I have been traveling around Iran for about a week now and during this time I got to see a lot of the countryside and cities, the old and the even older. Persepolis was one of the really old ones and it was just tremendous (I love that this word) but hot.

I apologise about going on how hot I’ve been, but when your kneecaps are sweating you know it is pretty warm. I didn’t even think there were sweat glands the knees but my body is certainly telling me differently, or maybe this is a coping mechanism to all the warmth I’ve been exposed to recently while wearing full-length clothing.

In the bazaars

As I mentioned before I went on the tangent of overheating, Persepolis was spectacular. The ruins there have been restored and you can now really envision what it was like for Darius I (who constructed this) and Xerxes I. The restoration has provided a chance to see the Apadana Staircase which depicts the tribute paid to Darius I by people from around his territory – Ethiopians carrying ivory and antelope, Lidians with giraffes, Alamites brought lionesses (?) and her cubs, Armenians bringing horses and Indians bringing the spices plus a whole lot more – truly awesome carvings to see, but it was the mythological Griffins which captured my imagination. Only recently uncovered (during the 19th century), these columns were never used and are still in original condition.

Persepolis – wow!

Perhaps they fell out of fashion or favour although other similar columns have been discovered in parts of Turkey. (See image later in the blog for the griffins)
While at the site, Janet and I decided to walk up to the tombs of Ataxerxes II and Ataxerxes III and while there we freed ourselves from the heat retaining hijab (head scarf) and let our hair blow in the wind. This was such a relief after the hard climb but a highly illegal act in a country where all women (locals and tourists) must wear the hijab in public. However, our moment of normality was too soon interrupted when we heard the sounds of voices and in a scramble quickly removed our hair from sight just moments before two men climbed up to where we were. It was nice to feel the wind in my hair, albeit only for a moment.
After Shiraz we traveled to Yazd.

Part of the detail that you can see on the Apadana Staircase

This city still has a small pocket of Zoroastrian followers and while there we walked around their funerary site.
Zoroastrian is an ancient religion that predates Islam in this area. It is a belief in three things; Good Thoughts, Good Talk and Good Deeds. What I found fascinating about this religion is the way their dead are treated. The deceased is taken up a large mountain to the Tower Of Silence and after it is stripped, the body is left in the elements for the birds to come along and eat at it leaving behind just the bones. After this process the bones are taken to a pit, which is within the Tower. As Zoroastrians do not believe in contaminating the earth, they used this practice for centuries. However, now as this religion is slowly being strangled out of existence, today’s followers are buried in coffins; a sad state for these peaceful practitioners.

Persepolis: The griffins that fell out of favour – this is them with no reconstruction

For those of you still reading you may be interested to know that Freddie Mercury (lead singer of the 70s rock bank Queen) was also Zoroastrian.
Yazd was replaced with another city – Isfahan. This religious city once again showed me how liberal Iran can be with the locals wearing a mixture of western and Islamic clothing. One of the highlights of Isfahan was the Iman Khomeini Square. Around this complex you have the bazaar (which translates to ‘I Have You Want’) with almost anything you could possibly want to purchase, on sale; jewellery, scarves, art work, food, perfume, spices, carpets …. I could on. While in the bazaar I befriended an elderly gentleman who allowed me to practice my burgeoning Farsi on him and in the end I left with a small miniature he presented to him all because I had been talking to him in his own language.

Close up of the scary griffins

On the opposite side of the bazaar is the Iman Mosque, which was breathtaking with all the details. This mosque began construction in 1611 and was completed in 1638. In order to visit woman need to wear the chador which is always quite a task, not because you are adding more material to your already warm outfit, but because I have yet to perfect the art of wearing a sheet of material around me hiding my body and my hair while only using one hand. Whilst wearing this ensemble I am always impressed at how much I remind myself of a little babushka as I am so hunched over trying hard to hold everything together.

The afternoon in Isfahan was spent smoking the water pipe where Dan and I tried to outdo each other by acting like locals who puffed effortlessly and blew smoke rings. Needless to say I am now a pro at it and Dan needs to bow in my presence.

In front of the Tomb of Cyrus the Great

Furthermore the afternoons were whiled away in the square talking to the locals and with students practicing their English. Once again talking with the locals provided many offers of invitations to stay for a drink of chai or coffee and also for romantic interest. One of the funniest conversations I had was when Janet, Dan and I were hanging out outside the mosque and two Iranian men were talking to us.

Iranian Man 1: “Are you married?”
Me: “No.”
Iranian Man 1: “Do you have a boyfriend?”
Me: “Yes”
Iranian Man 2: “How many boyfriends do you have?”
Me: “Er, just the one.”
Iranian Man 2: “Really? I think you need more than one man to handle you”
Me: “Hmmmm, thanks?”
Again, what is with the horse references?

Another place we visited, which may explain the fascination with strength is the Zurkhaneh or the House of Strength.

Having climbed to the top of one of the Towers of Silence, I broke the law, took off my scarf and posed for photos in front of the other one.

The wind in my hair was so nice I couldn’t resist.

