The overthrow of the Shah was the major event that initiated the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war. The difference in thinking between the Shah and Islamic revolutionists created the tension and turmoil within Iran that is illuminated throughout Persepolis. The differences in beliefs are what caused so many of the changes within Marjane’s life including the wearing of the veil, what she was taught in school, and even what music she could and could not listen to. The history behind the overthrow of the Shah, and the involvement of other countries in the process reveals why there were such fundamental differences in thinking and why so much tension ensued.
The Shah worked closely with and was largely supported by other countries such as Britain and the United States. The Shah was starting to try to “Westernize” Iran with the help of these other countries. According to historian Matt Mullen, “In 1963, the Shah launched his “White Revolution,” a broad government program that included land reform, infrastructure development, voting rights for women, and the reduction of illiteracy” (Mullen, 1). Unfortunately, many Islamic leaders were very critical of this “Westernization” as it went against many Islamic religious beliefs. The strict beliefs of the Islamic revolutionists are revealed throughout Persepolis as they harass Marjane for her choice in clothes, and her inability to properly cover herself with her veil. Islamic leaders were fundamentally against many of the ideas of Westernization which is what lead them to overthrow the Shah. The tension turned violent on the sides of both the Shah and the revolutionists. The Shah started to resort to violence when people spoke out against him. Revolutionists also started to get violent when, “rioting and destroying symbols of westernization, such as banks and liquor stores” (Mullen, 1).
The fundamental differences in beliefs within Iran are what lead to much of the conflict that Marjane witnessed while growing up in Iran. The differences in thinking are emphasized when Marjane compares what her parents believe with what she is taught in school. These differing beliefs were not only confusing for Marjane while navigating her childhood in Iran, but they also greatly contributed to the conflict of the revolution and the war that she endured.
Mullen , Matt. “Shah Flees Iran.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 21 July 2010, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/shah-flees-iran.
It truly is gut-wrenching to see people in nations different than ours want certain freedoms and fight for them, just to have those cries for liberty and freedom be shot down in the name of tradition and religion. What has been going on in the Middle East for centuries now is nothing to take lightly. The atrocities on both sides of the fight have been nothing short of gruesome and ill-advised. What started as a war to bring Christianity to the Middle East has turned into a war of attrition. What we don’t always hear about is life inside the borders of these countries, and when we do the message hits the reader right in the heartstrings and lights a fire in people’s soul to make them advocate for change and encourage others to do the same. Because no one deserves to be treated like that ever.
As someone that was not familiar with the Iran-Iraq war your context presentation serves to add a great background that provides me with greater understanding of the events transpiring in Persepolis. So many times we do not pay attention to the massive issues in other countries due to our self centered personalities. Looking at other countries one can realize that so many counties have issues with being westernized as they feel as in a way this causes them to lose their essence and uniqueness. The struggle in the dynamic between being a child and growing up in a country in a dilemma between accepting western ideals and flat out rejecting them and being critical of them is highlighted in this story. It is important to hear this stories from people in other countries because they serve to let us comprehend the influence of the United States in all part of the world and help us gauge the freedoms we have as opposed to other countries who are still not as accepting certain aspects of life.
I have not learned much about the Iran-Iraq war and now I realized how eye-opening it is once you think about what is actually happening in the Middle East. I have heard for awhile that there is conflict in the Middle East, but never realized why or what was happening. I feel this is common with a lot of people in other countries. The mindset of “if it is not happening here, then I do not need to know about it” which is completely wrong. There are conflicts going on in the United States that people are still blind to. I really think opening our minds and learning about what is going on in the world can be progressive and form a better world. We also need to be more grateful for the freedoms we have because many countries do not have even a fraction of the freedoms and luxuries we have as a nation/
What a great, general background for the setting of this novel! I think something interesting to consider is exactly who disliked the Shah, because I think it went beyond the Islamic fundamentalists. In Persepolis, Marji’s family resented the Shah, but they were not fundamentalists, they were Marxists. A lot of what built to the fundamentalist regime was disjointed, meaning a lot of different groups in the country wanted a lot of different things. This became an issue once the Shah was removed and the Islamic Fundamentalists seized power.
