Marjane Satrapi’s story “Persepolis” provides readers with insight into Marjane’s life while living through the Isalmic revolution.
In the introduction of “Persepolis” Satrapi explains why it is so important she shares this story with the world. As an Iranian who has lived more than half of her life in Iran she does not “…want those Iranians who lost their lives in prisons defending freedom, who died in the war against Iraq, who suffered under various repressive regimes, or who were forced to leave their families and flee their homeland to be forgotten.”
Women in Iran began agitating for increased rights in the late 19th Century. But the advent of Ayatollah Khomeini and his conservative revolution in 1979 caused a drastic reverse in the progress of Iranian women. Yet their dedication to full equality has remained high.
The Isalmic revolution started in 1979, and only a year later in 1980, when Marjane was only ten years old her and her fellow female classmates had to wear veils in school. Young girls hated this; they did not understand why they had to do this. This sparked the beginning of protests for freedom.
Before the revolution women had the right to be educated and had the chance to make choices, such as if they wanted to wear a hijab or not.
Her mother attended protests and her photograph was published in many European newspapers. Although Marjane was proud of her mother, this photo scared her mother and caused her to dye her hair and hide her true identity. Women in Iran began agitating for increased rights in the late 19th Century. But the advent of Ayatollah Khomeini and his conservative revolution in 1979 caused a drastic reverse in the progress of Iranian women. Yet their dedication to full equality has remained high.
Marjane Satrapi always was hopeful for a positive future even with all the death and protests she had witnessed as a young girl. This makes me wonder how we can learn by her example and stay positive with everything that is going on in our world today?
References:
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/reconstructed-lives-women-and-irans-islamic-revolution
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2014/2/11/iran-1979-the-islamic-revolution-that-shook-the-world
I really enjoyed reading your context presentation on Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. I like that you included some background information on the Islamic revolution and the background on when women started their fight for an increase in their rights. I found the part about Marjane’s mother to be very interesting. The part about her being published and then scared into hiding her true identity is very intriguing.
Hi! This is a very interesting post. There is a lot information stated here that relates to modern day life, such as advocating for rights with protests and through newspapers. It is just interesting see how many similarities there are between earlier time periods and today, even though the world seems so different. The rights that are being worked for are different than the ones we have today, but people are continuing to work for equality in the same ways. Seeing how people would use newspapers to spread information highlights the impact of social media, and how quickly we are able to share news across the country. It is inspiring to see people working together to achieve a shared goal.
Hi, Thank you for the very interesting background of Iran around the time of this story. Its very interesting for me to hear about women’s rights being gained and then taken away again. In the US, women gained and have maintained the right to vote among other things, so its interesting to hear about a country regressing the rights. It is also very interesting that in the story, the little girl calls the teacher out about being inconsistent in her teachings about what’s allowed (since the teacher followed the laws which had recently changed.)
Hello!
Agreeing with everyone i loved how you incorporated the backround of iran. I found that this little girl was very ahead of her time. I belive thats why in the beginning of the book she stoof out and was portrayed differently than her friends! I think as she got older she only got more powerful. I like how you pointed out her mothers role in it all because that was a key topic and part of the entire memoir.
Hi! Very thoughtful post. I feel that the line you quoted in your post really connected me to the story. It felt that as I went through the story that I was truly feeling what she was describing. During the world we live in today, women are still fighting for rights along with many other people. The Black Lives Matter protests have been marching for their rights all over the news this past year. They fight for equality and for those that lost their lives due to systemic injustices. Marching with those who are treated unequally helps add to a greater cause and change to make this world a better place.
Hello,
I really enjoyed reading this. He did a great job explaining and giving details. I think women’s rights are extremely important and it’s something that the world should work on. We are fortunate enough to have advanced in the United States but some countries are still not viewing women as equals. Definitely something that needs to be resolved. Women are no less than men. Again great post!
Hello! What a great presentation. The question at the end asking how we can learn by Marjane’s example and stay positive with everything that is going on in our world today has prompted me to think about how our attitude effects our situation. Marjane was hopeful for change and stayed positive and was not discouraged when she did not see change happening. She knew that if she kept fighting, change would happen in its own time. I feel like since injustice is woven through our system, that is the same perspective we have to take in the United States. There is still equality that need to happen between men and women in our nation even though it is on a different scale than what Marjane talked about. Change in a system is usually a long, drawn out process. But if we stay hopeful and motivated for change to happen it will happen.