This is similar to a men’s club but with a difference – the evening was spent sitting around the ring while men worked out, quoted Quranic verses and a man on a podium played the drums and banged bells. Strange was one word to describe this and there were times I felt like I was intruding on a private gym session while the men in the ring did push ups on wooden planks, weights with 20 pound wooden bowling pins (or at least that is what they looked like) and jumped and turned around in a maniacal, and yet highly compelling way. For 30,000 Rial (USD$3), it was a unique way to spend the evening.
One of the highlights of Iran so far is the talking with the locals – the students we encountered in the bazaar were eloquent and spoke very good English. Although some of them wanted to talk politics (which we’ve been advised to steer clear of), they are articulate enough and thoughtful enough to tell us that they do not like the way their country is being run.

A local Zoroastrian in Yazd

It makes for a sobering thought when the youth of Iran are unhappy with the way of the current regime and are hanging out for change. After swapping email addresses, receiving a lot of business cards and being told I am more than welcome to stay, we left for Abyaneh.
Abyaneh is a quaint village off the normal Silk Road route, but well worth the visit, if only just to have a break from the travel. The locals were Zoroastrians but converted much later to Islam and wear traditional clothing that gives them a look unique to Iran. The local language there is a mixture of Farsi and something else, but they still appreciate it when you speak to them in Persian and are happy to smile for photos and speak in heavily accented tones which I had trouble understanding.
Now I am heading back to Tehran for a few days – for a break before heading up to Europe for a nice relaxing time with the family and a washing machine.

Isfahan – if you look carefully you can see two women in their chador

Is it strange that I am starting to fantastise about whiteware? I have been hand washing for three months, and although it is fun, having technology sounds exciting and exotic, which is a lot like me – a person who is part woman and part horse – kheili ghashange apparently.

Huda hofiz from Abayneh

“Cast of royal hero from doorway … Persepolis, Iran … About 490-470 B.C.” Photographed at the British Museum, Jan. 8, 2010.

I’m curious about the sources of ancient imagination — why our ancestors saw similar things in their minds’ eyes. During the past four years, I’ve been able to travel overseas quite a bit, and I’ve photographed numerous strange creatures in art, architecture, and museums.

The book reads as the childhood memoirs of Marjane Satrapi, an artist who spent her childhood in Iran and lives in Paris today. Before the novel starts, Satrapi gives a brief overview of Persian/ Iranian history, explaining why the book is important to her. She wants to remember those who suffered under successive regimes in her country’s recent history and remind us that there is more to Iran than what we see in the news.

It took me a few minutes to get used to the harsh black and white contrast of the drawings, but I grew to appreciate their simplicity and direct approach. The story starts in 1980 when the Marjane is 10 and traces the experiences of the girl, her family and friends as well as her extended family through an extremely brutal part of Iranian history.

The book does contain quite a bit of humour, even on page one where the girls in her school are suddenly forced to wear a veil and are quite inventive about its other uses. Or when the kids get together in the school playground and actually brag about whose dad was tortured the most in prison. If it were not for this humour, the book would simply be too grim to bear as things go from bad to worse. Marjane Satrapi depicts scenes of terrible torture and violence. I had the feeling that the simplicity of the pictures is her way of protecting her readers. I also believe every scene in the book actually happened.  But she also uses her art to celebrate the intimacy of her family life. This book pays immense tribute to her parents and her grandmother who were able to create a loving home for her despite of the fear over what was happening outside. Marjane is thankful they brought her up to be critical of the developments around her.

Not only does this graphic novel present an insider’s view of what happened in Iran in the 1980s, it shows what it was like to be teenager in those times. Marjane is religious in the beginning, but gradually looses her faith as the story develops. She becomes interested in boys, likes Iron Maiden and Michael Jackson. Her parents have to go to great lengths to find a jeans jacket and sneakers for her; Kim Wilde posters are smuggled to Iran.

There comes a point when the parents finally realize that their daughter is too rebellious for the society they live in. They decide to send her abroad for her own safety. The year is 1984. In the last scene, the mother faints, broken-hearted, at the airport after they say good-bye. Marjane can only watch through a window how her father carries her mother to the car. Now that I know that Marjane was safe at last, I badly want to find out what happened to the parents. There is a sequel, “Persepolis 2 – The Story of a Return”. The cover has an equally unhappy-looking girl on the front.

Satrapi, Marjane: “Persepolis – The Story of a Childhood”, ISBN 0-375-71457-X

My copy of “Persepolis”

Iran is so incredibly different to what I was expecting. Upon arrival at the land border we had to dress very conservatively to ensure we had no trouble gaining entry and by conservatively I mean hiding ALL of your hair and neck flesh, wearing clothing that was loose and flowing and provided no shape, as well as wearing close toed shoes with socks to ensure no skin was seen.

Having just crossed over the border into Iran from Turkmenistan – I got to start wearing my new outfit.

Yes, to say I was concerned about wearing this ensemble in the high temperatures we have been experiencing, was an understatement.
After crossing into Iran (and waiting for Dan, our travel companion from America, to finish getting special attention and being fingerprinted) we had arrived. Iran is not at all like what I expected; and this was reflected in their attitude to tourists – rather than hostile they are hospitable to visitors and especially eager to meet Americans, as yearly there are 400 – 1000 American citizens that visit. This hospitality is seen not only in their actions of welcoming us here, but also in their faces.

