''Freedom had a price'' (Satrapi, 341)

This last  reading of The Complete Persepolis was really intense. After being in Europe for several years, Marjane decided to come back to Iran. Well, it was not just an average ``decision``, she was practically forced to because of the conditions she was in,  in Europe. Before she left Europe, she was a homeless person who traveled around in trains for shelter and, a person who smoked cigarette butts that she would find on the ground. She also almost died from a serious case of untreated bronchitis. At this point in the book, I was thinking ''wow, how could she have let this happen?''. As usual, I stopped reading, put the book down on my lap, flipped to the about-the-author blurb on the back and reminded myself that what I'm reading actually happened. Its hard to imagine that the picture of the smiling Marjane Satrapi (who, in my opinion, looks so sophisticated) is the same person who was in a very financially disadvantaged (to be politically correct) state.

Thankfully, she makes it back to Iran. Although Iran is generally viewed as the country with all the problems, I honestly felt more comfortable reading about her dangerous life in Iran than her ''sketchy, druggy, punk'' (to be politically incorrect) life in Europe.

Clearly, Marjane and her family did not agree, so, once again, she moves to Europe again (for the last time). This part of the book is really sad. Even though she had already left her family once, it is worse this time because I knew she would never come back. On the last page, as she says her final goodbyes, she says ``and my grandma was there happily.. since..1994, I only saw her again once. She died January 4th, 1996.. Freedom had a price...'' (341, Satrapi) In Marjane's case, she left the repressive country of Iran for freedom in Europe, but had to leave family members and other things she loved behind. The price that she payed here, is that for freedom, she had to leave behind her grandma, who died shortly after. This part was also the last page of the book. I wanted to keep reading and find something that could cheer me up, but nothing could. At least this was a good slap in the face from reality. In real life you cant go back and you cant keep reading, because somethings just end. 

But anyways! Overall this book was great in so many ways! Im very excited (well excited as one could be for having to do more school work) to present to the class why I think this book is a good one to read and study for ENG4U! This is also my last blog post..so goodbye to who ever/if anyone is reading this! And remember to check out ''About the Author'' in the top right corner!

And as for the people in my group, COMMENT!! :)

After reading about Marjane's experiences in Austria, and the culture change she faced. I have become interested in the culture change Iran has been through. The Complete Persepolis describes the change in Iranian culture do to the change in regime. It went from a Western-influenced dynasty to an Islamic Republic. Since After looking more into Iranian history/culture I have seen a huge change in their music.  The video below was the national anthem of Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Portion of the lyrics from Iran's old anthem (dynasty):

Oh homeland, my homeland Listen to the pain of my words I am the nightingale of this garden All my body and soul  All with one name and symbol With different colors and languages

If you compare the old anthem (above) to the the new, post-Islamic Revolution anthem (below)  you can notice a big change. The new anthem is less about the homeland and people and more about God.

Portion of the lyrics from Iran's new anthem (Islamic Republic):

The month of Bahman is the brilliance of our Faith. Your message, O Imam, of Independence and Freedom is imprinted on our souls. O Martyrs! Your clamours echo in the ears of time: Enduring, continuing, eternal, The Islamic Republic of Iran.

Does this change in music interest anyone else?

Anthems From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Iranian_national_anthem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anthem_of_the_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran

“No scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my anger” ( Satrapi, 142) The second part (of what my group divided the book) of The Complete Persepolis is very heavy. Two major events in her life are described.

The major event that the author, Marjane describes at the beginning of the second part of the book is about the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). She describes how her next door neighbor's house was hit and destroyed by Iraqi scud-missiles, killing everyone inside. To portray this, Marjane uses a completely blacked out frame that forced me to stop reading and deeply process what has just happened. The text reads, “No scream in the world could have relieved my suffering and my anger” (142). Just as no scream could reveal her suffering, no image was powerful enough to do so either. The comic format of the book, to an extent, separates me from the tragic elements. I often find myself having to stop reading, put the book down on my lap, flip to the about-the-author blurb and remind myself that what I'm reading actually happened. When the reality of it sinks in I get melancholy, and I continue reading.

The other main event in Marjane's life that she explains is her move to Europe and her transition into the Western culture. I have to admit, that I was saddened when I read Marjane's account on leaving her family behind in war-torn Iran. Marjane says that ''Saying goodbye is a little like dying.”  (Satrapi, 153). Personally, I can't relate with that statement. I always assume that when I say bye to someone I will see them again. However, in Marjane's situation, she can't be certain.

Marjane's describes the differences she faces when she moves to Austria. As soon as Marjane arrived she was faced with a language barrier. I enjoyed reading her experiences in Austria; a lot of the text was actually in German, and was simple enough for me to understand it. I got a kick out of being able to read a book that had two languages. It was not only the language that made her feel uncomfortable, but it was the entire culture. The anarchic, punk culture she encounters in Austria is revealed so well in the imagery that when my brother did his daily barge-into-Luke's-room  routine he looked at the  pages of the book and suddenly asked me ''what the f*ck are you reading?! That book looks so weird...'' 

Here are the pages of The Complete Persepolis that he saw.

Looking at these pages I can see why my brother was so surprised/weirded out by them. This is a really weird part of the book.  Does anyone else think this part of the book is weird? Leave a comment!


I still have a third of the book left to read and I am hoping that it's level of weirdness goes down, so that the next time my brother barges in my room he wont ask me what ''the f*ck'' I was reading.

“2,500 years of Tyranny and submission.” (Satrapi, 11). Page 11 of The Complete Persepolis is used to describe what Marjane's father says about the foreign oppression Iran has faced.

Well, here is my first official blog post about Marjane Satrapi’s The Complete Persepolis.  I will begin this post by being blunt. When I began selecting my top three books to read for the ENG4U Summative, this book was not on my list. I judged the book by its cover, which I still don’t find that appealing. However, after one of the other students told me that The Complete Persepolis   is a memoir about growing up in revolutionary Iran, I immediately became interested. Not often do we, in Western society ever hear about Iran from an Iranian perspective (not to put a post-colonial lens here) .  I changed the order of my top three books and put this book first.  I was put into the group to read The Complete Persepolis for our summatives.

When I began to read this book in the parking lot after purchasing it from Indigo, I was instantly engaged.  The introduction briefly discusses the history of Iran from the second millennium B.C to the 1980’s.  By page three the book changes tremendously. Rather than continuing as a book that discusses Iranian history, it instead is written as a graphic novel (yes, a "comic") from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl. The graphic novel format was hard to get used to at first, but after a few pages I began to really enjoy it. The graphic novel format makes the book really an easy and fun read; the pictures play in your mind almost like a movie.

Up to now, the main character, and the author, Marjane, is beginning to change from an innocent girl to one who has been traumatized by the war and the revolution.  Marjane describes a friend of the family who was captured and "he suffered hell. He always carried cyanide on him in case he was arrested, but because they took him by surprise he never got a chance to use it. They even burned him with an iron." (Satrapi, 51). The pictures in the book made this part very intense.  For now, I hope the book will stay intense and interesting and I am looking forward to my next blog post.

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