Quote Reaction #5

Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi

“The war came one morning, suddenly and unexpectedly. It was announced on September 23, 2980, the day before the opening of schools and universities: we were in the car returning to Tehran from a trip to the Caspian Sea when we heard about the Iraqi attack on the radio. It all started very simply. The newscaster announced it matter-of-factly, the way people announce a birth or a death, and we accepted it as an irrevocable fact that would permeate all other considerations and gradually insinuate itself into the four corners of our lives.” (Nafisi 157)

I can’t imagine myself in a position where the message of war is delivered so diffidently. Of course, the context in which the author lived in is diametrically opposite the culture I am currently immersed in. However, the war does manage to seep into every facet of her life, despite its subtle beginnings. It is interesting to hear the first hand account of the progression from stubborn resistance to completely succumbing to a force/fear-based regime. I know I would not tolerate it even remotely well with my sheltered Western upbringing.