Thinking of the book as a coming-of-age story, with a focus on connections to readers’ own lives, answer one of the following questions:
- What stages do you recognize in Marji’s attempts to understand justice and forgiveness?
- What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
- Several times in Satrapi’s narrative, Marjane seems to hit bottom and decides to remake herself. How are these various new selves related to each other?
1) Marjane attempts to understand justice and forgiveness happens at a very young age and it seems like she matures at a very young stage. She realizes she wants to be a prophet when she is only 10 years old. She knows that a prophet must be "justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one" (Satrapi 9) and her relationship with God is very spiritually intimate. She is humiliated by her classmates when she proudly tells them she wants to be a prophet and even her teacher discusses this situation with Marji’s parents. She is very aware of what is right and wrong at an early age due to her faith and it seems like nothing will be able to shake her strong belief. But she meets Mohsen and Siamak who were recently freed from jail. They tell Marji and her family about all the evil things they experienced as torture. Marji begins to question the justice and forgiveness she had always thought was right. She approaches her mother with her original belief: everyone should be forgiven. However, her mother has a different response from what she expected. After Marji hears her mother’s unexpected response of how “bad people are dangerous but forgiving them is too” (Satrapi 53), she rethinks about her belief of forgiveness and justice and concludes that she “didn’t know what justice was” (Satrapi 53). I personally relate to Marjane because as a child I was a very religious Catholic girl and I really believed that I would become a nun, similar to how Marji wanted to be a prophet. However, similar to Marji, I began to question my religion and what I believed in when I was about 10 to 12 years old. I really did not understand the concept of forgiveness and justice because whenever I see news about a criminal or murderer, I would think about how such malicious people should not deserve to be forgiven, but my religion states to forgive all people because they will face justice on Judgement Day. In terms of religion and conflicting concepts, I can relate to Marji really well..
ReplyDeleteQuestions: What is your personal definition of forgiveness and justice and how is it different or similar to what Marji believed? Do you think Marjane matured too quickly? Do you find this unfortunate or fortunate? Why?
I agree with you that in the novel Marji attempts to understand justice and forgiveness happens at a very young age and it seems like she matures at a very young stage. I also agree with the example of this idea which is she decided to become a prophet in a very young age, AKA when she was 10 years old. I also agree that her relationship with God is very spiritually intimate since we see her visit with god most often, which also symbolizes her purity and innocence.
Delete1. At the beginning of the novel, Marji, like any young child, appears to be in her own world about becoming a prophet and her relationship with God. Her world is sophisticated for her age as being a prophet is not something children commonly want to become. She understands that there is political unrest in her country, but like any child her age, she doesn't really attempt to understand the reasons and full implications of it. Her ideology is a bit childish because she wanted "to be justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one," (Satrapi 9). However as the novel goes on and Marji grows into a teen, she quickly becomes very involved and interested in the political atmosphere around her. At first, she takes after her parents who repeat "Down with the Shah!" (Satrapi 39), but she gradually develops her own individual ideas about justice and forgiveness. For example, when she finds out that one of her classmate's fathers was responsible for killing one million people, Marji jumps to try to make justice and beat him up. However, her mom intervenes and explains to her how it's not the boy's fault that his father acted the way he did. Marji then says in the mirror, "You have to forgive," (Satrapi 46). In this way, we are able to observe Marji grow into her own person and learn about the importance of forgiveness and appropriate justice. Her maturing process reminded me of when I read "To Kill a Mockingbird," and observed Scout develop a greater understanding of justice and forgiveness. She does this when her father defends a black man, not a normal thing at the time. She also learns more when she finally understand Boo Radley as a lonely man and not a threat. This makes me wonder to what extent do our political surroundings influence our coming of age? Our family?
ReplyDeleteI think in the way that Marji begins with her childish ideology and develops into an opinionated young adult Satrapi makes the character relatable to everyone. This transition between our perspective of the world as children and as adults is something everyone experiences as they grow up and readers' ability to relate to Marji adds to the effect that the novel has on them.
DeleteLili Lomas #3.
ReplyDeleteFor Marji and her friends, teenage rebellion seems very western. It comes in the form of escaping the way of life being imposed on them, such as the wearing of the veil, and reaching for more modern lifestyles. This is seen when they visit the burger restaurant and are drawn to the person whose hair looks like Rod Stewart.
It includes questioning authority and making decisions on her own. It also is influenced by peer pressure and the desire to be accepted by people who she strives to be like. She thinks being friends with older girls is cool and that if she wants “to be friends with 14-year olds, I had to do it” (Satrapi 111).
There are like teenagers everywhere in that they seek freedom. This goes along with their desire to figure out who they are and what they believe. In order to do this, they feel like must act against authority and want to do something other than what is expected of them. They feel like rules imposed on them by society and their parents are constraining their free expression. In this way, Marji and her friends are like students at CHS or any other high school in the U.S. They are different from teenagers everywhere in that within their society, they are limited in other ways than teens in the U.S. and other western countries are. Yet these differences don’t seem to be very big. What is “teen spirit” and how is it universal?
I agree with your statements regarding the rebellion of Marjane and her friends throughout the entire book. I find it interesting given the time period because the way that they act could be dangerous for themselves because of how anti Western Iranian society is at the time. Do you think that they act in this fashion because of how anti western society is or because of their teenage self?
DeleteMaya Garg #2
ReplyDeleteWe can see Marji’s rebellious nature through the way she behaves in class. She is not willing to accept lies, and be brainwashed by what the regime wants her to believe. When she stands up and correct the teacher and says “How dare you lie to us like that?” (Satrapi, 144). This shows that not only is she rebellious in the sense that she has the progressive mindset, but is rebellious in that she wants a real, valuable, truthful education. She is seen by her peers as a leader of “revolution”, in the sense that she leads them to be informed and stand up for themselves. However, by officials she is seen as a leader for corruption and decadence in a country with a religion that doesn’t need any of that. Marji and her friends are similar to other teenagers in the sense that they are trying to figure out who they are, and they are trying to break free of the social expectations of society, however they are different from other teenagers because they have to worry about their personal safety, and have to fight for their education rather than fight for the right to stay out late at night. This is really similar to Malala in our modern day. She had to fight for her education and rights as a girl against corruption, and people who wanted to put down western ideals. This brings up the following questions: How does Satrapi’s description of western influences on Marji’s have a positive influence on her life? How does it make her life more difficult?
I completely agree with your point, Maya, as similarities can be drawn between the cases of teenage rebellion of kids in any society. The part of your argument that really stood out to me was your inclusion of Malala, as it is a brilliant example that helps distinguish the difference between disobedience in militant societies and democratic states.
DeleteYour connection to Malala Yousafzai was incredible. Malala put her life on the line for the education of girls in Pakistan and she is very similar to Marji in a number of ways. Both young women live in societies that are much more oppressive than our own, but they both provide great examples of the reasons that we must wholeheartedly support the causes that we believe in and fight back in order to make life as fair for all as we possibly can.
DeleteAshley Benhayoun, Question #2, Marjane rebelling when she is a teenager:
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Marji and her friends take on rebellion by accepting and embodying American/western values. For example, Marji states, “I put my 1983 Nikes on, and my denim jacket with the Michael Jackson button, and of course, my headscarf” (Satrapi 131). She wanted to go to underground markets to get western items like CDs, posters, and clothes, and she didn’t care about other people’s opinions about what she was wearing. Secondly, all throughout part one, Marji and her friends mock the new Iranian norms and play them off like they’re a joke. For example, in the chapter, “The Key”, Marji and her classmates are forced to pay homage to fallen soldiers twice a day. They see other Iranians physically beating themselves over this. Marji says, “after a little while, no one took the torture sessions seriously anymore, as for me, I immediately started making fun of them” (Satrapi 97). It is shown that even her classmates joined in the mockery. Marji and her friends during the Iranian revolution were like teenagers everywhere in the sense that they all possessed a free spirit and wanted to rebel against what was given to them, which is the stereotypical concept of teenagers. For example, in the musical “Hairspray”, Penny is raised with Christian Suburban upbringing, but rebels to escape from her home and to date the opposite race (this was during segregation). They are different because they realize and know to what extent what they are doing will bring. If I wore a punk jacket right now, people would think “oh she probably likes rock, ROCK ON!”. However, in Marji’s country, people thought vulgar things about her and some people probably even wanted to kill her. Marji and her friends took a much larger risk. This brings up the question, “To what extent do our surroundings compel us to rebel against the norm? Does everyone have the urge to do this no matter where they are?
I don't think rebellion is necessarily something that everyone experiences. You mention how rebellion is a stereotypical concept of teenagers, which I agree with, because I don't find myself and many of my friends to be rebellious at all. I think the reason Marji is more rebellious than the average teen is because she grew up with her parents as an example. They have been openly rebellious in front of her, and being their daughter, she copied them. I think her surroundings made her more susceptible to rebellion, but I think her situation played a bigger role in this.
DeleteVictor Kalev (Question #2):
ReplyDeleteTeenage rebellion is an interesting phenomenon that tends to manifest itself after someone has reached or went through puberty, and it is a direct result of an individual’s naïve belief that they have completely matured and no longer require assistance from their parents. As a result, these teens feel compelled to rebel against their parents by refusing to comply to their commands, or by simply maintaining aspects of their lifestyle that they detest – whether it be certain clothing, hairstyles, etc. Marji’s parents in Persepolis are not opposed to her dressing in any particular fashion or assimilating within punk rock culture, and Marji even describes how they were “very permissive” (Satrapi, 131) for Iranian parents. However, they certainly do not want their daughter placing herself in danger when she chooses to wear her banned clothing in public. Despite their warnings, she dismisses them and continues to display public dissent for the societal restrictions present within Iran by wearing denim jackets and sneakers, ultimately leading to her dangerous confrontation with the women’s branch of the Guardians of the Revolution. Even with the fact that her life was practically at risk because of her desire to accept Western culture, she continues to do so by jamming out to American music when she arrives back at her house. This manner of rebellion is similar to most other instances of teenage defiance (especially the ones present within American popular culture, such as music, movies, and television, one notable being The Breakfast Club), as they seek to get rid of the power that is controlling their everyday actions. However, Marji and her friends’ disobedience is significantly more large scale and dangerous, as they are not only disagreeing with their parents, but also dissenting against their militant Islamic regime. Within Persepolis, Marji hears many stories about other women her age that were arrested for protesting, the most emotional being the horrific execution of Marji’s friend, Niloufar. It seems as though her acts of rebellion are not only attempting to break Iranian societal restrictions, but also try to liberate herself from the gender inequality of Iran. Nonetheless, questions still arise about the reasons behind teenage rebellion and Marji’s connection with this experience. Is teenage rebellion or the decision to dress differently truly effective in preventing any form of injustice? What do Marji’s actions and her parents’ responses to them denote about much of Iranian society at the time? Why didn’t Marji simply accept her fate and ensure her and her family’s safety by not rebelling?