I have decided that Iranian women are some of the most stunningly beautiful women I have ever encountered. Not only are their features beautifully accentuated with the makeup they wear (which everyone of them seems to wear), they are also very fashionable.

Black, blonde, streaks, the hairstyles that I have seen are always immaculate – yes that’s right, I have seen partial hairstyles. For all the information I seemed to have read in the west before this adventure about women being completely covered, the majority of women here do not all wear the full head scarves and a lot of them wear them pushed back showing off their tresses pushing the boundaries.

Furthermore, the loose fitting clothing has been replaced with fitted jackets and shirts – at least with the younger generation. The confines of their society are changing. It is a strange mix of old and new, with the black chador mixing in with the bright fitted clothing of others but each person; traditional or modern is interested in who we are and where we come from.

Meeting people when traveling is always one of the highlights, and in Iran I have encountered a lot of people.

Some of the friendly locals

Men, women, children; each one is interested in who we are and many come up to us to watch, listen to us talking, and better still have a conversation with us. Each meeting allows me to practice my limited Farsi and them their, often very good, English.

Since arriving in Iran, I have been to Mashad and Tehran and for the past few days I have been in Shiraz, home to Persepolis and the tombs of Darius I and Xerxes. This is hallowed ground for the historian in me and the weather has been very good – hot with a chance of hotter in the afternoon.

I have updated my style since arriving – no longer confined to the black scarf; I am now wearing bright blue. I am trying to blend in more with the locals, however it is proving a little difficult as although I have been wearing the garb, I still don’t look as natural in the scarf and often it moves and by the end of the day I end up with a complete mess of hair.

Iranian mother and child

I have a deeper appreciation for the women who wear these scarves seemingly with ease. I have been trying to get pointers off the local women, much to their delight, but as of yet I am at a loss. Still I am here for a while longer, so hopefully by the end of this visit, I will have it all sussed …. well I can dream can’t I?

So rather than writing a blog about what I’ve seen, I’ve taken the time to write about what I have experienced and how welcomed I feel here. ‘Iran So Far Away’ as the 80’s song by Flock Of Seagulls states, but really they are not so far away from you and I, but quite close in their fashion, their hopes and dreams and I am excited to have longer to spend in this wonderful country.

Haley Mam Non from Shiraz

This week, a spokeswoman for the school system has claimed that the word “censorship” was inappropriate, as teachers could still assign the book so long as they were willing to sit through a class on how to teach such “sensitive material”. These extra classes appear designed to create an incentive against assigning “Persepolis”.

The graphic novel, written by Marjane Satrapi, is an autobiographical account of growing up in Iran during the fall of the Shah and the ensuing revolution. Unknown Chicago officials declared the book’s scenes of torture were inappropriate for students, despite an overwhelming student approval of the book. 

Chicago students were outspoken in their disapproval of knocking “Persepolis” from their schools. “The book actually tells us what happened during the Iranian Revolution,” said one. Another noted that, “the truth of the book is not much different than what kids see in their neighborhoods every day.”

“They think kids are stupid,” Satrapi noted in an interview on the ban. “They are not babies. Children are not dumb.” Satrapi herself witnessed the depicted episodes of torture and violence as a young girl, the same age as the students who would be affected by the ban.

The irony of a narrative focusing on a dictatorship which relentlessly censored its citizens getting banned is uncomfortably clear to almost everybody, the exception of course being the censorious officials who banned the text in the first place.

By Claire Kirch

The controversy over the Chicago Public Schools restricting access to Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of her youth in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, continues to roil the nation’s third largest school district, as free speech advocates weigh in.

Friday evening, the National Coalition Against Censorship joined together with five other organizations that advocate for freedom of expression and sent a letter to CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and the CPS board of education, condemning last week’s order issued to school principals throughout the system to immediately pull Persepolis from their classrooms. The letter was re-sent Monday morning.

Books under challenge cannot be pulled from CPS library shelves without undergoing a formal process.

Click here to read the rest of this story

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
I could hardly put this book down. It’s a graphic novel that’s also the autobiography of a girl growing up in Iran. Comics aren’t just for super heroes and cartoons anymore. They’re simply a medium, another way to tell a story. This story is told in simple black and white images, and much of it with the detached simplicity of a child’s eye. Marjane remembers growing up in Iran before the Islamic Revolution, and after. After the revolution, all the women and even the little girls had to cover their hair. Parties with drinking and most kinds of music are banned. As a child, this a sudden and bewildering change. Violence becomes common place. But it’s funny too, painting a picture of what life was like; the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens. It’s made all the more compelling, touching, and appalling by the fact that it’s autobiographical. Marjane’s spare black and white cartoons show the world she saw just as she saw it. And now you can see it too.

 White Cat by Holly Black
Cassel Sharpe wakes up on the roof of his fancy high school dorm and nearly falls to his death. He’s been sleepwalking again, or was he cursed? He dreamed of following a white cat. . .