I was truly oblivious to the Iran-Iraq war until I read your blog post, and I didn’t realize how big the war itself was. This is something I feel so ignorant for not knowing, as we hear “conflict in the middle east” on almost a daily basis. I feel ignorant because I din’t care to learn about it because I wasn’t directly affected by it. This conflict has been going on for a while, and it is truly saddening. The conflict between becoming westernized and keeping your own ideals and beliefs that have been around for generations is one that no one should ever have to go through. We are conditioned to hear what these nations are doing on a global scale, but we never get to hear about what the inner nation conflicts are. We, especially the western, need to be more open minded and we need to try to understand the conflicts of other nations.
I appreciate the way that your post highlights how parents and other adults have so much influence over the way children perceive the world. We see this not only with the way Marji, while watching her parents protest, desires to join the revolution. But also with Ramin who believes his father killed the communists because it was the right thig to do while Marji’s parents called him a murderer. The influence of adults is so intense in young children’s lives and it can severely alter what they believe to be true in the world, Satrapi highlights this well in her novel Persepolis.
This context-research presentation provided great context about the background history at the time that Persepolis takes place. As someone who previously had limited knowledge about Iran’s tumultuous history following the fall of the Shah, this presentation truly helped me achieve a better understanding of the piece as a whole. Too often, we fail to recognize and acknowledge issues happening outside of our immediate vicinity, leaving us uninformed about national issues. After reading your context-research presentation, I feel that I have a better understanding of why the Shah was overthrown in the first place and what lead to the sudden system injustices against women and many others at the time.
This context presentation was very insightful and provided a lot of information on things I was not aware of. I didn’t realize the events that triggered the Iran-Iraq war were related to the Shah being overthrown. Furthermore, I thought this presentation was important, because I feel that these events are something that the United States was somewhat responsible for, but is rarely talked about. In my opinion, it’s very heartbreaking to see a country try to adopt western values and customs, and then have war and conflict break out as a result. We in the United States have been fortunate enough to not have to deal with problems such as these on the same level, but need to recognize that issue related to progressiveness versus traditionalism exist in other countries and may have been a direct result of the influence of the United States.
Throughout school, I have only learned about tiny bits here and there about the Iran-Iraq war and those times were a long while ago back in high school. This context presentation was super good and was a great refresher. You also taught me some things that I didn’t remember and I am sure will be very helpful for this week. It is super interesting but also somewhat alarming learning about how major things are going on in other countries that we don’t particularly hear about normally, or regard them as very important in our lives. Yes, I guess it doesn’t particularly affect us directly but it is still happening. Maybe if we heard more about these things, people would learn more from their mistakes or conflicts and apply that knowledge to prevent them in our futures.
Hi, I agree that what she was taught in compared to what she was taught at home by her parents and other family members did not add up together. She saw the world differently than people of authority and her teachers because she lived a different life from them. She liked the idea of having freedom and a choice to chose what she wears, how to relax or party and the idea of listening and being influenced by music. What she was going through in her life, I was not taught in school growing up. I think that it is important to learn what it happening not just in America. It should make every one u[set to see how people are treated unfairly no matter where it is happening.
This is a good review of Persepolis, I could never imagine the horror of the wars that she seen, the laws that were provided for the country of Iran had to follow, especially being a women who doesn’t have rights or power to speak. Marji in the book seemed to be really informed by the age of 10 from reading her comics. To be 10 years old and to worry about what goes on politically and dangerously in her country, it takes her innocence away, her childhood a little too. Having choices being decided for you is how they govern in Iran. We should be lucky that in the US we are not even close to the things the children experience in their country.
I thought your context presentation was eye opening and helpful to achieving a greater understanding of the Iran-Iraq war. I had no idea that the Shah was trying to work with the United States and Great Britain to westernize Iran and its people. The fact that the Shah had created programs that allowed for voting rights for women and all that was undone by the revolutionists is a horrible thing. The only experience I had with the Iran-Iraq war prior to this context presentation was the snippets I would see on the news when young. It is truly shocking to hear that Marjane experienced such horrible things as a result of the culture change the Shah was trying to bring about. These kinds of experiences are so important to hear about so that others can learn from them and hopefully reduce their likelihood in the future for others.