How would you describe the child Marji to whom we’re introduced at the beginning of Persepolis? To what extent is she like children anywhere, is she different from the child that you were or the children that you grew up with?
When she was young, Marjane Satrapi was similar to most children, even those growing up today. For example, she read many books out of curiosity and “to enlighten” herself, like a majority of kids do; especially when they are young (Satrapi 12). In addition, she often wanted to play with her family and friends, such as when she asked her parents if they could “play monopoly” with her and she pretended to be part of the revolution with her friends (Satrapi 18). Marjane was also innocent, as she and her friends played with the veil, because none of them knew what the purpose of the veil was, which is something that most kids would do in her situation (Satrapi 3).
Paul, I agree with most of your response, but Marjane is also very different from typical children. To justify, Marji “wants to become a prophet”, which causes other children to taunt her (Satrapi 8). Therefore, she is very different from other children.
Paul, I respectfully disagree with your response as if Marji was like a normal child, kids would not laugh at Marji when she replies to the teacher “I’ll be a prophet (Satrapi 8) when the teacher asks Marji what she wants to be when she grew up.
Paul, I disagree with the claim of your argument. I believe that Satrapi's childhood vastly differed from modern childhood. In the novel, it states that "At the age of six I [Satrapi] was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Most children today are not this religiously devoted.
Marji is similar to most children. However, it seems that you have forgotten to show how she is different from children as well. Marji says that "At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi). Most children are not as religious as she is.
As a child, young Marjane Satrapi is very determined, loving and religious. Because of her wishes to become a prophet when she is older (Satrapi 9), she can be seen as ambitious to practice her religion. Furthermore, she desires to be “justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). This demonstrates that she is not only determined to preach her faith, but she is also loving, aggressive, and demanding of peace. Thus, she is similar to many other children because of her ambition to achieve her goal and her desire for peace. Like many children, she is willing to do anything to accomplish her many goals. However, Marji is also different from other children because of her many religious beliefs, as many children do not know much about their religion and do not choose to have a profession involving it when they are older. These traits are admirable because her determination and love can help her accomplish many goals, and her faith gives her many ideals to follow in order to be like her God.
Well done! I liked that you said Marjane is "demanding of peace". This attribute shows that the environment in which children are raised have a significant impact on their personality and decision making. For instance, because Marji is "demanding of peace", she wants "To demonstrate on the street!" (Satrapi 17).
Young Marjane Satrapi, the child introduced at the beginning of Persepolis, is very religious and determined to make changes in her world. For instance, she was “born with religion” (Satrapi 6), therefore, she wanted to be a prophet because “[her] maid does not eat with [her family]” and because “[her] father had a cadillac” and “above all, because [her] grandmother’s kisses always ached” (Satrapi 6). Marji proclaims that it was unfair that she had to wear a veil and was not able to attend the same school as her friends because of the Islamic Revolution. She began to write a book of rules for her ideal life. She wrote, “Rule number six: Everybody should have a car.” and “Rule number seven: all maids should eat at the table with the others” (Satrapi 7), therefore, her, her family, and her friends would be capable of living a life that Islam's were treated the same as non-islamic people. Marji is similar to some children in the sense that she is very determined to make her life superior, however, religion has a major impact on Marji’s life, which is different from some children.
Kristen, I agree with your response. You stated that Marjane is determined and religious. To add onto this, Marji says that she wishes “to be justice, love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). Because of your evidence and this quote, your claim is correct.
Kristen, I agree with you when you say that at the beginning of the book, Marjane Satrapi is introduced as being "very religious and determined to make changes in her world." It was very clever the way you connected the maid, father, and grandmother to that of Marji.
At the beginning of Persepolis, as a child, Marjane Satrapi was religious and carefree. One of her best friends as a child was God (Satrapi 8). She even says "I was born with religion" (Satrapi 6), and "At the age of six I [Marjane] was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Marjane is carefree in that she and her friends would demonstrate outside their house, oblivious to what anyone else thinks (Satrapi 10). Pretending while imitating adults is a very child-like thing to do. Marjane was like children everywhere. Most children have a tough time seeing past the blurred lines of society, or realizing what adults are dealing with. At one point, Marjane's parents are exhausted from protesting and just need time to rest. Marjane cannot see this, so she just asks her parents if they can play Monopoly when she feels like it (Satrapi 18). Marjane is different from most children in that her childhood is during one of her country's greatest revolutions. She experiences all kinds of death and suffering, which will cause her to grow up all the faster later on.
Roman, I agree with most of your response, but disagree that Marji is carefree. As stated in the text, “The reason for my shame and for the revolution is the same: the difference between social classes” (Satrapi 33). Marji becomes very self aware in her father’s car, realizing her higher class family and their privileges compared to lower class citizens.
I agree with Gabi but disagree with you Roman. I feel that although Marji is religious she is not care free. I feel that is impossible for a young girl who has seen so much trouble and hardship in her life time to simply fell care free after struggling for so long.
Roman, you captured the essence of Marjane. On one hand, Marji is carefree and “didn’t understand anything” what her parents were dealing with, like other kids in the world. However, she is unlike majority of people because of her life experiences, causing her to grow up at an accelerated rate.