In Cassel’s world, working curses is real.   It was outlawed in the 1920s, meaning that most curse workers are employed by the mob. This is part mystery, part dark urban fantasy, and part mob story. At first, Cassel thinks he’s only got to solve the mystery of why he’s been sleep walking. But then, he begins to think that the girl he loved when he was fourteen, the girl he thought he killed, might still be alive. What’s more, there’s something weird going on with his two older brothers. Why can’t Cassel remember the murder or why he did it? Why does he keep having nightmares about a white cat? And what is the secret his brothers are trying to hide from him? To find out, he’ll have to find the white cat, and make a deal with a mobster. Only then, Cassel may find himself in even more danger than when he started. And he started on the edge of a roof, so that’s no saying much!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Do you like videogames? That’s good, because in the future, the internet is one big mashup of every videogame you’ve ever played, and then some. The internet has become one massively multiplayer online game, while the real world has fallen to pieces around it. When the most famous video game programmer to ever live dies, there is a huge fortune to be won in the greatest video game ever played…The prize? A controlling interest in the most powerful company on earth, and more money than someone like our hero, Wade, can imagine. He lives in a trailer with his family, stacked on top of more trailers full of other families: the slums of the future. His only relief is the game, and his only hope of ever getting out of the stacks is to win. But what chance does he have when literally most of the world is trying to win too? And more to the point, once he’s cracked the code and started the chase in earnest, what will those other people do to try and stop him?

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
I love this book for so many reasons, not the least of which is that the author, Janni Lee Simner, is a local Tucsonan and all around lovely person. “I had a sister once… ” That’s the first line. The faerie war ended before Liza was born, but it seems the world will never recover. Faerie weapons have given the trees the ability to move and kill, ghosts to rise, and even some of children are born infected with magic. People who are touched by magic are even more dangerous than the trees, so when Liza suspects that she may be tainted, she flees from her village. The world is a dark, ferocious, and war ravaged place. But Liza finds that there is much about magic, herself, and her world, that she didn’t know. She must learn the truth about the faerie war, and find the strength to face everything she has been taught to fear.

Ash by Melinda Lo
This may be my favorite retelling of Cinderella since the faerie godmother is a dark faerie with ulterior motives, and there’s an unusual love triangle. When Ash’s widower father remarries, his new wife hopes to inherit his money. Only when her father dies, it turns out he didn’t have any, and Ash’s new mother expects Ash to work off his debt. Ash’s only escape are walks in the woods, where she does a very unwise thing: she befriends a faerie. And he’s not the Tinkerbell kind of faerie. Sidhean is tall, otherworldly and handsome, and he treats Ash with more kindness than her family. Ash feels a fierce longing for him, and hopes that someday he will steal her away from her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, just like in the faerie tales her mother used to read her. But she also befriends the King’s Huntress, Kaisa, who is everything Ash wishes she could be: strong, independent, warm and beautiful. She finds that her heart is drawn to both of them, though she can have neither. She does not belong in either the King’s lavish world with Kaisa, or the faerie’s ethereal one with Sidhean. Still, if she had to choose where her heart belonged, which one would it be?

The Fault in Our Stars

I talked this book up at the Festival, but I already talked about how much I loved The Fault in our Stars in a previous blog, so instead, here’s my reaction to a different John Green Book:

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Collin, semi-famous child prodigy, has been dumped by 19 girls named Katherine.  After Katherine the 19th dumps him the summer before college, Collin and his friend Hassan go on a road trip.  It’s full of much of the ridiculous comedy that I loved in The Fault in Our Stars, but without any cancer or death, which was nice.  I related a lot to Collin and his internal emptiness after being dumped.  Collin, being the erudite boy he is, tries to invent a theorem that will allow him to graph the future of all relationships.  It even inspired me to try to graph my previous relationships in the hopes of discovering what went wrong.  But as it turns out, I’m not a child prodigy, and I suck at math, so all I have are lists.  Sigh.  Anyway, An Abundance of Katherines is a fantastic book, and good pick me up if you are down.

World War Z by Max Brooks
If there was a real zombie apocalypse, I think it would look a lot like this. The story is told in a series of interviews with various survivors after the fact. It’s set up like a historical record. They are men and women, rich and poor, and people of all nationalities. The documentary style, and the great variety of people interviewed, make the story feel real. There’s the story of a patient zero in China, as told by a rural doctor. Some governments deny the existence of the new disease, some mobilize quickly to fight the zombie hoardes, and some governments simply leave their ill prepared citizens to fend for themselves. It also follows the very personal human interest stories of what people had to do to survive, and who they lost. And since the movie will be out soon, this might be a good pick for reluctant readers.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is one of the best comedic authors out there. He’s most famous for his Discworld fantasies, but Nation is a stand alone. A tidal wave destroys the island Nation, leaving behind only one boy, Mau and a shipwrecked girl from England washed up by the wave, Daphne. Though they do not understand each other’s language, or ways, they are all the human life that is left on the island. So Daphne is left with the choice of keeping company with the indecently naked Mau, or with the parrot who survived the wreck and knows only curse words. Likewise, Mau must either be alone, or make friends with this strange ghost girl who appears to have no toes, or with the grandfather birds of the island who mostly eat until they throw up(which made me laugh because I’m twelve in my head). Though the beginning is tragic, the author’s quirky voice, and ridiculous details make the story a comedy that goes a little deeper than most. And just when Mau and Daphne are getting used to things, other survivors of the wave show up, including pirates.

