Appreciation

After reading Persepolis, I found the contrast of Iranian culture and American culture to be quite interesting and accurate. I learned about Iranian culture and at the same time I saw my own culture in a new and intriguing point of view. The many stereotypes of Iranian culture such as all middle eastern people being terrorists, or seeing the veil and strict culture as an extreme form of religion, seemed ignorant and foolish after truly understanding part of the culture in Persepolis. In the beginning of the novel I was intrigued by Marjane's way of life; I was taken aback by her struggles, daily routine, and maturity. As the novel progressed, I began to feel the same way as Marjane. As she felt ashamed for her own culture I felt ashamed of mine. To have read about living during a time of war under such strict rules and oppression made me look at my own life in a different way. Living in American culture, I take many of my freedoms for granted. Marjane lived during a time of war, and it was a war that took place on her own land, and at times, right next door from her home. In American culture we see devastation and hear about it on television but it is not as much of a reality for us. Persepolis gave insight into a new culture and made me appreciate my own.

What I found interesting about Marjane and her life in Iran, was the fact that she needed to constantly question what she was doing, in fear of the government and getting killed, and then also question whether or not what she was doing was right or wrong in her own opinion. For myself, I walk around never having to question either of those. I don't walk around in fear of the government, and I don't walk around questioning it either. Marjane's life in Iran is one extreme, and life in American culture is the other. I think some people, myself included, are ignorant and take for granted the life we have because we do not live in an area such as Iran. Shouldn't we be questioning our government more? And shouldn't we be more conscious and aware of our life and the freedoms we have? We should appreciate the fact that we do not have to worry about fighting for our freedoms and protecting our lives daily, and stop to question what may be wrong or right.