Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane
Satrapi
Originally released to critical acclaim in France, Persepolis:
The Story of a Childhood is Marjane Satrapi's memoirs
of growing up in war torn Iran during the late nineteen seventies
and early nineteen eighties. Written in stark black and white
comic strip images, Ms. Satrapi details the history of her family
(her great-grandfather was the last emperor of Iran), the reasons
behind the Islamic revolution, and the daily life of a young girl
affected by said events.
Persepolis, which was the center of the Great
Persian Empire, introduces us to ten year old Marjane. Precocious
and rebellious, Marjane could be any child living down the street
from you or me. Her questions at times seem a bit forward and
advanced for her age. But, considering her predicament, she is
as inquisitive and analytical as any adult. An only child of intellectual
parents, Marjane's conversations with God, love of music (she
was a fan of Michael Jackson "when he was still black"),
and arguments with her teacher remind us of any typical child
at that tender age of discovery.
The United States supported the regime of the Shah (King) Mohammed
Reza Pehlavi who was forced into exile in nineteen seventy-nine.
The Ayatollah Khomeini ruled from nineteen seventy-nine until
his death I nineteen eighty-nine. Ms. Satrapi sheds light on some
of the Islamic rules that were imposed upon the country under
the Khomeini's reign: the veil, which became mandatory in schools
in nineteen eighty, is worn by women to hide their hair as not
to 'excite' men. Men are forbidden to wear neckties (among other
things) as it symbolises Western thinking. (Ms. Satrapi illustrates
the different ways in which she and her classmates make the veil
more useful - jump rope, the monster of darkness, giddyap horsey,
etc.); the key, which is given to young boys who, if they went
to war and were 'lucky enough to die', were granted access in
to heaven; the beating of the breast to mourn the dead and (oftentimes)
brutal self-flagellation in the name of religion. We are given
a glimpse of the torture endured by some of the 'Guerillas', and
witness the bombing death of one of Marjane's Jewish classmates.
By the close of the book, fourteen year old Marjane is sent to
live in Vienna (without her parents), but not before filling a
jar with Iranian soil.
History and heartbreak (along with humour) are all encompassed
in Persepolis. Living in a nation as rich and
thriving as America, I am guilty of taking for granted a myriad
of things this country has to offer. Unfortunately, it is during
times of war and hardship (my own and others), that I recognise
this. Having said that, I do not believe that was Ms. Satrapi's
intentions in writing this book. I believe she wanted to remember
and honour her people, and also show that despite our diverse
religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, all of that should
transcend our cultural differences to respect human life and conduct
ourselves with decent human behaviour. And what a clever way of
documenting one«s history. Ms. Satrapi may have set in motion
a renaissance for the graphic novel (with a respectful nod to
folks like Neil Gaiman and Los Brothers Hernandez). Although Persepolis
gave me some insight into the Iraqi conflicts (I read the book
in two evenings), I still need to educate myself. Especially with
our own war with Iraq continuing.
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