Our group is reading Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. The author explores the power of fiction in allowing people to escape bad times in their lives. Through parallels to several novels, the author describes her experiences living in the Islamic Republic of Iran. As I read, I found several ideas that can be applied in the classroom.
One theme the author revisits several times in the book is the unpredictable nature of a totalitarian regime. How citizens feel on edge all the time because they are not sure what will get them in trouble that day or when rules will be relaxed or strict. The author compares this unsettling feeling to the way Lolita must feel living under the rule of Humbert. First, this idea reminded me that I need to make sure my students understand this aspect of totalitarian regimes. Second, this unsettled feeling is something to remember when teaching immigrant/refugee children and children who have lived in abusive households. Children who have lived under totalitarian rulers or lived with an abusive parent feel unsettled and are always waiting for the rules to change. It is important that teachers let them know that the rules at school do not change and that they can expect stability in the classroom. If something should change, it is also important that the student be prepared as much as possible.
Another topic the author mentions frequently is the different views she and her students have toward the changes for women in the Islamic Republic of Iran. For the author, she feels a sense of loss. She once has rights and did not have to wear the veil. For the author's students, they feel a sense of longing. They have never experienced the rights the author did. As we've discussed in class over the last few weeks, it is easy to assume that all students had the same upbringing the teacher did. Teachers forget students may come from poverty, wealth, different countries, or that they are simply from a different generation from ourselves. Different backgrounds have a huge impact on the way we learn and understand different concepts.
Several weeks ago, one of the discussion topics was about selecting literature for the classroom and addressing diversity. Since the author intertwines her own story with the power of fiction, it was fascinating how stories written by men and women with very different backgrounds about people with very different lives were able to help women in Iran find hope and courage in dark times. Many of our schools require students to read novels that seemingly have nothing to do with their own lives. Because Nafisi was a teacher passionate about her subject, she was able to help her students find personal meaning in American and English novels. Perhaps we should try to do the same.
As Nafisi and her students study their novels, the limitations on women's freedom in Iran surface. I compiled a list as I read. The following are just a few things: women can't leave the house without a veil and robe, they can't be seen in public with a man that is not their husband or relative, they can't sing or drink alcohol publicly, they can marry as young as 9, and the genders are segregated in the classroom. Young girls in the United States often struggle with academic confidence or feel pursuit of an education is futile (escaping cycle of poverty, etc). Exposing students to stories like those of Nafisi and her students and how hard they fought to be educated and be strong in the face of a totalitarian regime may make the task of young girls in Americas seem less daunting. They may also find strength in the story as Nafisi and her "girls" did in their English language novels.
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