Response 4: Sept 22

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Kristina Gifford --Kgifford, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 13:40:37 -0400 reply
This story is about the life of a young girl named Marjane Satrapi and her lessons as she grows up. Satrapi’s life was not easy. She had to face loss, harsh irrational laws, and constant wars. She grew up rebelling against the government, learning that they lied to everyone repeatedly, and facing executions of her family friends and acquaintances for senseless reasons. She was taught those who fought the government were heroes and her family was full of heroes. This little girl wanted to be exactly like her family. They made her strong and taught her to fight for her beliefs. They did not teach her too much about restraint.

Marjane Satrapi was turned against her government time and again while she was young. Her parents were always going to protests and rallying against their government their rulers. As she grew up she was constantly taught to defy the government. She, her mother and the rest of the girls and women were told to wear veils. Satrapi was supposed to wear them to school instead they all took them off when they got hot and played with them. She was taught by her parents that their leader was not chosen by God like her school books said which reinforced her defiance. Her family went generations defying their rulers made them heroes to her. At a young age she was separated from her friends and forced to wear a veil making her resent the government a little more. Then she and her family are terrorized by people enforcing the dress code and other laws. Then the constant wars killed one of her friends. She decided then that she was going to do whatever she wanted to defy the government and possibly get killed in the process.

Satrapi shows that a person can be made into something that contradicts the norms of a country with experiences that happen through out their life. This little girl was taught by friends, family, teachers and strangers on the street to challenge what happened in their country. Every time the T.V. broadcasted something about the war Satrapi immediately ran for the radio to see if it was true, most of the time it wasn’t. This enforced even more that their country’s rulers lied over and over to them. This little girl has shown more courage before she was ten then a lot people I know as adults. She is a strong girl who stands up for what she believes in and that made her and enemy to the government. She had to be sent to another country to live so she did not end up forced to marry, raped and then executed.

It pulled me into the storyline and made me want more. As soon as I finished this comic I wanted to know what happened to her. I thought this can not be how it ends; I want to know more. So I went online and ordered the sequel. I really like this comic and hopefully the next one will be just as good or even better.

I <3 Satrapi --audj, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 14:19:07 -0400 reply
I love this book. Everything about it is wonderful. I love the red and black cover. I love the false jacket of the book. I love the yellow, creamy stock paper all the comics are printed on. I love the story. I love comics! Oh my gosh, it’s great, and here I thought it would never get better than “In the Shadow of No Towers.” I love the story: a girl growing up in a place that is more than just foreign to American citizens, but an enemy. She discusses the lack of energy there, and here our government is trying to push through a non-nuclear energy plan. We have never known what it’s like to live and leave the way she has. We have never known anything except for what it’s like to leave in the most powerful place in the world. I like the black and white comics better I think. There’s more that can be conveyed in just two colors than in all the colors. You get a sense of simplicity in her life that you don’t get from “In the Shadow of No Towers” because there is so much chaos and so much color. The white and black provide a contrast to American comics, and it proves again how different life is there. I think she also provides an insider’s view to the problems of religious fanaticism facing Middle Eastern countries like Iran. When she talks about the murders that take place right after the Islamic sect takes over, you can see that she is just as angry about her friends and family dying as we are about our own. It definitely gave me some insight on the war we are facing. Her uncle Anoosh dying was the worst part of the book. I felt so sorry for her and for him. He was dying for what he believed in and for his family. I think her conversation with God was the most upsetting. This was a time when she should be reaching out and not closing up, but as an adult, she realizes this. I didn’t realize that there were “Guardians of the Revolution” full of WOMEN who were trying to keep young girls in line. I can’t believe that ANY woman would do that to another. In America, we whisper under our breaths, but I would never dream of attacking someone. I would never dream of anyone attacking me or trying to detain me or whip me! Also, there was no such thing as public school. I mean, yes, she hit her principal but I would have knocked that lady down too. I don’t think I would have reacted the way her mother did though about the religion class incident; I think I would figured out a different way to handle it. I think her demonstration of movement was very strange though. When she shakes her head or when she moves or dances, the drawings look very awkward. That was probably the only thing I didn’t like.

Charlotte Harris --charris3, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 15:24:50 -0400 reply
When I first looked at the book and saw that it was a comic book I was a little unsure as to how to feel about it. Now since I have read it I have quite enjoyed it. Making this a comic book makes it more enjoyable to read about how Iran has dealt with the wars for all those years in a fun way. Instead of a boring history book it also helps give us some type of idea as to how the people of Iran dealt with all the different things that they made them do. Like the outfits they had to wear and what they wore most the time. The part of a comic that first started of one of the themes is on page 7. Where she tells her grandmother that she wants to be a prophet and tells her about her book of rules of what is going to be in effect when she is a prophet. It continues on the next couple pages where after she tells her teacher that she wants to be a prophet and gets in trouble that she has to lie about what she wants to be and do with her life. And since then she has to keep lots of stuff a secret. She has to lie to people later in the book about how many times a day that she prays. Then starting on page 132 where the guardians of the Revolution the women’s Branch she lied to. Several of them as to that she played basket ball and that her mother is dead and that her stepmother is really cruel and her Father wants to leave her. She seems to feel like that after the war had started and all the laws had changed that if she had to lie to get by she would. Another lie that they did was they tried to get her uncle a Fake passport for the emergency health care. There were two lies that involved her parents as well. When they got her some things in Turkey that were illegal in Iran. Like the tennis shoes, and the jacket and then the posters. The other one was after the party they were at where they had to lie to the police about the grandmother has diabetes so they could get upstairs and pour out all the alcohol. Also so they could do things they had to install black curtains and kept them closed all the time so people couldn’t see what they were doing. To me it seems that it’s hard to grow up in that area if they are kept being told to conform to what the government wants. The other thing I thought was that Marji wanted the social class to disappear. She also wanted the maids to come at eat the meals with them and be a part of the family. Not many people in any country want that to happen. But I thought it was a neat idea that she included their maid as a sister when they were younger. Most people wouldn’t let the maids do anything but the house keeping and they try to keep the social class separation between the maids and the family members.

Breanne Alioto Response --bre4nne, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 16:56:34 -0400 reply
At first I was a little taken back by the fact that Persepolis was a comic book. Although the Shadow of No Towers was interesting at parts, comic books just weren’t my thing and I was afraid this one was going to bore me. Especially once I noticed that the comic was black and white and lacking anything with luster. However, once I started reading Persepolis, I found myself having trouble putting it down. The black and white comics were a perfect combination with the story behind the little girl, Marjane. I also found the book interesting because I was never that well informed about the Revolution in Russia other than what I had learned in my high school history courses. The comic book gave me an entertaining look into history. It made me understand just how deeply the split between social classes was in Russia and people’s reasons for wanting the fight against the king. One of my favorite parts of the book is perhaps the chapter entitled, The Letter. This chapter is about a friendship between Marjane and her maid and how her maid falls in love with the boy next door. The maid rights letters and looks out the window at the boy next door for months. It is not until another girl steps and tries to steal her light that Marjane’s dad decides to set the record straight with the boy. He marches next door and tells the boy that the girl who has been writing him letters is the maid. Without hesitation, the boy gives Marjane’s father back the letters. He is not on the same level as the maid and will not step down a social class. Marjane, unsure why it won’t work between the maid and the boy next door comforts the maid as she cries in her bed all night. I think this chapter particularly grabs my attention because I am definitely a romance buff. I find it so sad that there is such a separation between the two that they cannot be in love, and I feel for the maid when she gets her heartbroken. I also can relate to this, because this situation has happened everywhere in the world, not just in Russia. I also like hearing the background information that is supplied by Marjane’s parents. Hearing their story helps me to realize exactly what brought on the revolution. I feel this book is a very clever way of telling a historical story.