Also, if you’re wondering how the books on a plane were, the only one I’ve finished at this point is Rachel Rising, and OMG SO GOOD! Need the next issue. Need it.

As for the others, well, Name of the Wind is long, okay!

This is the fourth in a series of lesson plans based around the graphic novel “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi.

Vocabulary

Here is some of the vocabulary that students had difficulty with from this chapter.

to be ashamed – to feel regret or embarrassment

to take in – strange choice of verb in the text as it is used in the context of Marji’s grandmother taking in sewing. Here is means to start doing an activity. I advised my students to use “take up” instead.

sewing – students had problems with pronunciation, stress that the verb “to sew” is pronounced the same as “so”.

verbs that collocate with “a promise” – make a promise, break a promise, keep a promise.

“the population couldn’t have cared less” – useful, common expression meaning not to care.

cemetery – place where dead people are buried.

stretcher – equipment to carry an injured person.

widow – wife of a dead man.

Discussion Questions

1. What happens in this chapter?
2. What new information do we learn?
3. How did it make you feel?
4. How does the chapter end?
5. Why is Marji confused?
6. In this chapter we see Marji asking her grandmother to tell her stories of her life. What stories did your grandparents / parents tell you about their lives?
7. In this chapter Marji’s grandmother talks about politicians who don’t keep their promises. Do the politicians in your country keep theirs? Can you think of any examples of promises they have kept and broken?
8. Marji’s Dad bravely tries to take photos of the demonstrations. How important is this kind of action?
9. Can you think of any famous war correspondents? Or famous war photography?
10. How do people document demonstrations and revolutions nowadays?
11. How has this activity changed since the time Persepolis was written?

Next week chapter 5: The Letter

As we are all aware now last week at Lane Tech Persepolis was removed from classrooms as demanded by a CPS mandate. The removal of the books and the banning of Persepolis immediately prompted students and teachers to protest this decision at Lane Tech. Later that same day, Barbara Byrd-Bennett said the banning of Persepolis is only for grades 7 and under. She went on to say that the book will be reviewed to determine if it is appropriate for grades 8-10.

Currently only 11^th and 12^th graders are allowed to read the book per the new CPS ruling.

The book is a historical and autobiographical account of the author as a young girl growing up under dictatorial rule in Iran and the revolutions led by the people in an attempt to bring in Democracy.

As a history teacher I decided to let my students review the book and decide if the banning of Persepolis by CPS and Barbara Byrd-Bennett was justified.

Out of the 71 students who took part in the lesson, discussions, and read through Persepolis 53 students did not agree with the ban imposed by CPS and Barbara Byrd-Bennett. Many of the other 18 students thought that the teacher should decide if the book is appropriate for their students, not CPS.

The following are direct quotes from my junior and senior high school students in Englewood.

Renika, “Persepolis is not inappropriate, it may have violence but violence is in the everyday life of a 7^th grader.”

Ty’Neequa, “P is something that actually happened, just like people were tortured and killed in the Holocaust. CPS shouldn’t be able to keep information like this from students. We need to learn about revolutions in other countries. The banning of Persepolis would be like CPS trying to prevent teachers from teaching slavery.”

Jaydeisha, “Teachers know what their students are capable of handling, so if the feel their students couldn’t take the book they wouldn’t let them read it.”

Malik, “Children deserve to know the truth.”

Toriana, “There are things in this book that we need to know. Young students in CPS learn about slavery and just like slavery bad things happen to different races too. I think students need to know every piece of information that we can. “

Latoria’ “The truth of the book is not much different than what kids see in their neighborhoods every day.”

Amanda, “There isn’t a problem when teachers teach about the tragedies around Native Americans, African slaves, Mexicans or any other culture that has experienced tragedies and racism, so what is the difference with this?”

Tomas, “Teachers should be able to decide if they want to teach the book or not to their students. “

Ray, “This book tells us what actually happened during the Iranian Revolution.”

Alexis, “This book shows a lot of emotions such as love, hate, and struggle. It is important to know the true events surrounding the life of this girl.”

Tyranesha, “Teachers should be able to decide at what age to teach this book, because teachers know if their students are mature enough for the book. Students shouldn’t be disrupted of their education because CPS thinks they are not mature enough. The teachers know what the kids can and cannot handle.”

As teachers we are the experts in curriculum and instruction. If teachers felt like students would not be mature enough or able to understand the content then teachers would not use a book such as this.

Chicago Public Schools under the “guidance” of Barbara Byrd-Bennett is taking the ability of planning and making appropriate instructional practices away from the experts (we teachers).

This book until last week was only banned in Iran, but now Chicago and Iran have much more in common.

