Persepolis is a graphic novel in the form of a memoir written by Marjane Satrapi. It is written from her perspective about her life growing up in Iran during the Iranian revolution into the establishment of the Islamic republic.
This book was set up in chronological order to really emphasize how Marjane matures, and how as she gets older some of the things she couldn’t understand when she was younger all make sense. From a young age she started to pick up on inequalities and the negative treatment of women especially. Throughout the book, and especially when Marjane is younger she details her love for American culture, ranging from clothes to music. This is what makes her start to realize the changing political climate (because of ways she begins to be treated) and question the political regime overall. When it was instilled that women must be covered by a veil, Marjane struggled with this because she didn’t understand it. She didn’t know why she couldn’t just wear what she wanted, especially after having her mom smuggle in sneakers and a jean jacket for her from Turkey. Veils becoming mandatory was a turning point in Marjane’s life, it was the first time she realized to what extent she didn’t have freedom, especially as a woman.
What really struck me while reading was the idolization of American culture when Marjane was younger. I think this is because often times I feel like a lot of my classes or assignments will focus so much on what needs to change in America or all the bad that is the United States, and the United States is definitely a mess in its own ways, but I think reading this brought me back to reality, if that makes sense. I think that part of the reason there was this theme of admiration for all the “cool” things America has to offer is because we as Americans like to seem like we are better than oftentimes, so I think we frequently are imposing the feeling on others like we are superior, and that we should be looked up to. I also think part of this also came from her age, and that as she got older she realized it is not so much America or Western places that are so great but just the social freedoms they are granted.
Satrapi, M. (2017). Persepolis. Paris: L’Association.
I would have to agree with you on the growing up part of life opens your eyes to things you did not understand when you were younger. I always wondered what my parents meant when they told me I’d understand when I am older. And now that I am older and am understanding, I have come to realize that sometimes life is not fair and most of the time there is nothing you can do about it. And we as Americans do not think of other countries and their struggles but just if our own.
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation and completely agree with you that it is easy to lose perspective and realize how good life is in the United States. Of course there are issues just like everywhere else but at least we have the freedom of what to wear and we have the freedom to idolize outside cultures and have posters from lets say China, hanging up in our room and not have to worry about being prosecuted. The book highlights how different life is for those under certain middle eastern rule and puts me back in the perspective that life is good over here.
I totally agree with what you said about American culture. How the United States definitely isn’t perfect but it is a lot better than most places in the world. And that this is where she dreamed of coming to finally be free. Where she was from women do not have freedom in the choices they make. The US is where people come to achieve freedom and to prosper. I know that there is still a lot that we as a society need to improve on, but at least we aren’t as bad as some of these places.
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation. I totally agree with you that we oftentimes take for granted the life we have living here in the United States. Many people dream to be able to live here and we are here taking it for granted. Often times we do not even consider how other people are living in other countries, because we are too centered around ourselves. Women in other countries are not given as much freedom and are forced to wear certain types of clothing so they idolize the freedom of the American culture. I also agree with what you said about us Americans portraying the idea that we are better than others and imposing the feeling that we are superior, even though we do have our own problems.
Thank you for your post. I had previously read this book for another class and I was also struck by Marjane’s admiration for America. I think our education has trained us to look beyond the façade that the US wants to portray around the world in order to consider people or groups who are still marginalized. From reading your post I gathered that the intersection in question here is religion and gender. In Iran it seems that religion and gender restrict the freedoms an individual can have. Therefore it makes sense that Marjane would see America as this awesome place.
I really enjoyed your context presentation. I like how you said that the book focused on the idolization of the American culture. I agree, from a perspective of a person that has lived in Africa for some part of my life, i always fantasized about the American culture. How free and liberating it looked from outside of the bubble, I always dreamed of living in a place like that. My family and I then moved to the U.S, when i was in my teenage years, and I really loved the culture. It was completely different from what I grew up in, I had so much freedom and the ability to do what I wanted. I definitely resonate with Marjane, and how she felt when she moved to Europe and even Venice. She felt a sense of freedom and acceptance for who she was as a person. Don’t get me wrong, the U.S definitely has their own problems and as you stated aren’t in the position to boast about themselves, but there is also great liberation from living in a country like the U.S.