Marjane Satrapi s a young girl brought up in an unsuitable environment. She can be considered as religious. This is proved when she states "I was born with religion" and her confidence that she was "the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Her religious trait benefits her throughout the story. All of her actions are intended to be performed with morals. This is how she is similar because most kids perform religion in their everyday actions. She is different because she lives in a world where one's beliefs could get them killed. This is not how most children are brought up.
Joey, what do you mean by the phrase, "...most kids perform religion in their everyday actions?" Are you referring to the morals our religions/faiths teach us?
Joey I agree with your statement entirely, but I think that the second part of your response could be strengthened with the quote where Marji says that she wants “...to be justice, love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9).
Joey, I completely support with your statement. I agree when you said that Marjane was very religious. Unlike most kids, she grew up in a time where her religion was a very controversial matter. However, she says "God, where are you?" (Satrapi 17), as she sees what devastations are beginning to occur around her country.
During her childhood, Marjane Satrapi appears to be religious, opinionated, and brave. Unlike most kids, Marji has a strong, religious conviction early on in her life. She states, "At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). This is quite unique because most children do not believe that they are "holy” or necessarily want to become a prophet. This quote also displays that Marjane is assertive, like most young children, because she strongly suspects that becoming a prophet is her destiny. Next, since children's political views are typically similar to those of their parents, it makes sense that Marjane supports the protest against the Shah. Satrapi proves her fearlessness after the Rex Cinema burning when she wants "To demonstrate on the street!" (Satrapi 17) at the young age of 8 years old with her parents because she is “sick and tired of doing it [protesting] in the garden” (Satrapi 17). Overall, Marji is mostly similar to children her age because she has strong beliefs, some of which are influenced by her parents. However, her bravery and her devotion to religion do make her different than other kids.
Lea, I agree with your claim and also believe Majane is very unique and easily influenced by people. This can be seen in all of your pieces of evidence. In addition, I also agree that she showed bravery by standing out with her bold beliefs.
Lea, I do agree with you on the fact that Marji was unusually religious as even adults like her teacher viewed her as unique. The teacher actually stated to Marji’s parents about how there “child is disturbed. She wants to become a prophet”(Satrapi 8).
Lea, I agree when you said that young Marjane was brave. You have very strong evidence to support that. I really noticed it when Marjane was fighting with her parents over whether or not she could participate in the demonstrations with them (Satrapi 17). It shows how brave and daring she is, since she knows that she could be possibly killed.
Marjane Satrapi's childhood was one of religion and fearless actions. Satrapi is proved to have a deep religious connection to God when she states that "At the age of six I [Satrapi] was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Satrapi was raised to be devoted to the beliefs of her religion, and wanted to become part of that cause. In addition, Satrapi's actions revealed her personality. After the Islamic Revolution, Satrapi demonstrated her rebellious nature when "We demonstrated in the garden of our house. 'Down with the king!'" (Satrapi 10). Satrapi rebels against her government, because of her defiant personality. Satrapi's childhood differs from the experiences of children today. For Satrapi, religion was the most important aspect of life, but in most countries today, where religion is not avidly encouraged, children are not as dedicated to their religion. Also, Satrapi was forced to wear a veil, unlike today’s girls. Finally, Satrapi's childhood differs for modern day childhood, because most children would not be rash or brave enough to protest against their own country as Satrapi did. In these ways, childhood in Iran at the time of the Islamic Revolution was extremely different than modern childhood.
You bring up very valid points and the evidence you chose provided information that characterizes Marji. You also provided historical and cultural information to further support your answers.
Caleb, you make the point that "most children would not be rash or brave enough to protest against their own country as Satrapi did." How was Satrapi's "defiant personality" formed as a child? Was it her family? Her environment? Both?
The Marji we were introduced to in the start of the novel, was a small girl who valued religion above all else. At the young age of six she, unlike most children of her age strives to be a prophet and speaks with God. She is often ridiculed by her friends and teachers for her career choice, when asked by her parents she says she wants to be a doctor. She is like children everywhere in that she has strong beliefs and desires for the future that will not be given up easily. She is different to the child I was because of her strong political and religious beliefs, where she grew up also influenced who she was as a person especially since in Iran Western-Culture was demonized.
Logan, I agree with your response, Marji is a very religious child. Her religiousness actually proves the determined child she is. For instance, although Marji is judged by her classmates and teacher for believing she is a prophet, she still does not give up her religious belief (Satrapi 8). Marji shows an incredible amount of determination by ignoring the rude remarks from others and pursuing her religious lifestyle.
In the beginning of the book, Persepolis, readers are introduced to the main character, a young, religious, and unique girl named Marji. Unlike other young girls during the Islamic Revolution, who hid their face in vails, Marji stood out among the rest. Marji stood up for herself to face adversity and to what others perceived to be morally good. Her teachers would call her “disturbed” (Satrapi 8) and her parents would question her thoughts (Satrapi 9), but no one could have changed her mind. Just like children today, Marji would demonstrate her cleverness through her ideas and actions; however, Marji’s thoughts were contradictory to the normal belief at the time. Children of today would say they want to grow up to be a doctor or a princess, Marji however would say she wants to be a “prophet” and she “[wants] to be Justice, Love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). Maji’s love for her religion also translates to her unique set of interests. Marji’s love and devotion to her faith and her individuality, helped define how she is such an influential character.