Lili Lomas #3
ReplyDeleteThe various selves which Marji remakes herself into are similar in that they involve some sort of creation of a new idea of herself and then fitting into that image. Because of this, her recreations often involve not only ideological and mental transformations but also physical transformations. When she moves to Austria, a lot of this is actually her attempt to fit in because she is so lost in this drastic change of culture and lifestyle. Remaking herself consists of changing her appearance and this changing appearance is her attempt at filling in a version of herself that she wishes to be. She wants her physical transformation to be a reflection of her inner transformation in order to fit into the Austrian culture. Similarly, this form of transformation takes place when she comes back to Iran as she tries to create a more acceptable version of herself. When she returns, she transforms and remakes herself not in order to be accepted by others, but to accept herself as she is coming out of her depressed state.
Her various re-made selves are also related in the way that they are representations of her growing up and trying to find out who she is and establish an identity. They are different forms in which her natural teenage desire to be accepted while at the same time be individual take place. Though she evolves into seemingly very different people, they are connected by that spirit of finding out who she is. They are steps in Marji's process of figuring out her identity.
Assuming that there is no specific parameter to what you have to forgive the other party of, it is rather easy to forgive someone, after all, it doesn't take much for an adult to forgive someone else of accidentally taking a piece of candy out of a box of 308 pieces of identical pieces of candy. Assuming that the decision was life ruining though, then it would likely depend on the person and the amount of time taken, after all, perhaps people would forget certain parts that made the wound sting so much. Forgiving and forgetting are still very different concepts though as they entail two different parts, one is being blinded to the problem, and the other is actually fixing it. The only similarity is that at that point in time you can't see it.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to question 2, What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different? For starters, an obvious answer to this question would be the moment when Marjane takes the cigarette and smokes it, then she says that that moments is when her childhood ends. This is common amongst teens, as teens don't necessarily want to be considered children, we want to be considered adults, but without all the responsibilities. Marjane's actions are like all other teenagers, her rebellious side comes out and she thinks she is so cool. Such as that moment when she goes with the older girls to the restaurant while skipping school. She wants to be accepted by the older kids, but she is also doing this to prove to her parents in a way she doesn't want them to find out, that she is old enough to make big decisions. When she goes to Austria, her rebellion changes from proving to her parents that she is old enough, rather to proving to the world that she is ready for the challenges that life will bring her, and that she is not afraid to take risks. Such as the time when she smoked weed to get the attention of Markus. Her different forms of rebellion reflect the environment she was living in at the time. In a place far from her parents she evolves into someone completely different from the person she was while she was still in Iran.
ReplyDeleteI want to stem away from the reader response questions and analyze Marji's growth from childhood to adulthood based on her relationship with God. How did her relationship and dependence on God change over time? Well, towards the beginning of her autobiography, she stated that God was her "only true friend" (Satrapi, 53) as she felt safe with her friend and she depicted her friend the image she had drawn of God throughout the entire novel. God was somewhat of an idol for young Marji. He resembled her ideals such as communism and equality for all as Marji compares God to Marx and symbolizes their similarities through their appearances "Marx and God looked like each other." (Satrapi, 13) God was a listener to Marji's problems. She viewed him as supernatural and that he had the ability to stop any injustice and bring any sort of peace. She looked up to him so much that she wanted to be his prophet. God was a role model for Marji. Whenever Marji had troubles, God was there to listen. That was the problem she didn't early realize, that God was a good listener. God was such a good listener that Marji puts all these pressures on him. When her uncle died and there was no miracle to save him, Marji gave up on God because she no longer talked to him anymore. She no longer trusted him anymore in keeping everything perfect. I personally do not believe she no longer believed in him and then found faith again later when she got older. I think God was as best of a friend to Marji as best friends can be. He listened to her problems and comforted her. When she was in such a dark place in her life, she no longer wanted the comfort of God. She had forgotten about God for a couple years as she tried to fix things herself without him, but she didn't lose faith in him. She knew that God was able to help her out, she just wanted to put her dependence more on actions than just wishing alone. She sought out to do things instead of just thinking about them, and that in essence marked a development in her growth. God was still alongside as a friend, and we can see that as he returned later on and she was accepting of his return.
ReplyDeleteYou bring a perspective that I never thought about, but totally agree with. I do not think Marji cut God out of her life after the death of Anoosh. I think as a kid, she had a romanticized image of God that was tainted after he did not save her uncle. Though she was angry at God, she still acknowledge his existence and still used him to vent. I do not think she ever lost a relationship with God, but as she grew older, the relationship matured. This brings about a question: to what extent did Marji's relationship with God, shape her as an individual?
DeleteThe rebellion exemplified by Marjane and her friends looks at first to be typical of teenagers, but we have to take into account the circumstances which obviously changes the situation quite a bit. Up until Marji leaves the country for austria, she becomes more and more rebellious against her parents by smoking, skipping school, arguing with her parents, and in a way, by rejecting god. This is also prominent outside of her rebellion at home, as Marji also starts to misbehave at school and even gets all of her friends involved. Her teacher calls in the parents of every student at the same time and tells them that their children are uncontrollable, mainly because they’re rebelling against the new regime’s strictly enforced and stifling new set of rules. The situation that makes marji rebel is obviously more extreme than anything that most people will ever experience, but the principle is the same. She has a very good set of parents, yet smokes as an act of rebellion, saying “As for me, I sealed my act of rebellion against my mother’s dictatorship by smoking the cigarette I had stolen from my uncle two weeks earlier” (Satrapi, 117). Her mother quite obviously cares for her and can’t reasonably be compared to a dictator, but she feels this way because her mother has set reasonable boundaries that she does not want to follow. This aspect of her rebellion is fairly normal, as all kids will rebel against their parents in one way or another, but the issues at school are definitely not normal, and they show how crazy and turbulent her childhood really was. Does Marji realize the symbolic power behind what she is doing at school, or fully grasp the severity of her situation?
ReplyDeleteQuestion # 2
ReplyDeleteThroughout Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, teenage rebellion and almost revenge-like attitudes are prevalent and help shape the memoir into the powerful story that it comes across as. Marji and her cohorts are constantly finding ways to fight back against the government and other authority figures that attempt to overrule all and in doing so, most of them end up getting hurt in some way. Although some of Marji’s friends end up losing their lives to the causes that they so adamantly devote their lives to, they all continued to protest in even the smallest ways and made their voices heard without even realizing they were doing so in most cases. Marji and her friends made it a habit to rebel against the people in charge of them that it became second nature. It seems as though without ever even meaning to, Marji and her friends were starting their own kinds of small revolutions and initiating change without thinking about it. Marji and her friends represent teenagers from all over the world through their invincible mindsets and willingness to risk their lives for things they know very little about, but it also may be that Marji and her friends were a bit more outgoing and rebellious, at least in more extreme ways, than teenagers in other countries. Marji had only ever really known a world ransacked and taken over by war and destruction, so she never really considered the effects of putting her own well-being on the line whenever necessary, but any other teenager would have been too afraid or threatened to even think about speaking up like Marji did. One of the most powerful examples of Marji fighting back without ever meaning to was when she was speaking up about not being able to create her art due to the restrictions that were placed on women's clothing and was supposed to “feel nothing when watching men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men, can get excited by two inches less of my head-scarf” (Satrapi 297). This bold statement caught the attention of everyone in the room, but Marji was only saying what she believed and advocating for what she thought was right. Occurrences like these set Marji and her friends apart in numerous ways and show that she was unlike most other teenagers as a result of her upbringing and her political views. What do you think is one of the most important features that sets Marji and her friends apart from other teenagers? Do you think she would have been just as rebellious if she had been from a different country?
One of the biggest things that separates Marji and her friends from other teenagers and young adults, would be what they have experienced and how they have coped with their losses. Marji nad her friends are known to be very rebellious. They would party every night and constantly fight with the administrators and professors at the University. I personally don't think that she would have been so rebellious if she was from a different country. Most of her anger and rebellious nature is spurred from the Revolution and the regime. Although, her personality would have been different, i don't believe that her rebellious actions would have been as significant.
DeleteDheemant Dammanna - Question 2: What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
ReplyDeleteBecause the book includes the perspectives of Iran and Austria, the parallels between the teenagers in Austria and the teenagers in Iran become very evident. From the very beginning of the book, Marji “demonstrated in the garden” (Satrapi 7) with her friends. The rebellion took form under the guise of politics but really served as a way to bring people together. At that age Marji was not adamant about the political change as a result of the “protesting” but instead focused on fitting in. This idea remains through out Marji’s stay in Austria. The “Anarchists” that Marji meets are not true Anarchists with regards to their political beliefs. Instead, these teenagers want to fit into a group that is opposed to the status quo as a way to feel popular and wanted. They inscribe meaning into their actions because they are seen as opposed to society, even though they might not really believe in that. When Marji goes back to Iran, she continues her rebellion, but this time she changes and becomes more invested in the actual political significance of the protests that she makes. These protests differ from ones like the Anarchist “protests” because they are fueled by desire for material change instead of the desire for belonging in a group. To some extent, both want a sense of belonging, but the form of belonging that they want is different. the teenagers in Europe and around the world want to make a new community for themselves that is opposed to society around them while the teenagers in Iran want to change the community around them to make it better for themselves. An important question to discuss would be to what extent are the political movements in the book genuine?
2. Teenage rebellion
ReplyDeleteTeenage rebellion is one of the main, ideas explored in the book. Of course the book focuses a lot on how the move from Iran to Austria affected Marjane, and cultural differences, but these are just context and modifiers to the struggles Marjane herself is going through in her teenage years which I believe are almost universally applicable to all cultures and people, because everyone has to experience growing up. Teenage rebellion is shown a lot in the types of things Marjane likes in Iran, American fashion and music, and especially in the core of her teenage years in Austria where she essentially rejects all power structures she can to feel independent.
