Survival Strategies Slides Escape & Survival
Persepolis: Chapters 14 & 15
Setting the Scene
Where we left off...
Ch. 14
Uncle Taher's heart failure and the need for surgery.
The bureaucratic wall: Passport issues.
The tragic arrival of the passport.
Ch. 15
Marji’s growing rebellion against the school regime.
Personal war (Marji) vs. Public war (Iran).
Survival as a spiritual struggle.
Warm Up
If the "official" route to safety is blocked, how far would you go to save someone you love?
Think about Marji's family and Uncle Taher. Is it more noble to follow the law and wait, or to break the law and survive?
3 Minutes
Silent Think
2 Minutes
Pair Discussion
Whole Class
Share Out
Mapping Survival
In "The Passport," every character makes a choice between safety and survival .
Character
Khosro
Decision
Forging documents for friends.
Risk
Severe punishment by the regime.
Character
Niloufar
Decision
Hiding in Khosro's basement.
Risk
Danger to herself and her hosts.
Character
Mr. Satrapi
Decision
Seeking an illegal passport.
Risk
Compromising his family's safety.
Analysis: Perspective & Suspense
"With this rebellion... I said goodbye to my childhood. I was a woman."
Writing Prompt
How does the difference between Marji's perspective and the reader's perspective create humor or suspense in Chapter 15?
Success Criteria
Identify a specific panel/moment.
Explain Marji's view vs. reality.
Explain the impact of this contrast.
Exit Ticket
"He's just a boy, but he has the power to decide if I live or die."
Final Reflection:
How is the passport used as a symbol of being trapped by political conflicts?
Turn in your work on your way out
Escape Routes Teacher Guide Escape Routes
Facilitation Guide • Chapters 14 & 15
Unit: Persepolis
Time: 45 Minutes
Learning Objectives
• Analyze the thematic weight of survival decisions in "The Passport."
• Identify how differences in character and reader perspective create suspense in "The Cigarette."
• Explain the symbolic role of the passport as a tool of political control.
Aligned Standards
8.RL.6: Perspective and Suspense
8.RL.9: Themes and Patterns
8.W.2: Informative/Explanatory Writing
Lesson Pacing
05 MIN
Warm Up: The Ethics of Survival
Facilitate a brief discussion on the slide prompt. Key Question: If the law is unjust, is breaking it a moral necessity?
10 MIN
Setting the Scene (Recap)
Briefly review the tragic irony of Chapter 14. Note the visual contrast between the hospital and the street. Ensure students understand the role of the "Director" in Chapter 14.
15 MIN
Decision Mapping (Activity)
Students work in pairs on the worksheet. Walk around and prompt them to look for Niloufar's fate as a turning point for Khosro and Marji's parents.
10 MIN
Writing: Perspective & Suspense
Individual writing time. Focus on the moment Marji smokes her first cigarette while the war rages in the background.
05 MIN
Cool Down: Exit Ticket
Collect the worksheets. Use the symbol of the passport for a final 1-minute reflection.
Teaching Notes
High-Level Discussion Prompts
Chapter 14: The Director
How does Satrapi use the character of the Director (former window washer) to critique the new regime? Why is it significant that he leaves Taher's fate to "the will of God"?
Chapter 15: The Basement
Compare Marji's hiding in the basement for her "rebellion" to Niloufar's hiding in the basement for her life. What does this contrast tell us about Marji’s development?
Visual Key: Ch. 14
The panel of Uncle Taher in the hospital bed surrounded by his family.
Point out the "whiteness" of the background. It feels sterile and helpless. Compare this to the "blackness" of the street scenes where Khosro and the Satrapis meet.
Visual Key: Ch. 15
The final panel of Marji smoking the cigarette.
Analyze the framing. Marji is looking directly at the reader. Why does Satrapi choose this moment to declare herself a "woman"? How does her small act of defiance mirror the larger war?
Escape Routes Worksheet Escape Routes
Persepolis: Chapters 14 & 15
Name:
Date:
Warm Up
If the "official" route to safety is blocked, how far would you go to save someone you love? Is it more noble to follow an unjust law or break it to survive?
Decision Mapping: "The Passport"
In Chapter 14, characters make desperate choices. For each character, identify their key decision and the risk they took.
Character Khosro
Key Decision
The Risk
Character Mr. Satrapi
Key Decision
The Risk
Character Niloufar
Key Decision
The Risk
Writing Analysis
"The first cigarette... it was with this rebellion that I said goodbye to my childhood. I was a woman." — Persepolis, Ch. 15
Prompt: Analyze the difference between Marji's perspective (childish rebellion) and the reader's perspective (the reality of war). How does this difference create humor or suspense in Chapter 15?