Sam, I strongly agree with your claim. Your response is very precise and you used strong evidence that proved your ideas. For instance, Marji however would say she wants to be a “prophet” and she “[wants] to be Justice, Love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). This quote really emphasizes the difference between children now and Marji. Also, you did a very good job including sprinkles in your paragraph to make your statements even stronger.
In the beginning of the book, Marji is introduced as a determined and religion oriented girl. I would describe her this way because she was “born with religion” and “at the age of six” she was sure that she was “the last prophet” (Satrapi 6). Although most adults found her “disturbing” (Satrapi 8) Marji not only showed her dedication to her religion, but she also mentions her goals “to celebrate the traditional Zarathustrian holidays” (Satrapi 7). As a child Marji is considered more religious than most children today because , she is very similar to other kids around the world. For example, just like any other child Marji had a dream. According to page 24, she also plays Monopoly with her dad who drives a cadillac, both of which are common things children anywhere can relate to. Overall Marji’s childhood relates to my childhood, where my friends and I had dreams that seemed unrealistic at the time.
I agree with your statement that described Marji as a religion oriented girl due to the fact that she grew up in a country which was motivated by religion.
Lizzy, Notice the use of parallelism in the panel on the bottom of page 6. Marji states her reasons for wanting to become a prophet, and one of those reasons includes her father owning a Cadillac. Why would she list this as a reason? Why mention the maid not eating dinner with Marji's family?
Growing up during the Islamic Revolution, the childhood of Marjane Satrapi would be both challenging and unique. When a child is young, they establish the same religion as their parents/caregivers. This applies to most children, including Marji, who took her religion to a very serious level, stating "At the age of six, I was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Like most children of a young age, Marji wanted to be just like her parents, doing things that they do, and supporting their decisions. She wanted to support the same cause as her parents, however she was of an age where protesting and going to rallies would be dangerous. In her very young stages, Marji showed a lack of understanding for how serious and dangerous the protests really were. This is strikingly similar to how children see life, they do not see the full picture. As the Islamic revolution progresses however, Marji is expected to grow up faster than she normally would, because of the circumstances. This makes her different from other children of that age around the world who would not face the same challenges.
I agree with your claim, stating that Marji had a difficult upbringing. Marji often had to witness situations that would not occur in an average child's life. Marji matured rather quickly under duress of her childhood due to the revolution and violence in her country at the time.
I agree with your claim that states that Marji is similar to her parents, and because she is such a young child it is very hard for her to understand how dangerous rallies and protests are.
In the beginning of Persepolis, Marji is described as a normal girl evolving with stages of childhood. She is similar to most children due to the fact that she observed events that had occurred in her life and reflected upon them. For example, the in the beginning of the story Marji said “At one of the demonstrations, a German journalist took a photo of my mother. I was proud of her. Her photo was published in all the European newspapers”. Marji is easily influenced by the current events of her childhood, like most children. However, she is not not all children everywhere, having to grow up in difficult times, such as a revolution. Not all children have experienced a childhood with much disagreement within their country. Marji could be seen as an insightful girl in the beginning of the book, having established insightful perspectives of her life and nation.
Rebecca, I strongly agree with the idea that Marji is easily influenced by her surroundings. Your opinion is very strong and although I did not write about Marjis childhood through her revolution experiences myself, you persuaded me to agree with you and further respect your response.
Rebecca, you are spot on with your response. In addition to being influenced by current events, as a young girls, she is also influenced by others’ beliefs. For example, Marji tells her father that her “teacher and God” told her that the shah was picked by God.
Rebecca, I strongly agree with you when you described Marji as a "normal girl evolving with stages of childhood". I especially enjoyed how you tied in the way Marji feels towards her mother by using a quote from the book.
Rebecca, I strongly agree with your claim that not all kids have to go through these strong disagreements with their country's. I really like the quote you used and the way it connected Marji and her mother.
Rebecca, I respectfully disagree with your statement. I believe that since Marji had to grow up in an patriarchal society, she developed very rebellious traits that are unlike traits of children today. The author remembers that "We demonstrated in the garden of our house. 'Down with the king!'" (Satrapi 10).
Marjane Satrapi, the young child introduced in the beginning of the graphic novel Persepolis, is very independent, curious, and opinionated. At such a young age, she is very interested and has compassionate feelings towards her religion. Such as, “At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet” (Satrapi 6). This quote indicates that Marjane is very strong and wants to follow her dreams of becoming a prophet. Most kids do not have this ambition to follow their faith and usually focus on the simpler things in life. Marjane has the same views as her parents which is typically unusual for a child so young. For instance, “to demonstrate on the street! I am sick and tired of doing it in the garden” (Satrapi 17). This demonstrates how even at such a young age Marjane wants to fight for her rights and political viewpoints like her parents. To finalize, even though Marjane is not the average child, her religious power is an important asset that is carried throughout the rest of the book.
I agree with your assumption that Marji is indeed very strong and a wants to follow her dreams. I also agree with your claim that most children do not grow up and have an ambition to be a prophet and most focus on becoming an astronaut or ballerina and that the fact the Marji had such aspirations sets her apart from other children.