The first example is the music and clothing that Marjane immerses herself in as well as she can in Iran before she tastes freedom in Europe. This is established best first when Marjane is in Austria and experiences her first teenager party where they listen to pink Floyd. She remarks that she had always thought of the music as pleasant because she had grown up listening to it on road trips as opposed to parties(Satrapi 187). Also, it is established that Marjane listened to Kim Wilde, and one of IRON MAIDEN, and she asked for her parents to bring back posters of them along with a denim jacket to Iran from Turkey(Satrapi 130). This shows the type of music Marjane listened to on her own volition, and the fact that the music is loud, aggressive, and the genre is full of scandalous figures, it shows rebellion, especially from the norms of Iran.
This preference for loud aggressive music that is intentionally very different from that of the surroundings and the previous generation connects to essentially everything I see around me, While my parents go to Scorpions and Evanescence concerts I hear my friends and acquaintances from school listen to genres which would seem very obscure but become mainstream as more teenagers rebelliously listen to them such as screamo rap, and rap songs with content so explicit I get nightmares from the idea of listening to them with my parents.
Sharon Shaji.
DeleteIn my opinion, I don’t think teenage rebellion is one the “main” themes explored in the book, at least not in Part 1. I mean, yes, teenage rebelleion is there as a thematic idea, but can it be expanded to a universal theme for all teenagers? During her time in the regime, she may not have rebelled merely because she was a teenager and wanted to explore the world, but because she was a thinker and knew that if the regime had women thinking about the length of their clothing, they would not be thinking about free speech.
Is our western phrase of teenage rebellion applicable and nearly similar to what Marjane went through in part one of her book?
I acknowledge that my teenage years, for example, are very different from Marji's as I have had the privilege to grow up in a well developed country and experience things Marji didn't and vice versa. However, I think the argument that all people's lives are different and thus 1 person's experience can't be considered universal is missing the point. What I meant, and maybe explained badly is that there are certain themes in rebellious teens that I do believe are universal such as the change in preference of music, and that these commonalities are a central theme in the book because the book shows that these things happen even when someone is put in vastly different situations than someone else. The rebellious activity just happens in the context of the person's life. In fact, this theme is also explored when Marji returns to Iran and has heated arguments with her peers about having sex with her boyfriend. She used her freedom that way, while the girls who considered her indecent rebelled by applying makeup. Though these activities are obviously very different, they share their roots in teenage rebellion.
DeleteI think that teenage rebellion is one of the aspects shown in the book, as Marjane talked back to those in authority in pretty scathing ways, such as calling the nuns prostitutes. I think that the rebellion that Marjane shows as a teenager is fairly similar to our form of teenage rebellion, as both groups desire to break free from an oppressive environment, regardless of whether the oppression was benign or not. However, I feel that it is a misnomer to call Marjane's resistance simply an act of "teenage rebellion." Resistance towards an oppressive government is something that exists well past a person's teenage years. If her resistance to Iran and religious fundamentalism were forms of teenage defiance, then we should have to call those adults who protest bad government as simply going through a teenage or immature phase. I don't think that all forms of resistance to authority are necessarily juvenile in nature.
DeleteSharon Shaji. Outlets.
ReplyDelete3. Several times in Satrapi’s narrative, Marjane seems to hit bottom and decides to remake herself. How are these various new selves related to each other?
The first time Marjane hits a serious bottom is on page 70, when the war begins. During the previous panels, Marjane has been hit with seriously disheartening news of war, bombings, murders, etc. and is going through them herself. We see that because of these trials, her relationship with God has gone down hill. She has lost her childhood naïveté, and is coming to the slow and painful realization that, truly, the world around her is fallen.
On page 70, we see her yell at God to “Get out!”. This marks a new period of growth and revelation for Marjane: she cannot depend on God. The next full-page panel portrays child Marjane as lonely and helpless in a infinite universe.
In the next stage of her life, we see her as a young teenager, remaking herself through her avid rebellion. She rebels by listening to outlawed music, wearing American clothes, and speaking out about the political and religious regime in class. “After the death of Neda Baba-Levy, my life took a new turn. In 1984, I was fourteen and a rebel. Nothing scared me anymore,”(Satrapi 143). She decides that instead of waiting for God to hear her problems, she will take whatever matters she can take into her own hands.
Another time Marjane hits rock bottom is when she is away from home. Her lack of true friends who can fully support and understand her leads to her depression, and ultimately, she ends up on the streets for several weeks. Her new self takes form after she has returned home, gone through some more depression, met her love, and then found an outlet for rebellion, emotions, and stress through drawing. This new identity is similar to the younger one in that she still strives to be a rebel, but uses a different medium for doing such.
Is it possible for people to remake themselves in such a way that each new creation is completely different and opposite from previous ones?
I feel you have outlined the major scenes in which Marjane hit rock bottom and slowly picked herself up. As for your question, I feel that it is not possible for someone to completely remake themselves without having some aspects and values that they keep consistent throughout their lives.
DeleteGrace Hao #2
ReplyDeleteMany forms of teenage rebellion take place among Marjane and her friends. As depicted in the image above, it can be seen that Marjane participated in smoking and punk rock. All signs of these are signs of rebellion, especially in her Iranian culture. Acts of rebellion can be seen when Marjane describes her lifestyle. “I put my posters up in my room. I put my 1983 Nikes on...and my denim jacket with the Michael Jackson Button…” (Satrapi 131). The rebellion is seen through her interest in the Iron Maiden, a rock group, Kim Wilde, a pop star, Nike shoes, and her Michael Jackson button. To an extent, teenagers everywhere can be seen conducting acts of rebellions. Teenage rebellion can take place in many forms. For example, as an act of rebellion, some kids will purposely not do their homework or skip school. Some personal acts of teenage rebellion for me include watching rated R movies before I was old enough and without my parents permission, and not cleaning my room. It is evident that teenage rebellion can take form in many forms, all with the intent of going against some larger power. The difference however, is that for me, my rebellion is an act against my parents. Marjane’s rebellion is an act against her country. Marjane’s rebellion has a deeper meaning as she feels repressed by her country. Fearing intense and harmful punishment, Marjane settles for small acts of rebellion. How do you think teenage rebellion in Iran is different than teenage rebellion in America?
Rishi Lekkala (Reply #1)
DeleteGrace, I think the answer to the question you posed is both fairly obvious and fairly ambivalent. Obviously at this point in time, American teenagers (especially those that were female) enjoyed a plethora of rights that the teenagers in Iran did not enjoy. This includes, but is not limited to: the ability to have political opinions that centralized dissent, the freedom of religion, and the freedom to indulge in Western "decadence". However, the teenaged rebellion in Iran that Marjane herself participated in is much more heavy and purposeful than the American teenage rebellion. As you mentioned, she participated in what you say were small acts of rebellion, but I disagree with the term "small". Perhaps they are inconsequential to us, but they seemed to be very brave at a time when people were horrendously punished for even the most miniscule infractions.
This is Zawad. I think that how you contrasted rebellious nature of teens in America and in Iran was a good point to make. It shows how even though they are both acts against authority, one would could lead to extreme crimes against the state. I believe that Marjane's rebellious nature was not specifically for the religion of Islam, but the laws that is mandated on its citizens which were heavily forced by the Iranian government. I think teenage rebellion in Iran is more dangerous than in America, because in Iran, people do not have free speech laws to protect them. This could lead to dangerous outcomes. When you rebel against your parents, what do you think was your desired outcome versus what you think the desired outcome of Marjane's rebellion?
DeleteGrace, to answer your question, teenage rebellion in America and Iran are quite different. In America, like you said, we mainly rebel against our parents and the guidelines they set for us. Most of the time this is because of curiosity as to what experiences they want to shield us from. We have rights such as the freedom of speech and overall a freedom that many teens in Iran did not. In Iran, the rebellion was mainly against the government which was represented through music, clothing, and thoughts as well. Although these seemed small, it was considered major as acts of rebellion could get them arrested and sent to reform schools.
DeletePrajna Vootukuri (Question 2)
ReplyDeleteForms of teenage rebellion that was prominent amongst Marjane and her friends were smoking and becoming a drug dealer. Marjane took part in smoking joints as she “tried to assimilate” (Satrapi 193) with her friend “squad”. As for drug dealing, Marjane initially bought drugs from Café Camera, as she “ was doing it for love” (Satrapi 222). These actions are similar to teenagers everywhere in that this period of time in a child’s life consists of the switch from childhood to becoming an adult. Teenagers tend to want to try new things and it also is a matter of them feeling “cool” and entertainment in performing actions with such risks. Specifically, in society, today, movies and tv shows have displayed an unrealistic perception on how to “calm down” and “distract your mind from worries” with the assistance of drugs. Although we learn about the harms of such drugs, some teenagers still get caught up with the idea of wanting to erase their minuscule problems by hoping that drugs will distract them. The concept of doing anything for a person that you love or care for, in order to aid them and make them feel the same way about you, is also fairly common amongst teenagers everywhere. This situation is particularly different since Marjane knows that what she is doing is harmful and wrong, so she faked smoking and “never inhaled the smoke” (Satrapi 192). She still continues to participate falsely in the activities just for the sake of wanting to be a part of her friend group. Which brings me to the question: How does one realize the negative effects they possibly might be receiving from the association of their friends without the guidance from an outsider?
Anitta Nitto
Delete(Reply #3)
Well written response to a prevalent issue especially at our school. Answering your question, it is very difficult to distinguish negative effects of association unless you talk to other people and gain other perspectives. Especially in cases such as incestuous amplification, when people spend time with people of the same mindset and opinion, their own opinion becomes more extreme as there is less of the opposing view presented. In this way we as teenagers must be cautious about, being in an environment where the negative effects of taking drugs are overshadowed and doing anything to fit in is lauded.
That's a really insightful question to ask. I think that it is really difficult to realize the negative effects you are receiving from others, especially if there is no one telling you and trying to help you. when someone is in that situation, all you know if what the "bad influence" tells that person, so it seems to be the truth since no differing opinions are being given. This is why, in my opinion, so many people stay in bad relationships that are unhealthy and even harmful, because they just don't know anything besides that relationship.