Exit Ticket
Final Reflection:
How does Satrapi use the symbol of the passport to show how individuals are trapped by large-scale political conflicts?
Escape Routes Answer Key Escape Routes
Answer Key • Chapters 14 & 15
Decision Mapping: "The Passport"
Khosro Example Answer
Key Decision
Agrees to make a fake passport for Uncle Taher despite being in hiding and already having a price on his head.
The Risk
Being caught by the Guardians of the Revolution, leading to execution or the discovery of Niloufar.
Mr. Satrapi Example Answer
Key Decision
Seeks out Khosro to procure an illegal passport for his brother, bypassing official government channels.
The Risk
If caught dealing with "enemies of the state" like Khosro, he and his entire family could be targeted or arrested.
Niloufar Example Answer
Key Decision
Chooses to hide in Khosro’s basement rather than fleeing immediately or surrendering to the regime.
The Risk
She faces execution if found (which tragically happens). Her presence also puts her host, Khosro, in extreme danger.
Writing Analysis: Perspective & Suspense
Key Grading Points (8.RL.6):
Marji’s Perspective: She views her rebellion as a monumental act of growth. To her, skipping school and smoking is a "war" against her parents and the restrictive school system.Reader’s Perspective: The reader sees the external war—bombs falling, Uncle Taher dying because of red tape, Niloufar being executed. This makes Marji’s "rebellion" look small and innocent in comparison.Suspense/Humor: The humor comes from the dramatic irony of Marji’s seriousness. The suspense comes from the realization that while she plays at being a "woman," actual women (like Niloufar) are being killed by the regime.
Exit Ticket Reflection
Successful responses should note:
Symbol of the Passport:
The passport represents permission to live. Without it, Uncle Taher is physically trapped in a country that cannot save him. It shows that political borders/rules have literal life-or-death power.
Political Conflict:
Individual humanity (Taher's need for surgery) is ignored by the state machinery. The "Director" values religious/political loyalty over the actual survival of the citizens he is supposed to serve.
Survival Strategies Slides Revised The Path to Survival
Persepolis: Chapters 14 & 15
The Reality of 1982
A nation under two wars: External and Internal
Uncle Taher's Struggle
Sent his oldest son to Holland (safety vs. separation).
Stress from gunshots and the "slaughtered" 20-year-olds.
Hospitalized after a grenade attack near their home.
The Bureaucratic Wall
Borders closed between 1980 and 1983.
The Director: A former window washer who leaves fate to "God's will."
A real passport arrives only on the day of his burial.
Ethical Debate
"If God wills it, he'll get better. Everything depends on God."
When a government leaves survival up to "fate" or "will," what responsibilities do families have to break the rules to save their loved ones?
3 Minutes
Individual Jot
5 Minutes
Group Discussion
Mapping Survival
Three characters in "The Passport" attempt to navigate an impossible system.
The Risk Taker
Khosro
Prints fake passports ($200) for people seeking asylum. Hides a communist teenager.
Result
Home ransacked; flees across mountains to Turkey.
The Fugitive
Niloufar
18 years old. Hiding in a basement because she is a communist. "Only place she's safe."
Result
Spotted, arrested, and executed.
The Protector
Mr. Satrapi
Tries to bypass the Hospital Director to get his brother an illegal passport for surgery.
Result
Failure of the system; brother dies as he flees.
Transition: "The Cigarette"
In Ch. 14, Uncle Taher smokes because the "stress from every gunshot is worse than the cigarettes."
In Ch. 15, Marji smokes her first cigarette as an act of rebellion against her mother.
Writing Prompt
Compare the meaning of smoking for Uncle Taher (coping with death) vs. Marji (playing at adulthood). How does the audience’s knowledge of Niloufar’s death in the previous chapter change how we view Marji’s rebellion?
The Passport
"Uncle Taher was buried. His real passport arrived the same day... he never got to see his son."
Final Thought:
Why was the passport such a powerful object in this real-life tragedy? What does its delayed arrival reveal about the impact of the regime on individual lives?
Escape Routes Teacher Guide Revised Escape Routes
Facilitation Guide • Chapters 14 & 15
Unit: Persepolis
Time: 45 Minutes
Learning Objectives
• Analyze the reality of survival decisions in the memoir "The Passport" (Ch. 14).
• Identify how differences in character and reader perspective create suspense in "The Cigarette" (Ch. 15).
• Explain how real objects like passports function as tools of state control in a war zone.
