IB English Lang&Lit HL P2-Persepolis and TFA Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by gjgi

Marjane: “I wanted to be an educated, liberated woman...and so another dream went up in smoke.” -Metaphor: The metaphor in “another dream went up in smoke’ utilizes the imagery of something burning up in flames to symbolize Marjane's disapp­oin­tment and loss of her dream of becoming an indepe­ndent, educated woman. The metaphor conveys the idea that her aspira­tions have been crushed and have vanished like smoke due to the restri­ctions imposed on women in Iran. -Irony: Marjane's dream of becoming an educated and indepe­ndent woman is usually considered noble. However, the irony lies in the fact that in the context of the Iranian Revolution and the societal changes, her pursuit of education becomes full of challe­nges. -Theme: Theme is highli­ghted through Marjane’s desire for education and indepe­ndence and the frustr­ation she feels due to the constr­aints of her society that restricts her from achieving such desire. Thus, highli­ghting the struggles of women in Iranian society due to gender roles. Marjane: "We found ourselves veiled and separated from our friend­s" -Metaphor: The metaphor in “veiled and separated’ utilizes the concept of wearing a veil as a metaphor for the limita­tions placed on women in Iranian society and culture. The word "­vei­led­" is used metaph­ori­cally to refer to both the actual act of covering oneself as well as the restri­ctions placed on women's daily lives. -Paral­lelism: Parall­elism between “veiled and separated” underlines how closely related these two issues are, emphas­izing how the act of veiling is what causes the separa­tion. -Irony: The veil, which is meant to encourage modesty, has the effect of preventing women from intera­cting socially and dividing them from their friends. -Symbo­l(t­heme): The use of the veil as a symbol in the sentence represents the theme of gender roles and restri­ctions on women's freedom in Iranian society. It symbolizes the physical and metaph­orical separation from society, highli­ghting the isolation and detachment caused by societal norms. They insulted me. They said that women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked and then thrown in the garbage.

“Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell” -Diction: Negative connot­ation in "­mas­cul­ine­" and "­vio­len­t" reflect the societal expect­ations of mascul­inity and strength within Igbo culture. -Juxta­pos­ition: Juxtap­osition in the idea of being "­mas­culine and violen­t" with the notion of "­stories that his mother used to tell." This contrast highlights the tradit­ional gender roles and expect­ations placed upon indivi­duals within the Igbo society. Nwoye's internal conflict is evident in his personal prefer­ences versus societal norms. -Theme: Achebe portrays the gender expect­ations within Igbo society, which set specific behaviors and attributes for men and women. Mascul­inity is linked to violence, assert­ive­ness, and power, while femininity is associated with nurturing, storyt­elling, and a more gentle nature. " I have even heard that in some tribes a man's children belong to his wife and her family." “That cannot be,” said Machi. “You might as well say that the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the children,” Metaphor: metaphor to compare the idea that a man's children belong to his wife and her family to the notion that "the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the childr­en."­ This metaphor highlights the absurdity of the statement, as it challenges tradit­ional gender roles and expect­ations within Igbo society. Diction: Negative connot­ation in "­cannot be" conveys a strong sense of disbelief or rejection of the idea. It reflects the deeply ingrained gender roles and beliefs in the society, suggesting that the notion of children belonging to the wife's family is ludicrous to Igbo society. Theme: addresses the theme of gender roles by depicting the charac­ters' reaction to the idea that children might belong to the wife and her family. In tradit­ional Igbo society, lineage and inheri­tance were often traced through the male line, and children were typically considered the lineage of the father's family. Machi's response reflects the societal expect­ation that children belong to the father's lineage. His comment about the woman lying on top of the man humorously dismisses the idea, reinfo­rcing the conven­tional gender roles where the man is seen as the dominant figure in all aspects of life and marriage.

