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.