Jamie Green --jamieallison, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 17:28:44 -0400 reply
For the first time I can actually say that I read a book and could not put it down. As I read Persepolis, I was so into the story I could honestly not put it down. I knew nothing about Iran, the war, or even about the constant turmoil which took place there, until I read this comic. Now I feel like I know so much more about life there and what people were constantly going through.

What I like the most about this book is not only that it is a true story, but it is the true story told from someone who lived through it all. I think one of the things which made this story so appealing is that it is Marjane Satrapi’s personal account of the conditions in Iran and what life was like growing up there during all this chaos. Another thing which is very different and appealing about this story is that it is told from the point of view of a young girl. Rarely do stories show times like these from this perspective.

This whole book was so fast paced, yet I found it to be so easy to read. Out of all the stories we have read so far in class I think this is by far the easiest to read. It just felt like the words kept flowing and I did not have to go back and read things over again to understand. One thing, however, that I noticed about this book is that I did not really pay attention to the comics very much. When I read In the Shadow of No Towers, I was constantly looking at the pictures and they somewhat influenced the way in which I interpreted the text. In Persepolis, I did not really need the pictures and I do not think they really served very much purpose. The pictures were almost exactly what I would have pictured them to be. I think that this book what have been just as effective if it was just text.

I loved the way Satrapi described the conditions of the country and things which were going on around her. I was especially shocked when I read about the supermarkets being so empty and people fighting for food. This is just something I have never thought of as real. When I read her account of the terrible situations it really touched me because this was just a little girl who was seeing all this and living amongst it. The story of her mother’s friend Mali and her family was another part that I found extremely shocking and touching. When they showed up to Marj’s house with just their jewels and had to leave everything else behind, it was scary because this really went on and happened to innocent people.

The one thing in this story which was actually somewhat happy was when the Iranian National Anthem was played on the television. When it was later found out that it was played because the fighter pilots only agreed to fight for the country if it was played I was touched. I thought that was so amazing that that was the thing these pilots asked for, they did not ask for anything selfish but they wanted to unite their country.

Katie Amos --kamos, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 19:30:14 -0400 reply
At the thought of reading another comic book/ graphic novel, as well as something written by a woman, I was very excited. Once I started Persepolis I read it all the way through without stopping. I found this graphic novel to be both humorous as well as a reality check that everyone needs to experience.

I feel that in my own life I have come to worry about everything I see on the news, hear on the radio or from friends, or read in the papers. Since 9-11 I have felt as though my world was spinning out of control, and much like Art Spigelman, that the world was going to end. Due to my past paranoia, reading Persepolis was like a wake up call to me. Now I have a new perspective on what the lives of other people are truly like who do live with the threat of death every day. Marjane grew up in a world I know that I can not even come close to comprehending – one filled with loss, torture, fright, and oppression. Yet at the same time I feel close to this little girl (Marjane) who goofs off with her friends, gets into trouble with her teachers, loves her family dearly, and who can sometimes get carried away with the ideas that pop into her head.

There are a few things that I found quite interesting about this graphic novel, the first one being Marjane’s relationship with God. Beginning on page 8, she says that “Every night I had a big discussion with God”. Throughout the segments she talks with God about everything as he holds her in his arms, and she even gives a description of what he looks like. But, after her Uncle Anoosh is executed as a Russian spy, she yells at God and tells him that she never wants to see him again. Following this, she says “And I was lost, without any bearings…what could be worse than that?” – and then the war starts. In this I feel as though Marjane is saying that being caught in the middle of a war is worse than being without faith.

Another point I found interesting was the section of the comic entitled “The Key” in which a woman’s son is given “the key to heaven” by those who claimed “if they [the boys]? went to war and were lucky enough to die” the key would guarantee them a place in heaven. Personally, I have always wondered how people could be involved with suicide bombings, especially those who performed the attacks on the World Trade Center, and I felt as though this section of the book helped me understand. This section confirmed for me that not all people brainwash their children into believing such things. Many boys who get involved with such things are poor and young, and feel as though dying a martyr and going to a heaven filled with fortune, happiness, and women, is much better than the life they live on earth.

I really feel that this is a great book that every American should read in order to understand just how lucky we are to live in such a country, regardless of the problems we may have.

Lauren Gilkeson --lgilkeso, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 19:37:43 -0400 reply
This has been my favorite book so far of this semester. The book reminds me a lot of the book titled “Not Without My Daughter” by Betty Mahmoody and William Hoffer. All of the sections in this book were very important and shed a little bit of light into the battle between Iraq and Iran in the early 1980’s. It seems a little unfair and negligent to only focus on one section. After completing the book the section that sticks out the most in my mind is the section titled “The Golden Key”. The golden keys were give to teenage boys at school and the boys were told that if they died while fighting in the war these keys were their keys to Heaven. This section struck me because the boys were given these keys while in school. In America there is such a big emphasis on the separation of church and state that the Pledge of Allegiance is often placed under a microscope for the line “One Nation Under God”. This line is constantly brought up and argued in front of various courts. And, although evolution goes against many religious beliefs, it is considered okay to be taught because it explains the Earth as it is now without involving religion. If people in America have such major issues with miniscule things that are to be considered a link between church and state, I can not even imagine what would happen if fourteen year old boys were handed these “golden keys to Heaven” and told to fight in a religious war while sitting in class. I’m sure parents would sue, lose, and appeal until their arguments wind up before the Supreme Court (which by this time the ruling won’t really even matter). War is always a controversial and touchy subject and this sensitivity was increased by these golden keys. The saying “The Fear of God” is a very appropriate saying for this section. Any fourteen year old is very impressionable and most of them look up to teachers, parents, older siblings, and other older friends and family. So, when a teacher tells a teenager something, generally they are going to believe it. When you throw God in, the whole situation becomes more believable and you feel a greater obligation to see the whole thing through. I think that this book is an amazing first hand account of the drama in the Middle East. Unlike the last graphic novel we read, this novel was straight forward and didn’t try to make light out of a serious situation. There are some things that you simply should not try to make funny, September 11th and the Iran/Iraq War being two of them. Satrapi knows that there is a fine line and does any excellent job with not crossing it.

Jenna Froess --blondie2825, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 20:54:42 -0400 reply
This book was wonderful. It was easy to read and follow and I could not put it down. I was not really aware of the past of Iraq and Iran I just knew what I saw on the news. I like how in the beginning of the book right away they explain what happen before they start telling the actual story. I feel this book was better written than In the Shadow of No Towers. You really understood the seriousness of what happen where Marjane Satrapi was growing up. Although we discussed the different points Spiegelman was trying to make in his book I still felt like it was wrong to make light of 9/11. Satrapi’s illustrations give you a mental picture of what went on without getting too graphic. The one story that really touched me was The Sheep. Marjane’s whole family was made of brave heroes who never gave in to the harsh regime that was being imposed on her country. Her uncle Anoosh ran away to Russia to escape the Shah police. His uncle was executed for rebelling against them. Anoosh eventually divorced and returned to Iran with a disguise and fake passport but was soon recognized and thrown in prison. When he was finally released he went to stay with the Satrapi’s and immediately bonded with Marji. Eventually Anoosh is arrested again and will be executed. He is allowed a visitor and asks to see Marji. He pays off the guard and they bond one last time before he is executed. All throughout this story things like this happen where good, innocent people are being executed. However, when the borders are open during the sotry and her family hs the chance to leave they never do. They even vacation in Turkey and have to smuggle back simple things like posters and a denim jacket for Marji. Her family also rebels throughout the entire story by drinking alcohol, playing games, having parties, and not dressing the way they are required to by the Shah. Throughout the book she never gives an explanation as to why they did not leave. It is not really giving into the ruler by leaving because you aren’t palying by his rules and by leaving you are decreasing the number of people the regime has control over. In the end the family even sends Marji away bc it isnt safe for her, but choose to stay themselves. I understand that they had their pride, but this book makes me question as to what point you have to say enough is enough. Marji has to feel lucky that with all of her rebellions when she was younger she was not whipped or even killed. Her parents even let her out of the house knowing she was breaking the dress code rules. They were proud of her when she broke the rules, or at least her dad was. That was the only part of the book that made me not understand where her parents were coming from. This book really shed some light on certain parts of the middle east. It even helps us relate to Iraq today with our soldiers being over there. It showed us how they brainwash their soldiers with the golden keys and talking about how great paradise was in the afterlife. I really liked this book and the author did a great job at depicting how harsh and cruel Iraqi regime really was.

