1. What are Nafisi''s "things I''ve been silent about"? Are
there things you have been silent about, and why?
2. Nafisi writes that "as a family we were fond of telling
stories." Describe the different kinds of stories her father and
mother embraced. How were these "fictions" similar or different,
and what purpose did they serve? In what ways do you see the author
continuing this family habit, or in what ways do you see her
breaking from it?
3. Talk about the theme of silence in the book. Is silence
either always a bad choice, or always a good one? How does it
relate to personal and cultural repression? Do you consider silence
a freedom or a constraint?
4. Nafisi talks about the personal becoming the political. Name
three examples of this theme from the book, and discuss the
implications of the intersection of public and private in each
case.
5. In the prologue, Nafisi writes, "Approval! My parents taught
me how deadly this desire could be." What do you think she means by
this? Do you agree that the longing for approval can be dangerous,
and if so, in what ways?
6. Nafisi describes the different social, cultural, and
religious atmospheres in Iran that shaped the experiences of four
generations of women in her family. How were Azar''s grandmother''s
experiences similar or different from her daughter, Negar''s? What
about Azar and her mother? Discuss the ways in which each woman''s
experience may have shaped her personality and approach to life. Do
you see historical comparisons to women''s experiences in your own
family?
7. Aunt Mina frequently uses the phrase "Another intelligent
woman gone to waste." What does it mean for these women to have
"gone to waste"? Can you list five women in Things I''ve Been
Silent About who fall into this category? Was there anything,
in your opinion, that they could have done to prevent themselves
from going "to waste"? Are there public figures, or women in your
own life, who might also fit this description? How are their
experiences similar to, or different from, those of the Iranian
women in the book?
8. The stories of the Shahnameh play a large role in
this memoir. Who are the Persian literary heroines with whom Nafisi
identifies most closely, and why? What relevance do these fictional
women have to her own life, and to the lives of the women around
her?
9. In this memoir, Nafisi candidly describes the positive and
the negative aspects of her childhood relationship with both her
father and her mother. Looking back, which parent, ultimately, had
the most influence on the author''s life? How did the relationships
change and develop over time? In what ways do you feel that they
were healthy or unhealthy, and why? Do you see any parallels to
relationships within your own family?
10. "My father used to say half jokingly that his years in jail
were his most fruitful." How did those four years in jail affect
the arc of Father''s life, and life for the whole Nafisi family?
Metaphorically, what other jails are there in the book, and what
are the effects on the lives of those trapped inside them? Father
found a way to flourish artistically and intellectually during his
incarceration. Could it be argued that this kind of confinement is
actually beneficial, in some ways, for the development of
personality and ideas? Why or why not?
11. Discuss the ways in which places-the different houses,
cities, and countries in which Nafisi lives over the course of the
book--affect Nafisi''s perception of herself, her family, and
Iranian politics and culture.