This week’s reading, Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel following the life of the author as she navigates the political turmoil and war going on in her home country of Iran. The book begins in the year 1980, which is immediately following the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian Revolution was a huge moment in Iranian history and resulted in a large amount of instability and uncertainty that eventually led to war and unrest in the country. Understanding the Iranian Revolution is extremely important in order to provide context to the story of Marjane Satrapi.
Prior to the revolution, the Pahlavi dynasty ruled Iran since the 1920s. In the 1940’s the UK and USSR pushed the current dictator into exile and placed his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in power. Reza Pahlavi ruled, then began the White Revolution, an effort to rapidly modernize the country. Despite some small successes, Reza Pahlavi’s White Revolution led to serious problems in the country due to a lack of planning and control over affected factors. Over the coming years, tensions between the citizens of Iran and the government built until the Iranian Revolution began in 1977.
In 1978, the revolution had come into full effect. Many demonstrations against the Shah (reza Pahlavi) were held. These demonstrations were often met with force and punishment by the government. In September of this year, during a protest in the city of Tehran, troops opened fire, murdering many and causing further outrage in the country. Following this event, government and oil industry workers began to strike, bringing the country to its knees. Finally, in 1979, Reza Pahlavi fled the country and a new rule was established, that of the Iranian Republic. Although this was a huge step for the nation, it did not turn out to be the change that the country needed.
In Marjane Strapi’s Persepolis, we follow her life in Iran after this revolution. As she grows and eventually becomes more and more independent, we see her struggle to conform to strict rules in a country plagued by abuse of power and severe human rights issues. We see Satrapi deal with the problems in Iran first hand, and as a bystander outside of the country. Understanding the revolution that ultimately led to many of the problems that Satrapi faces in her life is a key to grasping the messages of the book.
Afary, J. (2021, March 25). Iranian Revolution. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution
Mohsen M. Milani, The Making of Iran’s Islamic Revolution: From Monarchy to Islamic Republic. Westview, 1988.
Maloney, Suzanne, and Keian Razipour. “The Iranian Revolution-a Timeline of Events.” Brookings, Brookings, 7 Feb. 2019, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/01/24/the-iranian-revolution-a-timeline-of-events/.
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(2013) THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION OF 1979, Asian Affairs, 44:3, 418-426, DOI: 10.1080/03068374.2013.826016
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation for this week. I also wrote a context presentation for this week so it was interesting to read more of the information you provided about the Iranian Revolution. Knowing this information makes it easier to relate what is going on in the story to the actual historical event. Overall, I think you provided great background information on this event to help us relate to the novel we are reading for the week.
This background is really important to understanding all of what is going on in Persepolis. I know Satrapi provides context at the very beginning of the book, but it really takes much more to grasp what is happening. This post did a great job of summarizing what is a very complicated history. I plan on returning to these context posts if I find myself a little confused or in need of a refresher of the history. Again, great job on this post.
Your context presentation was very helpful for me. The background on the Iranian Revolution that you provided helps me better understand the reading. Having this information helps me better understand Marjane and the life that she lived. I also have a better appreciation for why she felt so strongly for making a change. I love how you organized your presentation and integrated the background into the reading.
This is a really great post! It shows the background of the Iranian Revolution and help me to read this week’s article easier. This post explains how Iranian Revolution gradually become serious and necessary, which provides a good description of the environment in “Persepolis”. After reading your presentation, I find it becomes easier to understand what kind of hard Marjane faced and how brave she is when she stand out for the right of themselves.
Thank you for this context! Understanding the environment that Satrapi is writing about is important for understanding the context of the novel. This helps understand what shaped Satrapi throughout the novel and her life.
I think the information written in this context presentation was very informative in helping me learn the beginning and cause of the Iranian war. I also think by providing this message you can connect to the reading to understand more as to why certain parts unfolded the way it did. Before reading this presentation I only heard about the revolutionary war in Iran but after reading this I’m in fact more aware of the severity of how this event has effected their society.
Hi, I thoroughly enjoyed your informative context presentation. Before this book, I did not know much about Iranian history or the revolution that took place. The events that you mention really help bring into the focus and better explain the events that happened to Strapi. It’s interesting but very understandable how the citizens of Iran rejected Pahlavi’s new policies. In addition to a lesson on Iranian history, it also goes to show how corrupt governments can be sometimes.
Very good post displaying the context in details about the Iranian revolution. It is interesting to see how social issues and conflicts are different from place to place and across time. A story like Persepolis gives great insight into the revolution because it was written in a point of view that shows the different injustices and how they change depending on the person.
This is a great post. The background content of the Iranian Revolution shown in this post is of great help to me. At the same time, the background introduction made it easier for me to understand Marjane and her life. This made me realize the seriousness of this incident to society.