The Islamic revolution in Iran changed the lives of many of their citizens. Along with this religious revolution came the deaths of many of the past ruler’s supporters, the revision of history books, and the Iranian women faced intense oppression while being forced to wear chadors.Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian female that lived in revolution ridden Iran. During the 1980s she was ten years old, who had little knowledge of her tyrannized society. In Persepolis written by Satrapi as an older women, she portrays her childhood as a coming of age autobiography with a strong theme of growing maturity. The process of maturity is shown throughout Persepolis with the concepts of hope and fear. Marjane Satrapi and I followed a similar pattern of maturity growth through personal experiences, responses to fear, and the effect of hope.
Personal experiences are defining moments in life that shape the foundation of people's feelings and thoughts. Marjane Satrapi was a twelve years old girl that had teenage friends who, generally speaking, are
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notorious for rebellion and growth. At the end of the chapter the cigarette Marjane smokes her first cigarette. Satrapi does this to give the impression that she fully understands the war, and that she is an adult. “As for me, I sealed my act of rebellion against my mother’s dictatorship by smoking the cigarette I’d stolen...with this first cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye. Now I was a grown-up.” (117) As shown in the quote Marjane viewed the act of smoking a cigarette as an adult task that led straight to maturity, and the seal to her act of “teenage” rebellion. Another personal experience Satrapi had was with her Uncle Anoosh. Marjane was a young child when she met her uncle Anoosh. Upon introductions Satrapi classified Anoosh as a “hero” instantly becoming her favorite relative. In chapter nine the sheep Marjane’s adored uncle Anoosh is sent to prison and executed. Anoosh’s execution left Satrapi questioning her faith in God. “Shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! GET OUT! And so I was lost, without any bearings...What could be worse than that?” (70-71) The death of Anoosh makes Satrapi recognize that life isn’t fair and that religion is based purely on faith. I on the hand faced personal struggles without war terrorizing my life. At my middle school it was a tradition that every year on the last day of school the students would walk to the local ice cream place named cindy’s directly from the school. Every year as this tradition gets older the security preventing the students from leaving gets stronger. In sixth grade the security was very low, since this grade was the first allowed to leave no administrators were present to stop us from leaving. In seventh grade the administrators made it more tenacious, they tried to require students to bring in a note signed from their parents allowing them to go to cindy’s after school. This effort was proved fruitless when the students continuously made their way to cindy’s. Then in eighth grade they tried to block off all the exits accept one for everyone to leave from, so my fellow peers and I devised a plan where once the ceremony of graduating middle school was over we would run until no authority would catch us. This plan marvelously worked for me and I was able to make it to cindy’s without any problems. Once I made it to cindy’s I caught up with some of the friends that I lost on the run only to find that some of them were actually caught and had to ride the bus home. Through this act of authoritative rebellion I matured in realising that on occasion insurgency gets the outcome that is desired, so fighting for what you want to have is acceptable. Another experience that resembled Marjane’s was when my grandmother Pamela died. Her death was the first real adversity I experienced in my life. During her funeral I remember thinking of angels and the afterlife. To me Pamela was now an angel from god, and she was happy being a guardian for her family. I matured by understanding that death doesn’t mean the end and that I had more faith in religion than I did in a while. The element of fear is the basis for life, whether in times of war or even for achieving a goal it manages to be in control. In the chapter the party Marjane Satrapi becomes aware of her young ignorance. As a young girl Satrapi discovered that her friend Ramin’s father had killed millions of people, and she decided to avenge the dead millions by nailing Ramin like “american brass knuckles”. (45) Marjane’s mother found out about her plan and told Marjane that it was not Ramin’s fault that his father killed people and she should forgive him. Marjane took her mother’s advice, and she learned the important aspect of forgiveness and her need to exercise self control. “You have to forgive! You have to forgive! I had the feeling of being someone really, really good.” (46) Another response to fear that changed Marjane was when she realized that she was ignorant. Marjane’s older relatives were speaking about an event bridging with the revolution and they were laughing. To seem like she understood the true message behind what the adults were talking about she laughed, but she identified herself as being clueless to her surroundings. “Something escaped me. Cadaver, cancer, death, murder, laughter? HA! HA!...I realized then that I didn’t understand anything. I read all the books I could.” (32) In my life fear gives me gumption. I was in fifth grade and riding the bus to school. One row in front of me was two brothers, the older brother kept saying bad words and I overheard. I interjected myself into the brothers conversation asking the older sibling to stop cursing but instead he turned around and began cursing in my face.I started to get angry and smacked him across the back of his head. He cried, and I got in trouble. From this I learned that I need to forgive without physical altercations and to practice using self control. On February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin was killed, the news of a young black male being murdered without any good supportive evidence. There was no probity, his death began a movement. Students laid down in hallways of schools, had moments of silence, and wore a black hoodie and carried around skittles and an arizona. I was eleven years old and did not understand the true depth of his event and only bought skittles and an arizona as a false symbol of advocacy. I realized a couple days later that I was ignorant to the suffering caused by Trayvon’s when I watched a video of Martin’s mother on television crying and a community of support surrounding her. Lastly is the effect of hope on maturity.
