RA perspolis

The Book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi demonstrates the past of Iran. She shows us her past though a graphic novel that sheds light on the fairly recent wars and all the troubles that have befallen the Iranian people.  This graphic novel starts off with the assumption that you have a bit of knowledge on the subject. Showing her own past experiences in a graphic novel shows how she went from being a little kid not understanding how to know what to believe and what to know to a rebellious person who wanted to take a stand for herself and her people.

In the USA we have the idea that Iran is tied to terrorists, oppression, money and oil. This book gives us a look at it from the other side and gives us a new way to look at the Iranian Revolution. She demonstrates a first hand view in events that transpired in the Iranian revolution, by giving stories from her own past she can give us a true look at the sufferings of the people in Iran and what transpired to how it is today. By showing the stories in a graphic novel she allows us to see not only the emotional but also physical abuse that the Iranian people had to face because of Iraq, their government and ours. She gives us stories that her peers and community around her told her. “You remember the day they pulled out my nails” (50). By showing us shocking and disturbing facts that would give us strong reactions I believe is Satrapi’s hope with this book, by doing that it makes us want to change it and will make a difference.

She writes her books in a way that it is easy to follow and understand the pain and suffering. By showing the illustrations it can give us a visual component to an event. It makes it easier to express the events that transpired and gives us one more way for our brains to absorb the information and keep it in out active minds.

RR#1 Persepolis

I found that in the book Persepolis written by Marjane Satrapi that I could relate to the main character. I found that the idea of her wanting to be a prophet to help those in need (at least the ones that she could see and be around) “I wanted to be a prophet… because my Grandmother’s knees always ached”(Satrapi pg. 6). I felt that very same thing when I was around my family and others that I was close to were in pain or were suffering; like when my Mother suffering when my Grandmother died. I also could relate to the fact that her parents wanted to educate her with the knowledge of events that had happened and that were happening, but even with this knowledge they decided that she needed to be sheltered and protected from the real world. The idea of being given the information and then sheltered from it is not something very uncommon for most families, as parents want to protect their child(s) from any kind of danger. As a fellow child that has been in situations where we want to help someone or thing and being unable to or to be stopped by the combined force that are parents, I found this text to be very enlightening about how families are similar no matter what the circumstances.

When my Grandmother died many other people in my family died (all out of just circumstance), my world completely changed. I remember trying and failing to try to help my family feel better but to no avail. So when I read about how Satrapi wanted to take away the pain and suffering of the people around her, I could relate very well. Why she wanted to be a prophet was foreign to me but I can understand that, that was the only way for her to create logic, and reason behind wanting change in her society.

What was not foreign to me was that her parents giving her information about something and then after giving her all the information they shield her from it, “The truth is… that time has past” (Satrapi pg. 19-25). They gave her so much information and then later decide that they are going to protect her “’Tomorrow we are going to demonstrate.’ ‘But we are not allowed’” (Satrapi pg. 38). I thought her parents acted like how my parents acted around the subject of sex; they would talk to me about it and give me books about sex but they didn’t want me to have sex. Although her parents did it out of a different fear (death) to a child I believe that it would feel the same, just their parents wanting to control and manipulate them as they so pleased because they’re the parents and they get to decide.

I think the text that I read was very insightful on what it was like in Iran back in the 1980’s. I also think that this insight will allow me to make connections and see what Iran is today.

Works Cited

Satrapi, Marjane, and Mattias Ripa. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2004. Print.