation: As a petty nobody in the kingdom of Room316 in the land of IBLAL (ruled by beautiful yet merciless Queen McKee), you have long been frustrated with your lot in life. Now that you have become familiar with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the resistance to the Shah with protest posters, the Ayatollah’s uses of propaganda, and Aristotle’s break-down of tyranny, you have to decide whether to take steps to improve your position and take power or to keep Queen McKee’s rule for fear of another tyrant ruling after she is displaced.
I will divide the students in half –those who will support Queen McKee’s rule and those who want to rebel against her tyranny. Students will individually come up with a propaganda campaign to keep Queen McKee in power or a protest poster to take Queen McKee down that will be displayed all over the BookerTLand. I will have a gallery wall of all the propaganda on one side of the room and the protest posters on the other. Students will have to put their knowledge of our analysis of protest posters against the Shah and propaganda for the Ayatollah to use, remembering the importance of symbols, colors, placement of image, and collective messaging.
Using their tyranny and resistance observation journals as inspiration, each side will also write a collective speech, with each person contributing a reason for the continued rule of Queen McKee or the need for a revolution. Combining ideas and editing for clarity and conciseness, each group will create a short three-to-four minute speech. Each group will choose someone to deliver the speech. The two opposing speeches will be read and then the floor will be open to political debate. The open political debate will need to have some rules: one person can speak at a time from each side, limited to only one minute. This will be done for a duration of eight minutes. Then, students will do a gallery walk of both the propaganda and protest posters. Students will at this time decide if they want to stay with their group or change sides due to the art and speeches created. After the speeches and gallery walk, students will get to vote if Queen McKee stays or goes. Those for McKee’s rule will walk to the propaganda side of the room and those for a revolution against McKee will walk to the protest side of the room.
All in all, no matter the outcome of this final activity, students will actively put their knowledge of tyranny and resistance to use. This activity will bring to life the historical context of Persepolis, showing the complex power dynamics in a society, real or imagined.
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