Social Class vs. Political Views
How does the social status of an individual conflict with the ethical and political views they have? The graphic novel Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, shows a middle class family with a high class background in a country where the government has changed from a slightly Americanized culture to a more oppressive conservative Islamic culture. In 1979 Iran, a movement occurred that was later known as the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis is Marjane’s (Marji”s) auto biography of her at twelve years old going through the historical events taking place in Iran from 1980 and onward. The changing government in Iran had a profound impact on the population resulting in conflict and horrific violence that an any child …show more content…
Ensuring one’s social standing guarantees that their life and their family’s life remains the same and not in harm’s way, but the cost of doing so may be excruciating. In Marji’s free time she was told that Ramin’s, a boy she knew, father was a part of the Shah’s secret police, which was responsible for the death of many people. Without hesitation, Marji became a bully: “in the name of the dead million, we’ll teach Ramin a good lesson” (45). Marji was then reprimanded for what she was going to do. The son of someone on the secret police is a hard tittle to bear. Ramin was innocent though. He was not murderer but because of his father’s action and social status Ramin was labeled the same regardless of his actions.
Throughout the story of Persepolis, individuals in Marji’s family were introduced in moments that furthered Marji’s understanding of this revolution. Some of Marji’s family members see that the existence of social classes, created by politics, are holding down the people in Iran. Her grandmother tells her that her grandfather served as prime minister but opposed the new regime. Her grandfather states, “It disgusts me that people are condemned to a bleak future by their social class” (23). He was then sent to prison; punished for going against the new …show more content…
The new regime under the new Shah includes these barriers between social classes and prevents the people from changing their future in any way. It was believed that the future of those in each social class was predetermined and could not be changed because of the strict barriers and rules the government at that time in Iran inflicted on the people. Those that opposed the regime were either executed or sent to prison and tortured. Marjane Satrapi’s way of writing from an innocent child’s perspective phenomenally gained empathy from readers making the graphic novel educational and interesting to
How does the social status of an individual conflict with the ethical and political views they have? The graphic novel Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, shows a middle class family with a high class background in a country where the government has changed from a slightly Americanized culture to a more oppressive conservative Islamic culture. In 1979 Iran, a movement occurred that was later known as the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis is Marjane’s (Marji”s) auto biography of her at twelve years old going through the historical events taking place in Iran from 1980 and onward. The changing government in Iran had a profound impact on the population resulting in conflict and horrific violence that an any child …show more content…
Ensuring one’s social standing guarantees that their life and their family’s life remains the same and not in harm’s way, but the cost of doing so may be excruciating. In Marji’s free time she was told that Ramin’s, a boy she knew, father was a part of the Shah’s secret police, which was responsible for the death of many people. Without hesitation, Marji became a bully: “in the name of the dead million, we’ll teach Ramin a good lesson” (45). Marji was then reprimanded for what she was going to do. The son of someone on the secret police is a hard tittle to bear. Ramin was innocent though. He was not murderer but because of his father’s action and social status Ramin was labeled the same regardless of his actions.
Throughout the story of Persepolis, individuals in Marji’s family were introduced in moments that furthered Marji’s understanding of this revolution. Some of Marji’s family members see that the existence of social classes, created by politics, are holding down the people in Iran. Her grandmother tells her that her grandfather served as prime minister but opposed the new regime. Her grandfather states, “It disgusts me that people are condemned to a bleak future by their social class” (23). He was then sent to prison; punished for going against the new …show more content…
The new regime under the new Shah includes these barriers between social classes and prevents the people from changing their future in any way. It was believed that the future of those in each social class was predetermined and could not be changed because of the strict barriers and rules the government at that time in Iran inflicted on the people. Those that opposed the regime were either executed or sent to prison and tortured. Marjane Satrapi’s way of writing from an innocent child’s perspective phenomenally gained empathy from readers making the graphic novel educational and interesting to