Persepolis IO Outline

Persepolis IO Outline

What was easy to understand and what was difficult in relation to social and cultural context and issues?

Islamic Revolution

What is the Islamic Revolution?

Uprising that led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic

Social and Cultural Causes:

Difference in religion

Conservatism vs. Fundamentalism

Conservatism: resisted Shah’s westernization and secularization movements.

Fundamentalists: Western culture= greed and materialism

Society under Islamic Republic

Marji has a veil on and is drawn in an unhappy mood

Her face is the clear image of the prevailing social condition which entrapped her freedom and identitiy within the veil.

Islamic Republic made it mandatory to wear the veil

Women can’t have any identity or freedom

Entertainment

Many people living under these conditions had limited freedom and couldn’t perform their regular activities as they did before, such as throwing a party.

“ Planning a party, you know that is strictly forbidden” (Satrapi,105)

Basic collections of entertainment were also illegalized during this period, for example “ records and video cassettes...cards, a chess set..Everything that's banned”(Satrapi 105)

Still some people rebelled against these rule and threw parties and drank alcoho, etc. in order to maintain sanity and not succumb to the new changes.

Some people did’nt pasivley rebel, like marjanne and her family did, other people decided to actively rebel by protesting and throwing “stones at the army”(Satrapi,18) when they felt it necessary.

Continued

Women who refused to wear the veil where harrased and forced to wear the veil

Marjanne’s mom , for example, would remeber recall these events saying “ women like me should be pushed up against a wall and fucked, and thrown in the garbage… and that if i didn’t want that to happen, i should wear the veil” (Satrapi, 74)

The Republic also disorganized the education system( pgs. 4 and 73) This crushed Marjane’s hopes to become an “educated, liberated woman” like Marie Curie.

Education

Pre-revolution

When Shah was in power between 1925-1979 the education system was changing to be more modern and westernized.

Based off French Education

Created the secular Iranians that DIDN’T support the islamic revolution

Post Revolution

Brought back religion, taking away the secular aspect

More religiousclasses

Teachers employed can’t be secular, have to know Islam well

Boys and girls are separate

Girls required to wear the veil

This caused conflict between those who supported secular education vs religious.

Eventually schools closed down 1880 and reopened 1883

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