1. Darius considers shouting at the second customs officer he encounters in Iran. What does he consider shouting, and why does he refrain from doing so?

2. What is Ardeshir doing when Darius first sees him in Iran?

3. What is meant by the phrase “Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy,” and who are prominent early examples of the phrase?

4. How does Darius relate his mother’s early misunderstanding of taarof with his father’s parents?

5. In what condition do the Bahramis and Kellners find Persepolis?

6. Near the end of “Bette Davis Eyes,” what does Darius report wanting and failing to tell Ardeshir?

7. What activity does Darius report undertaking with Laleh that she pretends not to like?

8. What occasioned Stephen stopping the fire-jumping celebration, and what caused him to resume it?

9. What was the game of Turbolift Door Darius used to play, and why did he stop playing it?

10. What reasons does Darius give for mistrusting his mother’s assertion that his eyes are beautiful?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the following exchange between Stephen and Darius:

“It’s my hair, Dad,” I said. “Why is it such a big deal to you, anyway?”

“Because it’s ridiculous. Did you ever thing that you wouldn’t get picked on so much if you weren’t so…”

Dad worked his jaw back and forth.

“So what, Dad”

But he didn’t answer.

What could he possibly say? (42-43)

What was Stephen about to say, but refrained from saying? What in the novel and in experience affirms that answer? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 2

At the end of “Chelo Kabob,” Stephen appears to reach an accord with his father- and brothers-in-law during a conversation about grilling (261). Why would the topic serve such a function? What in the novel and in experience indicates as much? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the following passage:

“[Laleh] was a replacement. An upgrade. I knew that without anyone saying it out loud.

“And I knew Stephen Kellner was relieved to have another chance, a new child who wouldn’t be such a disappointment. It was written across his face every time he smiled at her. Every time he sighed at me.

“I didn’t blame Laleh for that.

“I really didn’t.

“But sometimes I wondered if I was the one who was an accident.

“That’s normal.

“Right?” (133).

Answer Darius’s question for the novel. Is it normal? What in the novel says it is or is not? How does it say so?

(see the answer keys)

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