Question

1. “the wine” what did marji’s family need more: plastic over the windows to stop flying glass or dark curtains to keep the neighbors from looking in? what does this say about the new islamic society?

1. “the wine” why did marji end up holding a newborn? what would cause its mother to abandon it?

1. identify who said the quote and its context, then analyze its meaning and significance: “soon, it won’t just be food. with all those sluts out there, we’re going to have to watch our husbands.”

1. identify who said the quote and its context, then analyze its meaning and significance: “you think i’m stupid?!!! ... i can tell by your tie! piece of westernized trash!”

Explanation:

For Question 5:

Marji's family needed plastic over the windows more. Amid the Iran-Iraq War, bombings were a constant threat that sent glass flying, posing immediate physical danger. Dark curtains for privacy were a secondary concern compared to avoiding injury or death. This shows the new Islamic society was overshadowed by violent conflict, where basic physical safety took priority over social or religious norms around privacy, and daily life was defined by war-related survival.

For Question 6:

Marji held the newborn after its mother, a refugee fleeing the war, left it with her family. The mother likely abandoned the baby because she believed her child would have a safer, more stable life with Marji's family, as she faced the chaos of displacement, lack of resources, and the constant threat of violence that made caring for an infant impossible in her circumstances.

For Question 7:

This quote is said by one of Marji's mother's conservative friends during a gathering. The context is the growing social and political upheaval in Iran, with tensions over changing gender norms and shortages caused by the war. The speaker expresses fear that beyond food scarcity, women will have to compete for their husbands' attention, blaming women who do not adhere to strict Islamic modesty rules. Its significance lies in showing how some conservative women internalized patriarchal and restrictive Islamic norms, scapegoating other women instead of criticizing the systemic issues of the regime and war, and highlighting the division and anxiety among women in this society.

For Question 8:

This quote is shouted by Marji's mother at a man who confronts her for not wearing a hijab properly in public. The context is the enforcement of strict Islamic dress codes by vigilantes and the state. Marji's mother, frustrated by the man's judgment and the loss of personal freedom, lashes out, attacking his Western-style tie as a symbol of hypocrisy—he criticizes her for not following Islamic rules while adopting Western fashion. The quote's significance is that it reveals the anger and resentment many Iranians felt towards the arbitrary enforcement of religious norms, the erosion of individual autonomy, and the hypocrisy present in the new Islamic society where rules were applied unevenly.

Answer:

Question 5:

Marji's family needed plastic over the windows more. This reflects that the new Islamic society was consumed by violent war, where immediate physical survival from bomb threats outweighed concerns about social privacy, and daily life was centered on avoiding wartime harm.

Question 6:

Marji held the newborn because its refugee mother left it with her family. The mother abandoned the baby due to the chaos of war displacement, lack of resources, and the impossibility of caring for an infant safely while fleeing danger, hoping the child would have a better chance at stability.

Question 7:

Speaker: A conservative friend of Marji's mother. Context: A tense gathering amid war and social upheaval. Meaning/Significance: It exposes conservative women's internalization of patriarchal Islamic norms, their scapegoating of women who reject strict modesty rules, and the anxiety and division among women caused by the regime's restrictive policies and wartime stress.

Question 8:

Speaker: Marji's mother. Context: Confrontation with a man over her hijab. Meaning/Significance: It expresses rage at the forced enforcement of Islamic dress codes, the loss of personal freedom, and highlights the hypocrisy of those who enforce strict religious rules while adopting Western cultural symbols, capturing the frustration of Iranians under the new regime.