DeleteI think this is a very well written response to a problem that is extremely prevalent amongst teens nowadays. Overall, I think the feeling of being out of place or being uncomfortable and hesitating is the first sign that going with your friend group if they do drugs or drink is negatively affecting you. In addition to that, when talking to other peers and getting different insights as to people’s views, some might match better to you than that friend group who goes against your morals with drugs. Regardless, most people cannot see when they are in bad relationships, hence why they try to fix the toxic relationship and never leave.
DeleteFarris
DeleteI thought that it was very interesting on how you thought teenagers tend to want to try new things to be they like teenagers everywhere. I completely agree I think some kids do things just so that they feel they are "cool" and need to prove to not only themselves but other people as well. Many teenagers end up having bad morals or enveloped in stress and turn to drugs in order to relax and take thei mind off of it.
I believe the perspective you took of Marji being rebellious as a part of fitting in is very interesting as it was one I had not considered while reading the book. And in answer to your question of "How does one realize the negative effects they possibly might be receiving from the association of their friends without the guidance from an outsider?" I believe that to a great extent people realize it when they suffer the consequences of their actions because when you do not have the guidance of another you often learn through your own mistakes.
DeleteHi Prajna,
DeleteI liked your analysis on the characteristics of teenage rebellion present in Marji. In response to your question, I think it is people will be able to realize negativity in most circumstances. In Marji's case, she did realize that what she did was wrong (drugs). she did not need an outsider to tell her that what she did was wrong. I think that a person's ability to distinguish good from bad solely relies on how they have been brought up. If they were taught that drugs is a bad thing, they of course they will know that they shouldn't do it. It is inscribed in their moral. The reason why Marji does it is because she has no other choice. I think morals erode in the presence of necessity. Marji NEEDED money to pay her rent and that's why she sold drugs. Marji NEEDED some form of comfort amidst all the chaos and that's why she took drugs. Marji NEEDED a sense of belonging and that's why she hung out with those goons in the first place. In essence, I think that the ability to distinguish good from bad is dependent on the morals of a person. This moral is inferior to necessity.
~ Harsha Jagannathan
V Prasad, Question 1
ReplyDeleteMarjane develops overall as a character when she goes through the different stages of forgiveness and justice. We can see that she is quite mature for her age as she devotes herself to becoming a prophet at the age of 6. She knew that in order to do so she had to be “justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one,” (Satrapi, 9). As time goes on, she builds up her definition of justice as well as faith. We can see Marjane demonstrating phrases such as “Down with the Shah,” (Satrapi, 39) which she picked up from her parents. At this point in time, Marjane is too young to know what she’s actually insinuating with her words, but she trusts her parents enough to side with them on the political aspects in Iran. She wants to participate in protests with her parents and get an insight as to how the peaceful protests are. However, as time goes on we can see her making her own choices and own decisions. For example, when Marjane’s classmate, Ramin, was getting chased down due to his father killing a million people, Marjane’s mother told her “You have to forgive!” (Satrapi, 46). Marjane realizes that it was Ramin’s father who killed people, not Ramin himself. She gains a new perspective on forgiveness through this experience. Personally, I can relate to Marjane’s different stages of forgiveness and justice as I grew up a religious Hindu. In Hinduism, I was taught to forgive people for their wrongdoings. However, there were many times in elementary school where I started to doubt my religion as I realized I could not forgive people as easily as I was supposed to. My definition of justice was telling the teacher if someone did anything wrong to me, but even after they got into trouble, I could not find myself forgiving them sometimes. As I grew older, forgiveness came easier to me.
This is a really good analysis of Marjane's character development! At the beginning of the novel, we see Marjane as a young, naive, child, proclaiming herself to be the final prophet. As the novel progresses, we see Marjane struggle with the limits on what to forgive and what not to forgive. I think that this is something that everyone struggles with, because there are no clear lines to distinguish what acts are too bad to ever be forgiven and what can be forgiven.
DeleteHi V. I like how you related Marjane's stages of forgiveness and justice to your own experiences with Hinduism. I think that part of the reason that Marjane was able to forgive more easily as she grew older was because she began to see instances in different perspectives and not just her own as a result of her various hardships and struggles. This caused her to overall become a more empathetic person, and as a result, she was able to forgive more easily. I think that this is especially significant because given the circumstances that Marjane grew up in (an oppressive regime), forgiveness must not have come easily, as the times she lived in were tumultuous and chaotic.
DeleteAnitta Nitto
ReplyDelete(Reply #2)
I undoubtedly agree with your statement that forgiving someone is easier said than done. In the situation with Ramin, Marjani is initially prejudiced towards Ramin because of Ramin's father's actions. Looking at religion, I was raised Catholic, is so the teaching that was instilled in me was "forgive how you want to be forgiven." Forgiveness is one of the difficult things to understand and truly perfect in life and I think Satrapi beautifully shows her progression as an individual simply on the topic of forgiveness.
I think I agree with Anitta on this statement, but this senario seems liek a TOK scenario to me because none of us really know the terms and guidlines behind the idea of forgiveness. i do believe thoght that forgiveness definately coms with time and age. Forgiveness is an abstract and complex idea that not many can properly fathome, and when they do, the interpreation is very different for everyone. I think the charachter development in the book is very evident and the readers can really see how Marjane grows, as we have access to her thoughts and her transition into adulthood,
DeleteYutika Ineni
ReplyDelete#2
Marjane and her friends are rebellious to an extent, but not rebellious enough to get into serious trouble. However, this isn’t as different as other teenagers elsewhere. She cuts class occasionally, she lies to her parents to get out of trouble, etc. This is relatively common outside of Iran as well. However, what’s different in Marjane’s story is that since her country is in a state of extreme political instability with constantly changing regimes, her education is affected severely as the government abruptly shifts between a relatively secular and seemingly Westernized state and an extremely religious Islamic state. Statements made by teachers are abruptly taken back later such as in the school incident when Marjane makes note of the fact that the teacher recently said that the Shah is chosen by God and then immediately took back that statement once the Shah was overthrown, showing how the political situation directly affects how the students are taught to ensure that the students will grow up, hopefully, thinking exactly the way the government wants them to in order to reduce the risk of rebellion and opposition. However, this obviously does not reflect well on Marjane and her friends, justifiably, since an abrupt transition should not be expected to have no resistance. In America, most of us have never experienced the state of political turmoil that Marjane and her friends went through, and thus, they evidently went through much more significant rebellious stages to the extent that most of us have not experienced. At one point in the novel, Marjane transitions from simply breaking rules to seem “western” to completely disregarding the law and simply just doing what she wants. She wore jewelry, which is strictly forbidden, she talked back to her teachers, eventually getting expelled. This raises the question that if we were to experience a revolution such as what Marjane went through, would the same signs of rebellion in school be present as well?
I think more than her education, her form of rebellion and who she is rebelling against is what sets her apart from regular teenagers. For example, she does do drugs, attend parties, wear unconventional clothes; however, she has complete permission from her parents to do this. Her parents even encourage her. Her mom 'knitted me (Marjane) a sweater full of holes and made me (Marjane) a necklace with chains and nails." American teenagers rebel against their parents, but Marjane rebels against the government.
DeleteI find your question very interesting because it is very true that we have not ever experienced anything as significant as the stages of rebellion Marji experienced. So in answer to your question I believe that if we were to experience a revolution such as what Marjane went through there would be some of the signs of rebellion in school because many students would want to question everything. However, I also believe some would value their education more with the uncertainty of whether it would be available to them everyday.
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ReplyDeleteKevin Shi
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1:
At the beginning of the comic book, we see young Marjane attempting to explain the state of the world and justice through God. She believes that God is justice, and even goes so far as to say that the Shah is in power because of God and that it is right. However, her parents dispel this belief, telling her that the Shah is in power only because of the intervention of Western powers and their desire for Iran’s oil reserves, as shown when her father says this: “He was an illiterate low-ranking officer, a blessing for the very influential British who soon learned of his projects” (Satrapi 24). When she learns of the torture that her grandfather was subjected to during his imprisonment, she is horrified and struggles to reconcile her belief in God with the horrors that people faced. When the Islamic Revolution is successful and the Shah is deposed, people celebrate. I wonder; how did the leftist revolution become co-opted by the Islamic fundamentalists? How much support did it actually have among the populace? She later finds an enemy in Ramin, whose father worked for the Shah’s regime as a soldier and killed revolutionaries. Initially, she seeks him out with another band of friends to beat him up, but Marjane’s mother beseeches Marjane to forgive Ramin for his father, as his father’s sins do not pass on to Ramin himself. This kind of reminds me of Christianity, in which a major tenet is the forgiveness of one’s enemies. It is stated in Matthew 5:38-40: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” The new fundamentalist regime then quickly begins arresting former revolutionaries who had helped spur the overthrow of the Shah, including her Uncle Anoosh. When he was executed soon after, she disavows her notions of religious justice and rejects God, telling him to get out. From then on, she begins developing her own sense of justice by standing up for the memories of her dead family members, and fighting for what they believed in. This makes me wonder; to what extent are our own values of justice and morality based in the beliefs of those around us? Are our beliefs truly our own?
I think we are heavily influenced by who we are around. Our peers provide a starting base from which we can build off, but our own ideals (in my opinion) can't be individually determined on the basis of morality (although they may be determined by how practical they are to us). Others are needed in order to see our actions in context, and without a sample size to test on it would be very difficult to see what actions one must take to be a truly moral being.
DeleteSyed Farris Ali
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2
In the novel Marjane and her friends take rebellious actions when in school. A great example that portrays this is when Marjane says “After a little while, no one took the torture sessions seriously anymore as for me I immediately started making fun of them”(Satrapi 97) This portrays Marjane's childish and rebellious behavior that all teenagers have. She and her friends pulled many pranks and all revolted against the teacher to the point where they all get expelled and call their parents. In this sense I see how they are teenagers through their childish behavior that all teenagers have but they are different in a sense because they are involved in wars and political battles. We can see how unlike a normal teenager Marjane is involved in lots of protests and has a strong political view early on than most teenagers. She even gets involved with protesting and start liking more westernized culture rather than her own. She generally opposes society by conforming to more western culture by listening to western music such as Michael Jackson. She even gets inspiration from strong male communist leaders such as Che Guevara , Lenin Trotsky and Fidel Castro. The question I have is How might teenage rebellion differ based on different environment? This reminds me of a manga I read called Naruto. In the manga the main character Naruto Uzumaki is rejected by his entire village and as response he turns to rebellious actions like graffiti and childish pranks in order to gain attention.
