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How education plays a role in politics as a social institution
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Passion and Change: How Reading Lolita in Tehran Deconstructs Power
In authoritarian systems of government, the manner in which leaders rule over the people leave citizens very little power to bring change. Though pockets of dissent exist, it can be unnerving when one realizes that dissent only implicates those dissenters in troubles first perpetuated by the rulers themselves—in chaos, people cannot convene, they cannot organize or seek change because all change requires cooperation. Only in education, reform and cultural awareness do people find a weapon that can be utilized as agents of change. Azar Nafisi, in her multiple roles as educator, culture agent and dissenter put a foot forward in the process of proving that dissenters can organize, educate and inspire and, in the process, serve as a liaison of change for those who live and experience her expertise in and out of the classroom.
Culture is unique in its role within education. It creates meaning that is different for each one of us—our experiences within family circles, national borders and classroom walls shape meaning and ideas, regardless of subject. In addition, it is, as Sonia Nieto (1999) pens, “invariably influenced by the environment in which it exists” (p. 133). Teaching English Literature in Tehran, a dubious job at best, could, in the turbulent times of revolution, be thought of as near blasphemous. Iran, with all her traditions, particularly in literature and religion, naturally does not take well to outside influence, cultural diversity and dissent. What Dr. Nafisi was able to do with dissent, cultural diversity and western influence through the words of the writers studied and discussed, was nothing short of amazing.
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...n losing those positions, intellectualism lost, students lost and the country as a whole lost. The brilliance of her teaching method matches more thoughts of Freire, “the task of the teacher, who is also a learner, is both joyful and rigorous” (Freire, 2005, p. 5). Rigorous, indeed, especially given the predicament she often found herself.
Works Cited
John-Steiner, Vera & Mahn, Holbrook (1996). Sociocultural Approaches to Learning and
Development. Educational Psychologist, 31, (3/4) 191-206.
Freire, Paulo (2005). Teachers as Cultural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare Teach.
Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.
Nafisi, Azar (2003). Reading Lolita in Tehran. New York, New York: Random House
Nieto, Sonia (1999). The Light in Their Eyes: Creating Multicultural Learning Communities.
New York, New York: Teachers College Press.
...nformation that they are able to attain through the critical thinking skills taught in school. They would be much better equipped to work at achieving the main goal of teaching; which is (subject to change based on different opinions, but for most it is) to touch the life of at least one child. Despite the fact that after one year of teaching Esme' quit; she touched more lives in that one year alone than the average teacher touches in his/her entire career. Esme' was able to do this because she started off thinking, "Even if I fail, I have to try and try and try. It may be exhausting, but that is beside the point. The goal is not necessarily to succeed but to be the kind of person who has ideas and sees them through" (8). More teachers need to try and emulate the goals and ideas of Madame Esme', by doing this diversity would not be an issue it would be an asset.
Despite both writers believing that there is a flaw in modern-day education, they come to that conclusion in separate ways. Freire predominately believes that the education system is what is restraining students, while Percy believes that the students are to be blamed for refusing to leave “the beaten track.” Regardless of the individual problem that both writers perceive as being incorrect, Freire and Percy end at the same conclusion that students are losing their individuality. Students and teachers must unite to strive for the change they deserve and to get past the preset system that is withholding them from greatness. Freire points out that true “Knowledge emerges only through invention and reinvention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other” (72). With these newly discovered ideas for reform, students will not be constrained by their oppressors from expressing who they truly are:
He further stated that with all sincerity in themselves and colleagues, public school is now regarded as outmoded and barbarous. This thought, according to him is both observable to students and the teachers alike, but the students inhabit in it for a short period, while the teachers are condemned to it. Pursuant to teachers being condemned, they live and work as intellectual guerrillas strong-minded to stimulate students, ignite their inquisitiveness, and to open their minds, yet reluctant to stay behind in their profession. Together with this, teachers...
Cultural diversity is an important element. Often times we acknowledge cultural diversity but we don’t quite understand it simply because we do not live it. With this novel, readers can understand cultural
Duncombe, Stephen. "Introduction to The Cultural Resistance Reader." Critical Encounters with Texts: Finding a Place to Stand. By Margaret Himley and Anne Fitzsimmons. New York: Custom Pub., 2009. 117-23. Print.
The book, as described in its' title is a “Memoir in Books” chronicling Azar Nafisi experiences while teaching in the Islamic Republic of Iran during the revolution occurring from 1978 to 1981 and her life there until leaving for America in 1997. Much of the book focuses on Nafisi as a professor at the University of Tehran, and after her expulsion from there, the Allameh Tabatabaii University. The main focus of the text is the formation of a book club with young female students that she had instructed at the universities from 1995 until 1997. The young women meet week...