Casey Tominack-Persepolis --ctominac, Wed, 21 Sep 2005 21:42:12 -0400 reply
I will begin my response to “Persepolis” by bringing attention to the first quote on page 6, “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.” This is a prime example of a child who witnesses the injustice of a new fundamentalism. When a cultural change or a life-altering event occur, children see it differently. This reminded me of my then 4 year-old cousin when 9/11 occurred. He knew that something terrible had happened--children can, indeed, sense sadness and loss, but he could not look as far into the future as adults could. For, he was too young to consider the consequences that would soon set in, nor the hardships that people would endure. In the months following, his naivety became even more apparent as he asked my aunt why people couldn’t just stop “fighting” (referring to a news segment on TV). And, although children are full of wonder, just teaching them the facts of the matter is not enough. For example, Marjane’s Marxist parents teach her all about Fidel Castro and Palestine, have her read comics with impressive titles; however, it is difficult to comprehend something so complex until we experience it for ourselves.

In addition, this book is proof that growing up is an adventure. As we grow older, our desire to express our personal opinions and develop an identity increases. Some people conform to the rules, others stay in the middle--a comfort zone, and others rebel and behave harshly. But, one thing that I admire most about Satrapi’s writing is that she does not take sides. Strong opinions are voiced, yet no judgments are made. I think that today’s society needs to focus more on the consequences of the present. By this, I am referring to the ways in which we are always looking to blame someone, or some group. And then, after we think we have singled them out, we look ahead and see what can be done to eliminate them completely. Some of our biggest problems are right in front of us and we pretend not to see them.

Jessica Bradley --jbradley, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 07:41:17 -0400 reply
At first I thought the introduction to “Persepolis” was confusing because Marjane Satrapi immediately began writing about this “veil” and there was no real explanation why the veil was such a big deal to be worn. Until I read further then my opinion changed. I re-evaluated and thought Satrapi did an amazing job with the introduction to her personal narrative not only was the comic of the girls playing with their veils humorous the first time I read it, but it was also even more amusing the second time I read it. By simply choosing to use the comic strip style of writing, Satrapi has easily explained the revolution of events that were occurring during this time period. It’s the innocence of young “Marji” which bring her comics altogether. I think it is interesting how Satrapi has intertwined the innocence of her childhood beliefs to that of her parents’ points of views which seem to be two very different perspectives on the same events that were occurring. Take these three situations, for example, the first situation, on page 17 Marji wants to participate in the demonstrations but her parents know it’s too dangerous and she gets mad because she doesn’t understand the violent terror. This is followed by the second situation, which is ironic, on the next page because she gets mad again with her parents because they have been at demonstartions all day, therefore are tired and don’t want to play monopoly with her. Then for the third situation, on page 38-39, Marji participates in a demonstration behind her parents’ backs and in return she got slapped by her mother. Thus ending the chapter saying, “But in fact it was really our own who had attacked us,” which I thought helped summarize the three events that show the unjustified connection of innocence and knowledge between Marji and her parents. As I continued to read I was able to understand the revolution and anarchy of the time by comparing both points of views. Especially the views of young “Marji” because her innocence shows that she wants to so badly understand what’s going on with her country let alone her family. She’s also at the age where her opinions and views change like wild fire. The situation on pages 44-45 bothered me beginning with Marji stating, “The battle was over for our parents but not for us.” After I read those comics I couldn’t help but refer back to the time before the revolution begun and she was so determined to be a prophet and to do good things for others. Also, it was disturbing because only at 10 years old Marji had developed prejudice toward one her of her classmates and managed to influence other classmates to attack and hurt her classmate. So again this explains her innocent and irrational behavior that reflects on her ability to truly grasp the mind-set of violence and death. It will be very interesting to find out how long her innocence stays with her as she approaches more situations as results of the revolution.

Melissa Scott --mscott, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 08:49:07 -0400 reply
Before this class, I was not attracted to graphic novels. They seemed to be a juvenile endeavor; however, my opinion has changed. Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of no Towers changed my mind. So, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read another. These are certainly two books I would have never picked up on my own. Like the rest of America, I have been exposed to limited images of the Iranian Revolution. I saw the fanatics—the people who spoke out and acted out. This graphic novel reveals the side which most people did not see. I’m always thankful to be offered a different viewpoint than the media hype—especially from the viewpoint of a woman. The drawings in the book are in black and white—but completely effective. The storyline is amazing. I was completely pulled in to the story of the young girl who was describing something about which I knew very little. I was particularly interested n her discussion of the veil. Obviously, her government made her wear the veil. Her parents, however, were opposed to the government—and passed these views on to Satrapi. I was amazed that she would wear the veil to school, only to remove it and play with it. My naïve little American mind was under the impression that Iranian women never removed their veil—or more importantly had a desire to remove their veil. As I previously mentioned, I am very appreciative that this novel was written from the viewpoint of a woman, because often the representative mage of Iran is the veiled woman. I think the media is especially fond of presenting this image to Americans—because to us it represents a suppression of identity. I have heard numerous women defending the veil—and in my attempt to be ultra-liberal and open-minded—I have tried to understand the veil. I, therefore, enjoyed reading Satrapi’s issues with the cloth. I feel terrible that this portion of the novel was the most notable to me, because I feel as though I am succumbing to the representational images the media produces as opposed to trying to understand the “big picture.” However, Satrapi does an excellent job of painting the “big picture” from an insider’s perspective. I certainly feel far more informed than I was prior to reading this novel—which I think legitimizes the graphic novel as a literary form. True, I was also very entertained and often amused , but all novels aim to not only enlighten but also to entertain. Therefore, I believe that the entertainment aspects of the graphic novel only serve to add to the plotline. I will have no reservations in reading graphic novels in the future.

Paul Tobin --ptobin, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 09:44:15 -0400 reply
This text seems so very foriegn to me. I have in my life heard very little about the actual history of Iran and I'm blown away because all of my perceptions of that world are not as I imagined them. The main character is a very strange person. She's got some kind of sick fantasy with pain and demands retrubution for the attack by Iraq. Perhaps it's something to do with the culture of the area; that would fit along with my preconcieved notions. I can't understand how anyone could be able to deal with a teacher telling you the Shah is a heaven sent instrument to having you tear out his picture from you text books. I also don't understand how all of these progressive, revolutionary ideas fed into yet another regime that did not represent the people. I was curious as to why Anoosh asked to see the girl before he was killed. I assume it's because if any adult had come to visit him they would surely be hunted down shortly after the meeting. I don't see his relationship with her stronger than, say, his relationship with is brother. Maybe he just wanted to feel loved before he was killed. How could this world make sense to anyone? One day you're leading a revolution, are imprisioned, and then are set free only to be killed by the government that you saw as your savior. It's simply insane.

