In part two, Nafisi decided after much thought to bring the novel The Great Gatsby into her readings. She took much risk bringing in this fictional, banned book into the class room. Although this book had no similarity to what was going on in the revolution at the time, Nafisi choose the novel because it was actually a good book. Also, allowing the students to see “a glimpse of that other world that was now receding from us, lost in a clamor of denunciations.” Pg. 108
Many students were baffled by the novel and questioned the idea of love in the story with so much hate going on around them. Some asking “what use is love in this world we live in?”
Pg. 110
Nafisi goes on to explain to us that while standing in her classroom talking about the American Dream as it pertains to Gatsby, she could hear the shouting outside the class room “Marg bar Amrika”-“Death to America!” Which I would think would be difficult as a teacher to have to bring the students in to the book, and imagine they are in this other world of love, while there is the complete opposite happening around them.
Word Count: 202
Many students were baffled by the novel and questioned the idea of love in the story with so much hate going on around them. Some asking “what use is love in this world we live in?”
Pg. 110
Nafisi goes on to explain to us that while standing in her classroom talking about the American Dream as it pertains to Gatsby, she could hear the shouting outside the class room “Marg bar Amrika”-“Death to America!” Which I would think would be difficult as a teacher to have to bring the students in to the book, and imagine they are in this other world of love, while there is the complete opposite happening around them.
Word Count: 202
Man, did you find the right book cover! An old fashioned cover with bright colors and interesting graphics. That grabbed my attention right from the start.
ReplyDeleteYou bring in quite a bit of book information to your review. I can tell you really read it.
Even though the Gatsby story bore little resemblance to the issues of the time in Iran, do you think she might have been teaching the deeper meaning of imagination and love to make sure her students didn’t forget what they had before Khomeini?
I can’t agree with you more that teaching under those circumstances must have been difficult. I could not have done it.
Word count: 111