Persepolis (Reading Response)

          I appreciate the way Marjane Satrapi invites us into a young girl's mind during a time of extreme Political Crisis. She is at a stage in her life where she's very curious and desperately wants to gain a better understanding of the world and her country's government. I think it's safe to say that the main character is a bit sheltered and obliviously enjoys certain aspects of the Upper-Class in Iran such as having a maid around the house and also the fact that her father drives a Cadillac. I found myself trying to relate to what it was like to grow up in a place that's so drastically different from what I'm used to.
         I  have never left this Country, so I can only compare my personal experiences to what I've seen in the United States, and I imagine it's extremely biased information. Especially in the Mainstream Media, I feel like most of it is persuading the public to oppose Iranians which can be very easy when we only hear one side of the story. I understand Persepolis takes place in a different time period than my Lifetime but the illustrations make it easy to understand what life was like for Iranians then.
         Learning about the veil really opened my eyes to the purpose of Iranian beliefs. It makes sense for women to gain respect of men mentally, rather than just attracting them physically like we see here in the United States. Our society enforces these ideas of beauty into our heads so that people are treated much differently based solely upon their appearance. I try to imagine going to school where all the students are seemingly identical and in some aspects it doesn't sound very bat at all. I believe respect is derived from admiration of the content of one's character, when one is distracted from getting to know another on the inside, their motivation may be obscured.  From personal experience, I've seen girls who are dressed a little more exposed than most insult and embarress others who appear less attractive on sight. Seems like some girls think they can make themselves seem superior simply because they're spoiled and their parents can afford the most expensive, revealing, and popular clothes. If everyone wore similar clothing there would be no room for demeaning actions that regularly damage the youth's self-esteem making them feel like they don't belong when they did absolutely nothing wrong! I was always curious about why traditional Iranian women dress the way they do and I'm grateful I got the opportunity to gain a better understanding.
          I admire the way Satrapi stands up for herself and says what's on her mind on several occasions. She didn't take crap from no one, not even the principal, she repeatedly stood up for herself and what she believed was right. Although she was persuaded by peer-pressure once or twice, I feel like she followed her heart with every decision. She goes from a naive little girl who is unaware her father's Cadillac is uncommon to a rebel in a jean jacket buying tapes off of the black-market.
           It's sad to follow her life through the years and hear about people she knows dropping like flies on a regular basis. The closest thing I can compare it to is the ghetto in San Francisco or any other Gangland. Even though her father was able to buy a Cadillac and is better off than the average Iranian, he still cannot insure the safety and security of his family. As Progressive peoples in Iran, they're outcasts in some ways. Satrapi's parents endured great risks in order to satisfy their daughter, while it may have been frowned upon in Iran, I support their actions because nobody was harmed so no harm, no foul.
           I became surprisingly attached to the characters throughout the book. I felt like I was there the first time she skipped school and had to explain herself to her mother, I've been in that position before so I can easily relate to the emotions she must have felt at that time.   Now I understand how Iranian Society functions and how restrictions/laws are enforced brutally and not always by the Police. For instance, when her father was drunk he got pulled over but was able to bribe the Police and avoid being arrested!
          Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi does a great job of explaining each situation as she grew up and it was easy for me to relate to how she felt at each stage of her life. Reading through the eyes of someone that young encourages me to think back on the days when i was her age and what I went through compared to what she went through. It's easy for me to picture kids at recess but a little more difficult to imagine walking into Religion class. It would certainly kill kids sense of individuality, forced to be constantly conforming to traditional ways of life and not welcoming them to express their fresh ideas. It seems to me that they disable themselves from evolving if they are not open to new ideas. It kind of sickens me to see a society so dominated by Religion, they're almost blind to what's right and wrong. For example, when Satrapi's relative had his third heart-attack and requested to leave the country to seek better medical attention, the Iranian man replied "If God wills it." Now i understand there are people just like me in Iran, the only difference is they have been born into much different circumstances. They did not choose to grow up in a War-Zone, but that's what ended up happening. Once I realized the Author was the main character, I was overwhelmed with respect towards Marjane Satrapi, and also towards the entire Middle East.

 Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis.  New York, NY: Patheon, 2003. Print.