BrieanneL? --Michelle, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:21:27 -0400 reply
I loved this book, “Persepolis”. When I first looked at this book I was not looking forward to reading it. I especially did not like the fact that it was in black and white. However, once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. She was a young girl that was faced with many hardships while growing up. She had to deal with many things that most Americans will never experience. However, she was also faced with somethings that we are face evreyday. One of the main things that was expected and strongly enforced was separtation by social class. The author portrayed this through their maid, Mehri. When Mehri was eight she was sent to live and work for Marjane’s family. Her sister was also sent to work for Marjane’s uncle. Mehri and her siblings were sent to work for other families. This would not have happened if she were born into a wealthier more respectable family. While they were at home she was treated the same as Marjane but in public she was just a maid. When she fell in love with the neighbor it was not exceptable because she was not in the same social class as the boy. Marjane was constantly in fear of her father being taken away to prison like her grandfather. The government ruled every aspect of their daily lives. However, many peopled rebelled against them. These people were looked up to. Marjane was one who did not agree with the government and she as well as her family would rebel . I think that one of the main reasons that Marjane didn’t want to obey by the rules of the government is because she didn’t understand why she should. She also didn’t understand why these rules were made. She recalled everything being normal until 1979. She attended a French co –ed non-religious school. During this time they weren’t forced to wear veils. Then when “The Islamic revolution” took place they were forced to wear veils and be separated by gender. After this “Cultural Revolution”, took place violent demonstrations began popping up everywhere. It became a common sight to see fighting and murder in the streets. After awhile Marjane began to realize the reason for the revolution was the difference between social class in her society. I can understand where she is coming from in a way. In our society there is a definning line between social classes. Not all of the time but very often people are looked down on if someone were to marry or even date someone from a lower social class then they are. This outlook goes along with many other aspects of our lives. I enjoyed every page of this book. After reading these last two comic books I have a different outlook on comics. I think they are important to read. They confront important issues in an interesting way.

Jennings (Jay) Lyons --jlyons5, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:22:48 -0400 reply
In response to Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis”, I would say I really like the book. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like it after I read the inside of the front cover and the introduction. I love the comic book style. It takes a serious topic otherwise and turns it to genuinely funny. And being genuinely funny makes the book very attractive and easy to read.

I would like to focus my response mostly to the chapters entitled “Moscow” and “Sheep”. The chapter of “Moscow” deals with Marji learning that she has an uncle, Anoosh, and fulfilling her desires for a hero in the family who can brag to all of her friends about. After meeting her uncle Anoosh, she immediately becomes attached to him because of his “hero” status. Anoosh’s hero status consist being in jail for nine years and having a historic uncle who proclaimed a democratic state and many other achievements. Marji attachment for her uncle gets closer and closer with each and every story he tells her about his journeys and time in captivity. Marji’s attachment for her beloved uncle pinnacles in the closure of this chapter, after being tucked in bed and receiving the swan he made out of bread while he was in prison.

In the chapter “Sheep”, Marji is introduced to heightened political conversations, emotions for a boy (that she is not used to having), and the recapture and death of her beloved uncle. During the extended visit of Anoosh, Marji is exposed the political conversations between her Uncle and her father, Eby, that teachers her not to believe everything she sees on television. Her father embarrasses and yells at her she tries to join the conversation about government and religion, which happens to be her favorite topics, with something she saw on television. Marji joins by saying “On TV they say that 99.99% of the population voted for the Islamic Republic”. Her father humiliates her by responding “Did you hear that, Anoosh? Do you realize how ignorant our people are? The elections were faked and they believe the results: 99.99%. As for me, I don’t know a single person who voted for the Islamic Republic. Where did that figure come from? From their asses, that’s where!” (62). This upsets Marji so much because her father included her in the people that were ignorant.

Marji’s emotions become stirred again she she feels the end of the world is coming after learning that the boy she liked “very, very much” was leaving for the United States soon. This emotional entanglement is the beginning of the desire she develops to go to United States also.

Marji’s emotions took a sky dive after her uncle was arrested. After being arrested, Anoosh was allowed one visitor which he choose his heart-broken niece. There they had the last special moment together, where Anoosh told Marji why she was so special to him. Then they departed and the next day Anoosh was executed. The execution of Anoosh, caused Marji to turn her back on the thing that was most dearest to her, her relationship with god.

This section is very critical in Marji’s development because it deals her losing three things that were very dear to her, being her uncle, the boy that moved to the United States, and God.

james mcceney --jmcceney50, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:24:34 -0400 reply
Persepolis was the first piece of assigned reading that I really enjoyed this year, in any of my classes. The overall effect of the book is fantastic: an autobiographical account of a tumultuous childhood that also tells the story of a nation in crisis is a great idea anyway, but when you factor in the pictures to accompany the text a certain whimsical quality is added to the entire work which just makes it fantastic and actually fun to read. The use of minimalism in the black and white panels, the division of the plot into sub-stories, and the unifying theme of political unrest in Satrapi’s Iran all work together to create a fantastic finished product.

I thought the idea of having two parallel plots which coexist and feed off each other throughout the novel was fantastic. Telling the account of the Islamic revolution via the voice of a child and through many small interrelated anecdotes really gave what would otherwise be a dry historical text a genuine heart and soul. You really feel for Marjane and her family, and this adds a new element to the historical documentation: the Iranian Islamic revolution’s effects on actual people. Hearing the stories of Satrapi’s relatives and neighbors being executed for their political beliefs told by her herself and rather than an unbiased narrator makes one wonder: what if this had been my family, my neighbors, my relatives? This human element, not present in nonfiction historical biographies or even very many works of historical fiction, gives this book a sense of “aliveness” not see enough in literature today.

The characters are fantastic, and Satrapi does a fantastic job of relating them to the reader. By the end of the novel, it feels like you are actually friends with her family; the characters are so round and vibrant that they almost make you feel like you’re in the story with them, going through the same hardships and tribulations that they do. Satrapi’s characters enhance the overall effect of the narrative significantly, in that the story is related mostly through their dialogues rather than merely through her narration. This gives not only the historical narrative but also Marjane’s biography depth and realism but also adds another to layer of complexity to the parallel plot schemes.

Overall, this book is a fantastic and original account of the Islamic revolution in Iran and one family’s hardships in trying to cope with it. While the story (or maybe both stories) as a whole is certainly remarkable, the many subtleties and nuances Satrapi uses throughout the novel are what makes it a truly great work of (non?) fiction. This book has a heart and soul of its very own that not only makes it easy to read, but also invokes strong feelings of what it means to be human.

Sam Cole --scole, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 10:43:10 -0400 reply
I really enjoyed the book Persepolis. I know a little about Irans history but not as cloose to as much as i know now. Persepolis tells the story of a young girl named Marjane Satrapi and her life from six to fourteen years old. It takes place in Iran from 1979 onward. Its gives you the first hand look at the over throw of the Shah's regime, the Islamic revolution, and also Irans war with Iraq; all this through the eyes of a young girl. You really get to see the emotion that a child feels and the simplicity of how they think everything is black and white. Reading this book also showed me how people become the way they are Im not saying anyhting bad about the middle east or anyhting like that, but it seems that all children learn there ideals from there parents and teackers it shows you how her parents teach her Marxist politcal ideals and how the teachers in school teach them the things that the goverment would have them learn the teachers had to cut certain things out of there books and when the goverment faked the elections.

In the story when the war started and the Iraqies bombed Iran Marjane Satrapi reaction was "my blood was boiling i was ready to defend my country" this reminded me of how i felt the on September 11 the first thing i wanted to do was go out and fight for my country. In the book she says her father is not a patriot because he doesnt want to just go out and fight. But at the time she doesnt realize that the goverment the jailed it own pilots is now letting them out of jail so they can go fight for the country that imprsioned them. After reading this book I have a much greater respect for graphic novels then I did before it really conveyed alot more then just a regular book could have. The black and white drawing were very simple but i felt that this simplicity was what made it such a great book.

Will Good-Response to "Persepolis" --wgood, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:02:26 -0400 reply
This story changed many of my stereotypical views on Iran and the Middle Eastern World. First stereotype I realized was the fact tha all middle easterners are some what unciclilized. I didnt think they lived like cave men, but I didnt think they were as westernized as the girl in this story was. Second stereotype i had was the way they viewed religion, which seemed to also have similarities to a westernized view of religion. Third stereotype this story fixed was the way the people have love for their nation. I always thought either Iranians or any other Middle Easterner either loved his country and wanted traditional things like women wearing a veil or any other traditions we in America find ludacris. In the introduction of this story, the author stated that she want to show the world the real Iran, I would say that this story was a sucess.

