Persepolis is a stunning graphic memoir of Marjane Satrapi’s unforgettable childhood during the Islamic Revolution. The contrast between private and public life in a country absolutely plagued by political turbulence is extremely fascinating as we follow Marjarane’s (Marji’s) coming of age. Some of the many disturbances to ‘normal’ life for her came not only from her family’s strong communist and socialist leanings, but also because it was the peak of her elementary years when the Shah was ousted from power in Iran and an conservative Islamic regime took control. She found chaos in the contradictions between private and public life; in her high school years in Vienna, facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; in her homecoming—both sweet and terrible; and, finally, in her volunteer departure from her homeland. It is the sweet record of girlhood and adolescence which were once so outrageous, now made familiar. It’s the story of a young life weaved with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up. What I thought was very interesting about this book was that it provided a very detailed summary of how the war in Iran broke out a few years prior, and included some actual facts about the Iranian revolution that proved to be necessary knowledge for the reader later in the story. It was like a brief history run down before the main event, and it really added to my overall understanding of the book. I also enjoyed the different views on life and its experiences that I was a witness to through this book. I always thought foreign countries would have completely foreign lifestyles compared to my own, however, this was hardly the case. Marji lived with her family like me, they drove a family car as my parents do, played board games like my sister and I do, and watched TV together like my sister and I do as well, Marji and her friends even goofed off in school like normal kids living a completely normal life. This for me was very interesting, because I have never truly experienced a third-world country for myself. I loved learning that although she overcame some extreme hardships in her life like war and an internal revolution, her home life was not all that different from yours or mine. I think this book really struck something in my heart, to hear about the mass suffering of a people and to visually witness a child experience torture was truly gravitating. I was in awe of the horrible execution and interrogation methods the war prisoners had to face if captured. Even the citizens experienced truly devastating acts. In one instance a movie theatre was locked from the outside and burned to the ground - nearly 400 people burned alive inside. This was an act of protest from the government to give testament to the Iranian people that these new laws were no joke. The change in laws and policy happened so abruptly that it would have in fact taken ages to get used to, however, Iranians were expected to obey right away which I found to be truly messed up. One night Marji and her family were sitting comfortably in their house and the next she was forced into a separate school just for girls, made to wear a veil so as to not distract men and to be a modest woman, and suffer the consequences if she didn't. The Iranian's downward view on anything Western is fascinating to me as well. Americans view themselves as such high and mighty people, and seeing the opinions of different people from different countries really made me think. Marji had a poster of a Western signer hanging in her room, in order for her to even possess such a thing her parents had to illegally smuggle it into the country by sewing it into their jackets and hiding it from national security. It blows my mind how much was off-limits and just how much I take for granted in everyday life. It was a privilege for Marji to go to parties or social events with friends, or to listen to music freely without worrying that people on the street may hear it and call the police. I do many of those things without even thinking twice, however, Marji risked her life every time she set foot outside the house or turned on a scandalous Western song. This story showed me what it feels like to have power and freedom of life ripped from your grasp, to have your rights stripped away, and to have your way of life completely limited and even viewed as wrong or unholy. I learned a lot of historical information too that I will hopefully carry with me throughout my life; information that will help me to not only understand different people's views on life and their experiences but also how people in other countries may be very similar yet very different from myself. -Isabella S.
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AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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November 2022
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