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.