Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story Of A Child
As the title reflects, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is a narrative about a young child named Marjane. The book is seemingly innocent at first glance, but Marjane Satrapi lived in Iran at the height of the Iranian Revolution, which was a brutal regime. Just because Satrapi did not live in America or in censored conditions does not mean that students here should not be able to read her story. The United States prides itself on withholding freedom, but if students cannot read the books they please, how can the government claim to support such liberty. Moreover, in America there are generally hostile feelings towards those of Iranian descent. This resulted from the 9/11 attacks by Iranians in the 2001; therefore, It is more important now than ever to adapt a healthier outlook on these people. Among schools, a theme is shielding students from real
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life. What Marjane goes through in her graphic novel is very real. More importantly, what she went through is very different than life in the United States. Understanding these discrepancies is crucial. Students need to be able to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood because people need to preserve freedom, develop a healthy world view, and to become educated on what other people go through around the world. The United States of America was built upon principles of freedom and equality. If books are banned in schools, students are losing the base of our nation. The banning of literature would be a violation of our freedom of press, not to mention it is policy expected in a communist nation. Americans have spoken out against communism since it was invented, so why are we using some of their restraining policies? Though it is understandable that this book of blood and vulgarity may be unsuitable for young children’s curriculum, schools should not be telling people that they cannot read what they desire on their own time. This is essentially saying that children cannot decide for themselves what is in their own best interest. Sooner or later all students will hear and experience trying events themselves. They shouldn’t feel like their anguish needs to be suppressed just because it is not necessarily pretty, like Marjane’s story. If administrations don’t allow knowledge-hungry students to learn what they please, they are limiting overall entitlement of future generations.
If students are prohibited from learning about the ugly events in history through literature like Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, their knowledge on the reality of the rest of the world is forcibly being limited.
Teaching on the American civil war, the Cold War, bloody massacres, and police brutality is already being done in American schools. Why, then, is it banned to learn about similar events in other nations? Students must have a clear world view through textual research in order to shape their growing minds and opinions on important topics. Also, Americans generally resent Iranians because they categorize them all as “terrorist” due to the 9/11 attacks done by extremist Iranians. If more students were permitted to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood they could see the normal behavior of Iranians, and since it is from the viewpoint of a child, they may learn to see Iranians in a new, more peaceful light.The Iranian Revolution was an event that cannot be changed nor taken back, therefore there is no point in reserving the book so that students can’t learn about this event that deeply affected
history.
Marjane Satrapi shared her bildungsroman story through Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, which details events from when she was merely eight years old to when she was fouteen. She was only a child, younger than most kids in the schools that have banned, or tried to ban the book. If Marjane can experience those retched events then shouldn’t people be allowed to hear about it, especially since most students seeking to hear about it are almost her same age? Her story is nothing like that of any in the United States, because there has never been such a revolution here. Reading Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood would shed light on new cultures and experiences that will only enrich an unfamiliar child’s education. On top of this, Marjane’s somewhat erratic behavior, as seen when she slaps a teacher or talks back to her family, is not much out of line with the behavior of kids anywhere in the world. Although it is reprehensible, this does not make Marjane a criminal. It simply makes her a rebellious teen, like many others. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and young intellectual’s ability to read it specifically enforces God given freedom to be informed, it fuels a positive outlook on the rest of the world, and it apprises about others lives and cultures that are quite different than their own. Learning about different lifestyles and conflicts does only righteousness for a moldable student, or anyone else who fancies a broader horizon. The profanity in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood that disables it from being read in some schools is only a depiction of true life, not a crime or act of law defiance. To learn about other cultural events and the real people that endured them positively benefits United States’ students in many ways. The most important and globally impactful is the fact that it subdues judgement on people that is based on preconceived notions. At the end of the day, when one truly takes a look at the story in essence, it is the story of a childhood. When the topic of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is addressed in schools, it must always be remembered that Marjane was but a child who experienced a broad scale conflict. Every child has and will experience conflict in their lifetime, which is why it is so imperative to not discriminate which stories can be read based on the superficial depth of the conflict in question.
life. What Marjane goes through in her graphic novel is very real. More importantly, what she went through is very different than life in the United States. Understanding these discrepancies is crucial. Students need to be able to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood because people need to preserve freedom, develop a healthy world view, and to become educated on what other people go through around the world. The United States of America was built upon principles of freedom and equality. If books are banned in schools, students are losing the base of our nation. The banning of literature would be a violation of our freedom of press, not to mention it is policy expected in a communist nation. Americans have spoken out against communism since it was invented, so why are we using some of their restraining policies? Though it is understandable that this book of blood and vulgarity may be unsuitable for young children’s curriculum, schools should not be telling people that they cannot read what they desire on their own time. This is essentially saying that children cannot decide for themselves what is in their own best interest. Sooner or later all students will hear and experience trying events themselves. They shouldn’t feel like their anguish needs to be suppressed just because it is not necessarily pretty, like Marjane’s story. If administrations don’t allow knowledge-hungry students to learn what they please, they are limiting overall entitlement of future generations.
If students are prohibited from learning about the ugly events in history through literature like Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, their knowledge on the reality of the rest of the world is forcibly being limited.
Teaching on the American civil war, the Cold War, bloody massacres, and police brutality is already being done in American schools. Why, then, is it banned to learn about similar events in other nations? Students must have a clear world view through textual research in order to shape their growing minds and opinions on important topics. Also, Americans generally resent Iranians because they categorize them all as “terrorist” due to the 9/11 attacks done by extremist Iranians. If more students were permitted to read Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood they could see the normal behavior of Iranians, and since it is from the viewpoint of a child, they may learn to see Iranians in a new, more peaceful light.The Iranian Revolution was an event that cannot be changed nor taken back, therefore there is no point in reserving the book so that students can’t learn about this event that deeply affected
history.
Marjane Satrapi shared her bildungsroman story through Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, which details events from when she was merely eight years old to when she was fouteen. She was only a child, younger than most kids in the schools that have banned, or tried to ban the book. If Marjane can experience those retched events then shouldn’t people be allowed to hear about it, especially since most students seeking to hear about it are almost her same age? Her story is nothing like that of any in the United States, because there has never been such a revolution here. Reading Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood would shed light on new cultures and experiences that will only enrich an unfamiliar child’s education. On top of this, Marjane’s somewhat erratic behavior, as seen when she slaps a teacher or talks back to her family, is not much out of line with the behavior of kids anywhere in the world. Although it is reprehensible, this does not make Marjane a criminal. It simply makes her a rebellious teen, like many others. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood and young intellectual’s ability to read it specifically enforces God given freedom to be informed, it fuels a positive outlook on the rest of the world, and it apprises about others lives and cultures that are quite different than their own. Learning about different lifestyles and conflicts does only righteousness for a moldable student, or anyone else who fancies a broader horizon. The profanity in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood that disables it from being read in some schools is only a depiction of true life, not a crime or act of law defiance. To learn about other cultural events and the real people that endured them positively benefits United States’ students in many ways. The most important and globally impactful is the fact that it subdues judgement on people that is based on preconceived notions. At the end of the day, when one truly takes a look at the story in essence, it is the story of a childhood. When the topic of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood is addressed in schools, it must always be remembered that Marjane was but a child who experienced a broad scale conflict. Every child has and will experience conflict in their lifetime, which is why it is so imperative to not discriminate which stories can be read based on the superficial depth of the conflict in question.