Marjane Satrapi shows her need for hope with religion. She demonstrates her faith in god even with depression and war early in her memoir. Satrapi’s father is explaining to her the history of Iran and how God had no intervention in the past events. Her father manages to completely switch the ideals that Marjane is taught in school about the Iranian ruler. Marjane continues to display hope when she says “Maybe God helped them nevertheless.” (22) Another effect of hope Marjane shows is in the chapter the letter. Marjane tells the story of her maid and her secret admirer, in the end Satrapi learns that the war is in favor of stopping social classes and so she wishes to fix social classes so her maid can be happy. “But is it her fault that she was born where she was born???... When I went back to her room she was crying. We were not in the same social class but at least we were in the same bed.”
(37)
Persepolis is a inspirational story written by Marjane Satrapi in the perspective of a young girl’s life during a powerful, historical moment in Iran. The Islamic Revolution was a life-changing moment that impacted her view on the world around her and her innocence shaping her into the woman she is today. Not many people understand what it feels like to feel pain, hurt and abandonment as a child from major and minor things. The author writes this story and decides for it to be a graphic novel to allow the not only young readers, but also for those who do not understand what happens everyday in the world they live in. Satrapi uses all rhetorical stances, ethos, pathos, and logos to show problems, purpose and emotions.
Through her devotion to the art and music of the United States, she was able to rebel. The encouragement of the pursuit by her parents created further inspiration for her to use it as a way to protest. Already having a deep devotion to American culture, the ability of Satrapi to use her passion to disobey the regime only strengthen her love. The affection she felt for American culture gave her the courage she needed to stand up to the harsh government of Iran. Despite the risks associated with possessing items from America, Satrapi did so anyway. She was willing to risk serious punishment to pursue happiness through the means of her favorite hobbies. The influence of said entertainments helped shaped Satrapi’s views. By providing her with experiences that were foreign to the majority of her peers, the culture that Satrapi enjoyed influence her open-minded opinions. Listening to the music of artists such as Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden and following the clothing trends like denim jackets and Nikes exposed Satrapi to ideals she normally would not have been growing up in post-revolution Iran. They provided a door into a different, more accepting world and a glimpse into the possibilities of what could
A major venue for identity formation is an individual’s homeland or nation. At the outset of the novel, Marji’s identity is ascribed to her because of her nationality and ethnicity. Being in an Islamic country, Marji adheres to her Islamic values and traditions. At an early age of six, the formation of her identity leans towards her Islamic religious values and traditions. Marji is convinced that she “was the prophet” (p. 6). Her words that she “was [a] prophet” (p. 6) demonstrates that Marji’s imagination and intelligence conceive thoughts that are very pertinent to her religious beliefs. At this early age, Marji’s relationship with religious thoughts and values are clearly defined. However, Marji’s thoughts and beliefs are not pinned to a static foundation. In her book A Reader’s Guide to Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (2010), Heather Lee Schroeder writes “Satrapi lived through the civil and political unrest during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Before the revolution, she attended a western style French school” (p. 41), which was a non-religious and westernized school. Marji is very well acquainted with the western or modern values, of freedom, liberty, ...
Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is primarily due to the women who have influenced her. Marjane’s mother was one of the most influential people in her life, her mother taught her to be strong and independent. By introducing her mother through the story of her mother getting photographed at a demonstration, Marjane presents her mother as being independent and rebellious (Satrapi 5).
