At the times of the Iranian Revolution, those who deviated from the norm were perceived to be very controversial. Due to the different ideologies of social groups, conflicts and disputes arise among them. In Marjane Satrapi’s, Persepolis, the Iran Revolution triggers the controversy of morals and beliefs between the modernist and the government. The modernist are perceived as rebellious and westernized. During the time of the Iran Revolution, modernists are being presented as a rebellious group. The modernist attend demonstrations to showcase their rebellious attitude towards the government. The group chants ‘“guns may shoot and knives may carve, but we won’t wear you silly scarves’” (76). During the revolution it is obligatory for women to …show more content…
Modernist are instantly identified through the style of dressing. Marjane illustrates that “in no time, the way people dressed became and ideological sign. There were two kinds of women… there were also two sorts of men” (75). Marjane clearly showcases the differences between a female and male fundamentalist and modernist. Similar to Marjane and her mother, a modernist woman is perceived as an opposition to the regime if a few strands of her hair are falling from her veil. If a modernist women is seen without a veil she is an immediate target of rape. A male modernist is perceived as a man with his shirt tucked in and against the Islamic ruling of no shaving. In addition, modernists believe they are oppressed by religious behaviour. Marjane states that “the Arabs never liked the Persians… they attacked [us] 1400 years ago. They forced religious on us” (81). Similar to Marjane’s family, most modernists are secular. However the fundamentalist feel obligated to conform to Iran religious ideologies. Marjane is very furious with this deecre as shown through her facial expressions. She shows confidence in her beliefs that oppose to those of the Shah. To add on, Marjane is instantly judged for her forbidden apparel by the Guardians of the Revolution. The group of women question “why are you wearing those “punk” shoes… aren’t you ashamed to wear tight jeans like these…we’re taking you down to the
Essay 1 In “There is No Unmarked Women”, Deborah Tannen explains how women are forcibly “marked” no matter what. During a small work conference, Tannen observes many women’s appearance. She looks at their haircuts, clothing and the makeup they wear. She feels the women are all “Marked”, while men wear nothing to stand out.
Although the 1936 decree impressed the West, it shocked all of Iran by stripping them of their Islamic ways. In other words, there were many Iranian women who could not accept the absence of the veil, because they viewed it as their identity as Muslim women. Furthermore, through his reform, Reza Shah was able to get Iranian women to expose their face and let their hair loose so that they could resemble the women of the West. In addition, after the 1936 proclamation, the only hair covering that was permitted was by Iranian men who wore European style hats. Last but not least, Reza Shah stressed the concept of a Western appearance to the point that he utilized both the military and police forces in order to forcibly remove a woman’s veil if she wore one in
Race is a social construction. Societies establish the idea of race by identifying it as something that is legitimate and distinct (39). Ultimately, creating inequality for those who do not fit the “norm”. This concept is known as racialization. One clear example of racialization is the Quebec girl who was banned from playing soccer because she was wearing a hijab on the field (Postmedia News).
There is an established thought that every person must be an active participant in their life, and this is done by making choices; however, it is accepting responsibility that controls our lives and the people around us. Marjane Satrapi is an outspoken female, who is not afraid to stand up for something she believes in. As she grew up, Islamic Fundamentalists created strict moral and dress codes for the people of Iran. As a woman, she was forced to wear a hijab in a certain manner. At the time, Marjane was studying at an art school.
The experience of transitioning from one world to another can be prevented due to obstacles that can possibly be challenging which may result in the growth of an individual. One may encounter barriers that can prevent successful transition, thus having an effect on their perception and the perception of others. The remarkable play ‘Shafana & Aunt Sarrinah: Soft revolution’ -2010 by Alana Valentine portrays the experience of venturing into a new religious world as both protagonists exhibit their juxtaposing perspectives on devotion towards religion as the cultural significance of the hijab becomes a barrier between generations. This provides the audience with an insight into Muslim women’s world, exploring their own identities in regards to
Thus, the exceptionality of the 1979 Iranian Revolution emphasizes the influence of religion and its role and contribution in revolutions and revolutionary ideology. The oppressed majority of Iranians, consist of mainly of Shiites, may well sympathize with Shariati’s form of Shiism which defined the religion as, “the struggle for justice against foreign rule, tyranny, feudalism, and exploitation (Brandis, 2009).” Also, the U.S.-Iranian relations went downhill after the revolution. In fact, Khomeini accused the U.S. of exploiting Iran’s resources. This exploitation from the west forced Iranians to take part in a revolution where many Iranians had to die and killed by the repressive Shah regime
Have you ever heard two people having a discussion about a topic, but they have different opinions? Acknowledging the fact that people could have different opinions based on their own perspectives is very important. In Persepolis, Marjane writes as her 10 year old self, sharing what she experienced in Iran, while they were in the middle of a revolution. Throughout the book, she gets older and her perspective changes multiple times over several different topics. Marjane Satrapi’s perspective affects her presentation of imperialism, religion and loss of innocence.
