Rough Draft: 1
Persepolis
In the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi we are introduced to a young girl who is eager to find her place in society. Initially we are introduced to a young and innocent ten year old girl growing up in Tehran. Marjane gives the reader a good sense of what life was like in Iran while the revolution was going on. As Marjane is exposed to the war in Iran, the death of family, and the constant struggle of social injustice, we see how and why she chooses to rebel against her school, religion, and government. We see how her surroundings shape her way of thinking and eventually help defy her personality. She shows us many examples of what life is like for a husband, wife, child and even lower class people. She is a rebel and loves to stand up for what she believes in and that is why I applaud her on her quest to rebel against such a repressive government.
Marjane starts out the book by introducing us to the veil. She quickly states that the Islamic revolution took place in 1979. It shows that even early on she has that rebellions attitude as she states “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to”(3).In my opinion I think that not liking to wear the veil is reason enough not to wear it. In this case Marjane uses the excuse of not really understanding the concept of having to wear the veil. It gives the reader an idea of her defiant but also not eve attitude. In addition she adds that it becomes mandatory to wear the veil. Besides all the background Marjane gives us on Iran I appreciated her stance on the veil. It really changed my stereotypical thinking about why women choose to wear it. From personal experience I know that some Christian women wear the veil too. But I always thought that they were forced to put it on once entering a church. My sister in law wears it when she prays and when she’s at church. She tells me it’s a sign of respect. I guess out of ignorance I never really made sense of it. But Marjane brought to my attention that not too long ago (1980) they passed a law that made it obligatory for girls to wear the veil. Another example of her rebelliousness is the time when there in school and it seems that every time she gets the chance to mock the revolution she takes full advantage of it. Here she states “Every situation offered an opportunity for laughs: like when we had to knit winter hoods for the soldiers” (97). Satrapi reminds me of your typical class clown. She goes out of her way to get attention from her peers and especially her teachers. Even though she is getting herself and her classmates into trouble in her view she was also making a point. Lastly my favorite example is when Satrapi goes to the extreme of getting physical with her principal. If that doesn’t make a statement I don’t know what does. In this circumstance Satrapi is told several times that she cannot wear jeans or bracelets to school. But being the rebel that she is she decides to test the principal so the following day she wears the bracelet it again. After the principal demands that Satrapi hands over the bracelet she lets her know that she isn’t giving up anything. This is when the principal thinks its okay to grab her and take it from her, however Satrapi won’t have it and she fights back. I think that by her defying her principle she has done the ultimate revolt. In my opinion by defying the highest authority in this case (the principle) she has won a battle. I think it meant a lot to Satrapi to stand up for herself in front of all her peers.
Marjane also shows what her faith is and also how it changes as she grows. In the beginning she talks about becoming a prophet. She keeps these thoughts and dreams between herself, grandma and, God. She doesn’t dare tell anyone else about her aspirations. When she talks about being a prophet she comes off very innocent and it’s almost as if life hasn’t hit her yet. A little later in the book the whole idea of her becoming a prophet becomes distant and the little by little it dies. I think as she experiences really bad situations her faith in god slowly disappears. Moreover, I also think that Anoosh Marjanes uncle is really important character in Marjanes life. In the following chapter Marjane says “So my father was not a hero…If only he had been in prison” (54). There’s also a picture of her telling her friends lies about her father being tortured. She seems to take pride instantly as she learns that uncle Anoosh has been in prison. He later shares his life story with her. He tells her how he ran from the Shah, later to be imprisoned for 9 years, and lastly he told her about his failed marriage and kids he had. In addition, later in that same chapter uncle Anoosh says to Marjane “I tell you all this because it’s important that you know. Our family memory must not be lost. Even If it’s not easy for you, even if you don’t understand it all” (60). This quote really intrigued me because from what I can tell he realizes that Marjane is still a child but it’s almost as he chooses to tell her all these stories so it’s not forgotten or people like him are not forgotten. I think that uncle Annosh is a very important character to the story because Marjane sees him like a hero. When uncle Anoosh is arrested and later executed Marjane feels really sad and lost. I think that Anoosh was big support and living prove of what Marjane believes in. After he is executed I think that she is angry and she shuts everyone out of her life including God. After she learns that uncle Anoosh was captured and in jail and Marjane has the honor of being his last visitor. I think this scene had a huge impact on Satrapi. I think she feels that it’s very unfair that they execute him too. This is when Marjane loses her faith in god. That night when she gets home she’s in bed and god comes to see her and ask “Marji, what seems to be the problem?” Marjane responds “shut up, you! Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again! Get out!” (70). I think that Marjane is once again very disappointed in god possibly because she thinks that her situation is unjust and god does nothing for her. I think that Satrapi is still a little young to understand why these things happen. And being young and gullible she says these horrible words. After this scene Satrapi doesn’t really talk about god or any other type of religion she becomes more involved in the demonstrations and standing up to her government. She even compares herself to Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.
One of the quotes that got my attention was “For a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it” (17). This is said when Marjane is trying to convince her parents to allow her to attend a demonstration. Her parents won’t allow it because it is too dangerous. But Marjane won’t have it she is tired of demonstrating in her garden and wishes her parents would understand. I felt that this is a very direct and strong statement, almost like it was being said by an adult. I think that this situation shows her maturity and how she as a young individual wants to support her country. However, I much understand why her parents won’t allow her to attend. I think that Marjane is really mad at this stage of her life. This quote helped me better understand Marjane because her statement is very strong and confirms her position as a revolutionary. These are strong words used by Satrapi when she is trying to persuade her parents to allow her to join them in the demonstrations. However as hard as she tries her parents agree that she is too young and the demonstrations are far too dangerous. Despite her parents warnings Satrapi later on decides she understands the reasons for the revolution. She makes the decision of disobeying her parents and goes out to demonstrate with her maid Mehri. Here Satrapi shows us that despite her parent’s rules she must stand up for what she feels is right, even if it means getting slapped in the face by her mother for disobeying. Later on she tells about the time her mom actually allowed her to come to the demonstration. As she was passing out flyers a fight broke out and she says, “For the first time in my life, I saw violence with my own eyes” (76). I think this scene is also life changing for Marjane. She gets to see firsthand what it’s like to be out demonstrating and how bad a situation can get. That was the last demonstration they attended. I think that it had to have a huge impact on her as a child but also was good because in a way it helped her mature and after this she is no longer the innocent 10 year old girl we were introduced to. Another way Satrapi rebels against her repressive government is by listening to punk music, wearing sneakers, jewelry, and tight jeans. She evens puts herself in dangerous situations when she has to go to the black market to buy herself two Kim Wilde and Camel tapes. In this situation we see how she goes out of her way to get the stuff that is banned. To me it’s like she’s doing these things because it goes against what the government allows. Her parents are also very supportive of her westernized ways. More so the mom than her dad Marjane states “for an Iranian mother, my mom was very permissive, I only knew two or three other girls who could go out alone at thirteen.”(131). I think her liberty also gives her some sense of pride because like she said she didn’t know that many other girls that were allowed to do the things she did. I think this was a positive thing and it also added to her rebellion because she it gave her a sense of maturity and capacity. Her parents too put themselves at risk when Marjane asked them to bring her back items like, denim jacket, two rock posters. She goes through the trouble of sowing in the posters to her husband’s jacket and they somehow smuggle them back into Iran. That is very risky business if you ask me. I think that Marjanes opinion on her government has to do a lot with how she is raised by her parents. They lead by example and they have created a very smart and opinioned young girl. Her parents realize what a rebel she has become and how she is in danger in Iran.
