Write a Personal Response to Text essay to respond to Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. Write in the voice of an 11th grade student. Please include quotes in your essay. If you do not know the texts I have included the full “Still I Rise” poem and a condensed version of “Persepolis”. Use the rubric below to help you with the essay.
Texts used: Story (Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi, perseverance) + Poem (Still I Rise, Maya Angelou, inspirational)
Introduction: (work here can be copied and pasted as a completed introduction paragraph)
Hook (question, outrageous statement) 1-2 sentences:
Bridge (discuss a variety of human behaviours) 4-5 sentences:
Thesis (address one human behaviour your essay is focused on) 1-2 sentences
Written Statement (rewrite your ideas above in a sentence)
Body Paragraph 1 (show the support for your thesis, use specific examples from the text to support your ideas:
Topic sentence (your sentence should be general not text specific):
TAG (title, author, genre) weave it into your writing:
Supporting evidence (quotations, text specific):
Synthesis of Evidence (what is the significance?) here explain why the quote you chose is important and how its related to the topic sentences:
Global Connection (context, relate to the BIG picture) this is where you zoom out of the text, and relate it to humans in general:
Concluding sentence: link this sentence to your topic sentence (general not text specific):
Body Paragraph 2 (show the support for your thesis, use specific examples from the text to support your ideas.):
Topic sentence (your sentence should be general not text specific):
TAG (title, author, genre) weave it into your writing:
Supporting evidence (quotations, text specific):
Synthesis of Evidence (what is the significance?) here explain why the quote you chose is important and how its related to the topic sentences:
Global Connection (context, relate to the BIG picture) this is where you zoom out of the text, and relate it to humans in general:
Concluding sentence: link this sentence to your topic sentence (general not text specific):
Conclusion DO NOT introduce anything new here! (work here can be copied and pasted as a completed conclusion paragraph)
Restate thesis (1 sentence) reword your original thesis):
REFRESH POINT FROM BODY PARAGRAPHS (3-4 sentences) use the ideas expressed in your introduction, and body paragraphs to connect it all to the same topic/thesis statement – refresh of the text-specific ideas:
General UNIVERSAL statement (1-2 sentences) your mic drop moment, cannot be a question, this part inspires the reader to take a closer look at their life and ponder if changes need to be made:
Still I Rise
BY MAYA ANGELOU
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Persepolis: A Condensed Summary
Persepolis is a graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi that chronicles her childhood and early adulthood in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. The story begins in the late 1970s when Marjane is a young girl living in a progressive family. As the revolution unfolds, Iran transitions from a Western-backed monarchy to an Islamic republic, leading to significant political and social upheaval.
Marjane experiences the impact of war, oppression, and the loss of personal freedoms. She witnesses the effects of the regime’s strictures, including the imposition of the veil on women and the suppression of dissent. Her family’s involvement in political activism shapes her understanding of justice and identity.
As a teenager, Marjane is sent to Europe for her safety, where she struggles with cultural dislocation and the challenges of adolescence. She grapples with her Iranian identity while navigating life in a foreign land, facing issues of racism and isolation.
The memoir concludes with Marjane’s return to Iran, where she continues to confront the complexities of her identity amid ongoing societal restrictions. Ultimately, Persepolis is a poignant exploration of resilience, personal growth, and the struggle for freedom in the face of adversity.