RA(Persepolis)

Brenna Gustafson      

Stacey Knapp 

English 1A       

22 March 2013

                                                            RA(Persepolis)

            Marjane Satrapi is the author who wrote the book “Persepolis,” which is the book that is

going to mainly focused on in this essay, “Persepolis 2”, and “Chicken with Plums.” In

Persepolis the authors intended audience is implied to be people who are from America.

Persepolis is a story of Marjane Satrapi’s experience growing up in Iran during the time of the

1979 revolution. The author’s intention is to reach people who already have set ideas about

terrorism and the recruiting of terrorists in Iran. In the United States of America, Americans have

a misconception that other countries glorify our western way of life. That may be true for some

countries but to go as far and say that every country idolizes America is egotistical. The tone in

Persepolis is one of dismissal towards the ways in which the reader is assumed to think. To

simply put is that the author portrays that America is not as important as we, Americans, may

think that we are, and Americas way of life may not be that popular as we think it is. Satrapi is

intentionally nonchalant in the aspect of Americas over embellished ideals and customs.   

            The part in this book that is most intriguing is when Satrapi’s parent’s maid comes to her

parents telling them that the school gave one of her sons a gold painted key. Satrapi gives her

audience, who is assumed to already have set ideas about Muslims and the Islamic religion as

well as terrorist, a very different aspect of how the people really feel about what the government

is doing.  The point of view that author seems to be coming from is one of disbelief and shock.

Satrapi’s maid states “They gave this to my son at [the] school. They told the boys that is they

were lucky enough to die, this key would get them into heaven"(99). Satrapi’s choice of words

are strong in meaning intentionally attempting to strip down the misconceptions that American

may have about how the majority of Iranian people feel about the tactics that their government

are doing. This passage is clearly making a bold statement that what America may think about

the people in Iran is not what is really taking place. There is so much visually happening in the

passage Satrapi’s mother is in shock consoling her maid, and the maid who had this defeated

look on her face ,with her body slumped up on her employers couch. The maid stated “All my

life, I’ve been faithful to the religion, if it’s come to this… well, I can’t believe in anything

anymore"(99). This quote clearly demonstrates that the everyday people of Iran do not agree

with the extremists of this revolution. This takes us back to the beginning of this essay’s main

point: America has a misconception of Iranians and how they feel about the government’s ways

of recruitment of terrorists. I believe that the author Marjane Satrapi is successfully able to shed

light on my ideas of the revolution.

RR#2 (Persepolis)

Brenna Gustafson      

Stacy Knapp                                                                                                                                      

English 1A

17 March 2013                       

                                                           RR#2 (Persepolis)

The events that are taking place in the last half of the book “Persepolis”, by Marjane Satrapi Tiran is changing in many ways that, from what I gather, affects her family in a negative way. The Islamic Law has been imposed and the women have to cover themselves to hide their hair because it is attractive to men when women show their hair. Not only are there changes in their attire there are also important events happening in Satrapi’s life such as; she is becoming more mature and able to pick a side with the political stand points happening around her, she meets and hears of some of her family members that were “heroes(61)” that played their roll in the revolution, which is really important to her at this time in her life, the government has started to control everything in the country and executing its citizens for not complying with the Islamic Laws. Two extremely interesting passages that I found very interesting in the book is when Satrapi gets sent to a new school, because she hit the principal of her old school, therefore being expelled. The religious teacher was teaching government controlled, misleading information to the students thus, Satrapi being a slightly more educated young girl, gives personal and factual evidence that is contrary to what the teacher is presenting in class. She gets in trouble at school, but yet she gets congratulated by her father at home. This is extremely different from the adolescents here in America, present time. Adolescents here in America have an element of rebellion but on a way smaller level as opposed to a revolution that Satrapi’s family has embedded into their home life. The second, yet the most interesting, section of the book that I wanted to discuss is the recruitment of young teenage Persian boys into the military. Satrapi stated “The key to paradise was for poor people. Thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the mine fields with their keys around their necks(102).”  Satrapi goes on to explain that the boys were manipulated by being assured that when they died that they would receive riches beyond their beliefs such as women, money and so forth. Not only were they manipulated by lies the boys were also each given plastic keys painted gold “the key to heaven” worn around their necks. I believe that the majority of Americans do not have the ability to think outside the box and relate themselves to people in other countries. I cannot speak for everyone but I know from years of American history that the American way is to dominate. This situation that was happening at the time in the book can be related to the issue that we are having here in America, how gangs are affecting our young people. I believe that these “terrorists” and gangs have similarities. I was easily able connect the dots gangs here in America usually affect the poorest parts of cities. The other eminent characteristic that I saw was the manipulation done by adults. 

RR #1 (Persepolis)

Brenna Gustafson

Stacy Knapp

English 1a

2 March 2013

                                               Reading Response #1 (Persepolis)                                                                                            In the book “Persepolis,” by Marjane Satrapi, the author tells a graphic “memoir” of her experience growing up in the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Marjane Satrapi starts her “memoir” at the end of 1979 and the beginning of 1980 in Iran, as a young school girl who does not fully comprehend what is happening in her country. Marjane gives the reader a child’s view of the political turmoil taking place all around her. As the story progresses her parents reveal that her grandpa was the prime minister chosen by the Shah, her grandpa was a prince robbed of his throne and wealth. Furthermore, Marjane had a certain set of beliefs, that she had been taught in school, which conflicted with the beliefs of her family, and her parents wanted to further educate her on why the revolution was happening. Marjane is young and very impressionable with a more personal connection to the extreme actions of the former “King” Shah.                                                                                                 Marjane Satrapi author of “Persepolis” expresses “I really didn’t know what to think about the veil, deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern…”(6). The revolution is reaching her in minor ways, but she still is trying to make sense of these changes, such as; wearing a veil at school, having gender separated classes, and her school converting from a non religious school to religious. In this quote Marjane clearly displays a child’s perception and confusion from being taught conflicting views from school and from her home.                                                                                                                                                             In the first chapter in the book “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi, Marjane recalls having a very personal connection with god. She is visited by god regularly. At first she had an infatuation with being a “prophet,” but as times goes on she is starting to understand what the revolution is all about she no longer wants to become a “prophet.”  With new enlightenment, Marjane wants to do her part in the revolution by joining the protests. So she states “for a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it”(17). This is the first clear statement of her new stance on which side she is gravitating toward, and she seems to be able to make a more educated choice from what she has learned about her country and its leaders.                                                                                           Marjane experiences and becomes aware of the social injustices of her country. The first time that she is really affected by the “social status” is when her maid, who came to live with her family at a young age, was not able to have a relationship with a neighborhood boy. That is a very important point in her life because even though her parents were protesting they still were bonded to old customs and beliefs. She argues this “dad, are you for or against social classes[!]”(37). She is saddened by the social inequality that marks that difference between her and her maid, but yet in her heart she sees her maid as not only her equal but her sister(37).                                                                                                                                                                Marjane is becoming aware of what she believes. Many people could probably relate in some way to what this girl is going through, even if it is on a smaller scale. What I related to this book is being taught certain subjects in school which may not be how that event really happened. This book opens a different perception on what happened in Iran at that time. From what was stated in the book I could really empathize with having a country slit in half, both sides having strong beliefs against each other.  The last point that I would like to make is how the girl is, in my opinion, seeing the conflicts in her parent’s beliefs.