-- Reading Lolita in Tehran, p.19
Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran is a source of inspiration and hope for many who are interested in teaching and discussing literature, especially as it pertains to the social and political power of women. Personally, this is one of those books I end up reading at least once every year. In my most recent reading, I was struck by the prevalence of powerful storytellers, those who shape reality into the texts that Nafisi studies with her students, as well as the stories of Iranian men and women told through the novel itself. In order to appreciate the power and influence of stories, Nafisi narrates her own experience (and that of some of her students) as a university professor in revolutionary Iran, and connects these experiences to texts as diverse as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to the classic folktale A Thousand and One Nights. In the same vein, I have centred this unit around storytelling and storytellers, with the hope that students will gain an appreciation for the inherent power given to those who write and tell stories, and how readers can disrupt or challenge that power through critical questions and knowledge of literary techniques and conventions. As well, students will be empowered to tell their own stories, sharing and connecting to the stories of others, and using language to make sense of their experiences.
In her article "Critical Questions: Whose Questions?", Anne Simpson articulates some key ideas about critical literacy that have influenced the development of this unit. She acknowledges that stories are "not reflections of reality, but are selective versions of it, told from a particular view" and also that "authors write for particular audiences and assume that audiences have specific cultural knowledge and values" (Simpson, 119). These ideas are reflected in the Ontario curriculum documents for English, which highlight the importance of developing "effective readers", able to think " clearly, creatively, and critically about the ideas and information encountered in texts in order to understand, analyse, and absorb them and to recognize their relevance in other contexts" (Ontario Ministry of Education, 15). In addition to recognizing and analysing the social and cultural values inherent in a literary work, students will be empowered to pose critical questions, and add their own "disruptions" or comments to established texts.
In accordance with the expectations for the Grade Nine Academic curriculum, this unit will make use of a variety of "teacher and student selected texts" from diverse cultural perspectives and traditions (Ontario Ministry of Education, 45). Students will gain background knowledge to be able to compare these different narratives in context, and identify the purpose and intended audience for particular stories. The main focus of study will be William Goldman's
novel The Princess Bride, but will also draw on traditional folk and fairy tales from a wide range of cultural perspectives, as well as related poetry, images, and video. By Grade Nine, students should have some of the necessary vocabulary to interpret and compare these texts, as well as cultural and social references to help make sense of the materials studied. Through the novel and related materials, students will become familiar with archetypes and literary conventions, symbols, types of narrative voice, conflict, as well as terms related to media literacy. They will also gain experience writing for different audiences, and using examples from text to make literary arguments. All of these are crucial skills for students to master before moving on to Grade Ten. The curriculum also calls for students to be able to identify storytelling techniques specific to different mediums, like performance, visual, video, or textual types of narrative (Ontario Ministry of Education, 43). In this unit, students will take that one step further by using examples of different types of storytelling to develop the evaluation criteria for their culminating activity. With guidance from the teacher, students will demonstrate understanding of the elements of effective storytelling and apply their understanding in their own creative efforts. As well, students will have a voice in deciding how their narratives will be received and valued by their peers.
In developing these lessons, I have attempted to emulate a storyteller, using different techniques to engage students in an ongoing narrative that builds on itself from day to day. Students, however, are not passive listeners to this story-- they are actively involved in the selection, presentation, and evaluation of the texts we study and the connections made to reality and personal experience. In this sense, they are both participants and shapers of our shared story, and vital to its existence. In addition to the literacy skills students will learn in class, my ultimate aim is for them to become literate citizens in practice, making informed decisions about the stories and storytellers they engage with and also creating their own personal narratives. There is immense power in narrative, a privilege recognized by many throughout history-- conquerers as well as challengers to oppression. In this unit, I have included both of these types of stories for discussion, and developed the tools to deconstruct and talk back to these stories at the same time.
In examining the lives of those who tell stories--whether it's William Goldman or the nameless medieval women who told fairy tales as a way of solidifying their social position, students will recognize the inherent political nature of stories, how they position the author and reader/audience through words.
The purpose of the culminating activity for this unit, is for students to be able to tell their own story using digital technologies (like a podcast) and share that story with others. Telling personal stories is a way for students to put theory to practice, actually creating narratives using the storytelling techniques we will have studied, and also a way for them to feel as though their voice is understood and valued in the classroom. Teacher Desiree Essex discusses the importance of allowing students to write about themselves in "Hearing Voices", where she extols the value of "meaningful" writing, where "the voice of the writer emerges" and "connect(s) with the world that sustains us" (2). She also notes that it is necessary for students to acknowledge the reason for their writing, and also the importance of that writing being valued in the classroom at large. "The writing that took place...brought us together as a classroom community" (Essex, 2). The sense of community that is established by sharing stories is also echoed by the women in Reading Lolita in Tehran, although not explicitly acknowledged. The discussion group becomes a safe space for the students to reveal their true selves (literally-- Nafisi gives a beautiful description of her students shedding their black chadors and "burst(ing) into colour" as they entered her home), participating in a community that encourages intelligent, spirited discussion. Through the lessons and activities presented here, I will encourage my students in developing a similar community, learning from each other and attempting to make sense of their shared reality through story.
Works Cited
Essex, Desiree Wedhorn. "Hearing Voices" English Quarterly; 2005; 37, 1; CBCA Education
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran. New York: Random House, 2003.
Ontario Ministry of Education. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 and 10: English. Toronto: Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2007.
Simpson, Anne. "Critical Questions: Whose Questions?" The Reading Teacher, Oct 1996, 50, 2.
