Works Sited

Russell Germain
3/11/13
Prof. Knapp
Iran-Contra Affair Works Sited

"Profile: Al Shira." History Commons. N.p., n.d. Web.

"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

"The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On." The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.

Persepolis

Russell Germain

3/3/13

Professor Knapp

English 1A

Persepolis

Persepolis

            Persepolis is an autobiography telling of a woman, Marjane Satrapi’s, childhood experiences during the Iranian revolution. The book casts a light on issues of class that played a hand in the upheaval in Iran. Persepolis opens on an Iran shortly after the beginning of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. This revolution was one in which the very fabric of social order was changed due to newfound religious piousness. Before this period wearing a veil on one’s head was simply a statement of religious choice. However, due to Islamic law now essentially becoming national law, Marjane Satrapi, soon found herself being forced to wear the veil at school. Additionally, she found herself, in a school where boys and girls were allowed to be taught in one classroom, torn from her friends and forced to be taught in classes divided along gender lines. While these changes were quite large and affected many in Iran, they were insignificant when compared to political discourse that was soon to follow.

            Persepolis, states that the exchange of political power, form the rightful emperor of Iran, to the usurper known as The Shah, was orchestrated by the British empire. Marjane Satrapi imagined the coercion of The Shah, who at the time was a relatively unremarkable soldier, by a member of the British parliament. Satrapi wrote, “Well [Shah] shining your boots? When you are emperor your secretary of state will shine them for you…. You can have everything. Power, shoe shiners… and even more. Anything you want in cash! ... You just give us the oil and we’ll take care of the rest.” (24). In this imagining of this hypothetical interaction, Satrapi makes it clear that she envisions the British to be the true architects of her country’s political upheaval. When The Shah took power from the Emperor, who incidentally happened to be the great grandfather of Marjane Satrapi, he immediately enacted many changes to the Iranian ideals. For instance he became overwhelmingly obsessed with the idea of returning Iran to a state of exaltedness that it was in during the Persian Empire. Additionally, The Shah decided it would be a grand idea to spend the majority of Iran’s wealth on extravagant celebrations of “… the 2500 years of dynasty and other such frivolities” Persepolis (28).  These changes to the fabric of Iranian governmental policy, led to a series of protests, which in turn led militant retaliations.

            Under The Shah, Iran experienced an impressive amount of civilian dissatisfaction. In Persepolis, there are several examples of such protests with graphic illustrations of the military trying to quell the protests through armed force. In one example, a multitude of civilians are gathered in front of a hospital where a young male protestor was killed through excessive force. He is shown being carried out of the hospital on the shoulders of his fellows, in a state of martyrdom. In another example of violence against protestors, after a demonstration so many civilians were killed that, “… a rumor spread that Israeli soldiers were responsible for the slaughter.” Persepolis (39). The increasing violence represented by the author seems to create an atmosphere of civil unrest in Iran, and foreshadow an even more violent period of national revolution.