Marjane: "Deep down I was very religious but as a family, we were very modern and avant-­gar­de."­ - Theme:This quote illust­rates the conflict between Marjane's personal religious beliefs and her family's modern and values, highli­ghting her struggle to reconcile her own identity with her family's. -Juxta­pos­ition: Juxtap­osition between Marjane's religious beliefs and her family's modernity and avant-­garde attitudes. This juxtap­osition serves to highlight the internal conflict within Marji and her struggle to reconcile her personal faith with her family's more secular values. -Irony: The irony lies in the contra­diction between Marjane's deep-down religious beliefs and her family's modern and avant-­garde identity, which suggests that her family's modernity might be at odds with her personal religious convic­tions. “The reason for my shame and for the revolution is the same: the difference between social classe­s" Theme: Marjane acknow­ledges that the disparity in social classes is a factor that shapes her identity and emotions. It suggests that one's social class can signif­icantly impact how they perceive themselves and the world around them. She struggles with feeling both guilt and relief for her social status. Marjane realizes that the same things that make her life comfor­table, that make her feel shame when she drives past impove­rished Iranians with her father, are also what have directly inspired her country to revolt. Parall­elism: "the reason for my shame and for the revolution is the same." This repetition of structure emphasizes the connection between these two seemingly different aspects of Marjane's life as she realizes that the reasons she feels shameful for her social staust is the same reason for the revolu­tion. Irony: Situat­ional irony lies in the fact that Marjane, who belongs to a privileged class, feels shame about her social status, while the revolution rectify class dispar­ities.

"­“"Ok­onkwo was ruled by one passion – to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idlene­ss,­" Diction: "­des­pis­e" carries a strong negative connot­ation, indicating the depth of Okonkwo's rejection of his father's values and qualities, as a result of the imposed gender roles. Parall­elism: between "­gen­tle­nes­s" and "­idl­ene­ss" This parall­elism enhances the impact of his rejection and It demons­trates the depth of his commitment to aligning with the tradit­ional male identity of the Igbo society, as well as his rejection of any qualities that might associate him with his father's lineage. Theme: Okonkwo's passion to despise the qualities associated with Unoka and his own cultural heritage illust­rates his determ­ination to construct an identity distinct from his father's and in accordance with the tradit­ional Igbo male identity. "He felt a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul. The words of the hymn were like the drops of frozen rain melting on the dry palate of the panting earth,­" Simile: compares the effect of the hymn's words to "the drops of frozen rain melting on the dry palate of the panting earth."­ This simile illust­rates the profound relief and rejuve­nation that the hymn brings to Nowye. Nwoye is emotio­nally drawn to the hymns despite not unders­tanding the theolo­gical principles of the new religion, such as the concept of the Holy Trinity. Diction: Positive connot­ation in ‘relief’ unders­cores Nowye’s feeling of belonging as he is provided a different perspe­ctive and a peaceful way of life rather than coerced into being violent. Theme: Nowye’s response to the hymn illust­rates the tension between tradit­ional Igbo beliefs and the allure of the new Christian faith. The hymn represents a shift in individual and cultural identity for Nowye as he decides to convert to Christ­ianity.

"Many [streets] had changed names. They were now called Martyr What's­-Hi­s-Name Avenue or Martyr Someth­ing­-or­-Other Street. It was very unsett­ling. I felt as though I were walking through a cemete­ry" Irony: Street names typically commem­orate indivi­duals or events that hold signif­icance, but the replac­ement of familiar names with generic and indiff­erent ones like "­Martyr What's­-Hi­s-N­ame­" is ironic. This irony unders­cores the absurdity and the detached nature of the new street names, highli­ghting the abuse of power. Diction: Negative conn in “maryr whats his name aveneue” highlights the disregard for the historical or cultural signif­icance of the original street names and the sense of detachment and indiff­erence. Theme: The renaming of streets is a form of cultural manipu­lation and control. It demons­trates how those in power can erase or replace cultural symbols and historical references to reshape the collective identity of a society. "­"How many did they kill?" "No one knows exactly. Many thousands, or rather, many tens of thousands of people." "And the victims of the war?" "­Between 500,000 and 1,000,­000."" Repeti­tion: The repetition of the question "How many" and the use of specific numerical ranges such as "many thousa­nds­" and "­between 500,000 and 1,000,­000­" serve to highlight the horror of the human toll caused by the abuses of power. Diction: Negative conn. "­kil­l," "­vic­tim­s," and "­war­" This diction conveys the harsh reality of the abuses of power, the loss of human life, and the brutal conseq­uences of political decisions. Theme: The vast numbers of people killed and the uncert­ainty surrou­nding these numbers illustrate the extent to which those in power can perpetrate acts of mass violence and control the flow of inform­ation. ''Why are you wearing those punk shoes? Lower your scarf, you little whore!” Diction: negative conn in ‘whore’ and ‘punk’ is insulting, and use of Derogatory language. and hostile tone used by ‘deliv­erers of justice’ is their abuse of power to implement the regime through belittling and fear. Theme: The derogatory language and the demand to lower the scarf suggest an attempt to dominate or demean Marjane, potent­ially in a situation where as the fundam­ent­alist holds power over her, what she wears, and how she presents herself. Tone: hostile tone to command and demean Marjane and to depict her power over Marjane.