Aligned Standards
8.RL.6: Perspective and Suspense
8.RL.9: Historical Patterns in Memoir
8.W.2: Informative/Explanatory Writing
Lesson Pacing
05 MIN
Warm Up: Ethical Debate
Discuss the Hospital Director's real-life quote: "Everything depends on God." Contrast this with the Satrapis' active attempts to save Taher. Discuss the difference between faith and bureaucratic negligence.
10 MIN
Historical Context (Ch. 14)
Review the non-fictional details: The 1980-1983 border closure, the $200 cost for forged papers, and the reality of the execution of young opposition members like Niloufar.
15 MIN
Outcome Mapping Activity
Students track the real outcomes for Khosro, Niloufar, and Uncle Taher. Focus on how the state’s decisions directly impacted their lives and survival.
15 MIN
Writing: Personal vs. Political War
Analyze Marji’s small acts of rebellion in Ch. 15 against the backdrop of the literal life-and-death consequences for the adults around her in Ch. 14.
Teaching Notes: Respecting the Memoir
The Bureaucracy of Death
"The fate of my husband depends on a window washer!"
Help students understand that this isn't just a plot device; it was the reality of post-revolutionary Iran. Discuss how loyalty to the regime replaced medical and administrative expertise , leading to real tragedies like Uncle Taher's death.
Individual Real Choice Actual Outcome Khosro Helped neighbors; hid an 18-year-old girl. Forced into exile across the mountains to Turkey. Niloufar Sought safety in a basement. Arrested and executed by the state at age 18. Uncle Taher
Escape Routes Worksheet Revised Escape Routes
Persepolis: Chapters 14 & 15
Name:
Date:
Ethical Reflection
In Ch. 14, the Hospital Director says, "If God wills it, he'll get better. Everything depends on God." Do you agree that fate is the only factor in survival during a war, or is this an excuse for the regime’s failure? Explain.
Mapping Outcomes: "The Passport"
Use specific details from the text to identify each character’s illegal action and their ultimate fate .
Khosro
The Illegal Action
The Textual Fate
Niloufar
The Illegal Action
The Textual Fate
Uncle Taher
His Decision
The Irony of His Fate
Writing: From Death to Rebellion
Prompt (8.RL.6):
The reader just witnessed the tragic execution of Niloufar and the death of Uncle Taher in Ch. 14. In Ch. 15, Marji declares herself a "woman" because she smokes a cigarette to rebel against her mother.
Analyze how this difference in perspective creates suspense or dramatic irony. Why does Marji’s rebellion feel "small" compared to what the reader just saw?
The Significance of the Passport
Given that this is a true story, what does the arrival of the passport on the same day as the burial reveal about the tragic reality of the regime?
Escape Routes Answer Key Revised Escape Routes
Answer Key • Revised for PDF Alignment
Outcome Mapping: "The Passport"
Khosro
Illegal Action
Printing fake passports for $200; harboring Niloufar, a 18-year-old communist fugitive, in his basement.
Textual Fate
His house is ransacked by the regime; he flees across the mountains to Turkey and seeks asylum with his brother in Sweden.
Niloufar
Illegal Action
Hiding from the state because she is a member of the communist opposition.
Textual Fate
She is spotted, arrested, and executed. Her death is the catalyst for Khosro's flight.
Uncle Taher
Decision
Continues to smoke despite heart attacks due to the stress of the "internal war" and grenade attacks.
Irony of Fate
He dies of heart failure waiting for the permit. His real passport arrives at the house on the day of his burial.
Writing Analysis (8.RL.6)
Dramatic Irony: The reader knows that "becoming a woman" or "adult" in this regime (as seen with Niloufar) often leads to execution or exile. Marji thinks smoking is a grand gesture of womanhood, but the reader sees it as a naive play at adulthood while real life-and-death stakes surround her.
Suspense: The suspense is generated by the audience's fear for Marji. We have just seen what happens to "subversive" characters like Khosro and Niloufar; Marji's rebellion, while aimed at her mother, mimics the subversion that the regime punishes with death.
The Significance of the Passport
The arrival of the passport on the same day as the burial highlights the complete failure of the bureaucratic system. It shows that in this real-world tragedy, the regime’s indifference to individual human lives was so absolute that the very thing needed for survival arrived only when it was no longer needed, underscoring the cruelty of the state machinery.
Survival Strategies Slides Revised v2 Chapter 16
The Passport
The Reality of 1982
Internal vs. External Conflict
Uncle Taher
Separation from his oldest son in Holland.
Heart failure caused by the stress of "internal war."
"They kill me!" - the slaughter of 20-year-olds.
The System
Borders closed for three years (1980–1983).
The Director: A window washer turned bureaucrat.
