Week Six- Context Research Presentation- Ikhlos Muhammad

I would like to take the time to talk about one of the readings which is called “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. This reading brings to light the pain and suffering of the lives of so many women who were forced into lifestyles after the Islamic Revolution. This revolution changed the lifestyles of many people, but in particular the women, who had limited to no freedom and self expression. This takes place in Iran right after 1979 where Satrapi use to attend a French non- religious school to an oppressive state where women were forced to wear veils. She talks about the struggle she endured when having certain laws laid out in the new way of life. Freedom was not a right anymore, the power was into the hand of the dictatorship who made their own rules. Her family knew this was pressuring her, but they were afraid to speak up because doing so might cause jail time or even harsher punishments. Satrapi talks about how religion is part of her life, but the way she was living was not fair. She believed women should be equal to men, and to be able to express herself, and wear what she wants without judgement or punishment. Her book gives us a glimpse of her journey as well as how life was for the people living in Iran during this harsh time where dictatorship ruled them.

Shortly after that Satrapi goes through the struggle of trying to handle the pressure that her mother gives, the stress of the War that was going on, and the wanting to be a normal teenager. There is many events she talks about, but one in particular is her school where she noticed she couldn’t be normal with her friends anymore. She couldn’t express her feelings and love she had, and her friends express how unhappy they were with the restrictions just because of their gender. Unfortunately Iran is one of the top gender inequality places there is, still till this day women’s rights are little to nothing and the simple things we take for granted here are not even allowed for women there. Education was not universal and people like Satrapi had to self teach and read books because bilingual schools were banned. She relied on her conversations with her family, reading books, and the talks she had with her elders to help her further her education. She grew to be independent and work on her life as she knew what she wanted, and sometimes that was going against her religious beliefs.

In the end Marjane’s family comes to a realization that the life they want their daughter to live is anywhere, but in Iran. She goes out of the country to Austria where she lives to fulfill her education and freedom. The lifestyle of segregation and worry was something that Satrapi knew she didn’t want. When looking at this reading and others in this book, every person has their own story and in this situation Satrapi’s books gave her experience living in a country where women were treated like their lives didn’t matter. Just like in other readings either by race, gender inequality, or any another difference they were treated with no respect or sense of freedom. The idea that Iran has come far since the Revolution is no doubt, but the suffrage that women went through in the past doesn’t go unnoticed. Education for women should be available just as freedom and Iran evolving slowly but surely will give the chance of many girls to grow up with the same normalization of life.

Marjane went on to peruse her education and turned out to be one of the best graphic novels writing about her story which won several awards. She brought the question and the exploration between the West and the East while going in detail about her life she lived during the War in Iran. This reading to me represents all the women who couldn’t get out and are still in that country who want their freedom. Its a way for them to connect and know that there can be change done, women deserve the same equality as men.