“I feel badly for the children because it sends a message to them that there is something wrong with reading,that we don’t want them to read this book because there’s something in it that we don’t want them to know.” –Judy Blume

The quote from Judy Blume famous childrens author sums up the repressive state that Chicago Public Schools is sadly becoming by banning books and closing schools.

http://gapersblock.com/mechanics/2013/03/25/giving-high-school-students-a-voice-in-the-cps-banning-of-persepolis/

For posterity and in case they’re of interest to anyone, below I’ve listed the questions and my own personal responses with relevant links and fancy-pants annotations. It’s also probably worth noting that I was thinking specifically about ‘traditional animation’ and not all-CGI films or stop-motion/claymation. That opens up a debate in itself but, hey, back to talking Disney standards and Studio Ghibli in under 140 characters…

1. If you were an animated Disney character who would you be?

I think I’d like to be Rafiki from The Lion King. Wise simian shaman of the Pride Lands…

2. What do you think about the misconception of animation being for kids?

Why should ‘kids’ get all the fun? And are you letting these kids watch Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Persepolis, etc., etc.? (Thinking about it later I realised that Persepolis is actually a suitable film for children. In a similar vein, stuff like Waltz With Bashir probably isn’t.)

3. Which live action film would you like to see an animated version of and why?

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari or Nosferatu redone as an animation would be beautiful. Expressionism going back from film into art!

4. Which animated film would you like to see a live action version of and why?

I’d love to see Porco Rosso as a live-action feature… with Ron Perlman in pig-head make-up as Porco…

5. What is your favourite Studio Ghibli movie and character?

So hard picking a favourite Studio Ghibli film. I think I’ll say Spirited Away with the Tanuki of Pom Poko as fave characters…

6. Do you think the voice of animated characters make a difference to how we view them? (Especially if voiced by famous actors.)

Usually, no problem but if an A-list cast is a priority over art and story then there’s an issue. Less famous voice actors needed…

7. What is your favourite film which combines live action and animation?

It’s a brutal fistfight/dance-off between Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks…

8. Fairytales associated with Disney animation have been appearing on our screens in dark live action versions. Which should be next?

Imagine a dark, bitterly beautiful adaptation of The Steadfast Tin Soldier and cry your eyes out all night…

9. What is your first memory of an animated character that scared you?

The whole Pleasure Island ‘boys turned into donkeys’ trip in Pinocchio scared me stupid as a child (and still does now)…

10. In the style of Avengers Assemble… choose 5 animated characters for your ultimate version of an Animated Assemble!

The Iron Giant, Paprika, The Illusionist, Robin Hood the Fox and Gaston. My Animated Avengers: eclectic and invincible…

And that’s that. Beyond the interesting exercise of thinking up your own responses it’s fascinating to see what others say and gauge the range of opinions, resonant memories and, overall, the mass passion for film. I recommend the exercise and had a blast with #MTOS so will be back in the future. I’d encourage other film fans bored who find themselves bored on a Sunday night to join in the fun…

This was a heroine I could identify with. I was intrigued by her experiences and her intelligence. Persepolis looked like a shy introvert, and when I opened its pages, out tumbled so many interesting qualities: heart, comedy, tragedy, drama, history. It told an incredible story in a very accessible manner, I couldn’t wait to read Persepolis II. I was not disappointed, Persepolis II sang a story as loud and as potent as the first. By the end of volume II I found I had learned new ideas, about history and social mores. At the same time many of the values espoused by Satrapi resonated with me and I felt a kinship with Iranians who agreed with her politics.

Growing up in the 1980s I remember seeing videos on the news of the Ayatollah Khomeini and shouting Iranian men burning effigies of Uncle Sam. I couldn’t understand what was happening in Iran, I was frightened of it and of its people. For some reason I never bothered to learn more about Iran. There were no Iranians in my hometown, and so my fear and ignorance continued. Until I read Persepolis. Marjane Satrapi succeeded at painting a sympathetic portrait of her people. It was with Persepolis that I finally realized, I was like many Iranians, and they were much like me: humans with a love for freedom and dignity.

Palestinians Unwelcome Obama: On Wednesday, over a hundred Palestinians erected a 15-tent village on a hilltop in the disputed E1 area of the West Bank to protest Barack Obama’s visit to the region. The demonstration represented the latest in a series of Palestinian tent cities erected in defiance of Israel’s plans to build about 4,000 settlement housing units in the controversial E1 area, which would bisect the West Bank and compromise the territorial integrity of a future Palestinian state. Palestinian activists assert that the Obama administration has rubber-stamped this state of affairs.

Chicago Students Fight Book-Banning: Nearly 400 students at Chicago’s Lane Tech College Prep School attempted to stage a sit-in on Monday to protest the Chicago Public School’s removal of the graphic novel series ‘Persepolis’ from its seventh-grade curriculum. The demonstration, organized through Facebook and other social media, started at 8 a.m. with students flooding the hallways, and was broken up twenty minutes later by faculty, who locked the library doors to prevent students from entering. CPS officials say they removed the series of autobiographical novels–which depict the life of a young Iranian woman before, during and after the country’s Islamic revolution–due to their use of strong language and scenes of graphic violence. According to American Libraries, CPS has backtracked on the decision to remove the book from libraries, which students and faculty said amounted to censorship: “Chicago Public Schools (CPS) chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett has reversed a directive to pull Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, from CPS libraries, though she maintains the book is not appropriate for 7th graders and should be removed from classrooms.”