I agree with your statement that Marji is very religiously oriented person. This is because of Satrapi's continuous use of Marji stating that how "[she] wants to be the last prophet" (Satrapi 6), this also shows how Marji is different from most children of today.
Leah, I agree when you said that young Marjane was opinionated. The fact that she argues with her parents over whether or not she can attend the demonstration and her line "For a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it" (Satrapi 17). Even the drawing in that context has her holding up a finger with a serious face. The art and dialogue support your valid claim.
In the graphic novel, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Maji is a very religious, determined, and self-aware child. Maji believes she is the last prophet of the lord and expresses this to her class. Despite her peers laughing at her (Satrapi 8) she continues to read religious texts and pursue her goal. This displays her determined and religious demeanor because despite people's views are on her belief, she is determined to follow this religious path. In addition, Marji starts to notice differences in social classes. For instance, she states, “The reason for my shame and for the revolution is the same: the difference between social classes” (Satrapi 33). While sitting in her father’s car, Marji becomes self-aware about her higher class family and is ashamed of her privilege compared to others of a lower class. Marji is different from myself and most children I grew up with since she is very dedicated to living her religious life. Most of the children I grew up with were more interested in television and play dates. They were not focused on being a prophet of the lord like Marji was. She is similar to other children because like most, she is very inquisitive.
Gabi, this response is well written and I agree with your points. Like you said, most children are not concerned with their social class until they are older. Furthermore, since Marjane is from a higher social class and feels "ashamed", this shows that she has empathy for the less fortunate.
Although Marji loved to socialize with other kids, she was very religious and adamant, unlike most children. To demonstrate, when the teacher asked Marji at school what she wanted to be when she grew up, she replied that she wanted to be a prophet which caused kids to laugh at her and call her crazy. The teacher even had the nerve to call her parents and say to them “Your child is disturbed. She wants to become a prophet”(Satrapi 8). This leads to her lying to her parents as she then states “I want to become a doctor”(Satrapi 9) to throw her parents off. Even if her devotion to religion is peculiar to children today and back then, she still proves to be an innocent child just like everyone else. During the year 1980 where kids were forced to wear the veil to school, she and her friends “didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since [they] didn’t understand why we had to”(Satrapi 1). She was just as ignorant as every other kid and often goofed around with the veil like every other kid. The only different attribute about Marji than every other kid was her faithfulness to god.
The young Marji is very religious as a child, as shown when she states that “She wants to become a prophet” (Satrapi 8). She is very different compared to children today, due to the fact that most children today are not worried about religion or any serious matters like that until much later in life. However, Marji is also shown to be like kids now. For instance, when she plays Monopoly with her father on page 24. Board games are something that most little kids do, so Marji is indeed similar to today’s youth to an extent.
The young Maraji that we are introduced to in the beginning of Persepolis, a graphic autobiography by Marjane Strapi, is very religiously-oriented, but also a little curious. At the beginning of the book, she brings up many points about god and her religion, and is even determined that "at the age of six, [she] was already sure [she] was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). this really shows how the young Maraji believed what she was taught at first. Maraji was raised to be religious, but this also caused her to question all of the unexplained things going on around her, such as why she had to wear the vail. Maraji is similar to other children anywhere because most children question what does not seem right, and believe what they hear from others above them, such as parents, and religious educators. Maraji is a little different from the children that I grew up with because of her background, culture, and religion. Where I am from, it is not very diverse, but she does play monopoly (Satrapi 24) with her father which is something that most kids do and is another aspect that makes Maraji similar to other children.
Jackie, I strongly agree with your claim. You used very strong evidence such as, "at the age of six, [she] was already sure [she] was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6), which really emphasizes that Marji was very religious at such a young age.
I agree with your statement, Marji demonstrates how she can create her own ideas and how she proves that she is unlike most kids today. Marji's believes that "[she] is the last prophet" (Satrapi 6) and her view on what she wants to be when she is older exposes her individuality.
In the beginning of Persepolis, Marji Satrapi, the main character, appears to be worry free and innocent. Many children across the globe share these very same characteristics making her similar to children everywhere. Marji was also lucky enough to grow up in a loving household with two parents, a grandmother and a large extended family who care very deeply for her which I, as well as many others also grew up in a generous household. On the other hand, Marji had a very unusual childhood for she grew up in a war torn country. Marji recounts her several instances from her childhood that stand out from normal adolescent experiences. One of these experience takes place at a rally against the wearing of the veil for all women in Iran. When "A german journalist took a photo of my mother" (Satrapi 5) Marji can not seem to understand why her mother is frightened. Marji in fact was extremely proud of her mother but very soon after she realized that it painted a target on her mothers back as a protester of the veil. Marji growing up with situations like these occurring on a daily basis sets her apart from my childhood as well as many other childhoods.
Kyra, I strongly agree with your claim, and I liked how you used strong evidence, such as "A german journalist took a photo of my mother" (Satrapi 5), to show how Marji is different than children around us, and how her experiences in a place , in your words, known as a "war torn country" have shaped her to be worry free and innocent. Excellent analysis of your claim and addressing all points of the prompt.
When she was young, Marjane Satrapi was similar to most children, even those growing up today. For example, she read many books out of curiosity and “to enlighten” herself, like a majority of kids do; especially when they are young (Satrapi 12). In addition, she often wanted to play with her family and friends, such as when she asked her parents if they could “play monopoly” with her and she pretended to be part of the revolution with her friends (Satrapi 18). Marjane was also innocent, as she and her friends played with the veil, because none of them knew what the purpose of the veil was, which is something that most kids would do in her situation (Satrapi 3).
