Persepolis’s Place
The Iranian Revolution took place in 1979, when Iran became a religious fundamentalist society and theocracy, changing the country as the Iranian people knew it. Clothing and fashion became centered around modesty as the new leaders believed that hair would stimulate and distract others. Children were enlisted—as young as age twelve—to go to war. The new theocratic government had a Supreme Leader who enacted legal changes, not for the will of the people, but for his own agenda. The drastic shift moved away from Western ideologies into a brutal environment for many Iranians; these changes are depicted in Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis. Legislative shifts affected everyone, regardless of age, class or gender: “patriarchal norms and notions such as, “man is the head of the family”, “woman is the second sex”, and “women and children are the property of the men in the family” …show more content…
This, as Sarapi would put it, humanizes the other. She shows the people behind the power, and how like many they also took issue with what was happening. Unfortunately, their voices were silenced in a wave of brutality. So Persepolis does all three, in the best way. By humanizing the forgotten people, it both challenges and dispels assumptions. In a way, Satrapi also confirms some of it as well. She is not afraid to show how horrifying some of it was, and the grief and suffering the revolution caused. Due to this, her novel is censored in Iran, adding to another point Marji brings to light; the actions of a few can change the lives of many. Persepolis breaks the wall of division for us, making it in an accessible format for all to read. In conclusion, Persepolis, as a novel shows the duality of Iran - an author who can change perceptions and move her audience, in a country that won’t let her be
The Iranian Revolution took place in 1979, when Iran became a religious fundamentalist society and theocracy, changing the country as the Iranian people knew it. Clothing and fashion became centered around modesty as the new leaders believed that hair would stimulate and distract others. Children were enlisted—as young as age twelve—to go to war. The new theocratic government had a Supreme Leader who enacted legal changes, not for the will of the people, but for his own agenda. The drastic shift moved away from Western ideologies into a brutal environment for many Iranians; these changes are depicted in Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis. Legislative shifts affected everyone, regardless of age, class or gender: “patriarchal norms and notions such as, “man is the head of the family”, “woman is the second sex”, and “women and children are the property of the men in the family” …show more content…
This, as Sarapi would put it, humanizes the other. She shows the people behind the power, and how like many they also took issue with what was happening. Unfortunately, their voices were silenced in a wave of brutality. So Persepolis does all three, in the best way. By humanizing the forgotten people, it both challenges and dispels assumptions. In a way, Satrapi also confirms some of it as well. She is not afraid to show how horrifying some of it was, and the grief and suffering the revolution caused. Due to this, her novel is censored in Iran, adding to another point Marji brings to light; the actions of a few can change the lives of many. Persepolis breaks the wall of division for us, making it in an accessible format for all to read. In conclusion, Persepolis, as a novel shows the duality of Iran - an author who can change perceptions and move her audience, in a country that won’t let her be