Farris,
Deletei believe that environment is very important when considering what teenage rebellion really is. When we look at Marjane, her teenage rebellion is more of a rebellion against the Iranain government, which is different than what we see in our society nowadays. When considering Marjane's friends who threw a party when her parents went away for six days, I find this more relevant to today's teenage rebellion. I feel as though teens during Marjane's time was justified in their teenage rebellion, whereas our teenage rebellion is just a way for teens to act "cool" and upset their parents. At least that is how I see it and not everyone will see teenage rebellion the same way i see it, which is perfectly justified.
Dwija Dammanna, #2
ReplyDeleteIn Persepolis, Marjane and her Iranian friends partake in rebellion largely by participating in Western culture. The West was viewed as perpetrating "symbols of decadence," (Satrapi, 133) such as Michael Jackson and other musicians. How was music used for American rebellion, and how does that compare to rebellion in Iran? Marjane is accosted by Guardians of the Revolution for wearing inappropriate clothing. Marjane's parents encouraged her to listen to music she enjoyed, even if it was disapproved by the government. Her mother and father actually go out of their way to illegally bring in a poster that Marjan wanted from abroad. This is similar to how teenagers in the Soviet Union used to smuggle jeans as they were a symbol of the West, and therefore freedom. Later in the book, Marjane and her fellow young adult friends try to partake in "normal" activities, such as dancing, drinking, and listening to new music. However, oftentimes, they use these activities to try to ignore the reality of the oppressive government and the millions of lives lost as a result of the Iran-Iraq war. When Marjane returns from Europe, she is disappointed to find her friends "so unbearably inane" (Satrapi 260). They are focused on looking like "heroines of American TV series," (Satrapi 259) because this was one of the few ways they could rebel. The motivations between Marjane's rebellion and that of most normal teenagers are vastly different. Marjane and her friends want to take control of their life, which is something they have in common with American teenagers. However, the difference here is that they are being oppressed in almost every aspect of their life, from what they can wear, to who they can associate with.
Andrew Clarke question #2 Teenage Rebellion ===========
ReplyDeleteThe forms of teenage rebellion that Marjane and her friends participate in are fashion statements, smoking, parties, and having intercourse between each other. The ways that they might be like teenagers everywhere is because they feel the need to break out of societal norms or traditions and go against the wills of their oppressors. When Marjane talks back to the nun in the boarding house, she’s rebelling against the norms and rules that they have there because she wanted to eat all of her spaghetti straight from the pot. When the superior nun stops her and racially insults her, she responds by saying, “You were all prostitutes before becoming nuns!” (Satrapi, 177). Her friend, Julie also rebels, but in the form of pursuing her own self interests rather than listening to her mother. When Marjane lives with Julie and her mom, Marjane notices how much Julie doesn’t listen to her mother and she also learns that Julie has been intimate with eighteen guys in the span of five years. When Julie compares Marjane to herself, she states, “Oh, you’re the pure, timid, innocent virgin who does her homework. I’m not like that. I’ve been having sex for five years.” (Satrapi, 182). Do you think that Marjane would’ve accepted western society and customs that seemed to go against the Iranian traditionalist views had she been exposed to it sooner? Why? This idea of teenage rebellion is symbolic and similar to the theme of the book, which is mainly centered on the concept of rebellion, reminds me of the human desire we all have to be free. Early on in life, we want to make decisions for ourselves, and when we reach points in our lives such as getting our own car or apartment. This might even be when we might take action for our own interests at a time that wouldn’t be advisable to others, such as parents.
Andrew, I like how you gave specific examples regarding not only Marji's rebellious nature, but her friend's as well showing that outside influences may have resulted in her inappropriate behavior as well. One concern I had was regarding your question. I think it is rather specific and conditional. Though it can be answered given her surrounding situations, I think she was already introduced to these ideologies at a rather young age. If it were any earlier I don't think her age and the given maturity levels would facilitate rebellious behavior that early in life.
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ReplyDeleteMarjane and her friends display acts of rebellion very openly, as this was seen throughout the story. The teen rebellion started when she left home, but she was a rebellious child as a whole. Marjane would protest as a child often angering her parents while doing so. When she left her home in Iran, she ended up going to the Soviet Union for a long time. Here she was influenced greatly by the western cultures. Her friends really change and influence the way she ended up acting throughout the book. She starts smoking cigarettes due to outside influences and this shows that she is human just like every other teenage in the world. She is greatly influenced by her surroundings, and her boyfriend and her friends in the book are examples of these influences. She conforms to the people around her and starts smoking just like them. They are a bit different though because often she is alone and is known for “being in war”, which not many of us can relate to. Marjane says “We made quite a group of friends they were really interested in my story. Especially MOMO! He was fascinated by death.” (Strapi 167) A few pages after this scene, Marjane cuts off her hair. This shows rebellion in many ways as for one, a woman's hair is not to be shown in Iran so the fact that she doesn't look too much like a woman anymore really affects how people may perceive her, and to add onto this, she is now very much consumed in her friends. This is a major turning point in the book because she now looks and acts like her friends showing no recollection of her iranian culture. “Have you seen how beautiful she is now?” (Strapi 190). Do you think that in our society today we judge people a lot based solely on their looks? On this page Strapi illustrates the entire scene and how the haircut turned out. One can now see how much more Marjane is assimilated into the western culture, but is this necessarily a good thing? To an extent assimilation is fine, but so much so that you forget your roots? Overall teenage rebellion takes the forms of haircuts, cigarettes, and personality changes as Marjane becomes heavily influenced by her new friends, and loses sight of her old ones and this is also seen in many American societies today.
ReplyDeleteNeha Yerramreddy #1
ReplyDeleteThroughout Marjane’s life, justice has been a prevalent theme, and we can see how her perception of justice has changed as she has grown older and matured. From a very young age, Marjane has a rebellious attitude, showing desire to participate in the demonstrations that her parents attended, indicating that she believed in the injustice of the Iranian government (emphasized by her displeasure with wearing the veil and the separation of boys and girls in school). She strongly believes in the concept of justice and at one point, when she is a child, states that she wants to be a prophet and says she “wanted to be justice, love, and the wrath of god all in one.”(Satrapi, 9).We can see how Marjane’s view of justice is influenced by her family, as her mother tells her “Bad people are dangerous but forgiving them is too. Don’t worry, there is justice on earth.” (Satrapi, 53) Throughout her teens, Marjane continues to rebel and stand up to authority in an attempt to stand up for what she believed in, despite the consequences it might have had on her, which shows the extent to which she believed in the idea of justice and her own individual freedom. The most prominent example of this is when Marjane stands her ground against the Guardians of the Revolution, when they attempted to reprimand her for running in a way that they deemed inappropriate. Despite the fact that she knew that the Guardians were known to inflict harsh punishments upon those who engaged in “immoral behavior” she stood her ground anyway, believing that her personal freedoms and individuality were more important than the stringent rules the Iranian government imposed on her. Up until this point we see Marjane very firmly sticking to her beliefs, but later on, that consistency wavers when Marjane, in order to avoid getting arrested for wearing makeup, lies to officers and says that a man said something indecent to her, thereby securing his arrest. This selfish behavior contrasts with what we’ve seen from Marjane before, who was seemingly always righteous and honest, and shows how her circumstances have impacted her moral compass. However, after she is reprimanded by her grandmother, she resolves to never do something like that again. To some extent, I think this is a dilemma faced by everyone at one point or another, as everyone has struggled with choosing between either doing the right thing, or doing what will keep them out of trouble, This led me to the question, at what point does our own selfishness outweigh our need to adhere to our beliefs and values?
Mercedes, Prompt 2, Teenage Rebellion
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Persepolis, I noticed that Marjane Satrapi was never able to flourish freely. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution marred her livelihood; all Iranians were forced to adhere to a cruel, perverted interpretation of Islam. What she spoke about, dressed like, et cetera were not in her jurisdiction. To be able to conceive what had just happened, and also to go against it, Marjane and the people of Iran rebel. It is through this sort of dissent that she finally comes to find herself. She is intelligent. During class, she humorously points out the irony in her teacher’s lessons, “Every situation offered an opportunity for laughs...” (Satrapi, 101). She is daring. In spite of the veiled, conservative women around her, she continues strolling around town with a torn denim jacket and a pair headphones on. She is empathetic. Marjane tends to and learns from her uncle Anoosh, even though he spends time in jail or is accused of espionage. Like many of us, Marjane and her friends cannot stand being controlled by somebody else, whether that be a government official or a parent. For example, I have “rebelled” myself specifically through fashion and music, mostly because I am trying to find what fulfills me, not my parents, the most. In short, teenagers everywhere “experiment.” But there is a difference in Marjane’s purpose for her insurgency. It is not just to “discover” things about herself. It is so that she will not lose the semblance of who she already is. She also constantly fears her safety and well-being. To what extent is “freedom of expression” necessary for our personal development? What role does it play?
Heba Ahmed- Question 2
ReplyDeleteAs children, Marjane and her friends rebelled in the way their parents did, by pretending to protest and fight revolutions and dressing up as revolutionary figures. “Today, I am Che Guevara” (Satrapi, 14). As she grows older, however, she rebelled against the Islamic institutions, and then once with her mother. SO to a small extent they are like teenagers everywhere, but the restrictions they are put under as well as the reason they are put under them separate them from regular teenagers, and this therefore differentiated their forms of rebellion. For example, when marjane was in an Islamic Iranian school, all the girls would band together to fight the teachers and make a joke out of the activities they were supposed to be doing. She says, “every situation offered an opportunity for laughs” (Satrapi, 101), and she was not afraid of getting in trouble for doing so. However, was this a form of her rebellion, or was it another method of ‘bearing the unbearable’ (Satrapi, 266)? After she comes back from Vienna, her form of rebellion becomes more adult, because of the way she dresses, her boyfriend, the contraceptives, and her use of drugs and alcohol. Her friends are still a little more conservative- sticking to makeup, flirting, and throwing parties as their form of rebellion. This is what I think sets them apart from a regular american teenagers because things that are so common to us are things that are forbidden to them. So they are like teenagers everywhere, in that they want to rebel against the authority figures; however, their method of doing it and the circumstances under which they are doing it is what separates them from our version of a regular teenager.