This was a great context presentation, and I was especially interested in the last paragraph. It does seem like this class focuses and makes us consider the bad aspects of the United States. It was interesting to see it almost idolized by a young woman from another country. I think it is important that we do consider how the United States has progressed and become a place that will offer a better life for some people than in their home countries. There are many freedoms that United States citizens can enjoy that could be seen as luxuries to citizens of other countries. However, we can not only focus on these aspects because it would be ignorant to claim the United States is a country where everyone is completely equal. There has been progress made, but much more needs to be accomplished before we can consider the United States an equal and fair country.
I think you put it in perspective well about how most American’s do not recognize how fortunate we are despite some of the issues that go on. I know I am one to pinpoint some of the little things but after reflecting, many other individuals and countries experience worse situations and environments. Many people wish to live in the United States. They would do almost anything to come to the US for freedom and less controlled life. The way people idolize and look at the United States is something some of us have not experienced. However, recognizing that through our faults, this country is built on determination and dedication. As a female, I have the flexibility and freedom to wear what I want each day. Along with getting to choose what profession I want to study and turn into a career. That is one thing I will never take for granted and will be forever grateful for, are all the women that fought so hard for.
Hello Emma,
I enjoyed reading your context presentation and what stuck with you after reading Persepolis. As we age we are able to comprehend so much more. It was very interesting to walk with Marjane as she grew older. She didn’t understand things as a child but as she experienced new things and heard stories she started to understand why things where the way there are. Your last paragraph was interesting to me. I believe people idolize American culture due to the social freedom we have. In every country there will always be differences because people have different opinions and power statues. However, the United States offers a lot of freedom to its people. That’s why people want to move to the U.S, for social freedoms and new opportunities. There is always room for improvement.
While reading this context presentation, I couldn’t help but think in the same way about Americans. It is true that they find themselves as superiors, when compared to other cultures especially. People from different cultures than that of the American people are, I find, generally more familiar with other cultures. Whereas, the American people are not as familiar with other cultures; therefore, they find it appropriate to judge the other cultures and way of thought. I see that you show that Persepolis helps show a cultural difference in Marjane’s perspective, especially when she chooses to wear her own choice of apparel rather than the cultural norm.
Thank you for providing another way of thinking about the novel. As you claim in the second part, like Majri in the reading, something we cannot understand when we are young. As age grows, we start to understand the true world and restrict our behaviors. We don’t realize many systemic injustice happens when we are young.
Hey Emma,
Your context presentation was very helpful to read before reading Persepolis. It gave good background on the situation that the main character Marjane was living through. I liked your mention of her gaining understanding as she grew older and how as a child she didn’t have a true understanding of the situation. There was so much going on around her and wanted to be a part of it and did things with her friends like demonstrating in her garden with her friends. However as she grew up she realized that she had little understanding and that she didn’t actually have her own stance on the situation until later on. I also liked your comparison to the U.S. My family is from the Middle East and the difference in culture and atmosphere between the two settings is quite large.
After reading this I like how you emphasized how the veils were the turning point for Marjane, where she had taken too much. Even though she knew that there were a lot of terrible things happening to women where she lived what really tipped her over was when they took her freedom of what she wore. This goes to show how important the smallest things can be to someone. Marjane was probably thinking how she didn’t have many rights as a women but at least she didn’t have to wear a veil.
I liked hearing about your history and what remained with you since reading Persepolis. We can comprehend a lot better as we grow older. Driving with Marjane as she got older was fascinating. She didn’t understand it as a child, but as she learned more and heard more stories, she began to see why things were the way they were. Your last paragraph piqued my curiosity. People idolize American culture, I think, because of our individual equality. There will still be variations in a country and people have different views and power systems. The United States, on the other hand, provides its population with a great deal of liberty.