In last weeks blog post I made reference to the graphic novel “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. In turn I do not feel I had the chance to shed light on this significant true story that I initially underestimated. When assigned the novel I was baffled, a comic book? On the Islamic Revolution? Not only did I consider the “comic book” a foreign genre, but the Islamic Revolution is a topic that originally, I was not well acquainted with. I found it challenging to try and related to young Marji. She was growing up in the midst of corruption and a war that was taking the lives of people in mass numbers; two situations that I am blessed to say I have not had to experience first hand. A girl at that age is already struggling to find herself and her place in the world, considering the fact that the representation of ones self was basically forbidden the chances for growth and personal discovery were slim to none. Thinking about life when I was that age I do not recall being given a criteria as to how I would have to dress, act, and speak. My mother allowed my siblings and I to determine how we would represent ourselves; to an extent. On pages 132 and 133 this type of repression is exemplified and enforced by women known as “Guardians of the Revolution”.Marji is harassed by these women in her community shouted at for being “[A] little whore!” because she was sporting her new denim jacket, Nike sneakers, and Michael Jackson pin. These pages struck me in particular because, 99% of girls I know would be wearing an outfit similar if not identical to Marjis at that age, and the fact that a mature woman would proclaim a young girl a “whore” for wearing such an outfit seemed to me to be outrageous. I have always believed that staying true to ones self is a crucial aspect of living life. Though I feel I can relate to Marji and the struggles she has to face in find herself, part of me cannot help but feel very dissimilar. A simple reason for this being that if I were to try and leave in something too revealing my father would have probably made me change, but if Marji is seen wearing anything other than the black veil she could very well be a dead woman. Processing and taking all of this in I felt extremely frightened by the fact that there are young women around the world who are still living under rules and regulations such as these with no choice. In a nutshell reading this graphic novel led me to realize that growing up in a home and community where I could be myself is a great privileged one that many girls don’t have. Consequently I would consider this to be a life-changing novel, one that I will recommend to people I meet in the future.

“The Role of Interpretative Communities in Remembering and Learning” By Farhat Shahzad exemplifies the immense effect that communities can have on the way individuals take in and remember information. I usually try my best to interpret information based on what I believe in, and I would not label my self as a person who is influenced or swayed by the opinion of others. When reading Farhats research I was taken back because I had never really considered where my beliefs come from. One of the essays composed by a twenty-one year old first generation female immigrant from China caught my eye. She wrote, “Most of the information I have in relation to this war mainly comes from my father and grandfather’s discussions”(pg.307). Just a few days before reading Farhat’s essay I had finished “Persepolis” By Marjane Satrapi, which could very well be the reason as to why I was drawn to this sentence. Persepolis is a graphic novel that follows the life of a young woman living in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. She struggles to understand the war but is eventually enlightened by the teachings of her parents; whose beliefs influence her throughout the rest of the comic. I found it fascinating that these women were from two completely different cultures yet both influenced by the opinions of their parents. When I took the time to think about what I value and believe in I realized that my parents influence the majority of my beliefs, similar to the two women I read about. Their memories of the two historical events are shaped by the memories of their community; in this case their family. I initially struggled to comprehend the concepts of Farhats essay but connecting it to Persepolis helped solidify my understanding on the role of interpretative communities in remembering historical events. Both texts have taught me a lot about myself and have led me to seriously think about what I am influenced by. In my opinion Persepolis is a perfect example that supports Farhats findings as to how our beliefs are influenced by the people and communities around us.

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