Persepolis and All the Light We Cannot See: Theme Connections

• New lesson editor
• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

Persepolis and All the Light We Cannot See: Theme Connections

Learning objectives:

• You will prepare for the upcoming test by revising your knowledge of the two novels

• You will remember the difference between theme and topic, and how to write theme statements

• You will brainstorm ideas for how to compare the two novels

You will also have time for further reading with All the Light We Cannot See.

Remember:

The document on how to prepare for the test was posted on Classroom before the break.

You will be asked questions about the novel individually; one question will ask you to make comparisons.

How well do you remember Persepolis?

Write down as many individual words as possible that come to mind when you compare Persepolis and All the Light We Cannot See. Single-word responses only, please!

Character connections: fill in the blanks

Ebi Satrapi and Daniel LeBlanc are both conflicted: they believe in resistance to oppressive political regimes, but also wish to protect their daughters.

Marjane and Marie-Laure both have an innocent view of the world at the beginning of the novel, but have to learn about the reality of growing up in a time of political conflict.

Marjane's grandmother and Etienne LeBlanc are both older family members who act as important mentors to the protagonists.

Ebi Satrapi and Daniel LeBlanc

Marjane and Marie-Laure

Marjane's grandmother and Etienne LeBlanc

Topic connections: fill in the blank

Marjane and Werner both experience censorship as they grow up. The radio programme about science that Werner and his sister enjoy is no longer accessible once the Nazis come to power, while Marjane's school-teachers give the children misleading information about the war.

Fear of living under surveillance is also apparent in both novels. In a tense episode, Marjane's family have to hide their supply of wine, while Etienne's radio equipment must be kept a secret.

We also witness the destructive effect of warfare on innocent civilians in both novels. In Persepolis, Marjane's home city of Tehran is bombed, as is Saint-Malo in Doerr's novel.

radio programme

school-teachers

surveillance

wine

radio

civilians

Tehran

Saint-Malo

Theme statements

Remember: a theme statement is more than a 1-word topic. A theme statement expresses what a novel's message about a certain topic is.

Example:

George Orwell's 1984 warns that totalitarian regimes maintain absolute power by manipulating language (Newspeak), rewriting history, and employing constant surveillance (telescreens, Thought Police) to destroy individual identity, critical thought, and genuine human connection.

Theme statements: practice

Write a fully-developed theme statement about both Persepolis and All the Light We Cannot See. The following topics are possible starting points:

• coming-of-age

• warfare

• innocence

• governmental control

• family

Time to read / reading questions

Reading the rest of the novel is essential preparation for the exam. The reading questions posted on Classroom will be a helpful guide.

Use the time now to continue your reading.