ReplyDeletePaul, I agree with most of your response, but Marjane is also very different from typical children. To justify, Marji “wants to become a prophet”, which causes other children to taunt her (Satrapi 8). Therefore, she is very different from other children.
DeletePaul, I respectfully disagree with your response as if Marji was like a normal child, kids would not laugh at Marji when she replies to the teacher “I’ll be a prophet (Satrapi 8) when the teacher asks Marji what she wants to be when she grew up.
DeletePaul, I disagree with the claim of your argument. I believe that Satrapi's childhood vastly differed from modern childhood. In the novel, it states that "At the age of six I [Satrapi] was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Most children today are not this religiously devoted.
DeleteMarji is similar to most children. However, it seems that you have forgotten to show how she is different from children as well. Marji says that "At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi). Most children are not as religious as she is.
DeleteAs a child, young Marjane Satrapi is very determined, loving and religious. Because of her wishes to become a prophet when she is older (Satrapi 9), she can be seen as ambitious to practice her religion. Furthermore, she desires to be “justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). This demonstrates that she is not only determined to preach her faith, but she is also loving, aggressive, and demanding of peace. Thus, she is similar to many other children because of her ambition to achieve her goal and her desire for peace. Like many children, she is willing to do anything to accomplish her many goals. However, Marji is also different from other children because of her many religious beliefs, as many children do not know much about their religion and do not choose to have a profession involving it when they are older. These traits are admirable because her determination and love can help her accomplish many goals, and her faith gives her many ideals to follow in order to be like her God.
ReplyDeleteWell done! I liked that you said Marjane is "demanding of peace". This attribute shows that the environment in which children are raised have a significant impact on their personality and decision making. For instance, because Marji is "demanding of peace", she wants "To demonstrate on the street!" (Satrapi 17).
DeleteYoung Marjane Satrapi, the child introduced at the beginning of Persepolis, is very religious and determined to make changes in her world. For instance, she was “born with religion” (Satrapi 6), therefore, she wanted to be a prophet because “[her] maid does not eat with [her family]” and because “[her] father had a cadillac” and “above all, because [her] grandmother’s kisses always ached” (Satrapi 6). Marji proclaims that it was unfair that she had to wear a veil and was not able to attend the same school as her friends because of the Islamic Revolution. She began to write a book of rules for her ideal life. She wrote, “Rule number six: Everybody should have a car.” and “Rule number seven: all maids should eat at the table with the others” (Satrapi 7), therefore, her, her family, and her friends would be capable of living a life that Islam's were treated the same as non-islamic people. Marji is similar to some children in the sense that she is very determined to make her life superior, however, religion has a major impact on Marji’s life, which is different from some children.
ReplyDeleteKristen, I agree with your response. You stated that Marjane is determined and religious. To add onto this, Marji says that she wishes “to be justice, love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). Because of your evidence and this quote, your claim is correct.
DeleteKristen, I agree with you when you say that at the beginning of the book, Marjane Satrapi is introduced as being "very religious and determined to make changes in her world." It was very clever the way you connected the maid, father, and grandmother to that of Marji.
DeleteAt the beginning of Persepolis, as a child, Marjane Satrapi was religious and carefree. One of her best friends as a child was God (Satrapi 8). She even says "I was born with religion" (Satrapi 6), and "At the age of six I [Marjane] was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Marjane is carefree in that she and her friends would demonstrate outside their house, oblivious to what anyone else thinks (Satrapi 10). Pretending while imitating adults is a very child-like thing to do. Marjane was like children everywhere. Most children have a tough time seeing past the blurred lines of society, or realizing what adults are dealing with. At one point, Marjane's parents are exhausted from protesting and just need time to rest. Marjane cannot see this, so she just asks her parents if they can play Monopoly when she feels like it (Satrapi 18). Marjane is different from most children in that her childhood is during one of her country's greatest revolutions. She experiences all kinds of death and suffering, which will cause her to grow up all the faster later on.
ReplyDeleteRoman, I agree with most of your response, but disagree that Marji is carefree. As stated in the text, “The reason for my shame and for the revolution is the same: the difference between social classes” (Satrapi 33). Marji becomes very self aware in her father’s car, realizing her higher class family and their privileges compared to lower class citizens.
DeleteI agree with Gabi but disagree with you Roman. I feel that although Marji is religious she is not care free. I feel that is impossible for a young girl who has seen so much trouble and hardship in her life time to simply fell care free after struggling for so long.
DeleteRoman, you captured the essence of Marjane. On one hand, Marji is carefree and “didn’t understand anything” what her parents were dealing with, like other kids in the world. However, she is unlike majority of people because of her life experiences, causing her to grow up at an accelerated rate.
DeleteMarjane Satrapi s a young girl brought up in an unsuitable environment. She can be considered as religious. This is proved when she states "I was born with religion" and her confidence that she was "the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Her religious trait benefits her throughout the story. All of her actions are intended to be performed with morals. This is how she is similar because most kids perform religion in their everyday actions. She is different because she lives in a world where one's beliefs could get them killed. This is not how most children are brought up.
