Karen Delgado, #27
11-7-13
Block 3
Argumentative Essay
In Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, you get
an inside look on what it's really like to live/ grow up in Iran. Persepolis
follows a young girl named Marji (who is based on the author) throughout her
life to give the reader a better understanding of the country. Marji faces many
life changing experiences that effect her in many ways. In a letter from CEO,
Johan Bennett, we become aware that he has decided to ban the graphic novel
Persepolis for its "crass language, graphic violence, sexual content, lewd
humor, an instance of suicide, and other images that are not appropriate."
Along with the rude idea the CEO has on the book he failed to mention the pros
about it such as a better understanding on a foreign country, and more
appreciation for our country.
Although
Mr. Bennett did pick up on a lot of what the book is, he paid no attention to
the good things like fighting for justice and freedom you deserve. Marji and
her parents fight for justice along with many other people. By creating a group
that large they were able to gain enough power to over throw the Shah. With
being shown a lot of justice being made we also get to see a lot of injustice.
for example, in the chapter entitled "the Letter," the maid does not
fight for what she wants and ultimately ends up heartbroken.
Persepolis
also shows/ explains to us how violence is never the answer nor is it
acceptable. Marjane Satrapi gives us a better understanding of "violence
never solves anything," and "violence is never the answer." She
does so by demonstrating so much of it. A lot of the violence talked about in
Persepolis is graphically shown but to an extent where it helps with the understanding
of the story rather than just taking up room on a paper. This proves that
Marjane is well aware of the violence but only displays it to an extent.
Along
with many things we've learned from Persepolis we have received a better
understanding on a foreign country. While reading this graphic novel you get an
inside look on what it's like to live and grown up in Tehran, Iran. While
getting an inside look to Marji's life you see many obstacles she faces and how
she struggles to overcome them. You get to read about her life and have a
graphic understanding of it. Everyone goes through different things even in
different countries and although they may seem "simple" and
"easy to handle," they can be just as bad.
Overall,
I believe that Persepolis is a magnificent novel. It demonstrates and teaches
you many things you normally would not know off the top of your head. While
reading it you learn a lot from Marji and her experiences, along with the
struggles she faces. Although she is not necessarily the best role model, you
do learn a lot from her. Therefore, I disagree with Mr. Johan Bennett's
decision to ban the graphic novel, Persepolis,
by Marjane Satrapi.
