Nafisi often begins a semester by posing the question "Why read fiction?" to her students. Formulate your own response to this question.

Discuss how reading a work of literature interacts with the context in which it is being read. How can reality influence interpretation of that work? How can the work influence interpretation of reality?

Discuss parallels between Lolita and the regime. What is the role of dreams and the past?

Do you believe that Nafisi and her girls used their Thursday class to escape or avoid reality? Is there necessarily anything wrong with escaping reality?

Discuss the role of the magician in the evolution of Nafisi's thoughts concerning leaving Iran.

Discuss the situation for women in Iran. What role do women play as a symbol for the regime?

Why did Nafisi conclude that the Iranian people had made a "serious error in judgment...