ReplyDeleteJoey, what do you mean by the phrase, "...most kids perform religion in their everyday actions?" Are you referring to the morals our religions/faiths teach us?
DeleteJoey I agree with your statement entirely, but I think that the second part of your response could be strengthened with the quote where Marji says that she wants “...to be justice, love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9).
DeleteJoey, I completely support with your statement. I agree when you said that Marjane was very religious. Unlike most kids, she grew up in a time where her religion was a very controversial matter. However, she says "God, where are you?" (Satrapi 17), as she sees what devastations are beginning to occur around her country.
DeleteDuring her childhood, Marjane Satrapi appears to be religious, opinionated, and brave. Unlike most kids, Marji has a strong, religious conviction early on in her life. She states, "At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). This is quite unique because most children do not believe that they are "holy” or necessarily want to become a prophet. This quote also displays that Marjane is assertive, like most young children, because she strongly suspects that becoming a prophet is her destiny. Next, since children's political views are typically similar to those of their parents, it makes sense that Marjane supports the protest against the Shah. Satrapi proves her fearlessness after the Rex Cinema burning when she wants "To demonstrate on the street!" (Satrapi 17) at the young age of 8 years old with her parents because she is “sick and tired of doing it [protesting] in the garden” (Satrapi 17). Overall, Marji is mostly similar to children her age because she has strong beliefs, some of which are influenced by her parents. However, her bravery and her devotion to religion do make her different than other kids.
ReplyDeleteLea, I agree with your claim and also believe Majane is very unique and easily influenced by people. This can be seen in all of your pieces of evidence. In addition, I also agree that she showed bravery by standing out with her bold beliefs.
DeleteLea, I do agree with you on the fact that Marji was unusually religious as even adults like her teacher viewed her as unique. The teacher actually stated to Marji’s parents about how there “child is disturbed. She wants to become a prophet”(Satrapi 8).
DeleteLea, I agree when you said that young Marjane was brave. You have very strong evidence to support that. I really noticed it when Marjane was fighting with her parents over whether or not she could participate in the demonstrations with them (Satrapi 17). It shows how brave and daring she is, since she knows that she could be possibly killed.
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ReplyDeleteMarjane Satrapi's childhood was one of religion and fearless actions. Satrapi is proved to have a deep religious connection to God when she states that "At the age of six I [Satrapi] was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Satrapi was raised to be devoted to the beliefs of her religion, and wanted to become part of that cause. In addition, Satrapi's actions revealed her personality. After the Islamic Revolution, Satrapi demonstrated her rebellious nature when "We demonstrated in the garden of our house. 'Down with the king!'" (Satrapi 10). Satrapi rebels against her government, because of her defiant personality. Satrapi's childhood differs from the experiences of children today. For Satrapi, religion was the most important aspect of life, but in most countries today, where religion is not avidly encouraged, children are not as dedicated to their religion. Also, Satrapi was forced to wear a veil, unlike today’s girls. Finally, Satrapi's childhood differs for modern day childhood, because most children would not be rash or brave enough to protest against their own country as Satrapi did. In these ways, childhood in Iran at the time of the Islamic Revolution was extremely different than modern childhood.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up very valid points and the evidence you chose provided information that characterizes Marji. You also provided historical and cultural information to further support your answers.
DeleteCaleb, you make the point that "most children would not be rash or brave enough to protest against their own country as Satrapi did." How was Satrapi's "defiant personality" formed as a child? Was it her family? Her environment? Both?
DeleteThe Marji we were introduced to in the start of the novel, was a small girl who valued religion above all else. At the young age of six she, unlike most children of her age strives to be a prophet and speaks with God. She is often ridiculed by her friends and teachers for her career choice, when asked by her parents she says she wants to be a doctor. She is like children everywhere in that she has strong beliefs and desires for the future that will not be given up easily. She is different to the child I was because of her strong political and religious beliefs, where she grew up also influenced who she was as a person especially since in Iran Western-Culture was demonized.
ReplyDeleteLogan, I agree with your response, Marji is a very religious child. Her religiousness actually proves the determined child she is. For instance, although Marji is judged by her classmates and teacher for believing she is a prophet, she still does not give up her religious belief (Satrapi 8). Marji shows an incredible amount of determination by ignoring the rude remarks from others and pursuing her religious lifestyle.
DeleteIn the beginning of the book, Persepolis, readers are introduced to the main character, a young, religious, and unique girl named Marji. Unlike other young girls during the Islamic Revolution, who hid their face in vails, Marji stood out among the rest. Marji stood up for herself to face adversity and to what others perceived to be morally good. Her teachers would call her “disturbed” (Satrapi 8) and her parents would question her thoughts (Satrapi 9), but no one could have changed her mind. Just like children today, Marji would demonstrate her cleverness through her ideas and actions; however, Marji’s thoughts were contradictory to the normal belief at the time. Children of today would say they want to grow up to be a doctor or a princess, Marji however would say she wants to be a “prophet” and she “[wants] to be Justice, Love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). Maji’s love for her religion also translates to her unique set of interests. Marji’s love and devotion to her faith and her individuality, helped define how she is such an influential character.