First thing i will explain is how the story changed my view on the way the were more civilized than i thought. The first thing that stuck out was the fact that the father was cruisin in a cadialac. I wouldnt have thought they would be driving American cars over there. Second was the fact that the author was attending a french language school before the government banned bilingual studies. Even the though the government there banned the school eventually, i still suprized me that her parents were open minded enough to let her go to school there. There were many points that stuck out, but the last one i will talk about is the part of the story were the author skipped school to get hamburgers and hotdogs, two extremely Westernized foods. I would expect them to only have Middle Eastern foods there.

Second steroetype i will talk about is the way they view religion. I found similarities to the western views of religion. There are the gung hoe religous people, then there are the religous people who dont take it so serious. At the very begining of the story the girl spoke of being a prophet. Shortly after that was established, women in Iran were forced to wear veils, a religous custom there. Even though the girl was very religous, she didnt like wearing a veil. Also later in the story, the girl lied about how much she prayed. Once again a girl who obviously loved god, but wasnt a perfect religous person. That is how many people are in America. The believe in god and are loyal to religion, but on the other hand they brake certain rules and may not always go to church.

The third sterotype ties the other two up. The father in this story loved his country very much, however he did not follow all the strict rules we in America find strange. He would have parties and drink alcohal, but it still sparked his attention when he heard the Iranian national anthem being played. I would figure that over there only the gung hoe religous freaks would be the most loyal to there country. It is nice to know that there are normal people in the middle east rather than a bunch of religous freaks that want to bomb America

Christopher Glover: Persepolis --cglover, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:02:37 -0400 reply
When I began reading Persepolis, I really found it hard to put the book back down. The realism of the story mixed with the horrific thoughts of the revolutions and wars that have taken place in Iran connected the reader to the young Marji emotionally. It felt as though I was with her in her innocence of the things going on around her. Her confusion as she tries to understand the reasons behind the revolution and the acts of violence was somehow transcended into myself as I read the story of this little girl.

The one constant theme which really drew my attention was the young girl’s almost constant faith in God and her religious fervor. This personality trait begins on page 6 when she discusses how she was born with religion and that at the age of 6 she was already sure that she was the last prophet. Her reasoning behind wanting to be the last prophet showed that this girl, at such a young age, could already see the problems within the Iranian society and truly wanted to make a change. The extent of this fervor and further explained on page 9 when she feels guilty towards God because she told her parents that she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, and not a prophet. After speaking with God that night, she declares that she wants to be “justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one.” Furthermore, her frequent “conversations” with God are quite interesting because it seems as though God is the only one she feels is listening and that understands what she truly wants out of her actions. God is the absolute that she knows and understands when she is stuck in the turmoil of so much confusion about the reasons behind the revolution and the reasons so many people are dying.

When she begins to take more interest in the revolution and begins pretending to be Che Guevara, you begin to see a decline in her faith in her religion. As the revolution begins to spin out of control, she becomes more involved in wanting to revolt herself. You can see the decline in her religious faith begin on page 13 when she states the “despite everything, God came to see me from time to time.” As the story progresses, you can see a loss of faith in almost everything she knows, which for a brief time is reinstated as the revolutions end and the finally gets to meet her Uncle Anoosh. Yet, with the execution of Anoosh, she seems to hit rock bottom in her emotions, and especially regarding her religion. This is seen on page 70, when God comes to see her after the execution of Anoosh and she tells God to get out of her life and that she never wants to see Him again. And following that statement, she replies, “And so I was lost, without any bearings…” I think that this small caption explains just how important religion had been in her life, and how as long as she had that, the other confusions in life were not so bad. But she felt personally wronged by God for taking away someone she held so dear. I think that there are a lot of very strong images in this book which help someone like myself, a Westerner, to better understand the mindset of Iranians. That there background, religious, philosophical, or political, has strongly shaped the nation they are. These are very strong people in mind and soul, and Marji’s descriptions of her own feelings give a good account of their strength and will to survive in the face of hardship. This is really an excellent graphic novel by Satrapi. It is very moving, and in a way educational also.

Melissa Malone --mmalone2, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 11:11:32 -0400 reply
I am sure this response will not be long enough to use 500 words. I started reading this book and realized how little I know/knew about the culture of Iran. I am confused on how one day they were much like us then the next day they “regressed” to wearing veils and going to segregated schools. I thought this “oppression” was something that was always a law. When we first invaded Iran and the other countries surrounding it, these things appalled many people. The strange thing is that this little girl hated having to wear her veil and her split school because she knew what life was like before it. Also she was so set on being a prophet at the beginning of the story yet later she became more educated in other things and she no longer wanted to be a prophet, she thought Marx and God looked alike except Marx had curlier hair. As I was saying at the beginning there is much I do knot know pertaining to the life she talks about but I find as I continue to read this that I am learning more and more. Hopefully by the time I finish I will know much more and understand it. Although I am not sure I, like many others, will ever agree with the things they have to go through daily. The way women are treated is wrong and always will be in many people’s minds.

Persepolis --ssublett, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:01:31 -0400 reply
Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel “Persepolis” portrays her perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in Iran as a little girl. Through the Iranian Revolution, protests or demonstrations, and the war this book delivers very meaningful messages in the simplistic point of view of an innocent child. This story, told by simple black and white comic strips, has many layers of politics, conflict, and family stress that are all very intimate encounters. I believe the light hearted nature of the comic strips lets Marjane accurately show us as readers what it was like for her to grow up with such serious conflict with the understanding of an innocent child.. I feel the main reason she wrote this story, and did so in such a manner, is to break through stereotypes and show the world what a regular Iranian family is like from the inside. As she states in the introduction, “I believe that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrong doings of a few extremists.” After September 11th even Americans that looks like they were from the middle east were discriminated upon because of misunderstanding and stereotypes. She is proud of her heritage but doesn’t was to be suppressed by it. I see symbolism to all of this in her writing. For example, on pages 44-46 there is a passage of the children discussing their friend Ramin’s father and how he killed a million people in the secret police of Shah’s regime. The children then choose to rebel against their friend and go after him with nails, not because of anything he did, but because of something his father had done and the past and Ramin had no control over. Marjane’s mother comes across the children in the process of their attack and takes Marjane home to discuss the situation. She tells Marjane that his father had done bad things, but it wasn’t Ramin’s fault. I feel that this passage in the book is in direct correlation to why she wrote the book in the first place. Her entire nation should not be ridiculed for the actions of a few bad apples just like Ramin shouldn’t e ridiculed for the actions of his father which he had no control over and probably knows little about. Many deal with these sort of discriminations all the time. Whether you are from the middle east being judged because of terrorists or come from any ethnicity that carries a stereotype, Marjane is trying to show that people shouldn’t be discriminated upon for other peoples actions.