The real passport arrives on his burial day.
Ethical Debate
"If God wills it, he'll get better. Everything depends on God."
In this true story, how does the Hospital Director use faith as an excuse for his own power? Is he being religious, or just heartless?
3 Minutes
Individual Jot
5 Minutes
Group Discussion
Mapping Real Stakes
Three individuals in Chapter 16 trying to survive an impossible regime.
The Risk Taker
Khosro
Prints fake passports ($200) for asylum seekers. Hides a communist fugitive.
Outcome
House ransacked; flees across mountains to Turkey.
The Fugitive
Niloufar
18 years old. Hiding in a basement. "The only place she's safe" (for a time).
Outcome
Spotted, arrested, and executed by the regime.
The Brother
Mr. Satrapi
Seeks illegal help when the Hospital Director (former window washer) refuses to act.
Outcome
System failure; he watches his brother die in despair.
Connection: Chapter 15
In Chapter 16 , we see the absolute finality of death (Niloufar and Taher).
In Chapter 15 , Marji declaró herself a "woman" because she smoked a cigarette to rebel against her mother.
Writing Analysis
How does our knowledge of the real-life stakes in Chapter 16 (Niloufar’s execution) change how we view Marji’s rebellion in Chapter 15 ? Does her act seem smaller, or more dangerous?
The Passport
"Uncle Taher was buried. His real passport arrived the same day... he never got to see his son."
Final Reflection:
What does the passport reveal about the tragic reality of being trapped in a system that values ideology over individual lives?
Survival Strategies Slides Revised v3 Chapter 16
The Reality of 1982
Internal vs. External Conflict
Uncle Taher
Separation from his oldest son in Holland.
Heart failure caused by the stress of "internal war."
"They kill me!" - the slaughter of 20-year-olds.
The System
Borders closed for three years (1980–1983).
The Director: A window washer turned bureaucrat.
The real passport arrives on his burial day.
Ethical Debate
"If God wills it, he'll get better. Everything depends on God."
In this true story, how does the Hospital Director use faith as an excuse for his own power? Is he being religious, or just heartless?
3 Minutes
Individual Jot
5 Minutes
Group Discussion
Mapping Real Stakes
Three individuals in Chapter 16 trying to survive an impossible regime.
The Risk Taker
Khosro
Prints fake passports ($200) for asylum seekers. Hides a communist teenager.
Outcome
House ransacked; flees across mountains to Turkey.
The Fugitive
Niloufar
18 years old. Hiding in a basement. "The only place she's safe" (for a time).
Outcome
Spotted, arrested, and executed by the regime.
The Brother
Mr. Satrapi
Seeks illegal help when the Hospital Director (former window washer) refuses to act.
Outcome
System failure; he watches his brother die in despair.
Connection: Chapter 15
In Chapter 16 , we see the absolute finality of death (Niloufar and Taher).
In Chapter 15 , Marji declared herself a "woman" because she smoked a cigarette to rebel against her mother.
Writing Analysis
How does our knowledge of the real-life stakes in Chapter 16 (Niloufar’s execution) change how we view Marji’s rebellion in Chapter 15 ? Does her act seem smaller, or more dangerous?
Final Reflection
"Uncle Taher was buried. His real passport arrived the same day... he never got to see his son."
Critical Question:
What does the passport reveal about the tragic reality of being trapped in a system that values ideology over individual lives?
Escape Routes Teacher Guide Revised v2 Escape Routes
Facilitation Guide • Chapters 15 & 16
Unit: Persepolis
Time: 45 Minutes
Learning Objectives
• Analyze the reality of survival decisions in the memoir "The Passport" (Ch. 16).
• Identify how differences in character and reader perspective create suspense in "The Cigarette" (Ch. 15).
• Explain how real objects like passports function as tools of state control in a war zone.
Aligned Standards
8.RL.6: Perspective and Suspense
8.RL.9: Historical Patterns in Memoir
8.W.2: Informative/Explanatory Writing
Lesson Pacing
05 MIN
Warm Up: Ethical Debate
Discuss the Hospital Director's real-life quote: "Everything depends on God." Contrast this with the Satrapis' active attempts to save Taher. Discuss the difference between faith and bureaucratic negligence.
10 MIN
Historical Context (Ch. 16)
Review the non-fictional details from the PDF: The 1980-1983 border closure, the $200 cost for forged papers, and the reality of the execution of young opposition members like Niloufar.
15 MIN
Outcome Mapping Activity
Students track the real outcomes for Khosro, Niloufar, and Uncle Taher. Focus on how the state’s decisions directly impacted their lives and survival.