Hi Heba. I agree with you that the thing that separates her rebellion from that of American teens is the fact that things that are common to us are forbidden to Iranian teens. I think it is interesting to consider that her Marjane seemed to be fearless in her rebellion in the beginning, due to the encouragement she received from her parents, but later on, once she faces the real consequences her rebellion would cause, she immediately runs in the other direction. The instance which this occurs is when Marjane, in order to avoid getting arrested for wearing makeup, lies to officers and says that a man said something indecent to her, thereby securing his arrest. She is unable to face the repercussions of her own rebellion, and ruins the life of an innocent man.
DeleteYue Taira, Question 2: Teenage Rebellion
ReplyDeleteAs a coming of age novel, it is no surprise that teenage rebellion is a constant theme throughout it. Teenage rebellion comes in many forms, and does so as a result of many factors, some including an oppressive government structure, as in Persepolis, or it being a mere inherent characteristic of teenagers in general. For Marjane, rebellion began when she smoked her first cigarette which she stole from her uncle whilst contemplating the revolution in her basement (Satrapi 117). However, this continued on as she repeatedly committed acts of teenage rebellion, including doing drugs with her friends in Vienna (Satrapi 192), and later on by taking part in small but significant acts of rebellion against the state (Satrapi 302). This could be done by showing wrists, wearing makeup, or listening to music. Of course, because not everyone is going through a revolution in their country, nor is every teenager restricted by strict laws imposed by the state, some of the forms of rebellion, especially those that Marji partakes in later on, might not be universal. However, the reason behind them, is the same. Most teenagers everywhere, partake in this “rebellion,” more often than not, to appear older, at least feel like it, as Marji does the first time she smokes a cigarette. Furthermore, other ways that the reasons for rebellion may manifests itself include any desire to be subversive towards an authority figure or wanting to find an escape from reality. Teens often tend to have the notion that they are almost, in a sense, invincible, and as a result, they may think that these acts of rebellion do not have any consequences, or at least any that could hurt them. Being teens ourselves, reflect on some of the acts of rebellion that we partake in regularly. To what extent is this considered “rebellion” and would it be considered so by teenagers themselves? How conscious are teens about their acts of rebellion and the motives behind them?
Dhannya John Question 2
ReplyDeleteIn Marjane’s generation, the teenagers were between the stages of getting out of being kids and more towards of being adults. They were forced into a situation where they needed to grow up overnight when the Iranian Revolution took place. Teenagers were a strong force although not as noticeable as adults and leaders during the revolution. Despite being at a young age, they were actively involved in the turmoil of Iran. This can be proven to the American Revolution when the concept of teenagers is fairly new and no one really understood the concept of being a “teenager” However, teenagers took a role in the revolution and faced the dilemma of their whole world changing. Ignorance was looked down upon especially in the book, adults (parents, teachers, etc) desired the kids to understand what was going down without explaining to them and also expected them due to their naivety to side with their opinions, however, they did not take into consideration how a “teenager” mind is very different from an “adult’s” mind. This can be seen in the book when Marjane is in school and her teacher made the statement “.. since the Islamic Republic was founded, we no longer have political prisoners..” (pg 144) As she said this statement, the drawings of the students showed disbelief and some with anger, but no one said anything, until Marjane spoke for her fellow classmates. After she finished her statement, her classmates changed their expression to a more joyful look as they agreed with her statement and even expressed it by clapping. I’ll finish this off with a question “how do you think Marjane and other teenagers felt when the revolution took place?”
Hi Dhannya, this is Sneha. I agreed with your interpretation of Marjane's reaction to the revolution as a teenager unprepared for the lack of justice that pervaded the Islamic Revolution. However, I do wonder what you think about how Marjane's childhood impacted her development into adolescence and beyond. Would she have been able to speak out freely in class if she had not been raised by such modern parents?
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ReplyDeleteBhavya Vasireddy
DeleteQuestion 1
Throughout Marji’s attempts to understand justice and forgiveness, she witnesses many triumphs under the rule of Shah. It began with the belief that capitalism is wrong, leading to the Islamic revolution. Her first ever encounter with a dilemma between the law and her personal perspective of freedom and justice, which can be found on page 1 when she questions, “We didn’t really like the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to.” (Satrapi 1). This initially curiosity is what sets the tone for the rest of the novel in the sense that the novel explores one intriguing idea of rebellion after the other. Not that her thoughts on the veil were rebellious; they simply required more reasoning. Another significant moment of Marji’s life that would widen her view on freedom and justice would be the instance the cinema theater burned down. "[The police] forbade people to rescue those locked inside." (Satrapi 2). During the fire, the police did not allow people to enter the building to save those inside nor did they allow those inside to exit, leaving so many people to burn to their deaths. This served as a major act of oppression against the people of Iran. It was a cruel act, but what was going to be the harm in rescuing all the people from the building? How would that have changed the reputation of the government and the dominance it tends to assert over the people of Iran, even though it should have most benefited them regardless? Moving back on topic, Marji recognizes this particular situation in her life as another opportunity to dive into her curious side and question the reasons behind a lack of freedom to the extent that people must lose their lives. Originally, it was just about a simple veil that signified a lack of freedom, but now, it’s the lack of freedom that people have on their own lives as well as a lack of justice to assure that all is fair in Iran.
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ReplyDeleteNicole Do #2
ReplyDeleteTeenage rebellions is very relevant throughout Satrapi’s story, as both she and her friends are experiencing it. Specific to Marjane, she is mainly taking rebellion against the Iranian ideals that are trying to be implemented on herself and others. Her parents have instilled in her the idea of individuality and the ideal that she should be able to dress and present herself in a way that makes her herself. We see this when Marjane goes out in her jean jacket, nikes, and Michael Jackson pin to buy two tapes, (Satrapi, 132-133). All of this is similar to how Marjane rebels throughout the book, but once she gets older and meets new people her teenage rebellion takes a different turn. When Marjane is older and is saying with her friend, she experiences true teenage rebellion, that closely resembles today’s teenage rebellion. Her friend’s mother is going away for six days and the first thing the girls do is call all their friends over for a party (Satrapi, 183). Reading the book and seeing the way how Marjane and her friends rebelled, I would say that their way of rebellion is not so far off to what teenagers everywhere do now. From smoking behind their parents’ backs to throwing parties the second their parents go out of town, I would say that many teenagers in this society have a similar mindset. I feel as though teenage rebellion that Satrapi has tried to convey is more of a “trying to find one’s self” rebellion where as today’s teenage rebellions tends to be in spite of parents and to fit in with certain groups of people. When reading the story, most of the teenage rebellion we see seems reasonable and almost justified, but in our world, most teenage rebellion seems unnecessary and childish. A question I asked myself quite a bit while writing this reflection was, What is actually considered rebellion? Is what we deem teenage rebellion to be today the same as when Marjane was a teen? How has teenage rebellion changed over time and what aspects must be included in order for teens’ actions to be considered an act of rebellion?
Hey Nicole, I really like the point that you bring up about how Marjane's own teenage opinion changes throughout the course of the book as she grows older and is exposed to different cultures. When she goes up to Vienna to study, I expected her to be overwhelmed by the new culture and be suppressed, but she maintains her rebellious fire within and keeps up the tradition of fighting against the norm by cutting her hair, gelling it, using eyeliner, and piercing her ears. I also agree with your stance that rebellion changes over time because though wearing jeans in the 1950's was a sign of rebellion, jeans are one of the most common types of pants worn in today's world, showing how the definition of teenage rebellion is a flexible one that changes with the times.
Delete- Rudransh Dikshit
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DeleteNicole,
DeleteI love your commentary on how Marjane's rebellion in the novel, or at least how she portrays her from her perspective, seems justified whereas in our world, it's deemed as irrational or unreasonable. In response to your question of how teen rebellion has changed over time, I think a lot of it simply has to do with trends. I don't think many teens today listen to rock music to rebel, but a different type of music, explicit rap, has taken its place. Additionally, I find that heavy eyeliner, grunge clothing, etc. are more so stereotypes than realities for teens today (just because fashion has changed over time) but smoking, partying, etc. are still prevalent. Your question about the definition of rebellion is difficult to answer. I've always perceived rebellion as resistance to authorities, so I think that for a teen's action to be considered a rebellion, it has to contradict an authority of some sort (a parent, an educator, a law, etc).
- Courtney Chen
Nicole, I agree with your idea regarding teenage rebellion and it's ubiquitous nature in society today. However, there is one thing I would like to consider more in depth. You state that Marjane is rebelling in order to protest what the people of Iran consider to be unfair against their rights, but one thing I thought of was her age. Was her rebellious nature really something she was consciously thinking about in order to gain freedoms or rather was it a result of the independent and unconsequential childhood that her parents gave her as a result of the revolutions going on during the time.
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ReplyDelete2. From my viewpoint, the story of Marjane’s rebellion throughout the novel is Marjane discovering who she wants to be. It is implicated early on that Marjane is impressionable, revering her parents as a source of what she believes to be absolute truth. In her efforts to emulate her parents, it seems as if her imitation is in a way disingenuous, not in that she doesn’t espouse the same ideologies her parents do, but in that she reaches some of her intellectual conclusions with what might be described as too much involvement from the older people in her life she respects. It seems that when Marjane goes to study abroad, her use of drugs and alcohol aren’t just a way for her to strike back at common culture, but also a coping mechanism for the lack of personal identity that she was unable to develop. And to say that this was Marjane’s first form of rebellion would be invalid given the numerous circumstances in which she does bark back at higher powers (such as when she was in the classroom contradicting her teachers and telling officers not to stare at her behind). But the form of rebellion Marjane undergoes in Europe is to me what feels like the first feeling of separation that Marjane decides to develop between herself and those close in her life, making it the first form of rebellion that actually means something in accordance to who she was in the past. With this in mind, the ending decision for Marjane to leave Iran is monumental in its act of cementing Marjane’s growth as an individual (“I can’t take it anymore. I have to leave this country.” Satrapi 340) rather than an imitator of those she feels that she should be. Marjane’s growth to become an individual calls into question the extent to which we are reflections of others rather than ourselves. In a world that is progressing in terms of international communication, is it safe to say that our desire to create a more homogeneous environment detrimental to the development of one’s identity?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your idea regarding her lack of identity through her drug use abroad. It is interesting how you look at the development of her rebellious nature as most people believe she is considered to be rebellious from day one and I actually tend to agree with you. I think a lot of what she does as a child toward the beginning of the book has no intention of being rebellious but rather is just a result of her immaturity and inability to make rational decisions. In regard to your question, I think it might be a little too broad. How does the idea of international communication relate to the development of one's identity. If it were to be something along the lines of culture or ideas, something broader in scope, I think there could be legitimate arguments made.