Hi! Very interesting presentation. It is sad to hear that at first Iran was progressing their rights for woman and just like that it was the complete opposite, their rights were taken from them.
It is inspiring to see that despite everything Marjane went though and witnessed she still remained positive, and we should learn from her.
I really enjoyed your analysis of Persepolis in your context presentation! It surprises me how women’s rights in Iran progressed so far backwards at a point in time because I feel like usually you do not hear about that. I think we can learn by Marjane Satrapi’s example by not giving up the fight for women’s rights even in the US today, where women do have a lot more rights than underdeveloped countries. There is still a wage gap between men and women and that is what we can be fighting for.
I really enjoyed this write up and your analysis of Persepolis. Women’s rights in Iran are and have been overlooked in recent modern history, and this is something that should be given much more publicity and attention. I was unaware that Iran was making progress at one point, so that was definitely an interesting fact in my opinion.
Loved the post and how focused it was on women’s rights in Iran. I believe another additive to Marjane’s identity is her class. Having the privilege to leave Iran in trying and dangerous times was something not many were able to do. I like how you pointed out the religious takeover in relation to oppression against women. It makes you wonder; how often is religion used as a tactic of manipulation and how often is it used to enforce compliance even outside of Iran?
This was a wonderful presentation that really set the stage for what this book is talking about. I can’t even imagine having your mother die her hair to hide from advocating for basic rights. It should just be something guaranteed, but, unfortunately, many times those rights are taken away. Satrapi’s story is one of struggle with unwavering hope. I hope she inspires me to continue to be hopeful in the midst of this pandemic.
Hi! I really enjoyed your presentation and how you went through some of the history that went alongside of the story. I think it’s crazy that Marjane was only 10 years old when these events were happening, and this is was a reality for so many kids like Marjane. I also think the differing opinions are interesting and not as considered as much, like how Marjane was proud of how mother being in a newspaper for protesting, yet this was terrifying for Marjane’s mother.
Nevertheless, it is inspiring that Marjane is able to tell this story and learn from it.
Thank you for this post and explanation! I really appreciated your question at the end of “how do you stay positive with everything going on in the world”. I feel like it’s easy for me to share how I would, being the I live in America, and although no where near perfect, I am not experiencing the oppression that people across the world are today. I feel like it comes down to having gratitude and truly letting the small things be the large things. Sometimes that’s all we have. I know that in quarantine for example, many of us took on that mindset, and let baking, nature, a really enjoyable Netflix show, or being able to spend time with your family be the first time in a really long time be the things that kept us going. I feel like that is true no matter the severity of your circumstances.
Thank you for your background introduction! Before reading Persepolis and your article, I had always believed that women have always been subordinate in Muslim society based on my previous stereotype. They are oppressed by male power and religion, but they can’t or don’t know how to resist. But women’s deeds in the Iranian revolution changed my view. Women made no less contribution than men in the revolution, but their victory was usurped by conservative patriarchal thought. However, I believe that with the development of the times, the ideas of justice and progress will eventually replace the backward. Unfortunately, the first generation of revolutionaries can’t see that day.
Hi! Thank you for your context presentation. I really enjoyed your last couple of sentences. There are a lot of people that have lived through far worse circumstances than most of us. I think sometimes we forget how badly others have it compared to how good we have it in America. In a lot of ways we need to be more humble and take a step back and really see what others have to suffer and live though. overall great presentation!
Great context presentation! Your explanation of the Islamic Revolution really set the stage for the rest of the story. I was only a little familiar with what happened, so it really laid everything out for me, especially how hard women fought for their rights. It makes me think of everything we are dealing with today with women’s reproductive rights. It is interesting to see how history repeats itself, in some ways. It is humbling to hear stories of revolutions in other countries, because sometimes it is hard to step back and realize just how easy we have it in the US. Your context presentation helped me put it back into perspective.
I really enjoyed this context presentation! It really helped me to better understand Persepolis. I especially liked your last paragraph, because sometimes we really take for granted how good we have it here. So many other people have lived through way worse circumstances than us. I also liked how you talked about women’s rights in Iran because it really should be talked about more. Overall great job!