Persepolis Blog numba 2 :D

Time for blog two. I'm going to miss doing these things (only a little). Well might as well get right to it (the prompts I want to write about haha).

LAUGH!!!

Citizens of Iran still had a lot of fun, but in secret. They still had parties and laughter. Marji's parents even go to some extremes to get their daughter some fun stuff from another country. They actually sneak in a poster for her by sewing it into her father's jacket. People hide board games and cards in their home and work hard not to get found out. Marji's blatant curiosity had me laughing often. The way she was kind of unknowingly shielded from things and then learning them later than many was pretty funny. Like when she tried to pee like a boy and ended up peeing on herself. :D Oh and when she was in Austria and one of the girls was telling her all about sex. It was all new to her and to me I thought it was intriguing. Young Marji always had questions and wanted answers as well. She also felt that she should not be shielded and her parents didn't really try to shield her either. When Marji thought she would be the next prophet I smiled, because I knew that she had no idea what she was up against. Satrapi provides comic relief in very good places. I like how she showed Marji's reaction to Anoosh's story about the sex in prison. It helps relieve the tension of the death, but you still know it is serious. These scenes help you to understand what kind of person Marji is and it helps you to be able to see how things were in her eyes more. She isn't just any girl with no heart or life. You get the feel of how she is and can sort of feel what she is going through.


REBELLION

Aaahhh the rebellious children. Well the kids fought the rules in many ways. At first it was not wearing the veil, then wearing it incorrectly. Then it was wearing make-up sneakily and jeans under the veil. Most of their fashion was coming from western areas slowly, so to them they had to at least try to keep up with it and copy what they were doing. Plus they didn't appreciate the sudden change of how they were supposed to be. When I think of how I would have been in this environment I'm not sure. I am kind of a scaredy ass when it comes to getting punished for things so I would probably rebel in a small way, but for the most part I would try to follow the rules closely. When they were all doing the secret parties, I don't think I would have attended, just for the fact that I knew if I got caught I would get into serious trouble. I think Marji rebels like this because she was raised to rebel. Her parents always let her know that this new regime was way out there. As a teen I do rebel in my own way I suppose. Its just never anything big. I often don't do homework, but that's not rebelling because I still get As. Lets see... I have snuck out of the house a few times and I wear clothes my grandma tells me not to wear, but for the most part I don't really have restricting rules. I am trusted to do what will help me succeed in life, not fall back and fail. Satrapi, to me, is a normal kid because she wants to be cool and smart like every one else. She keeps up with the trends (well once they get to Iran) and tries hard to succeed. She actually does follow her religion some what until she gets with other kids from other countries, then it becomes less important. Marji is just a kid who is pressured to not rebel and her consequences are worse, but like any other kid she will still rebel no matter what.

Maji's familia.

Marji's family is like the perfect family to have. They are understanding and teach Marji very good life lessons. When Marji wants to do things the regime forbids the parents try to help her, because they feel she should be able to do what she wants. Marji's parents believe in being free and not made to do these silly things that take the fun out of life. What they want is for their daughter to succeed and know the truth about their beloved country. Even with the oppressive regime on their back, her parents try to give Marji the best life and they keep her in a very comfortable environment. If she has questions they answer them truthfully. They do not think that they should hide the bad stuff, because they know that will not help her to understand what is going on. Many parents would probably disapprove of telling a young child tales of war and death, but it is because of these tales that Marji grows up so strong and determined to make her life better. Her parents get their strength from their parents. Marji's grandma is often around and she has the same ideals as Marji's parents. She knows how the country once was and what war has done to it. She helps to teach Marji wrong from right and keeps her in check from time to time. In this case family is probably the most important factor in the way that Marji grew up. They taught her a lot and helped her very much throughout her life.

Persepolis Blog 1 :D

Persepolis.... Hmmm I have finished both parts and am already forgetting things so I better do these blogs quick-like. I really liked this book and it actually taught me a lot of things about Iran that I didn't know. I love true life stories and this book kept me thoroughly entertained.
PROMPTS:

Memoirs....

I think it is great that Satrapi did not fictionalize this story, because I feel it makes people think, "Holy shit, this really happened?" I know that is what I thought. Non-fiction automatically has more power, because you can't really change the story in your mind. With a fiction book you can always make yourself feel better by thinking O yeah its just a story. Persepolis isn't JUST a story. This stuff really happened. Not many people know several family members and friends that have been tortured to death and since we know this really happened it is kind of a shock. I have read many diary books about people's lives (mostly girls) and they are all very detailed and real. Memoirs don't worry about happy endings. They are just about the truth and I think the truth is what we really need. I have already stated the good sides of memoirs and when it comes to the drawbacks I'm not sure. Maybe the fact that their life is out for every one to know might be one or people disagreeing with what they did in their life.

Organization and Structure...

Persepolis is organized into sections of Marji's life and goes off on other little stories that fill in what is happening. The story is very much centralized on her family, country and learning. Her family helps her develop into a very politically smart child and even praise her rebelliousness. She is very much worried about her country and at first turns to her faith to help herself understand. Many times it is said that she reads up on history and news about what is going on. It is also nice that you actually see this through a child's eyes. You see the death, the sadness and the tragedy through Marji's eyes and it takes a whole other affect on you. It is bad enough when your older and see this stuff, but Marji is only 7 or 8. I really like how her parents didn't try to hide it either. It made her a smarter girl and she knows that whats happening is wrong and fights it. The drawings of the story could tell the story by themselves. Her pictures show the rebellion, tragedy and sorrow, but in a way that a child would see it. The drawings greatly help to imagine what is was like during this time. They are powerful and make the story even more real feeling.

