Persepolis the book was published in 2000 and the film was released in 2007. In 1995, the United States enacted sanctions on Iran for groups such as Hezbollah Hamas which are considered terrorist groups in the U.S. (Iran Profile). This sanction has continued, in different variations, to the present. George Bush described Iran as “part of an ‘axis of evil’ that exports terror” in 2002 (Iran Profile). This was due to the potential development of long range missiles in multiple countries, including Iran. Soon after, Iran’s first nuclear reactor was constructed. This was met with opposition from the United States and in 2003, United Nations inspections of nuclear facilities were conducted, finding no evidence of nuclear weapons.
Persepolis (the book) was released amidst these events, sharing a different perspective to readers in the United States who had only seen Iran through a negative political lens.
In 2006, Iran failed to stop its work on nuclear fuel by a deadline set by the UN Security Council, and in 2007, Iran detained 15 British sailors, causing a standoff between the two countries (Iranian Navy). This incident occurred after British sailors entered disputed waters which Iran believes to be theirs. This conflict was soon followed by harsher sanctions on Iran from the U.S. for the failure to suspend uranium enrichment (A Brief History). These sanctions have made the value of currency in Iran fall drastically and have lowered economic growth (Six Charts).
Persepolis (the movie) once again challenged this narrative by providing a glimpse into Iranian life that was less biased by western political turmoil. Due to conflicts between the U.S. and Iranian governments, a 2013 study found that only 5% of Americans viewed Iranians positively, which is the lowest of any country in the world (BBC World Service Poll). Media in the United States focuses on the negative relationship between the two countries, causing the American people to only know the negative side of the story. Persepolis was released in English for a reason, and both the book and movie versions, released during political conflict, have helped western audiences see Iran unobstructed by politics.
Works Cited
“BBC World Service Poll.” BBC.
“A Brief History of Sanctions on Iran.” Atlantic Council, 8 May 2018, www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/a-brief-history-of-sanctions-on-iran/.
“Iran Profile – Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 6 Jan. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14542438.
“Iranian Navy Detains British Sailors in Persian Gulf.” NPR, NPR, 23 Mar. 2007, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9112105.
“Six Charts That Show How Hard US Sanctions Have Hit Iran.” BBC News, BBC, 9 Dec. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48119109.
Dear Jake,
Your presentation is comprehensive and I like it very much. Your message expression is logically fluent. In the article, you mentioned the contradictions between modern Iranian society and Western countries. These contradictions can explain why people hold stereotypes about Iran. I agree with what you said at the end of the article. I also think that people’s negative attitudes towards Iran are justified.
Hi there Jake! Very insightful blog post, I enjoyed reading it and I liked the connections you made with Persepolis and the story it tells and how it can influence Western culture. I think its very important that all audiences are exposed to all kinds of books, and films that tell stories of cultures other than their own. I was surprised and saddened to read the statistic in your post that suggests only 5% of Americans view Iranians positively. I hope that books like Persepolis allow others to get a glimpse of Iranian culture and allow them to better understand other people’s cultures and the lifestyles they have.
Your post reminds me a lot about the dangers of a single story we listened to. The movie really helps us realize that there was also so much more that happened to affect the revolution.
This is good work Jake, this allowed me to understand more in-depth from another point of view instead of just one. As well that this demonstrated how dangerous it was in the past and the disaster that would have golf on both sides of the battle. This would also create dangerous imagery for certain people because around the world; individuals do not know how others act but when their actions are published around the world in a negative way it creates a stereotype that would harmfully impact their way towards that group. This is information that many do not realize or do not understand until we go more in-depth within it and discover why it is the way it is, or how things happened to now.
Good post Jake, your breakdown of the different perspectives and the reasons for them was informative. It’s interesting how media can be used to send subliminal messages, like how Western media portrayed Iran as terrorists and how Persepolis gave a more equal depiction of both countries and their intentions.