Tar Sands Week of Action: Environmental activists staged a ‘Stop Tar Sands Profiteers’ week of action nationwide to protest companies profiting from the destruction that could be caused by the Keystone XL Pipeline. In New Orleans on March 17, protesters blocked buses full of oil executives headed to the Howard Well Energy Conference, and disrupted corporate dinners throughout the French Quarter. On March 21st, 20 religious leaders from several denominations led an interfaith demonstration at the White House, followed by one at the Canadian Embassy. All in all, over 30 events were planned and executed by over 50 grassroots organizations opposed to the pipeline and the corporations that profit from it.

First off, Lauren is an 11 year-old fifth grader who used Kickstarter to get her first picture book published and illustrated.  How amazing is it that one, there’s an avenue that she and her parents could use to fund this, and two that at 11 she is so motivated to get her writing out there.  I was similar at her age, and wrote a couple of picture books in second grade that my teacher laminated, but I never thought to be so young and do something about my writing.  I love stories like this where young kids are pursuing their dreams, so excited to share their talents.  It’s also a great motivator to the rest of us who want to write that we should get our butts in gear and just do it.

Second, I was sad to hear today that Chinua Achebe passed away.  I, like many others, was introduced to Things Fall Apart when I was in high school, and while I found it to be not the easiest read, I was transfixed by this world that we tend to neglect and know so little about. Achebe was 82 and his influence will continue to shape African English writing.

Am I the only one who thinks the Persepolis “ban” in Chicago schools is a bit overblown?  After all, choosing not to teach a book in 7th grade doesn’t mean a book is banned, it just means the kids might be a bit young for some of the subject matter.  I haven’t had a chance to read Persepolis, but can’t teachers decide they might want to raise the age-level of those learning the book?  Maybe the method of the school district was a bit over much, removing the books from classrooms, but when it’s still available from the libraries, I don’t really call this a banning, just a reassessment.

It was announced this week that both current ABC hit “Once Upon a Time” and 90s darling “Clarissa Explains it All” are getting turned into books (Clarissa‘s will be a book sequel).  I know movies sometimes do novelisation tie-ins, but this is the first I’ve heard of a TV show.  I’m not sure I’m crazy about the idea in general, but I am sort of excited for both of these projects.  What do you think? Should more TV series get the novel treatment, or do you think it just feels odd to have the adaptation cycle a bit reversed?  (I think it’s a bit odd.)

Was recommended to me today by my fantastic English teacher who teaches “Narratives around the world”. The plot sounds really interesting and I love movies that travel.

How to Read a Graphic Novel

• TEDTalk: Michael Chaney “How to Read a Graphic Novel”
• TEDTalk: “Scott McCloud on comics”  (also check out Scott’s book at the library, “understanding Comics“

Persepolis

• Interview with Marjane Satrapi
• “Persepolis – Oscar Nominee Best Animation”

If you finished (or even if you didn’t), please post your rating of Persepolis.

Persepolis was written by Marjane Satrapi who grew up in Iran during the 1980s. Satrapi’s novel is largely autobiographical and tells the story of what it was like to grow up during the early stages of the country’s Islamist revolution. It was originally published in France, where Satrapi now lives, and later translated into English. Newsweek ranked it as number five on its list of the ten best fiction books of the first decade of the 21st century.

Its awards include the 2003 Fernando Buesa Peace Prize (Spain), New York Times Notable Books, and the Angouleme International Comics Festival Prize (France).

The Chicago Teachers Union joined students, parents, teachers from throughout the school district in condemning CPS’s censorship of the award-winning book.

“We are surprised Persepolis: A Story of Childhood would be banned by the Chicago Public School system,” said Kristine Mayle, CTU’s financial secretary. ”The only place we’ve heard of this book being banned is in Iran. We understand why the district would be afraid of a book like this– at a time when they are closing schools–because it’s about questioning authority, class structures, racism and gender issues. There’s even a part in the book where they are talking about blocking access to education. So we can see why the school district would be alarmed about students learning about these principles.  There’s a lot of merit in Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel. Not only is it thoughtful, it can be instructive for young people, especially girls. Persepolis can help our students begin to think about the world around them. We hope CPS has not reverted back to the 1950s.”

An e-mail from administrators sent on March 14 ordered principals at schools where Persepolis was being taught or where copies were in the library to confiscate the books.

The next morning about 150 students and teachers at Lane Tech, a magnate college preparatory high school, gathered outside of the school holding signs that read “Banning Books, Closing Schools. . ., What’s Next?”; “Homework for CPS: Read the First Amendment”; “Banning Books. . . Really Rahm; and many more.

“We still don’t know who made the decision or why it was made,” said Steve Parsons, a teacher at Lane Tech and a CTU delegate to DNA Info.com Chicago at the demonstration. “English  teachers weren’t asked their professional opinion. Nobody was included. That is  not how democracy works. If we had received a message that said, ‘After much reflection….’ There  was nothing. They came in the middle of a school week, in the middle of the day.  It was so arbitrary.”

After the demonstration and after CPS received a flood of other protests about the book’s banning, the administration began backing away from its original ban.

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the CEO of CPS, said in a memo to clarify the district’s ban that “Persepolis was appropriate for juniors, seniors, and advanced placement students,” but not for seventh grade students and that the ban would remain if effect for them. She added that CPS would continue to evaluate whether the graphic novel was appropriate for grades eight through ten. She also said that the ban on the book in school libraries would be lifted.