The Writer's voice...

Right now I am thinking more about the teenage Marji because I am so used to how she speaks and thinks, but I will try to think back to little Marji. I very much liked how she spoke. She spoke intelligently, but also with a certain curiosity. When she was with her family she was very honest and seemed more open, but when she was with friends she like to exaggerate and tell tales. As a child she is struggling with her identity and which route she wants to take in life. Throughout her life she changes a lot and decides to rebel against the regime. I think the part of her I identify with is her need of close family and her sticking to her beliefs no matter what. The part about her I really don't like though is how she sold out that innocent man to save herself (when she was older). I would never purposely get some innocent person in trouble (especially when the trouble means torture and maybe death) just to prevent myself from the same thing. With any book I usually get attached and want to know more, more and more and the way young Marji acted so strong and determined really made me want to read what else was in store for her. She made me mad some times and laugh at others. Overall I really loved the story and I, of course, wish there was even more to it.

Feed project reflection

Well for my project I decided to make a collage of what my feed would look like. It doesn't have everything my feed would have, but it does have a lot of it and its a PG.13 version of what my feed would be like. :) My feed has pretty colors and things that interest me. There is advice, pictures of famous people and swim suits. Pretty much it is a random pile of crap I like to see. I'm not sure why my mind thinks in this way. I suppose its just stuff I've learned to like over time. Things around me do affect how I feel, so I like to be surrounded by good things and in my mind all this stuff is good. American culture IS consuming. Every one will end up buying something they don't need, but are made to believe that they do. Who you are is sadly based upon materialistic bases, at a first glance. Plenty of people have defied society's views and have succeeded in life (by society's standards of course). And others have even been happy with not having a lot and just being their own person.

Technology is something used every day in almost every person's life. It is part of the American society. People resist either because they can't afford it or they don't want to bother with it. Right now it is okay to resist technology, but in the future it will probably be less and less easy to live life with out it. Consumerism and anti-consumerism are seen a lot as well. Either one of these can be resisted and its still OK, but if the world comes to something like FEED either path will be a destructive one like in the story. Consuming hurts them and not consuming hurts them. Nobody wins there. All the jumbled mess of this society affects me of course, but not in such a way that I would rely all of my happiness on materials. I could still go on with life if I had all the people I loved in one place and no technology (I think). This topic is confusing to me though because I could make arguments with both sides and not be able to fully stick to either one. I am like a person in the middle. It is like when we did that thing in class where you stood at the place you felt agreed with the question. I often found myself in the middle, because I analyze things thoroughly and come up stuck still. To myself I feel I keep my individuality and stay with what I like. I don't change my mentality just because society does. To tell the truth I don't even know how trends start or how things get "molded." Its just another thing I don't bother with thinking about to much.

For this story.... Of course there is a moral. I think he is on the side of the argument that consumerism will kill us no matter what. If you don't consume you die, but if you do you still die. I feel like I say this a lot, but no one wins. Ever heard that Life is unfair? Well its pretty damn true in this case. Anderson shows us this by telling what he thinks will happen. It could very well come to this and I'm not sure if anything will even be done. He even shows that without this tool to consume you are nothing, like in the case of how Violet's father is portrayed. When it comes to why Titus orders all of those pants, I am not entirely sure why. It could be him rebelling, malfunctioning or trying to feel better. I think I am leaning more toward him feeling better, because he does do it right after Violet dies. Finally the end of the book... "Everything must go..." The world must end, and everything will mean nothing, but at least you will have it when you thought it would be important even though it has actually killed you.

CONSUMERISM

I thought this was kind of funny and that it does prove that people consume for the wrong reasons all the time.

Learning to consume starts early and is influenced more and more about how much money your family has.

This is true. When your unhappy the quickest way to suddenly be happy is to consume something and anything.

Yes. Less is not enough. We need more and more, nothing seems to satisfy our need to consume.

Can you say credit problems? Our need to consume and the availability of credit cards has ruined how credit used to be.

Does consumerism look healthy? He looks like hes has a feed. HMMM not good!!!!!

So I was going to do my visual essay on dystopia, but then I realized I didn't know what I would write about, so I switched to consumerism and picked these pictures. I feel all the cartoons tell about a different piece of consumerism. None of them show a good side, because I don't think the bad side is shown enough. Anyways the cartoons are just a representation of the "evilness" of consuming and they show what no one wants to really think about. I suppose over my lifetime I have developed some of the same qualities as other consumers, but since I didn't grow up with a lot of money I think I have been more able to stay individual and not buy into all of the crap. Yeah I still see things and want them, but I will not buy them unless I really really want them or actually do need them. If you ever go shopping with me you will see that I do not buy much and I am very frugal. I think it is pointless to pay a lot of money for a shirt just because it is "cool." I do have an i-pod and cell phone, but I take care of them and I don't need a new one all the time. Over my lifetime I have seen shows and other things in life that show the bad side of consumerism. Like the reality shows about rich people and how they don't even have to think twice about a $2,000 dollar shirt, that looks just like the one at target that costs $10.00. The difference between the rich and poor is extraordinary and it seems like status is only looked at by how much you have, and not who you are.

Everything in life influences me about consuming and tells me different things. T.V, radio, people and so forth. I think I am actually happier that I haven't always gotten what I want, because then I would probably be a snobby, spoiled brat (whom I hate now lol). I feel that the things and ideas I've developed are okay and that as long as they never go over the top and I still can keep myself individual and sane I will be all good. Consuming is a part of life. It is just how you consume that makes you who you are.