Rough Draft

Manuel Portela

Mrs. Knapp

English 1B

Oct 21, 2011

Title?

           The clash between the old and the new in a developing country affects different people in diverse ways. The majority time the beliefs in these views cause revolutions within the country. The people that end affected the most are the children, and sometime generations are lost in war. The graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi takes place during the Iran revolution and invasion by Iraq. The book is told through the eyes of a little girl growing up in Iran in the 1980’s. Throughout the book you see the main Character Marjane changes from and a girl who believes and does everything she is told, to a rebel as she witnesses social and class inequalities.

            In the beginning of the story Marjane is a 6 year old girl who believes she could become whatever she want to be. Every night she would have conversation with god and desires to become a prophet. One day in school her teacher asks her “What do you want to when you grow up.” she responds “I’ll be a prophet” (8). Everyone in the class laughed causing her to be a little more particular of who she told. Nevertheless Marjane tells god “I want to be justice, love and the wrath of god all in one” (9). Showing Marjanes feeling of not having anything hold back. But all that changes when the revolution comes.

              Marjanes first experience that shaped her childhood was when her parents were going to a protest and she had just finished reading up on revolutionary leaders and Karl Marx. She walks up to her parent’s room and demands “I want to with you tomorrow! ...To demonstrate on the streets” (16-17). She’s told no by her parents. With this she is left feeling as if she can’t do anything and calls out “God, where are you” (17).  God doesn’t end up showing up that night and is kind forgotten about for the most part in the story. God not presenting himself that night meant she lost interest in becoming a prophet and religion became less important in her life. Instead she wanted to become a revolutionist.

             Next was the rebellion against her parent’s beliefs. Even though being a very modern family Marjane’s parents still believed in marring within social classes. Mehir was a little girl who was few years older than Marjane they took in to help out a lower class family. Mehir falls in love with neighbor boy. Marjane would writes letters for Mehri because Mehir doesn’t know how to read or write. Marjane’s father finds out and goes to tell thier neighbor Mehri is not his and is of the lower class. At this point Marjane is pretty mad ask her dad “Are you really for or against social injustice” (37). After this event she decides to disobey hers parent’s words and go to the protest, now have a reason why she should protest. Her parents think that “For once she didn’t insist on going” (38) with them. That very same day many people got killed during protest.

               As her rebellious attitude develops Marjane start to take matters into her own had. When she finds out that Ramin’s father killed millions from other children she says “In the name of the dead million, we’ll teach Ramin a good lesson” (45). She walks down the street with nails between there knuckles ready to attack but is stop by her mother. Signifying that sense of right or wrong is starting to emerge, even though it might not always be right.

              The biggest impact Marjane had was her uncle Anoosh got executed by her own government. Anoosh was the one hero in her family she looked up to and cared very much. His death causes her to think “And so I was lost without bearing…What can be worse than that?” (71). Losing trust in her government and abandoning god she is left not knowing what to do.

              One day she is with her friends and they decide to skip class. They decide to go to Jordan Ave. where the teenagers hug out. When she gets home Marjanes mom confronts her about getting a call from school saying she skipped class. At first she tries to say that it was only religion that she skipped, knowing her parents don’t care much for religion, but is caught in her lie. Marjanes storms out saying “Dictator! You are the revolution of this hold” (113). Making it apparent that she rebelling and doesn’t care of what her mom thinks. As an act of rebellion against her mother and final act of childhood she smokes a cigarette in the basement.

              Throughout the graphic novel Marjane grow and build her own opinion of what is going on around her. With war and violence everywhere Marjane could have become another victim of war. But thanks to her family and friends she learned to become a bit rebellious and let her opinion be heard by others.