Brittany Peters --bpeters, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:30:31 -0400 reply
I just finished reading Persepolis, and my opinions of graphic novels have been changed for the better. At first, I saw graphic novels as a merely a form of entertainment, or a substitute book for those without enough imagination to picture what they are reading in a normal book. However, while reading the Satrapi’s book, I realized several things, the first being that without the pictures, my mental images of the people and places described would have been completely different from what they actually looked like. Like the typical American citizen, I have very little idea as to what Iran is like, especially during the wars of the 1970s and 1980s. The way I would picture the culture and the people wasn’t a very good representation of what it was actually like. Without the pictures, I could have very well misconstrued parts of the books due to misconceptions of the country of Iran. Also, because facial expressions and body language of the characters involved could be read, some implied moods and feelings were much clearer than they would have been had the book been written in text only. Another way the author was able to use the graphics to her advantage was in her representation of her childhood imagination. When presenting God, the first image that comes to mind is that of an old, wise-looking man, but being able to draw him for us, and visually represent him gave the reader insight into her mind that words couldn’t have given. This is also shown in her representation of Karl Marx and the shah. The graphic novel format also shines in the fact that it gives a wonderful presentation of the different stages of Marji’s faith, as she becomes older and learns more about the world around her. It accurately represents the religious fanatics, including the men wearing long beards and long clothes, and the women covered from head to toe in dark, heavy veils designed to protect them from being “immoral”. The graphics serve also to show the change in Marji’s personality and appearance as she grows up and her environment, friends, and even her parents change. Because there are pictures, we can see everything through Marji’s eyes as she experiences all the trials, tragedies, and happy moments in her childhood. I think that Persepolis was a wonderful, and perfectly relevant to teach in an English class. It was hard to put down, and it is a book I will most likely read again.

persepolis - Miranda --freshndaktchn, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:44:06 -0400 reply
When I purchased the book, I didn’t notice that is was a graphic novel. I saw the sketched girl on the cover and it immediately reminded me of the “Emily” character form Hot Topic. Because if this, I assumed I would enjoy the book. But during class it was mentioned that the book pertained to history involving Iran and I found myself almost avoiding reading it, simply because I don’t like history lessons. But someone had mentioned that it was a fast read and once I sat down and opened the fake binding cover I was drawn in. The graphics in “Persepolis” were easier for me to relate to then those in “In the Shadow of No Towers”. They were black and white, which gave uniformity to the characters, as well as allowing the reader to concentrate more on the words then the graphics alone. They were not photographs, or colored metaphoric drawings that the reader had to analyze, it was almost like a children’s picture book. I enjoyed reading this book because if there were times when I didn’t understand what she meant with certain words or phrases, I could refer easily to the picture and know exactly what was going on. I also enjoy the idea that this graphic novel is an autobiography. Normally, when we think of biographies we think of 400 page memoirs depicting significant events in the life of one specific person. In “Persepolis” although the story is being told from one little girl’s point of view, the event taking place involved an entire country. So we get our history lesson, as well as a personal narrative in one, which makes the story that much more interesting. My favorite graphic I would say is the picture on page 15 of all the “ghosts” trapped in the movie theater. The way the dead people are drawn in comparison to how the people who are alive are drawn amuses me. The people in this picture are drawn ghostlike but are entrapped in flames, on another page the people look normal but their mouths are drawn open with their eyes rolling back etc. Also, there’s never one single dead person, most of the graphics pertaining to death include massacres so there’s numerous amounts of the exact same character that is represented with an open mouth. I loved this graphic novel as it was easy to read, and my eyes weren’t darting around from graphic to graphic, or even between colors, trying to figure out which picture corresponds to which sentence. It was definitely much better in terms of story and amusement then “In the Shadow of No Towers”.

Bender-Persepolis --mbender1, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 15:39:34 -0400 reply
After covering Persepolis I’d like to focus this post on the differences between it and In the Shadow of No Towers. It seems as though Satrapi has steered away from abstract depictions of scenes and adopted a much more straight forward technique. The simplicity of her artwork throughout the book thus far highlights the elementary perceptions that a child may have. Ok, I admit that I did (multiple times) flip to the back of the book to discover that it depicts her life over a span of many years, but the message is still the same. I feel that here, Satrapi is trying to show a different side of everything; a point of view that many Americans have never been exposed to. How is a child supposed to interpret things of such great magnitude when even adults around them don’t fully understand? I can’t remember what page it was on, but I remember the name of the passage that drove this point home for me. The passage was entitled “Heroes” or something of that nature and it described a reunion of her parents and former prisoners who had recently been freed. Marjane describes how her parents let her listen in on their conversation which was focused mainly on the torture that they had to endure while in captivity. This was a very emotional scene which prompted her to say, “My father was not a hero and my mother wanted to kill people, so I went out into the street to play.” These aren’t exact quotes because I left my book in the car, but I believe I’m getting the point across. Children, especially very young ones, are very egocentric, so I imagine her going outside and letting her imagination run wild with all of the horrible information she’s been exposed to. How does this affect her reality? Of all the people that horrific things affect, children are often the most innocent bystanders. They haven’t yet fully developed their understanding of the world that they live in, so they are very impressionable. When you take Vygotsky’s socio cultural learning theory into consideration, it is easy to understand how generation after generation can hate another culture for no apparent reason. When such hatred is socially embedded, it is very hard to break tradition. Satrapi’s art form puts me in the mind of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies in that, instead of putting extremely graphic images right in front of your face, she provides a basic framework and leaves the rest to the imagination. The mind is a very powerful thing. It is good for us to be exposed to this material. I realize now that I am pretty much ignorant when it comes to Middle Eastern culture. So often we get caught up in our own little worlds and forget that others see things from a different point of view. I look forward to seeing how her writing changes, or if it changes, by the time she matures.

Autumn Means --ameans, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 17:23:54 -0400 reply
When I first started reading Persepolis, I was immediately drawn to the extremely perceptive nature of the main character. She seems to be so intuitive, especially for being so young. Even as a very young girl, the main character is able to pin-point many qualities about the society she lives in. In the beginning, she talks about how she wanted to become a prophet. One of her reasons for wanting to become a prophet was that her family’s maid didn’t eat with the family at the table. Another reason she claims she wanted to become a prophet was that her father drove a Cadillac. In the story, the girl even makes her own holy book. A couple of her rules are: 1.Everyone should have a car, and 2.All maids should eat at the table with the others. It is apparent in the beginning, though, that the girl doesn’t really know why she notices these things or why she thinks they’re wrong; she possesses a sort of blind faith that whatever she feels has to be right. Later in the story, after she finds out that her grandfather was a prince, she sees her grandmother. Her grandmother gives her books to help her understand the revolution. When she reads the books, she comes to realize that the reason she hated her father’s Cadillac was that she was ashamed to have more wealth and convenience than other people. Also, she realizes that is the same reason she doesn’t like the fact that her family’s maid does not eat with them at the table. At a young age of six, the girl learns about the differences between social classes. She associates her own experiences of shame directly related to the differences between those social classes and realizes that the same differences are the driving force behind the revolution that has been taking place around her. It amazes me how much the opinions and experiences of a child can add genuine, logical insight into political and world issues. It’s like her innocence, in a way, is wisdom. She recognized things before she knew what she was recognizing, and once she discovered new information she already had old ideas to piece together with the new. She does this is such a way that makes me feel like maybe even the adults in this story aren’t as genuinely involved in their surroundings as this young girl is.

Autumn Means --ameans, Thu, 22 Sep 2005 17:25:10 -0400 reply
When I first started reading Persepolis, I was immediately drawn to the extremely perceptive nature of the main character. She seems to be so intuitive, especially for being so young. Even as a very young girl, the main character is able to pin-point many qualities about the society she lives in. In the beginning, she talks about how she wanted to become a prophet. One of her reasons for wanting to become a prophet was that her family’s maid didn’t eat with the family at the table. Another reason she claims she wanted to become a prophet was that her father drove a Cadillac. In the story, the girl even makes her own holy book. A couple of her rules are: 1.Everyone should have a car, and 2.All maids should eat at the table with the others. It is apparent in the beginning, though, that the girl doesn’t really know why she notices these things or why she thinks they’re wrong; she possesses a sort of blind faith that whatever she feels has to be right. Later in the story, after she finds out that her grandfather was a prince, she sees her grandmother. Her grandmother gives her books to help her understand the revolution. When she reads the books, she comes to realize that the reason she hated her father’s Cadillac was that she was ashamed to have more wealth and convenience than other people. Also, she realizes that is the same reason she doesn’t like the fact that her family’s maid does not eat with them at the table. At a young age of six, the girl learns about the differences between social classes. She associates her own experiences of shame directly related to the differences between those social classes and realizes that the same differences are the driving force behind the revolution that has been taking place around her. It amazes me how much the opinions and experiences of a child can add genuine, logical insight into political and world issues. It’s like her innocence, in a way, is wisdom. She recognized things before she knew what she was recognizing, and once she discovered new information she already had old ideas to piece together with the new. She does this is such a way that makes me feel like maybe even the adults in this story aren’t as genuinely involved in their surroundings as this young girl is.