CTU responded that Byrd-Bennett’s clarification was insufficient.

“CPS is now claiming Persepolis is banned only from the seventh grade classroom but will be available in school libraries. Unfortunately 160 elementary schools don’t have libraries—and they know that,” said CTU spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin.  “Enough with the Orwellian doublespeak. We support our educators who are fighting to ensure their students have access to ideas about democracy, freedom of speech, and self-image.  Let’s not go backward in fear.”

Byrd-Bennett said that the directive to ban Persepolis was issued because the graphic novel contained images of torture that were not appropriate for young students.

“It’s shameful. I cannot believe something like this can happen in the United States of America,” said Satrapi in a telephone interview with the Chicago Tribune.

Referring to her book, Satrapi said the images questioned by the administrators ”are not photos of torture. It’s a drawing and it’s one frame. I don’t think American kids of seventh grade have not seen any signs of violence. Seventh graders have brains and they see all kinds of things on cinema and the Internet. It’s a black and white drawing and I’m not showing something extremely horrible. That’s a false argument. They have to give a better explanation.”

Not much to write other than I really need Spring Break.   This is a crazy week for me with meetings every night and little time to catch my breath.

Charter School Company Applies for Lincoln Square Location

“Concept Schools spokesperson Salim Ucan said transforming the space into a charter school would be a $10 million project. Charter schools are independently-operated public schools. They’re largely reliant on state funding, so parents don’t pay tuition, but a board and charter sponsor oversees each school.”

Full-Day Kindergarten Will Worsen Overcrowding at Lincoln, Principal Says

“There are a lot of schools on the North Side who are having this huge problem of overcrowding, and how they are going to fit full-day kindergarten in,” Armendariz said.

For 2013-14 the offsite DePaul-owned space will be capped at students in grades four and up, but it has not been decided who will be taking class in the building, which has yet to be built out in classroom spaces.”

The Emanuel Administration Kicks Persepolis Out of Class

“It’s shameful,” she told the Tribune. “I cannot believe something like this can happen in the United States of America.”

Chicago Tonight: Controversy over Persepolis

“The Chicago Public Schools denies it banned the award-winning graphic novel Persepolis from classrooms and libraries for its depiction of torture. We have the latest on the controversy on Chicago Tonight at 7:00 pm. Read a statement from the Chicago Teachers Union about the book and view the letter sent by the Chicago Public Schools CEO to school principals about the alleged ban below.”

I read this my senior year of college (2012) in my Literature class.  It was definitely a great way to step into another culture.  Rather than just reading facts about another country/culture, you are able to see what’s going on through the black and white comic strip.  This story is an autobiography of Satrapi’s childhood growing up in Iran during the revolution.  The lifespan this book covers is from 6 years old, to 14.  I haven’t read the others in the series, but they continue her story from 14 years and up.

We find out that Satrapi is actually the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors and unfortunately, it doesn’t mean much outside of their family during this time.  The dialogue and narration throughout the book is funny and witty, along with the brilliant illustrations that made me smile from time to time.  Since I knew very little about Iran and the revolution, it was a great way to learn about it through Satrapi’s eyes.  Although she was very young at the start of it, she’s a bright kid (and a bit of a rebel) and we learn what’s going on in her country with her.  You start to love her family very quickly and hate it when bad news comes into the picture.

Satrapi can be free and speak her mind at home, with parents that are quite understanding yet lay down the rules when needed.  She’s a normal kid, just like anyone else, and doesn’t quite understand why she can’t be the same person at school.  In public, she’s forced to wear a veil and behave a certain way and be home by certain times.  At first, she tries to fight it, just thinking they are just stupid rules.  As she grows older and starts to see the seriousness of things and the affects the war is having on everything, she starts to settle down and become a bit more responsible.   This book ends with Satrapi’s parents sending her away to safety, knowing it’s the best thing they could do for her.

The English version comes with a little introduction saying that Satrapi wanted to show not only the horrors of war, but that not all people from Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan are terrorists.  They are people just like you and me who listen to the same music and like to play the same games and have loving families who are against the terrorists as well.

Overall, this was a great book.  The subject itself was already dark and emotional, and to add some humor to it made it an easier read emotion-wise. The drawings help capture every moment Satrapi tells and you feel the emotions they do with them.  Your heart dies a little or skips a beat when danger is at their front door and you find yourself reading the book that much faster (and it’s already a fast read because it’s a graphic novel!).  I recommend this book to everyone, but perhaps to an older audience (starting at around junior or senior year of high school). It’s a great way to look inside a different culture while learning a little bit about it’s history.  I was not disappointed at all with this book.

Carol Marin: “But at the same time, if we’re talking the difference between a senior and a 7th grader, there are discriminations to be made, and books are vetted based on age-appropriateness, correct?”

Khristine Mail: “Sure, but take a look at this city. We had over 500 murders last year. Our students are exposed to real violence on a daily basis. This is a cartoon picture from a historical event from 40 years ago. Our kids can handle it.”

We shared a similar sentiment in our letter, sent from our Kids’ Right to Read Project on Friday afternoon.