Driving Question: What are your human rights, and what does Persepolis say about why they are important to you?
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home— so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
According to the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, all humans are endowed with a set of internationally-recognized rights, regardless of "nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status."
Do you agree that all humans everywhere are guaranteed the same civil, political, social and economic rights? What happens when these rights are denied to you? We will examine these questions while studying Persepolis, a graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi that depicts her childhood at the height of the Iranian Revolution. Young Marji witnesses human rights abuses occurring all around her and recounts how these violations affect her and those in her life.
Individually and in groups, you will trace the importance of human rights in Marji's society and in our own today, and will produce work to add to our classroom library.
Deliverables
A chapter from the graphic novel of your life story depicting a time in your life when your rights have been denied to you or to someone who is close to you. You will work with members of your group to assemble a graphic novel anthology of these human rights stories and give a 10-minute presentation about your anthology. OR
A human rights (expository) essay documenting the abuse of a particular human right that takes place in Persepolis, citing evidence from at least two “chapters” from the novel. With your group, you will assemble your analysis into a journal and give a 10-minute presentation about your findings.