ReplyDeleteSam, I strongly agree with your claim. Your response is very precise and you used strong evidence that proved your ideas. For instance, Marji however would say she wants to be a “prophet” and she “[wants] to be Justice, Love and the wrath of God all in one” (Satrapi 9). This quote really emphasizes the difference between children now and Marji. Also, you did a very good job including sprinkles in your paragraph to make your statements even stronger.
DeleteIn the beginning of the book, Marji is introduced as a determined and religion oriented girl. I would describe her this way because she was “born with religion” and “at the age of six” she was sure that she was “the last prophet” (Satrapi 6). Although most adults found her “disturbing” (Satrapi 8) Marji not only showed her dedication to her religion, but she also mentions her goals “to celebrate the traditional Zarathustrian holidays” (Satrapi 7). As a child Marji is considered more religious than most children today because , she is very similar to other kids around the world. For example, just like any other child Marji had a dream. According to page 24, she also plays Monopoly with her dad who drives a cadillac, both of which are common things children anywhere can relate to. Overall Marji’s childhood relates to my childhood, where my friends and I had dreams that seemed unrealistic at the time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that described Marji as a religion oriented girl due to the fact that she grew up in a country which was motivated by religion.
DeleteLizzy,
DeleteNotice the use of parallelism in the panel on the bottom of page 6. Marji states her reasons for wanting to become a prophet, and one of those reasons includes her father owning a Cadillac. Why would she list this as a reason? Why mention the maid not eating dinner with Marji's family?
Growing up during the Islamic Revolution, the childhood of Marjane Satrapi would be both challenging and unique. When a child is young, they establish the same religion as their parents/caregivers. This applies to most children, including Marji, who took her religion to a very serious level, stating "At the age of six, I was already sure I was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). Like most children of a young age, Marji wanted to be just like her parents, doing things that they do, and supporting their decisions. She wanted to support the same cause as her parents, however she was of an age where protesting and going to rallies would be dangerous. In her very young stages, Marji showed a lack of understanding for how serious and dangerous the protests really were. This is strikingly similar to how children see life, they do not see the full picture. As the Islamic revolution progresses however, Marji is expected to grow up faster than she normally would, because of the circumstances. This makes her different from other children of that age around the world who would not face the same challenges.
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DeleteI agree with your claim, stating that Marji had a difficult upbringing. Marji often had to witness situations that would not occur in an average child's life. Marji matured rather quickly under duress of her childhood due to the revolution and violence in her country at the time.
DeleteI agree with your claim that states that Marji is similar to her parents, and because she is such a young child it is very hard for her to understand how dangerous rallies and protests are.
DeleteIn the beginning of Persepolis, Marji is described as a normal girl evolving with stages of childhood. She is similar to most children due to the fact that she observed events that had occurred in her life and reflected upon them. For example, the in the beginning of the story Marji said “At one of the demonstrations, a German journalist took a photo of my mother. I was proud of her. Her photo was published in all the European newspapers”. Marji is easily influenced by the current events of her childhood, like most children. However, she is not not all children everywhere, having to grow up in difficult times, such as a revolution. Not all children have experienced a childhood with much disagreement within their country. Marji could be seen as an insightful girl in the beginning of the book, having established insightful perspectives of her life and nation.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, I strongly agree with the idea that Marji is easily influenced by her surroundings. Your opinion is very strong and although I did not write about Marjis childhood through her revolution experiences myself, you persuaded me to agree with you and further respect your response.
DeleteRebecca, you are spot on with your response. In addition to being influenced by current events, as a young girls, she is also influenced by others’ beliefs. For example, Marji tells her father that her “teacher and God” told her that the shah was picked by God.
DeleteRebecca, I strongly agree with you when you described Marji as a "normal girl evolving with stages of childhood". I especially enjoyed how you tied in the way Marji feels towards her mother by using a quote from the book.
DeleteRebecca, I strongly agree with your claim that not all kids have to go through these strong disagreements with their country's. I really like the quote you used and the way it connected Marji and her mother.
DeleteRebecca, I respectfully disagree with your statement. I believe that since Marji had to grow up in an patriarchal society, she developed very rebellious traits that are unlike traits of children today. The author remembers that "We demonstrated in the garden of our house. 'Down with the king!'" (Satrapi 10).
DeleteMarjane Satrapi, the young child introduced in the beginning of the graphic novel Persepolis, is very independent, curious, and opinionated. At such a young age, she is very interested and has compassionate feelings towards her religion. Such as, “At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet” (Satrapi 6). This quote indicates that Marjane is very strong and wants to follow her dreams of becoming a prophet. Most kids do not have this ambition to follow their faith and usually focus on the simpler things in life. Marjane has the same views as her parents which is typically unusual for a child so young. For instance, “to demonstrate on the street! I am sick and tired of doing it in the garden” (Satrapi 17). This demonstrates how even at such a young age Marjane wants to fight for her rights and political viewpoints like her parents. To finalize, even though Marjane is not the average child, her religious power is an important asset that is carried throughout the rest of the book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assumption that Marji is indeed very strong and a wants to follow her dreams. I also agree with your claim that most children do not grow up and have an ambition to be a prophet and most focus on becoming an astronaut or ballerina and that the fact the Marji had such aspirations sets her apart from other children.