"The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make intere­sting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph, at any rate. There was so much else to include, and one must be firm in cutting out details. He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacifi­cation of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger,­" Irony: irony in title of the book unders­cores the power dynamics between the coloni­alists and the colonized people. Diction: Negative connot­ation in ‘cutting out details’ and ‘inter­esting reading’ reflects the commis­sio­ner’s detached and dismissive tone. By cutting out parts, the commis­sioner portrays Igbo culture in negative light. Also, the use of Okonkwo’s suicide as an intere­sting reading indicates the commis­sio­ner’s insens­iti­vity. Theme: The comios­soner is indiff­erent to the suffering and resistance of the colonized people. The diction in "The Pacifi­cation of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger" as the book's title highlights the abusive nature of colonial power and the erasure of the voices and stories of the colonized people It demons­trates how the coloni­alists manipulate language and history to justify their actions. It emphasizes the dehuma­niz­ation of the colonized people and their struggles as colonial powers seek to control, dominate, and rewrite the narrative of their history. Also, His misrep­res­ent­ation of Igbo traditions is a form of intell­ectual and cultural abuse of power. "­Okonkwo knew she was not speaking the truth. He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo's return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace,­" Diction: Negative connot­ation in “beat her heavily” conveys brutality of Okonkwo’s beating and it also portrays how domestic abuse is enabled within Igbo culture. Irony: Okonkwo's beating of Ojiugo occurs during the "Week of Peace,­" a time when the community is meant to observe a period of non-vi­olence and tranqu­ility. This irony accent­uates the abuse of power and the extent in which Okonkwo disregards cultural norms to convey his anger and mascul­inity. Theme: Okonkwo, a respected and powerful figure, uses his position , physical strength, and gender norms to assert dominance over his wife.

- Marjane struggles with her cultural identity and where she belongs. She cannot identify her personal morals and values; thus, cannot make her own decision as she is influenced by her parents and Western media. - Marjane's desire for personal freedom and indivi­duality conflicts with societal and religious expect­ations. She struggles with conforming to the strict dress codes and behaviors required in Iran. - Marjane faces internal conflict and guilt over the death of her Uncle Anoosh, who is executed by the regime.

He tackles with the fear of resembling his father, Unoka, who was considered weak and unsucc­essful by Igbo society's standards. This fear drives Okonkwo to become a succes­sful, respected warrior and leader but also leads to inner turmoil and insecu­rity.

-Activists vs the regime: The regime's strict Islamic laws and the survei­llance of citizens create fear and resist­ance. Marjane and her family engage in political activism among other Iranian citizens. - The Iran-Iraq War leads to bombings, loss of life, and a sense of lack of security for Marjane and her family.

Okonkwo vs. Other Clan Members: Okonkwo often finds himself in conflicts with other members of his clan, partic­ularly those who don't meet his exacting standards for mascul­inity and tradit­ional values. His confro­nta­tions with various indivi­duals, including his own son Nwoye, illustrate this conflict.

-man vs. society is quite evident as Iranians are restricted by the regime from expressing themse­lves, which portrays the power dynamics between the fundam­ent­alist and the Iranian citizens.