15 MIN
Writing: Personal vs. Political War
Analyze Marji’s acts of rebellion in Ch. 15 against the backdrop of the literal life-and-death consequences for the adults around her in Ch. 16.
Teaching Notes: Respecting the Memoir
The Bureaucracy of Death
"The fate of my husband depends on a window washer!"
Help students understand that this was the reality of post-revolutionary Iran. Discuss how loyalty to the regime replaced medical expertise , leading to real tragedies like Uncle Taher's death.
Individual Real Choice Actual Outcome Khosro Helped neighbors; hid an 18-year-old girl. Forced into exile across the mountains to Turkey. Niloufar Sought safety in a basement. Arrested and executed by the state at age 18. Uncle Taher Stayed in Iran; suffered from stress.
Escape Routes Worksheet Revised v2 Escape Routes
Persepolis: Chapters 15 & 16
Name:
Date:
Ethical Reflection
In Chapter 16, the Hospital Director says, "If God wills it, he'll get better. Everything depends on God." Do you agree that fate is the only factor in survival during a war, or is this an excuse for the regime’s failure? Explain.
Mapping Outcomes: "The Passport"
Use specific details from the text to identify each individual’s real-life action and their actual outcome .
Khosro
The Choice He Made
The Real Outcome
Niloufar
The Situation She Faced
The Tragic Outcome
Uncle Taher
His Decision/Need
The Reality of His Fate
Writing: The Cost of Rebellion
Prompt (8.RL.6):
The reader just witnessed the tragic real-life outcomes for Niloufar and Uncle Taher in Chapter 16. In Chapter 15, Marji declares herself a "woman" because she smokes a cigarette to rebel against her mother.
Analyze how this difference in perspective creates suspense or dramatic irony. Why does Marji’s rebellion feel different to the reader who knows the actual stakes of being an adult in this regime?
The Significance of the Passport
Given that this is a true story, what does the arrival of the passport on the same day as the burial reveal about the tragic reality of the regime?
Escape Routes Answer Key Revised v2 Escape Routes
Answer Key • Chapters 15 & 16
Outcome Mapping: "The Passport" (Ch. 16)
Khosro
Real Choice
Printing fake passports for $200; harboring Niloufar in his basement to keep her safe from the regime.
Actual Outcome
His house is ransacked; he flees across the mountains to Turkey and seeks asylum with his brother in Sweden.
Niloufar
Real Choice
Hiding from the state as an 18-year-old communist opposition member.
Actual Outcome
She is spotted, arrested, and executed. Her real-life death is a turning point for Khosro's survival decisions.
Uncle Taher
His Need
Requires open-heart surgery in England after a third heart attack triggered by the stress of the war.
Actual Fate
Dies of heart failure waiting for the official permit. His real passport arrives at his home on the day of his burial.
Writing Analysis (8.RL.6)
Dramatic Irony: In Chapter 15, Marji views smoking as a "grown-up" act of rebellion. However, the reader (armed with the real outcomes from Chapter 16) knows that "adulthood" for women in this regime leads to literal execution (Niloufar) or the death of loved ones (Uncle Taher). Marji’s rebellion is innocent, while the reality is lethal.
Suspense: Suspense is generated because the reader understands the danger Marji is actually in when she breaks rules. We have just seen the regime ransack homes and execute teenagers; Marji's defiance, while small, occurs in a context where small mistakes have fatal consequences.
The Significance of the Passport
The arrival of the passport on the same day as the burial underscores the complete failure of the bureaucratic system. It reveals that the regime’s indifference to individual human lives was so absolute that the very thing needed for survival arrived only when it was no longer needed, highlighting a tragic reality rather than just a narrative device.
Survival Strategies Slides Revised v4 Chapter 16
Ethical Reflection
In Chapter 16, the Hospital Director says, "If God wills it, he'll get better. Everything depends on God."
Do you agree that fate is the only factor in survival during a war, or is this an excuse for the regime’s failure?
Explain your reasoning.
Mapping Outcomes
Choose three characters from the story.
In the chart on your worksheet, use specific details from the text to identify each character’s:
Illegal Action
Ultimate Fate
From Death to Rebellion
The reader just witnessed the tragic execution of Niloufar and the death of Uncle Taher in Chapter 16.
In Chapter 15, Marji declares herself a "woman" because she smokes a cigarette to rebel against her mother.
Analyze how this difference in perspective creates suspense or dramatic irony.
Why does Marji’s rebellion feel "small" compared to what the reader just saw?
The Significance
Given that this is a true story, what does the arrival of the passport on the same day as the burial reveal about the tragic reality of the regime?
Final Reflection