Amanda Drake --adrake, Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:05:08 -0400 reply
(I posted this once but as I was reading over other people's responses today I saw that mine wasn't on there. Why? Luckily I saved it so I'm posting it again, just in case.)

Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is a very interesting graphic novel that I could not put down. Once I got started it seemed like I flew through it. My roommate's dad is from Iran so I had to wrestle the book out of her clutches first. She travels to Iran every other summer to visit her family there so it was interesting to see the book through her eyes. I loved seeing the children's reactions to having to wear the veil. When I think of the image I have of Iranian people I see everyone as accepting of wearing the veil, like it is a normal part of life that they accept and even approve of. I loved the outright kid-like reaction, incorporating this new and foriegn object into playtime, completly lacking to understand the impact this was going to have on them. Already I was sucked in to this book and ready to learn more about these people I have made so many assumptions about but never really took the time to find out facts and think about on a deeper level. Telling this story from the perspective of a child was genius. Everything happens at a quick pace and the book continues along in her child-mind, so when big things, like the revolution, do happen we realize the importance even more readily because it was able to penetrate her child-mind and register as important even to her. Throughout the book one of my favorite aspects of the story is Marjane's relationship with God. It is so comical and yet touching. I love the honesty of it and how it changes depending on the situation and her mood. The part where she angry tells God she doesn't want to see him and then later cries for him and he doesn't return is how I remember my childish relationship with God being. The art work with God holding her in his arms or standing off to the side in her room is simple, yet so fantastic. The pictures say more than the actual words in most cases. Experiencing the revolution through Marjane's eyes, and those of her parents, was something else I really liked about this book. We get to see the way her family and the families around her are affected. Her anger and jealous competition with her friend are normal things for a child her age to feel and makes the story that much more real. Marjane's relationship with her uncle was another interesting part of the book. Her character matured in a very obvious manner during the course of his staying with her family and after his death there was a definate difference in her mindset and views. One other aspect of the book worth mentioning is the way Marjane knows from a young age that it is wrong that the maid can not eat with them and understands the paradox that her parents fight the revolution so strongly while having a maid. Her wide-eyed innocence with wanting to become a prophet to fix such inconsistencies as this and her grandma's pain is touching. The way the neighbor boy was so willing to give up on his love affair with the maid after discovering that she was, in fact, not her true sister angered me, but I realize that this is a normal fact of life in Iranian culture. It upset me that the father felt it necessary to go next door and point out the social class differences to the boy when otherwise he seemed so openminded and liberal. My roommate ordered the sequel to Persepolis and it came in the mail today and I am anxious to read more about the double standards and stict rules and guidelines that are Iran.

Agoddard --agoddard, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:14:47 -0400 reply

msofsky is #1 --msofsky, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:27:05 -0400 reply
I think you gotta give it up to Satrapi for having the courage to put her story out there. Not only is it difficult to kind of put your life out there for other people to read, but even worse to know that the audience (who know nothing about you as a person) is going to be passing judgement and analyzing your life and the morals and values that you were raised on.

I have grown up with a very different background than your average WVU student...so in a way I feel like I almost understand Marjane in certain aspects. You know...we are all reading her story and then sitting in class discussing whether or not we agree with how her parents chose to raise her and their values, and in a way I almost feel bad about the conclusions that I came to. Like her mother kind of allowing her to rebel and we spoke about the dangers involved...in one sense I felt like it was a bad thing to let her be at risk for any danger at all, but at the same time I respect the mother for standing up for what she believed...for living how she thought was the right way.

With all that said, I still kind of feel like I can't, or even that I should'nt have an opinion on the matter because her culture is so different, it's something that most of us can't even relate too...so it makes me feel like... who is to say whether her parents were doing to right thing or the wrong thing in letting her leave the house with a strand of hair out or with any other piece of attire out of place.

Another thing I liked about the story is that it gave you some insight into another cluture. And thats (for me) is part of what makes Satrapi so brave...ethnocentrism (i dont know if thats the right way to put it, but you get my drift) is gonna have to step in for at least some of the readers. So we are looking at her culture through her eyes and some are saying that their culture is wrong (even myself as a woman...I want to say that the way they treat women is wrong) but it's their culture not ours.

Agoddard --agoddard, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 10:32:48 -0400 reply
Persepolis is by far my favorite book that we have read thus far. I really enjoyed it, I actually sat down and read the entire book start to finish without getting up once to stop. I think the reason that I enjoyed it so much was the fact that it taught me something. I learned how hard it was for a boistrous young girl to grow up in Iran. We as Americans, in my generation have never had to endure anything of that sort. I couldn't imagine being forced by my government to cover myself, my individuality up with a black veil, and than still be asked to support the government. One comic strip that particularly upset me, is on page 74, when marji's mom was harrassed in the street. She was yelled at, and told that if she didn't want to be raped, and thrown in the garbage, than she should wear the veil. More than just the veil and what the citizens did in public, they were trying to control their private lives. The government banned parties, drinking, basically having any sort of a good time. I really loved how all of the character's came to life. If she would have written this story in plain text, the book would have been three times this size. The amount of words that she can fit into one box of a comic strip, is amazing, the whole while bring the characters to life, and letting us see them the way that she does. The pictures showed the characters relationships between one another so well. I enjoyed marji, and anoosh's relationship between uncle and niece, it's not something that you see everyday. i also enjoyed her very innocent relationship with their housekeeper, Mehri, they got along very well, and marji never considered her "the maid," someone from a different social class, but rather that they were "sister's." I enjoyed how Satrapi showed Marji(herself) as a very educated and liberal young lady, but then made her more realistic by showing her frustrated, just as any child would be, if they did not understand the reason for something. This book is one that I prbably would have never picked up off of the shelf at a bookstore, but was thankfully forced to read, and now I look forward to buying the sequel.

Kristina Gifford --sbaldwin, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 13:20:17 -0400 reply
Kristina: There's a repeated theme here of education, and of being true to who you are and to your parents. At the same time, it's clear that Marjane's perspective is often partial, often fallible, often - very much - a child's view. To what degree are we meant to take this as the story of a child growing up and to what degree as a political commentary? Some of both certainly, but there's a kind of doubleness... perhaps we can think in terms of maturity? Her views get more coherent as she grows? Perhaps... Of course, we're also faced with Marjane's priveleged position in the country.

I <3 Satrapi --sbaldwin, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 13:33:00 -0400 reply
Audrey: Interesting to notice the material of the book. It is very bookish and un-comic like. I mean, the heavy stock paper, the thick cover. Notice how they insert that mini-history of Iraq at the beginning. Is that effective or not? I like the way you distinguish this from the chaos of Speigelman's book. There's chaos in Satrapi's stories, but really the storytelling is controlled. I suppose the control is part of what let's her have specific and forceful views. You are astute to notice the split in her observations: she's both adult and child here. It's not always clear where the split is; I think sometimes it's evident visually. It would be interesting to track scenes where we get a sense of both these points of view.

Charlotte Harris --sbaldwin, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 14:13:14 -0400 reply
Charlotte: Yes, there's a lot of humor - wanting to be a prophet is one example. What's the series side of this? There's the sexism, i.e. that women can't be prophets (so she's told); there's the sense that there are no more prophets, that one shouldn't dream such things, that instead we have governments. What else? You mention the difficulty of conforming, the need to lie: what are we meant to take from this? Some it is teenage rebellion, some is the question of individuality in an oppressive regime. In either, its interesting that there remain clear resistances to power. In a way, Marji has an almost intuitive sense of this resistance, and a sense of justice - even if it's not always directed in the best way.