In his essay “Disliking Books,” he examines the standard that many teachers hold. The author believes that the view of other teachers is that “leaving me alone with literary texts themselves, uncontaminated by the interpretations and theories of professional critics would enable me to get on the closest possible terms with those texts” (Graff 26). Teachers, as Graff believes, leave their students with only their own interpretations and perspectives on a text. This does not encourage learning or critical thinking, but hinders students’ abilities to improve and develop ideas their own. Without guidance, students cannot delve deeper into the subjects in which they are learning. Alternatively, in his “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” Graff reveals isolation in perspective of teachers through his own experience with teachers holding opposing viewpoints and theorizes “teachers in modern periods need nonmodernists (and vice versa) in order to make their subjects intelligible to their students” Graff 340). Hence, without elaborating on a subject from all possible viewpoints, a student will have a limited understanding of what it is and how to apply it in their life. Each student will take a different standpoint on what is said, and if they disagree, it will slip through their
Cultures throughout the world encompass a diverse array of lifestyles by which societies are led by. These cultures, in a typical sense, are created by the subset of a population that follows a particular set of morals and ideals. An individual’s own identity, as a result, is dependent on many varying factors of their lifestyle in these culturally regulated regions. In the stories, “Selections from Reading Lolita in Tehran,” by Azar Nafisi, and “The Naked Citadel,” by Susan Faludi, the authors depict the impact made on an individual’s identity by male-dominated communities prejudiced against women. The discriminations described in these stories contribute to the creation of cultures that oppose the idea of seeing women as equals to men. Hence,
Ismail, M. (2008, February). Literature is the mirror of society. Campus Notes, 1(13), 1-10. Retrieved from
There has recently been a renewed interest and passion in the issue of censorship. In the realm of the censorship of books in schools alone, several hundred cases have surfaced each year for nearly the past decade. Controversies over which books to include in the high school English curriculum present a clash of values between teachers, school systems, and parents over what is appropriate for and meaningful to students. It is important to strike a balance between English that is meaningful to students by relating to their lives and representing diversity and satisfying worries about the appropriateness of what is read. This burden often falls on teachers. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss censorship in schools and to argue that the censorship of books in the high school English curriculum is limiting and takes away literature that is meaningful to students.
Freire wrote of education from a more political point of view, with words like oppressed and freedom in titles of his books. In his home country of Brazil, the 1960’s were important years both educationally and politically, which probably inspired Freire’s writing. In 1964, a military dictatorship took control of Brazil (WEBSITE), and in the same year, Freire was imprisoned and then exiled from the country. This would definitely have inspired Freire to write about education with the thought of freedom snuck in between the lines. Freire’s audience of the time would not have been in Brazil until it was published there in 1974, however it was published in Portuguese, English and Spanish (Readings for Writers). Teachers and students alike were able to relate to relate to The “Banking” Concept of Education in the late 1960’s and they still can relate to it in modern times. Students relate to the feeling of being oppressed and disrespected. Teachers will connect with Freire’s purpose by realizing that they actually do need to teach using his proposed problem-posing method.
Freire’s philosophies concerning teachers learning, teaching, and reflecting on the process are cyclic in nature. He interwove theory, practice, and reflection into being an effective educator. Freiree quoted Francoss Jacob when he wrote “We are programmed, but to learn” (2005, p. 124). Freire had much to say about theory and practice, urging teachers to step away from their everyday world and observe closely and critically what is happening in that realm in order to renew one’s curiosity, what he referred to as “thinking the practice” (p. 140). Within this thinking about the practice, one begins to practice better. In addition to the practice, one must add scientifically-backed theory. Critical reflection of both the theory and practice illuminates the need for additional learning in order to begin the cycle again.
Al-wazedi N. - Hearing ‘Subaltern’ voices of resistance in works of Taslima Nasrin and Monica Ali, Ann Arbor International, 2008 Print.
Along these two weeks we have been prompt to make a recall to our own way of learning and why we became a teacher: Was it because coincidence, due to life circumstances, maybe because family tradition, was it a conscious decision or because someone influenced us? Whatever the answer is, we have to face reality and be conscious that being a teacher does not only means to teach a lesson and asses students learning. It requires playing the different roles a teacher must perform whenever is needed and required by our learners, identify our pupils needs and preferences, respecting their integrity and individuality but influencing and motivating them to improve themselves and become independent.
During the course of this class, I have had the opportunity to read literature from authors who come from different backgrounds and places in the world. Some of the stories and poetry we read were straight forward while others were confusing and sometimes required a second look. But one thing is clear, it changed the way I think about literature in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. Three works in particular stand out in my mind. “ I Wont Let You Go” by Rabindranath Tagore, “To New York” by Leopold Senghor, and Pedro Peramo by Juan Rulfo all had an impact on my thinking for similar yet different reasons. They all incorporate their cultural backgrounds into their work through the setting of their pieces. They also compose their pieces in a way that makes you want to research their history to find the deeper meaning. Finally, a couple of the authors write about things they are emotionally connected to. Some of the examples we will look at, really opened my eyes to going beyond a superficial understanding of literature.