What I found most striking about Persepolis was the way in which it emphasizes the nature of Iran before the Islamic revolution. I don't want to admit this because it makes me sound ignorant, but I didn't know that Iran's Islamic government came to power as recently as 1978. I'd seen photos of women in veils and had assumed it had always been this way. We (I) have a tendency to think of cultural evolution as moving on a direct path--from conservative to progressive. I didn't realize what a back-track it had been. Maryam posted a quote from Satrapi on her blog:
"If you notice I didn't use any cultural markings. You didn't see anything Iranian in the animation or graphic novel because I wanted my audience to realize that this could be anywhere, it could be Connecticut."
This is what I found most powerful about the book. That this sort of revolution could happen anywhere. I was moved/disturbed when I read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale during my first week of study abroad in Cuba. The synchronicity wasn't intentional but it certainly turned out that way. Cuba's revolution was sudden, and so was the revolution in The Handmaid's Tale. The woman in the book's story begins in contemporary America, but soon a religious regime takes over and women's bank accounts are turned over to their husbands/male family members. And after that women's rights are slowly taken away until women are essentially property of the dictatorial and conservatively Christian regime that has taken over the United States.
I'm also glad that we read a graphic memoir--it was my first experience with the graphic novel/memoir, save a Superman comic I read when I was twelve. Structurally, I found the structure of the memoir fascinating in that Satrapi had only a few carefully chosen words to tell her life story. She picked all the right words and as Libba said in her blog, her graphics also function as words.
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3 comments:
Your response is very honest Emily, I like that you admit thinking that the women always wore the veil. I notice that Muslim women are seen (in most of America) this way as well: we are all forced to cover and have no rights. When in reality it really depends on the family and the country that the women live in.
Maybe you could write a piece about how your religion (either when you were a child or even now as an adult) and how you feel about untrue steretypes or what others assume they know about you. I look forward to reading it if you do.
It is interesting how heavily this form relies on image and dialogue (as Amy touched upon in her response as well)--I also struggle with the incorporation of dialogue and so found this interesting, and effective at telling a story in a new way.
Also, I can be very ignorant when it comes to history and politics, so don't feel bad. I agree with Maryam that it's good to admit it sometimes.
I'm with you Emily in learning so much about that country and history and religion. I was surprised by a lot that I learned, but I was really glad that she was able to infuse her personal story with so much of her country's story. It's a skill I would love to have.
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