The twentieth century witnessed the rise of elites and governments in the Islamic world, focused on modernizing and westernizing their respective states and social structures (Webb 2005, p.100). Mustapha Kemal in Turkey, Habibullah and Amanullah in Afghanistan, and Reza Shah in Iran are just a few examples hereof. In general, these leaders shared the common goal of discouraging traditional practices, which they generally viewed as archaic, and instead want to introduce modern institutions that would serve to integrate their countries and economies into the international community and the emerging global economy (Webb 2005, p.100). In Iran, these westernizing elements have constituted one side of a fierce conflict between modernism and traditionalism,
Without God as a guiding presence in her life, Marji began to rebel against the ever-encroaching fundamentalist institution as much as possible. Under the pretense of religion, Iran strictly enforced new laws against social gatherings and all items of decadence, “They found records and video-cassettes at their place. A deck of cards, a chess set, in other words, everything that’s banned… It earned him seventy-five lashes”(105). This sudden loss of mediums to enjoy one’s self and prevalence of excessive punishment enforcing the declared moral code (132) were invitations to rebel for Marji.
It also illustrates a belief in personal freedom because she is wearing clothes that are frowned upon. In this panel, Satrapi is challenging the negative stereotypes about Iranians by showing that people do still want to be free and not part of the Islamic regime. In the book Persepolis the author shows many reason as to how everyone in Iran didn’t want the Islamic regime. Satrapi challenges stereotypes about Iranians by showing people still want a better life and also by showing Individualism in Marjane.
The readers can see the transition of cultural background by noticing details within the image, for example, character’s clothing and how they dress themselves up. The transition of clothing and fashion represent cultural backgrounds that create struggles for Marjane and her search in self identity. The necessity of Iranian girls wearing veils indicates the regime taking over Iranian society further effect Marjane’s belief towards her identity. The first part of the book presents the background history of this graphic novel by saying, “In 1979 a revolution took over place.
It is later that Marjane and her family watch a man decree on television that “Women’s hair emanates rays that excite men. That’s why women should cover their hair” (Satrapi 74). Women of Iran and around the
The first volume of Persepolis (2003) addresses Satrapi’s (2003) childhood struggle of identifying with a traditional religious way of life and her modern parents’ way of living. Tarlo (2007) explains that some of the modern Iranian women transformed to simplistic choices of the fundamentalist woman that discouraged Satrapi (2003) from relating to their identity. Tarlo (2007) believes that Satrapi (2004) portrayed the fundamentalist that stood with the leader Ruhollah Khomeyni in symbols that represents their loss of self-identity. Woman drawn in full coverings and closing eyes is one way Satrapi strips a character from individualism. The full coverings symbolize the loss of human shape and form, while the closing eyes symbolize the fundamentalist
To what extent is the literary devices shown in Persepolis increase the impact of the novel and show the culture of Iran in the 1970s? In the novel Persepolis by Majane Satrapi, she tells the story of her life living in Iran in the 1970s. In this novel she discusses the atrocities committed by both sides of the bloody Iranian revolution and how both sides truly were. In the novel, Satrapi uses several literary devices to enhance the meaning of the novel to a much greater degree than directly telling the reader. Still, these literary devices also allow the reader to peer into the very culture of Iran in the novel and how certain objects can mean certain things both from within the culture and the context of the novel.
In her article, Hoodfar notes after an interview with an Iranian woman, that were few objections by men to the new legislation, ‘since men always wanted to keep their women at home’. This suggests that on one hand, the veil is a potent symbol of the