Month: October 2015

Currently, my ASTU class has been analyzing the graphic novel, “Persepolis”, by Marjane Satrapi. We have discussed a wide variety of its elements, drawing out both higher and lower levels of abstraction. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by this novel and I appreciated how it was easy to read and engaging, while maintaining an arrange of complex; personal, emotional, social, and cultural aspects that you expect from a respectable novel. As a student who relies heavily on visuals to learn and compute information, I welcomed this type of reading with relief. It is my assertion, if I am permitted to generalize, that the visual nature of graphic novels give them the power to heighten the portrayal of these aforementioned aspects to the audience in a unique way.

Despite the strengths that graphic novels may possess, the genre appears to lack respect in the academic, adult-world and it is this that has caught my attention and curiosity. I first observed this while reading “Persepolis”. On more than one occasion, my peers questioned my choice of book and I would be required to explain the novel to them, testing my understanding. My description of the literature held their interest until they discovered its graphic nature. Once they heard that it was “a picture book” they immediately disregarded it as juvenile and lacking credibility. Throughout secondary school, I was never exposed to any sort of graphic literature, and from this absence it has been inferred that they are undeserving of a holding a place in academia. They are too easily dismissed and categorized as being of the same low level abstraction and substance as a Marvel comic book or a childhood bedtime story. Despite my observations there has been notable progress; in the scholarly arena graphic novels are currently enjoying a “newfound respectability” as exemplified by the fact that “Persepolis” has made it into our agenda this semester at all (Chute 92)! Perhaps it is only a matter of time before this is integrated into mainstream culture, exemplifying an acceptance of and movement towards the many diverse types of learning styles that exist in our societies.

Graphic literature has grown far beyond the typical comic book. To take this point further the graphic novel “Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War” uses similar visual elements to those in Persepolis to engage the reader. This heart breaking story of an abducted boy is presented in a digestible manner as to immerse and educate the reader in the life of child soldiers.

Works Cited

Satrapi, Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Random House, 2003. Print

Chute, Hillary. “The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.” Women’s Studies Quarterly 36.1&2 (Spring/Summer 2008): 92-110. Web. JSTOR. 7 July 2015

Humphreys, Jessica Dee, and Claudia Vila. Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War. Print.

Hello Readers! The dialogue that we have had in class, in combination with our reading materials, has provoked thoughts about how foreign cultures are actively misrepresented in the western world, and how Global Citizenship -as a concept and as a reality- may be playing a role in mitigating these influences. This topic of discussion stems from “Persepolis”, a graphic narrative that my ASTU class is currently reading and unpacking.

“Persepolis” provides a unique view of Iran from the raw perspective of a young girl. The defining feature of this literature is that the author, Marjane Satrapi, writes with purpose and with an agenda. She uses the writing to demonstrate how Iranian people do not fit the negative mold that the media and that western society has confined them to. Mergi, the protagonist, is a typical girl in a loving family that, along with the rest of their community, has the misfortune of having the corrupt and extremists views of the few poison their political system. Bravely, the community fights against this undemocratic and unjust state, defying the label that our society is so quick to blanket them with.

I find the inherent purpose behind this novel unsettling, not because of what Marjane Satrapi is trying to convey, but due to reality that it is necessary for her to do so. The question is raised as to how have we allowed ourselves to be so ignorant and blind to the strife of others just because we see differences? How have we permitted fear, confusion, and distorted media to influence us enough to discriminate against a group of people, casting blame upon them for the wrongdoings of a repressive and violent radical group? Despite the group’s claim to legitimacy neither the Shah nor the Islamic Republic upheld or acted according to the Iranian people’s needs and wants, yet this is not what we are led to believe, and most people don’t do the work of really digging for truth. The answer to these questions are complex, yet from my perspective one part of the problem is that we have left the politics to the politicians and it’s time for change. To prevent recurrences of this phenomena increased Global Citizenship is paramount. I am not yet sure the ways that this concept becomes a tangible reality, but this world needs individuals whose interests and allegiances are not tied back extricably to the state and whose minds are shaped by shared experiences and cross-cultural immersion. Minds like these are characterized by a deeper empathy and a respect for difference, not a fear of it.

As Global Citizenship and what it means to embrace that concept and transform it to a reality has been on the forefront of our academic agenda, I have been struck by the coverage that has surrounded Pope Francis and his speeches in America over the past weeks. From what I have heard, as someone who does not necessarily subscribe to his faith, his values and his practices exude my perception of Global Citizenship. He does not advocate for assimilation, he does not use the fear mongering methods that dictate so much of the political system, as we’ve seen in the coverage of the Iran war, and he is able to genuinely connect with all people on a level of humanity, setting an example of how we can rise above the ignorance that has become commonplace regarding differences among people.

-Chase T.R

Works Cited

Satrapi, Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Random House, 2003. Print.