I think that the chapter “The Trip”
does a good job of incorporating both the lives of Iranians as a whole and the
culture at that time as well as expressing her own view’s and outlook on the
world around her. She shows the culture as a whole through explaining that the
universities were closed down and why. She also shows the cultural outlook on
women classified as modern, such as her mother, through her description of her
mother’s incident with the two fundamentalist men. She also shows how Iranians
of the time expressed their views through the way that they dressed. The
fundamentalist woman would be covered head to toe, while the modern woman would
let a few strands of hair show as a form of personal protest. Fundamentalist
men would have a beard and un-tucked shirt while modern man would shave and
tuck in their shirt. She also shows the violence during protests and expresses
that you were to say that you prayed multiple times a day weather it was true
or not.
She
also expresses herself, her life, and that of her family while explaining the
whole of society at the time. She tells of her reason for being so disappointed
at the closing of the universities, she wanted to go to school to become a
scientist. She explains her family’s personal experience with protesting in
which Marji’s mother decides that she is old enough to go with them as well as
their decision to take a trip when things got too bad. She explains how when
the returned from their trip they had no idea that a war had begun which separates
her personal experience from that of the majority of Iran. She also expresses
her own frustration at the war and desire to defend her country. I believe that
by including these very personal descriptions alongside her explanations of
Iranian life Satrapi does a very nice job of showing the Iranian culture while depicting
her personal experiences and helping readers connect to the story.
I love all the examples you have here! They really support your argument, which is complex. I like that you are able see the two sides of the argument about Satrapi both isolating her character in her own uniqueness and at the same time lumping her in with the rest of the Iranian people.
ReplyDeleteTo me, at least, this really gives our perceived narrator a lot of credibility (I don't think that's the right word for it... I mean to say the author we see behind a first person narrator.. anyone remember what it was called in the article??). Anyways, the fact that you can see both points of view and have examples, also proves to me that our author can see both points of view as well, so I believe her more than I would otherwise. You could say I trust her objectivity by her frequent self-admitted subjectivity in her younger character of Marji.
I agree with you, I also think she does a good job of representing Iranian Culture as a whole and Marji's personal life. Another good example of this is when she introduces the story of her maid. She shows more people in the breadth of Iranian culture and shows that not everyone is quite as fortunate as her family. It gives a a view of the Iranian social structure but also a view of Marji's personal views. She doesn't like that Mehri can't be with the man she loves. It shows societal constructs but also Marji's personal feelings and outlooks of the people in her own life and her relationships with her family and her "sister".
ReplyDeleteI like the point you make about trusting the author's objectivity. I definitely had that sense as well. She was very open and honest about the flaws of her younger self, and this certainly gives her great credibility.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of this is in 'The Key' chapter. When Marji is explaining how her and her classmates lined up twice a day to mourn the war dead. (95) They put on funeral marches, and have to beat the chests. As a society in the school and Iranians, it is the respectful thing to do. Eventually Marji could not take the it seriously. She started making fun of them. (97) The teacher was furious, but Marji and her class mates had different views and thought what should have been a serious, mourn for the dead, was a joke.
ReplyDeleteAnother time when this is done really well also is "The Passport". Satrapi family problems and what was going on with Iranians as a whole seem to just flow quite well. Marji talks about her Uncle Taher and his health struggle that seems to be tied to all the violence surrounding the area they live in. Also, his son who was sent out of the country before the borders closed. Satrapi uses Uncle Taher as a way to represent many Iranian/Persians who were struggling with loved ones who were out of state while touching on the violence that was overtaking the society.
ReplyDeleteUncle Taher's trip to the hospital gives us a glimpse into the changes the country was going through. This idea that Fundamentalism gave poor people an opportunity to lift themselves from their social classes and become something better is seen in the Hospital Director who happens to be a man who used to wash her windows. This director has to grant Taher a passport in order for him to travel and get open heart surgery in England.
The chapter ends with Taher dying and a young revolutionary dying and the overall effects on what happened to people when they went against the regime. I thought Satrapi was excellent in blending the story of Marji with the stories of all Iranian/Persians. She fit a whole lot of information into one chapter that gave great insight.
I think "The Passport" is another great example. Especially when Satrapi uses Uncle Taher to represent more than just himself but also many Iranian/Persians. It was a great way to help us understand and connect with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that "The Key" chapter is a great example for question 2 because it illustrates the distinction between how the culture feels and how Marjane feels. Even though they both do not necessarily agree since some of the guys actually hurt themselves in honor of the war being over and preform a variety of serious rituals while Marjane finds the situation comical and chooses to create masks and decorate the room. It is evident, that the cultural norms of Iran is to conduct these rituals once the war is finally dead but Marjane on the other hand chooses to celebrate in her own manner. Nonetheless, the author presents both sides which allows the reader to understand the Iranian culture as well as Marjane's perspective on this situation.
ReplyDelete