Breanne Alioto Response --sbaldwin, Tue, 27 Sep 2005 14:19:51 -0400 reply
Breanne: [Note: this is not set in Russia, but Iran!]? Yeah, the black and white is interesting. It makes it seem distant, older, also non-Western. It amplifies the veiling. It seems more like a woodcut or a black and white photo. The story of the letter is fascinating - interesting how she's broken these up into stories. Each is like a tale we tell of childhood, but also each makes a point about growing up in Iraq and about its history. So, it's a sad romantic tale but also a commentary on class.

Jamie Green --sbaldwin, Mon, 03 Oct 2005 20:12:00 -0400 reply
Jamie: Yes, always useful to notice and describe the perspective of a story. It's personal and told by a child, so it's not an authoritative or high-level view (i.e. not like a history), but specific and rooted in perspective. Note though: please make your responses specific! Choose something specific in the book to respond to. You stay pretty general here - the specific you notice are good, e.g. the empty supermarket, but you don't really stick with it. Spend some time discussing that scene, or one of the others. I do agree with you that pacing is different here than in Spiegelman's Shadow, and I agree that it changes how we read and look at the pictures. Spiegelman wanted us to look at the pictures, to move back and forth, to work at making sense. This focuses on the onward flow of the story.

Katie Amos --sbaldwin, Mon, 03 Oct 2005 23:25:51 -0400 reply
Katie: Well, great that you found the book such a wake up call. It seems that you're saying that in a post-9/11 world, this book showed that many other have lived with terror and destabilization for a long time. Of course, this comes close to Zizek and DeLillo?'s arguments from the beginning of the course: the way 9/11 opened American to a global perspective; the way the attacks brought home violence already occuring in many other countries. Her conversations with God are interesting. Notice how she personalizes him in a childish way, making him familiar in her terms. The book does seem to suggest a movement from religious belief to secular belief; the rulers she opposes are religious, whereas her beliefs become increasingly secular. "The Key" is an interesting section because we see religious belief used to coerce people to fight. Moreover, we're shown the unevenness of this, a class-based unevenness: the poor are duped into fighting, whereas the rich don't have to be duped as they won't have to fight. Religion keeps the poor in line here, keeps them obedient. Though I'm a little unclear on your explantion; when you say "This section confirmed for me that not all people brainwash their children into believing such things," I'm not really sure what you mean. Doesn't the section show the poor being brainwashed? And if the rich do not brainwash the poor, it is not through greater enlightenment but because their social power allows them to exploit the poor.

Lauren Gilkeson --sbaldwin, Tue, 04 Oct 2005 23:33:19 -0400 reply
Lauren: Interesting that you feel it would be unfair or negligent to focus on one section. Why would that be? The book is broken into sections, after all, so there's already a structure built around sections. But you may mean that there are ways of looking at the book as a whole, important views that might be obscured by focusing on the parts - fair enough; what are some of these large views? Certainly, "The Golden Key" section is interesting. You're right that it reflects a different kind of connection between the state and the religious order than we're familiar with. Of course, if we'd been caught in a debilitating war against a superior foe, it's hard to know what methods we would turn to! It's always difficult getting people to fight... But what of the class dimension of this section? Not everyone gets the keys - rather, it's the poor who get them, the unlucky one's destined for the frontlines. I suppose this is like our system in a way: our armies are staffed by the underprivileged as well, by and large. The President's kids and Senator's kids are not fighting in Iraq.

Jenna Froess --sbaldwin, Wed, 05 Oct 2005 10:54:33 -0400 reply
Jenna: I'm curious about that little history of Iran at the beginning of the book. Is it necessary or not, do you think? Does it clash with the idea that this is a personal history, a child's story, by making it seem more of a national story and history? Also, is it kind of pedantic, i.e. do we ne ed to be told this? Couldn't we even find it out for ourselves? My understanding was that this was added when the book was published in the US (after it's initial publication in France), so I suppose it's addressing our attitudes about Iran - but is this a good thing? The comparison to Spiegelman is interesting; he does make light of 9/11 but also takes it very seriously. Satrapi is less heavy with her arguments, but is it perhaps less successful as political commentary? Certainly it allows the story to remain ambivalent. For example, the underlying issues of Marji's privilege is not addressed. I think you're right that we're struck by the freedoms her parents gave her within such a dangerous time and place, and also struck by when they finally decide to send her on. To some degree, people in such situations tell themselves that "it's not so bad, it could get worse," especially since things get worse little by little; also, it's hard to leave your homeland, however bad.

Casey Tominack-Persepolis --sbaldwin, Wed, 05 Oct 2005 11:05:09 -0400 reply
Casey: I'm glad to see you focusing on a specific passage (this is the point of the responses). In the quote you focus on, notice how contradictory Marji's family is - in a deeply religious society, they are modern and avant-garde. Some of this is a mark of privilege - clearly they are wealthy and proud. We appreciate Marji's protest and rejection of the veil, though to a degree she's able to do it because her parents always find her another school, and so on. Nice point about the way children comprehend: look at Marji and her friends playing with the veil; of course, this is a kind of political protest, even if it's just children's play, and as protest and children's play it reflects the double view of the novel both from the adult Marji's viewpoint and from the memory's of a child.

Jessica Bradley --sbaldwin, Wed, 05 Oct 2005 11:11:35 -0400 reply
Jessica: It is true that she throws us right in without much introduction. I suppose this is part of the emphasis on the personal story, on the child's view. So, not big ideas but the experiences of a child, and not a big narrative but personal history; but this other things come through, don't they? Nice job focusing on the demonstrations. We several things happening here: her growing relation to her parents (maturing, rebelling, etc.), her growing sense of the political world, and - beyond her - the actual events of the political world. These levels fit together and filter each other without quite touching. We get an assessment of what's happening in the country, but held up against the child's experience and knowledge. I think you're right that her understanding is in flux and not to be taken as the last word - she's as uncertain as we are.

Melissa Scott --sbaldwin, Wed, 05 Oct 2005 12:47:05 -0400 reply
Melissa: Yes, certainly the goal of the book was to change our perceptions of the revolution - probably to change Iranians own perceptions as well. Do try in future response to keep focused on the text, i.e. quote and discuss actual parts such as the section about the veil. Note how the veil continues issues of representation and visual symbolization we found discussed in "In the Shadow." A veil both conceals and labels, i.e. it hides the person but also makes her appear the same all others (all wearing veils). So, Marji's childish play with veil, taking it off, playing games, and so on, is both a way of resisting the imposition and way of playing with her own representation. I'm glad you now are interested in graphic novels - like anything else, there's a range of good and bad.

Paul Tobin --sbaldwin, Wed, 05 Oct 2005 12:54:19 -0400 reply
Paul: Yes, certainly a foreign text - one that forces us to think about the limits of our culture and the complexities of other cultures. Now, you're right she's insistent on justice, on very physical and immediate working out of the war - but isn't this the child's response? Immediate and in terms of the body, in terms of what she feels and knows? Certainly it's fascinating to see the way regimes move from promise to repression, and the way history is re-written, i.e. tearing the Shah's picture out - though America did the same in the cold war, this is how history is made. I suppose the question is whether this is insane - as you put it - or normal for much of the world? I'd say, for future responses, try to elaborate what you're saying in relation to the text, perhaps explore how these things aren't insane for that context, where there are certain logical if foreign explanations.

BrieanneL? --sbaldwin, Wed, 05 Oct 2005 13:01:46 -0400 reply
Brieanne: Yes, the black and white is curious at first - but how does it add to the book? Why did she choose black and white, do you think? The story of Mehri is important and interesting to focus on. You see Marji trying to make sense of it - writing love letters, for example. We see many things here: the literacy and privilege of the wealthy; the distance and impossibility of the maid being in love with one of this class; the hypocrisy of Marji's family who espouse Marxism but can't allow the maid to marry up... Now, is the maid's sit