Religion, government, and social organization all played a part in Marji’s journey in Persepolis from childhood to adulthood. Religion caused many arguments between Marji and parents, friends, and teachers. The Iranian government affected Marji by making her more rebellious than she already was. Social organization was a big issue in her life, because she had a good relationship with her maid and was angry that she could not have the same opportunities. The revolution in Iran has changed Marjane Satrapi’s life, in ways good and
When Mrs. Nasrine is telling her dilemma of the key (99.3.1), Marji frowns and looks concerned but out of place, as if she doesn’t know what to make of it. She tries to show sympathy, suggesting that her privilege makes her unable to truly relate. She continues to look uncomfortable and bug-eyed when Mrs. Nasrine says, “Now they want to trade this key for my oldest son”. “Trade” connotes simplicity, an object, suggesting the government thinks of the lower class citizens as valueless objects. When arriving home from school, Satrapi draws Marji as a small figure in the distance (100.2.1), symbolizing the distance in economic status between her and the maid. This proves the separation of classes and the reason why Marji, not offered a key by the government, will not go to war in hopes of using a key to paradise. When her son says “I’ll marry her” while pointing a finger at Marji (100.2.2), it grants him a “whap” from his mother (100.2.3). Her reaction to his statement shows his ignorance and naïve behavior towards the social hierarchy; a maid’s son would never be allowed to marry a girl of Marji’s status because only rich people marry rich people and only poor people marry poor people. This shows the economic difference between Marji and the maid’s son, and the wall between them through government orders. When she asks her cousin Peyman whether or not the government offers his school the keys to paradise, he replies, “Keys to what?” (100.3.3) implying his equally high economic status. This suggests the government values upper class citizens more than lower class citizens. Satrapi also contrasts Marji and the poor boys in between the bombing panel (102.1.1) and the party panel (102.2.1) where Marji dances with her friends at Peyman’s birthday party. She jumps from discussing dying boys to having fun at a party to imply a difference between the poor and
There are many different influences in the world today; a big one that most people in the world face is religion. Religion is an influence that people first encounter during their childhood. They grow and learn to have faith. People’s perspective on religion is affected by their culture, their family and the events they witness during childhood. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is the story of a young girl growing up in Iran, during the Islamic Revolution, and the war with Iraq. Throughout the novel religion develops along with the plot, in good and bad ways. In the story Marji loses her faith and it changes who she is, religion also changed her lifestyle by the government putting religion into the law. Religion is a topic that people label as
Marjane Satrapi in her memoir, “The Complete Persepolis” enlightens readers with the reality of living in Iran, as she tells her journey through her life of becoming a woman during the Islamic Revolution. Iran similar to other countries has made different prescribed roles for their women and men based on their cultures religious and traditional set of laws. Society to them was a depiction of what their people were expected to look, and act like when in public. When trying to understand the importance of gender along with their roles in society, it’s crucial to acknowledge outside factors, for instance things like culture and social class. The characters throughout her memoir illustrate how their
To begin with, Marjane has encountered with internal conflict caused by external conflict—since a child. For instance, Marjane claims, “ My faith was not unshakable.” (10) This example conveys Marjane’s easy influence to discard any of her beliefs due to the Islamic Revolution. In fact, the Islamic Revolution was a reason for a lot of Marjane’s internal conflict. For example, Marjane reveals, “I really didn't know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family, we were very modern and avant-garde.”(6) This illustration represents Marjane’s confusion on her spirituality. Also, this demonstrates Marjane deciding if her modern lifestyle is appropriate even though it's different from her religion. To
Young Marjane Satrapi displays the characteristics that any child might have. She is simple, innocent, and easily influenced. For example, when her parents are demonstrating against the king, Marjane Satrapi says, “As for me, I love the king, he was chosen by God” (Satrapi 19). Her teacher tells her this, and she believes her teacher because Marjane Satrapi is a child and, in all innocence, will believe anything because her teacher, in her eyes, knows everything. Situations such as this show the influence of authority on her as a child because the teacher is an authority who tells Satrapi a misleading fact and Satrapi believes her, or is influenced by her.... ...
In the novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Satrapi’s childhood was highly impacted by American culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the affect American culture had on how Satrapi viewed the Iranian Revolution.
Satrapi is able to illustrate the characteristics of the characters as well as reflect on the past. Having the ability to incorporate past and present is a vital element in fully understanding and following her story. The past events in Marjis life reflect how she makes her descions in the present. It is imperative that one must always build from the bottom and work your way up. Having a strong foundation is the vital element in creating something successful. Marji often refers back to her past to make reference of why she believes this or why she is trying that. She learns by her mistakes of the past and it is noted through the illustrations. This visual image below from Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis series allows the readers to see Marji both internally and
Marjane Satrapi, wrote the novel in a simple text with visual representations indicating that anyone can comprehend the physical and mental destruction of war. Therefore, the important events that occurs in the war, was shown as frightening due to the actions of the main characters. The novel of Perespolis was written from the view of a child’s perspective. The child’s perspective represents, Satrapi’s ability to understand an abstract situation ultimately led her into wanting to rebel, as a response to the knowledge acquired from the time period. Satrapi understood that the government was trying to rule the society through the golden key and experiences that were told from her cousin, Shahab. The words written in the text of the novel is in capital letters that portrayed that someone is yelling and frustrated. This was due to the fact that Satrapi became angry about the Iranian Revolution and seeing death happen every day. She did not want to live in a society that killed people if they had different opinions than the government. The novel was written in black and white and this showed no self-identity because people were not allowed to be different. The graphic novel was shown for people to not judge whether the race of their skin. This novel also demonstrated how Satrapi viewed the world, black and white. It did not matter
Despite the fact that Marjane is born and raised in Tehran, Iran, she is as much a product of Western customs as of Middle Eastern customs. The younger Marjane showed how the Iranian Revolution affected her life. The Iranian Revolution was the exiling of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and its concluding substitution with an Islamic republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution, supported by a mixture of leftist and Islamic organizations. The new government became more suppressive by enforcing Islamic laws into the constitution and prohibiting westerner influence of any kind. On the contrary Marjane is raised by Marxist parents, who believe in freedom and tend to adapt to a more westernized upbringing. Marjane is similar to any other teenager, she starts to grow up and rebel against her elders and her traditions. Her revolt takes the form of a better awareness of and interaction with western culture. Marjane have many items ...
Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is strongly due to the women who have influenced her.