Delete2. Ruben Mikaelyan
ReplyDeleteWhat forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
Marjane when she moved to Austria found a new group of friends. When hanging out with her new friends, Mo said, “If, at the beginning of the century, the anarchists had triumphed, we wouldn’t work at all. Man isn’t made for work” (Satrapi 176). During the time, anarchy was not a legitimate and approved concept so the fact that her and friends talk about anarchy shows how they are teenagers rebelling with whatever they can. It just happens that political ideas were one of the easiest ways for them to rebel. This continues with the way they dress and show themselves. Momo, one of Marjane’s most notable friends in the middle of the book, wears nearly all leather with a mohawk hair-do and lace-up boots. Even in Austrian culture, this was seen as rebellious. Marjane’s friend Julie was also very promiscuous which is also a concept that is commonly related to rebellious teenagers. She was so promiscuous that “Julie just slept with her 19th guy” (Satrapi 188). For these reasons, Marjane and her friends are all teenagers everywhere. They have a lot of sex and talk about politics they do not understand. At the same time though, they are different in the aspect in which they were teenagers of a different time. So, what was cool for them is no longer considered in and cool for teenagers of today’s world. It is interesting how teenagers, regardless of what time and age, always tend to rebel against the previous social norms.
Question: If there are always teenagers who are rebellious, could this this be considered normal?
DeleteHarsha Jagannathan
ReplyDelete#2. What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
Marji and her friends rebel against societal norms primarily through their practice of western culture. During the revolution, Marji and her friends rebel by wearing make-up, by hosting parties at night, and by talking about the need for change with each other. Marji even has sexual affairs with multiple men, an act considered disgraceful both by the regime and Islam. These acts, though indirect, serve as a way for Marji to stay true to herself, to preserve her rights/morality, and to highlight the injustices Iranian women faced in their society.
I think that the author intended to describe her rebellious nature through a bildungsroman in order to highlight how the environment of a person moulds the characteristics of a person. This is evident throughout Marji’s life. When she was young and had only experienced Iranian culture, she thought of herself as a prophet. This is evident when she says, “at the age of six, I was already sure I was the last prophet” (10, Satrapi). This is due to the emphasis on traditions in her culture and her education. But after she moved to Vienna, she became more of a realist. She was able to see Iran from a western perspective and realized that Iranian women lacked some of the basic rights given to women all around the world: women in Iran were confined to wear a veil, to suppress their beauty for seemingly unjust reasons. She also took up smoking and selling drugs as a way to cope with the realization she had after coming to Vienna. After she came back to Iran, she took it upon herself to spread the knowledge she had gained from the outside world. “Why is it that I, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men, can get excited by two inches less of my head-scarf?” (300, Satrapi). She rose to any and every form of injustice and took it upon herself to spread the knowledge around the world. In a sense, she was trapped in her childish belief that she was a prophet, but, at the same time, she was also amazed by the reality of her society in Iran. My arguments above have led me to the question: did she actually rebel against the injustice in Iran? Or was she merely a product of the cultural stigma present in Iran?
In a sense, she is similar to every teenager in every society. Afterall, rebellion is a characteristic often associated to teenagers. She is reckless, she tries new things, she falls in love many time, etc. She takes drugs, tries new hairstyles, has sexual affairs with many people, and worries about her looks. The main difference between her and other teenagers could be her drive for political justice in Iran. Most teenagers worry about college, about grades, about work, about what they would like to do as a job. Marji, however, worries about how she could bring justice in Iran.
I can relate to Marji’s life to the famous philosophical reading: “the allegory of the cave”. Basically, as the reading goes, there are prisoners in a cave who have never seen the outside world. They have been chained their entire life and have only seen the shadows of each other. But one day, a man is let out of the cave to experience the outside world. At first, he is very scared but eventually he gets used to it and understands the foolish life he had been living his entire life. So he heads back to the cave to help his friends get enlightened. This is the same with Marji. Have had a taste of the outside world (freedom), she takes it upon herself to enlighten her society.
Kelly Wei / Question #3
ReplyDeleteMarjane's earliest form of "self revision" occurs following the execution of her uncle, Anoosh. In her grief and anger, she rejects her religion, seemingly unable to reconcile the kind divine figure of her childhood imagination with the inhumane actions of those who have pledged themselves to the same deity. Lying on her bed in tears, she harshly refutes her subconscious image of God, who comes to her to offer comfort. "Shut up, you!" She furiously shouts (70). "Get out of my life!!! I never want to see you again!" This exchange is metaphorical, but establishes one of the first instances in her life where she changes a significant piece of her identity. This rejection of her faith puts an inevitable distance between her and her culture; and such a development parallels the real world. In the next panel following this exchange, she narrates, "It was the beginning of the war." Yet another instance of Marjane reshaping her identity is her transition from a girl to a young lady. As the regime grows stronger, Marjane finds herself confronted with death and despair. She cuts class and gets into a fight with her mother, and in a subtle act of rebellion, symbolically ends her childhood by smoking a cigarette she stole from her uncle. "With the first cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye," she states (117). "Now I was a grown-up." Again, here we see Marjane moves away from the expectations of her society to be obedient. It's as if she remakes herself each time by cutting out a piece of her heritage. We see this repeated again and again throughout the book as she becomes increasingly Westernized. However, it isn't until the final culmination of her sadness and failure, after becoming virtually homeless while abroad and ending up in a hospital, that she realizes she must reconnect with her homeland to truly emerge from her brokenness. Following her recovery, "[she] packed [her] bag...[she] again put on [her] veil" (245) and looked in the mirror at her own reflection, where she dons a headdress she detests. "I needed so badly to go home," (245) she narrates.
(continued)
DeleteThis sort of modification of the identity brings to mind a lot of movie montages that feature a girl changing some aspect of herself - usually an action that casts away her prior perspective or innocence - in a symbolic representation of renewal. For example, a girl cutting her hair is one of the most most classic examples of this, or losing her virginity.
Question: At the end of her journey, she realizes she is happiest in Iran with her family, despite Iran also being what drove her away in the first place and started her process of remaking herself. Why is it that what is most familiar to us - even when it has harmed us - is also what we find the most fulfillment in? And why do we often correlate physical acts (smoking, sex, cutting your hair) with mental/emotional growth?
Courtney Chen
ReplyDelete2 - Marjane’s rebellions
Marjane breaks the law and participates in teen rebellion by attending demonstrations, listening to rock music, hosting parties, smoking cigarettes, and wearing controversial clothing. Like many teens, Marjane experiences a “punk” phase where she immerses herself in music commonly disapproved of by adults from artists such as Kim Wilde, Iron Maiden, and ACDC. She “[tries] a few new haircuts”, begins sporting a “thick line of eyeliner” (Satrapi 36), and undergoes the same identity crisis teens around the world face. Furthermore, like others, much of this is due to a desire to grow up and attain independence and freedom. For me, these actions are relatable to my experiences as a teenager and young adult. My attempts at listening to alternative music and experimenting with different clothing styles are all in efforts to discover myself as a person. However, I think the meaning behind Marjane’s teen rebellions diverges from that of myself and other Western teens. While we face lectures and groundings from our parents when we contradict their word, Marjane’s stakes are much higher: she faces imprisonment, abuse, and even execution. When she listens to rock music or wears denim, it’s not just impolite or unethical in her parents’ mind but illegal in the country she lives in. Her desire to listen to Western music and assimilate to Western culture can therefore be seen not just as a coming-of-age urge to be free from the constraints of parents but an urge to be free from the restriction and oppression of her country. In contrast to how typical teen rebellions are against parents’ consent, Marjane actually has the support of her parents for many of her actions. Although she still does things that her parents disapprove of, such as cutting class or smoking cigarettes, we see that her parents are relatively lenient–almost too lenient, in fact–and respective of her as a young adult. Even as a teen, her parents allow her to attend risky demonstrations. Her mom gives her money to purchase jeans. Her parents smuggle graphic posters of punk rock artists illegally past the Iranian customs for her. Her parents send her out of the country to live on her own before she turns 18. Her mom asks her for a cigarette and smokes with her. Perhaps stemmed from their political ideologies, her parents’ allowance and even encouragement of her to participate in such dangerous or risky activities is what differentiates her from most teens. Why do her parents both discourage and encourage her rebellious behavior (in reference to when her mom tells her not to smoke but later asks for a cigarette)? Is “growing up too fast” for Marjane more of a choice (as seen by her desire to attend demonstrations, wear makeup, smoke cigarettes, etc.) or an inevitable occurrence based on her circumstances?
Hi Courtney, this is Sneha. I appreciated your analysis of how her parents' leniency towards Marjane propelled her to partake in dangerous and inadvisable activities. Do you think that she would have still rebelled if she had grown up in a more traditionally religious household that conformed strictly to the doctrines of the Islamic Republic? I think she would have, though perhaps in a different way and to a lesser degree, because she had several childhood experiences outside of her home that could have exposed her to modernity and Western values.
DeleteI really like the examples from the book that you included in your response. However, I disagree that those were examples of teenage rebellion. For me, personally, what sets "teenage rebellion" apart from other types of rebellion is that "teenage rebellion" implies some sort of disobedience against one's parents. The reason I argue this is because when we are teenagers, the strongest force in our lives is our parents no matter what because we are still their dependents. So, Satrapi indulging in denim jackets and rock music, for me, is not "teenage rebellion" because her parents allowed in and, arguable, encouraged it. I would say, however, that that instance would be an act of societal rebellion. You could also argue that when Satrapi didn't share the fact that she was called a "whore" by the ladies on the street with her mother was teenage rebellion.