DeleteI agree with your statement that Marji is very religiously oriented person. This is because of Satrapi's continuous use of Marji stating that how "[she] wants to be the last prophet" (Satrapi 6), this also shows how Marji is different from most children of today.
DeleteLeah, I agree when you said that young Marjane was opinionated. The fact that she argues with her parents over whether or not she can attend the demonstration and her line "For a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it" (Satrapi 17). Even the drawing in that context has her holding up a finger with a serious face. The art and dialogue support your valid claim.
DeleteIn the graphic novel, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Maji is a very religious, determined, and self-aware child. Maji believes she is the last prophet of the lord and expresses this to her class. Despite her peers laughing at her (Satrapi 8) she continues to read religious texts and pursue her goal. This displays her determined and religious demeanor because despite people's views are on her belief, she is determined to follow this religious path. In addition, Marji starts to notice differences in social classes. For instance, she states, “The reason for my shame and for the revolution is the same: the difference between social classes” (Satrapi 33). While sitting in her father’s car, Marji becomes self-aware about her higher class family and is ashamed of her privilege compared to others of a lower class. Marji is different from myself and most children I grew up with since she is very dedicated to living her religious life. Most of the children I grew up with were more interested in television and play dates. They were not focused on being a prophet of the lord like Marji was. She is similar to other children because like most, she is very inquisitive.
ReplyDeleteGabi, this response is well written and I agree with your points. Like you said, most children are not concerned with their social class until they are older. Furthermore, since Marjane is from a higher social class and feels "ashamed", this shows that she has empathy for the less fortunate.
DeleteAlthough Marji loved to socialize with other kids, she was very religious and adamant, unlike most children. To demonstrate, when the teacher asked Marji at school what she wanted to be when she grew up, she replied that she wanted to be a prophet which caused kids to laugh at her and call her crazy. The teacher even had the nerve to call her parents and say to them “Your child is disturbed. She wants to become a prophet”(Satrapi 8). This leads to her lying to her parents as she then states “I want to become a doctor”(Satrapi 9) to throw her parents off. Even if her devotion to religion is peculiar to children today and back then, she still proves to be an innocent child just like everyone else. During the year 1980 where kids were forced to wear the veil to school, she and her friends “didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since [they] didn’t understand why we had to”(Satrapi 1). She was just as ignorant as every other kid and often goofed around with the veil like every other kid. The only different attribute about Marji than every other kid was her faithfulness to god.
ReplyDeleteThe young Marji is very religious as a child, as shown when she states that “She wants to become a prophet” (Satrapi 8). She is very different compared to children today, due to the fact that most children today are not worried about religion or any serious matters like that until much later in life. However, Marji is also shown to be like kids now. For instance, when she plays Monopoly with her father on page 24. Board games are something that most little kids do, so Marji is indeed similar to today’s youth to an extent.
ReplyDeleteThe young Maraji that we are introduced to in the beginning of Persepolis, a graphic autobiography by Marjane Strapi, is very religiously-oriented, but also a little curious. At the beginning of the book, she brings up many points about god and her religion, and is even determined that "at the age of six, [she] was already sure [she] was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6). this really shows how the young Maraji believed what she was taught at first. Maraji was raised to be religious, but this also caused her to question all of the unexplained things going on around her, such as why she had to wear the vail. Maraji is similar to other children anywhere because most children question what does not seem right, and believe what they hear from others above them, such as parents, and religious educators. Maraji is a little different from the children that I grew up with because of her background, culture, and religion. Where I am from, it is not very diverse, but she does play monopoly (Satrapi 24) with her father which is something that most kids do and is another aspect that makes Maraji similar to other children.
ReplyDeleteJackie, I strongly agree with your claim. You used very strong evidence such as, "at the age of six, [she] was already sure [she] was the last prophet" (Satrapi 6), which really emphasizes that Marji was very religious at such a young age.
DeleteI agree with your statement, Marji demonstrates how she can create her own ideas and how she proves that she is unlike most kids today. Marji's believes that "[she] is the last prophet" (Satrapi 6) and her view on what she wants to be when she is older exposes her individuality.
DeleteIn the beginning of Persepolis, Marji Satrapi, the main character, appears to be worry free and innocent. Many children across the globe share these very same characteristics making her similar to children everywhere. Marji was also lucky enough to grow up in a loving household with two parents, a grandmother and a large extended family who care very deeply for her which I, as well as many others also grew up in a generous household. On the other hand, Marji had a very unusual childhood for she grew up in a war torn country. Marji recounts her several instances from her childhood that stand out from normal adolescent experiences. One of these experience takes place at a rally against the wearing of the veil for all women in Iran. When "A german journalist took a photo of my mother" (Satrapi 5) Marji can not seem to understand why her mother is frightened. Marji in fact was extremely proud of her mother but very soon after she realized that it painted a target on her mothers back as a protester of the veil. Marji growing up with situations like these occurring on a daily basis sets her apart from my childhood as well as many other childhoods.
ReplyDeleteKyra, I strongly agree with your claim, and I liked how you used strong evidence, such as "A german journalist took a photo of my mother" (Satrapi 5), to show how Marji is different than children around us, and how her experiences in a place , in your words, known as a "war torn country" have shaped her to be worry free and innocent. Excellent analysis of your claim and addressing all points of the prompt.
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