Background for Everything Sad is Untrue

Introduction

Complete this WebQuest to prepare for our reading of Daniel Nayeri's autobiographical novel, Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story). 

"In this brilliant novel, Daniel Nayeri offers a fictionalized memoir of his childhood as an Iranian refugee, spinning tales like Scheherazade in the "1,001 Nights" for his sympathetic teacher and skeptical classmates at his Oklahoma middle school, creating a vivid tapestry of memory and myth." (quote by Jean Westmore, The Buffalo News)

The background knowledge you'll gain through this quest will increase your understanding of and appreciation for the reading.

Task

The quest covers 5 areas:

  1. The Country of Iran
  2. 1,001 Nights (AKA Arabian Nights)
  3. Oklahoma
  4. Refugees
  5. The Desert Storm War (Gulf War)

Click on the link for each area and answer the corresponding questions.

Process

The Country of Iran:  

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/countries/article/iran

  1. Where is Iran located?
  2. What was Iran formerly known as?
  3. What is the official language of Iran?
  4. What is Iran's monetary unit called? (We use dollars in the US.)
  5. What role does religion play in the lives of most Iranians?
  6. What is "Little Africa"?
  7. Describe Iran's government and its relationship with the United States.
  8. How old is Iran?
  9. When did Iran's name change from Persia to Iran?

1,001 Nights/Arabian Nights

Much like the Brothers Grimm stories in Europe, One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of tales told in Asia. Originating from around the Middle East, these are stories passed on through generations – edited, altered and restructured to reflect peoples' dreams and lives, and the culture of each time. After centuries of these stories being verbal only, storytellers started to compile them, to eventually form what we now know as the One Thousand and One Nights (or, as it's often referred to in English, Arabian Nights).

Scheherazade's story is used as a frame that binds together the rest of the 1001 stories.

https://www.bedtimeshortstories.com/sheherazade-and-shahriar

  1. Who was Sultan Shahriar?
  2. Why did Shahriar order his Wazir to kill his Sultana/wife?
  3. What cruel practice id Shahriar begin out of his grief for his dead wife?
  4. What did Wazir's daughter ask of her father?
  5. How did Sheherazade save her own life?

Oklahoma

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/geography/states/article/oklahoma

  1. Where is Oklahoma located?
  2. How many of the state's geographic locations are described as mountainous or made up of rocky hills?
  3. What are the Prairie Plains?
  4. Which geographic location is the highest and driest part of the state?

Refugees

https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/what-is-a-refugee-facts

  1. Is the number of refugees in the world larger or smaller than ever before?
  2. What is a refugee?
  3. Who decides who is a refugee?
  4. What rights and obligations do refugees have under international law?
  5. What percentage of refugees are children?

Desert Storm War (Persian Gulf War)

https://kids.kiddle.co/Gulf_War

  1. How many countries were involved in the war?
  2. What started the war?
  3. What were the 2 military operations of the war?
  4. How long did the war last?
  5. What did Operation Desert Storm include?
Evaluation

All 28 questions must be answered to best of your ability. 

Conclusion

Keep the information you learned from this quest in mind as we read. Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story).

Credits

Topics and associated links were provided by Melissa Caballero.