DeleteAnu Uppal- Question #2- What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
ReplyDeleteMarjane lived in a very restricted environment post war, in the Islamic Regime. Due to this, she found was to ‘rebel’ or express herself. For example when she asks her parents to bring a “denim jacket” and “two posters” or “Kim Wilde” and the “iron Maiden” (Satrapi 126). All of these items displayed at act of rebellion, as they were all banned in Iran, at that time. Furthermore, Marjane likes listening to punk and rock music, which really showed her western influences. The fact that she listed to that type of music, showed her political allegiances and how she did not support the current way Iran was being ruled. Marjane’s rebellious acts had different repercussions, than what other teenagers would get. For Marjane’s, her actions could result in serious government reprisals, which could get violent. For example, just for wearing western clothing Marjane is called a “whore”. Even though, her clothing covered her fully, the fact that is was western was a mor. In other parts of the world, a teenager would probably be grounded or have their most prized possessions taken away. The contrast between Marjane and other teenagers rebelling is very different. Especially, in her later teenage years, when she was in Europe, Marjane started to use drugs. The extreme contrast is seen in not only the environments, as is Europe Marjane rebelled in a more serious fashion than in Iran but in Iran she was reprimanded to a more extreme level by the government.
Questions: How does location affect the type of teenage rebellion? Does committing an act of rebellion in face of tragedy make it any better?
I absolutely loved your question about whether committing an act of rebellion in face of a tragedy justifies it at all, and I would say that it depends on the situation. For example, continuing with the theme of teenage rebellion, if a teenager hails from an abusive household and decides to indulge in drugs and alcohol to cope, I would argue that he is not justified because he is not only breaking law and creating instability in society but he is, at the end of the day, only hurting himself by putting himself in a situation in which he can ruin his life by either getting in trouble with the law or permanently damaging his health. However, if a girl is being raped or is at risk of getting sexually abused and she decided to pull out a gun an shoot the person who is threatening her, then I would say that she is justified because even though she hurt or killed a person, she did it out of best interest for her own safety and hurt or killed someone who was malicious to society anyways.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete#2) Alec Xu - What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
ReplyDeleteTeenage rebellion is, more often than not, a subject of concern for both parents and teacher around the world. In Marjane, for example, we see this rebellious nature, like many other teens around her and across the world, expressed through her actions rather than her thoughts. In Persepolis, the idea of teenage rebellion is rather explicit showing the uncontrolling nature of her parents. Through her entire life, Marjane is given a rather large amount of freedom to do whatever she would like. This idea is also supported through her parents deciding to foster her education elsewhere and though the idea was to move her to a place where political turmoil was lessened, her demand for less conservative items such as her taste for punk and rock music. To many households as well as government figures, these types of music were practically banned within the country. Marjane and her friends sought to go against what the government imposed and expressed the freedoms they believed they had. This idea can also be seen in today's society. Teens and young adults, specifically, in today's pop culture are working to work against stereotypes placed on specific demographics in generations prior. A majority of the music, clothing, ideas, etc. are all what would have been considered to be rebellious, however, we do not see it the same today. Unlike the turmoil seen in Iran due to harsh government intervention in society, we accept rebellion. All that we do and see and experience are, in the context of Marjane, rebellious. However, it is different. Not necessarily in the actions we take as teenagers, but instead how we perceive it as a society. Question: We understand that the acts of Marji in her society at that specific time were considered rebellious. What would we have to do, as teenagers in America, against the norms of the government in order to be considered rebellious?
I really enjoyed the question you set up as it made me sort of put myself in Marji's shoes. When immersed by strong culture it can be hard to stray away from it, and America, the "mixing pot" is surrounded by so many various cultures it is rather difficult to find one that makes you stand out abnormally. However, I find most rebellious actions taken by teens in America are not by fashion or ,music but more by developed habits such as drinking and drugs that will be more permanent in the long run. Because Americans have such strong drives, determination, and patriotism the absence of those qualities by drinking is what separates you from the rest. The ability to let go in an uptight society is the highest form of rebellion possible.
Delete^ Saige C
DeleteKarvi Bhatnagar (1)
ReplyDeletePerhaps one of the main themes of Persepolis is the question of justice. What makes Satrapi an extraordinary person is that she was taught to question everything around her from the beginning, and she always searched for what was right. Since she was a child, she wanted to be a prophet and saw nothing wrong with a female prophet because she deemed it as being just. She started to recognize her privilege from a young age because one of her rules as a prophet was that "all maids should eat at the table with the others" (Satrapi 7). She even "wanted to be justice, love and the wrath of God all in one" (Satrapi 9). Though she was young and had a relatively pure perception of the world, the fact that "justice" mattered to her at all sets the stage for the rest of her life's journey. Throughout her childhood, she questions her own parents several times, like when her father explained to her that people should marry within their social class, but she was always told by them that they are fighting to get rid of social classes. She immediately questions him about whether he wanted social classes or not. When she is in Europe, she realizes that things aren't a whole lot better there, since she was expelled from her school for defending herself from a racist comment. Throughout her time in Europe, she realizes that people have a strange perception of her because of her heritage, thus demolishing this image that she always had about Europe being some sort of liberated and accepting utopia. However, she learns to forgive the bad for the good, which include the time that she spent with her German friend's family in which she felt like their own. A question we can ask ourselves regarding this topic is how is justice different from one person to another? If this story was told by one of Satrapi's classmates, in Europe or Iran, rather than her, would their version of justice look different despite being in a similar environment?
Saige C (2)
ReplyDeleteTeenage rebellion more often than not, is not a legitimate piece of a teenagers identity but instead a form of expression used to make a statement to an older figure. However, with Marji I do not find this to be the case. Marji consistently shows actions of rebellion, expressing forms of distaste for the government and actively partaking in the extremes of other cultures. Because her sense of individualism was stripped of her at a young age, I believe some of the motivation for such revolt is to compensate for this lack of identity and find innovative ways to disobey the norms in the uniform society. Her parents' lack of stringency only enhances the prominence of Satrapi's defiant nature. It is through this personal freedom along with the hardships she's witnessed that she feels the need to separate from God telling him to, "get out" (Satrapi 70). This removal of God from her life along with the consent of her parents is what opens the doors for her to listen to American music, drink, and go to parties. Despite facing dangerous confrontations by women as a result of this behavior and her parents' growing concerns she continues to embrace this faulty behavior as her own. I think a good example of this was when she sported the veil along with the western jean jacket. While it frowned upon to be influenced by western culture, it is perhaps even worse to the Guardians to see these controversial pieces next to something of high respect like the veil. For Marji to have these things coexist is potentially one of her more profound expressions. She even scolds the women for "not knowing what punk means" when she hypocritically, is not much more informed. Although Marji had a similar attitude as that of the American people in terms of seeking freedom, her understandings are restricted much as mine are about life in Iran. I take Satrapi's words to heart and use her knowledge from Persepo,lis as my own whereas she took the lyrics of Kim Wilde and Michael Jackson to essentially "travel" away from her own society. However, we as people in this country can easily spot inconsistencies with the portrayal of life in America while people like Marji could not, causing her to also have a somewhat unfounded admiration for a foreign lifestyle. This leads me to ask the question is Marji's perception of western culture valid? Would she have been as rebellious had the veil not been enforced so early in her life? And finally, are acts of rebellion during a time of political unrest justified/ validated or are they still viewed as taboo?
#2 In the novel, Persepolis, Marjane and her friends use the clothes that they wear and the music that they listen to. Marjane wears a denim jacket, Michael Jackson pin, and Nike shoes. Although, she is almost arrested by the Guardians of the Revolution, she continues to rebel against the Islamic regime. To a certain extent, they are like teenagers everywhere because they are involved in pop culture. However, teenagers in other countries do not face war and consequences of war. In Iran, it is harder to be involved in pop culture due to the society that they live in where they try to diminish the amount of pop culture used by forced rules. Marjane also speaks out against customs as she grows older as a form of rebellion. In her interview for college, she speaks honestly about how she feels about religion that most candidates in interviews had conformed to the society in rule.
ReplyDelete2) What forms does teenage rebellion take among Marjane and her friends? To what extent are they like teenagers everywhere? How are they different?
ReplyDeleteAns: The author Marjane Satrapi utilizes the theme of rebellion to emphasize the growth and development that Marjane undergoes as a character during her childhood. The theme of rebellion is presented throughout the novel Persepolis in different manners. For example: Marjane vs Society. Marjane is also influenced by the other major rebellions that occurs during her childhood. Marjane also faces rebellions against her family and friends. Marjane applies the rebellions into her personal life and resulting rebellious changes perspective about the things she values. Marjane also faces rebellions against herself. Her inner rebellious conflicts enable her to make decisions as an adult and these choices take the form of inner rebellions. The role of rebeliion plays significant role in the novel. As a result of Marjane's rebellious behavior she is able to break free from her country, parent's views and enters adulthood with her own, fully formed ideas about the world.
Rithvik Gunda- Question 3
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, one of the most obvious themes is Marjane’s lack of identity- and in my opinion she seems to project this underlying insecurity in several different ways. As Marjane grew up in a moderate to severely stressful environment, she had to come up with a way to cope with the situations she was facing. And in order to deal with times like these, I believe that Marjane puts up a different mask every time she hits a new low or doesn’t know how to deal with a problem she is facing. And I would say that a reason for this would be that, as a child she was constantly faced with multiple perspectives on what the world should look like, and what should have been considered right or wrong. Many times, these basic perspectives form our moral compass, and even go so far to have an impact on our identity and what we believe in. In the case of Marjane Satrapi, it is quite difficult for her to form her the foundation of who she was because at home her parents exposed her to one mindset, and then at school her teachers, and acquaintances had their own sets of beliefs. Then later on as Marjane would grow up she moved to a much more western environment, where societal expectations were drastically varied from those where she grew up. Perhaps had she stayed in Iran for the entirety of her adolescence she might have been able to form a more structured identity, but this was not the case. When you're a child, your parents are the people you look up to, and trust the most, but as you grow older you start to notice more, and more about your environment, and where you live in your teenage years and the people around you during those times tend to have a large impact on how you view yourself, and your self worth. Which is why I think that one of the similarities between the versions of her new self that Satrapi constantly puts up all carry a characteristic or trait that is most “ideal” to her at the time. For example, in the start of the novel (page 10) Satrapi pretends to be Che Guevara, a symbol of rebellion in many countries. One thing of significance regarding Guevara is that he was able to inspire a generation of people to fight for a cause that they believed- he took action when nobody else did. And in this specific instance this is the one trait that sticks out to Satrapi- hence her immediate instinct to channel Guevara when her parents refuse to let her go to the protest the night before. In her mind, she is taking action when nobody else is, and it's quite interesting as the only way for her to do what she’s doing is to pretend to be somebody else.