PERSEPOLIS Blog Response number uno

Written as a memoir, is Persepolis more powerful than if Satrapi had fictionalized the story? Why or why not? Compare this book to other memoirs you have read. What are the benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?

Well it could be said that if the book was fictionalized it could be just as powerful of a story. Yet I feel that the reason the story was not fictionalized and was kept as a memoir is because it is the truth. Satrapi wants to represent her truth and I think it is best conveyed in the way she made her graphic novel. I feel this book is more powerful then if it were fictionalized because this book is written form truth. This book is not only interesting and educating yet powerful because it is real! I have not read nay other memoirs, i don't read much so I cannot quite compare this memoir to another. I believe the drawbacks of memoirs is that one is speaking the truth, and some people don't like to hear the truth so the author could upset the readers. Yet the benefits to a memoir is that it is a personal story that others could relate to.

How is Persepolis organized and structured? What has Satrapi chosen to emphasize in her childhood? How is the passage of time represented? Describe Satrapis drawings. How do the drawings add to the narrative of the story?

I have noticed from the story that Satrapi has appeared to emphasize her childhood thoughts and opinions through out the book. I also feel that her views of how her country is being ruled are very emphasized just by the comments/thoughts she makes. For example when Marj declare that she is going to protest and goes and protests though told not to. she emphasizes the way she feels about the "current" situation. The passage of time is represented by the current and telling stories of the past. The two time aspects intertwine to give a good idea of time.  Satrapis drawing are not very detailed or colorful, yet they do get the main point across when looked upon. Though not detailed, the pictures are powerful to the story. The drawings add a sense of narration to the story. The pictures in the book give the reader the sense of understanding the context of the book. They pictures also add to the narrative in the sense that Satrapi drew them herself which shows how she represents each situation, in which the reader can try to understand what Satrapi feels/felt.

What is the role of woman in the story? Compare and contrast the various woman: Marj, her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, and the neighbors.

From what I have read so far in Persepolis I have picked up on the fact that where Marj lives women are expected to be submissive and "protect" themselves from dangers, for example woman are suppose to wear the veil because if a guy sees there hair it "turns" them on. Its like natural beauty in the woman is hidden. woman are also viewed that they are basically trash and can be used for sex if they don't follow the rules of the leaders. So overall the woman in the book seem to suppose to be very submissive. yet Marj and her mom are very out spoken. Marj speaks up for what she believes and her mother participates in demonstrations against the new rules, they even refuse to wear the veil. The grandmother seems neutral to me so far. She tells stories of her life and it seems that she always lived in fear for her husband. It makes it seem like woman are dependent on the man. The school teachers don't seem to think for themselves and they even impose this on the children by telling them to all wear the veil. The maid is viewed as lower then other woman because off her class. This is how the woman in Persepolis compare in the story. 

Feed final (paper edition)

What does your feed contain and why? My feed contains:

• Pictures of friends- this is in my feed because I think about my friend’s daily. They also are a big reason that I am always smiling and laughing.
• Homosexual ads- this is in my feed because I feel that ALL humans have the same right. A gay person is still made up of the same parts as a straight person, still has the same feelings and should have the same rights. I strongly believe in equality for all and that is why I have the gay ad in my feed.
• Comic strip- the comic strip is in my feed because I love being funny! And it shows a sense of humor I like.
• My boyfriend Zach- well this is the person that is always on my mind. I miss him when im not with him and ive been with him for 2 and ½ years so he’s a big part of my family and me.
• Butterflies- I just love butterfly. They’re so beautiful and they’re the symbol of free to me. That is why they are in my feed.
• Animals- well I have always loved animals and never lived without one. So they’re a big part of my life too. Also they are the reason I know what I want to be when im older, a veterinarian.
• Drawing of a couple – this is part of my feed because to me it symbolizes love and romance. That is important to me and would be in my feed all the time.
• Smiley face- well I love smiling and laughing. Im so happy all the time my nick name is giggles (-:
• Chipotle burrito-OMG my addiction they are delicious and chipotle ads would be in m y feed whenever I was hungry!
• Music notes- music is my entertainment! Music can make my day and set my moods it also occupies me when im bored. Also I love listening to music and then signing along.
• Thought bubbles- those three thoughts are literally what goes through my head every friggin day (not lying) so they had to be in my feed!

 

What does this say about how this defines American culture and identity?

From what would be in my feed it could say many things about the American culture and their identity. I believe that from my feed one can only make generalizations about American culture and that ones feed cannot represent the main parts of American culture. Yet what my feed could say about American culture is that the value food, politics, happiness, and relationships.

 

What are the social implications of technology use, consumerism or anti-consumerism? Are these good or bad? Is it okay to resist?

            The social implications of technology use and consumerism tie together. It seems that every week a new device is coming out. This is implying that it is ok to toss the old and get with the new. Yet it is so wasteful. Most the time the device is a piece of crap or super similar to the last version. It forms our country to be on of waste! Well the main social implication is bad, since when is wasting good? And of course it’s okay to resist. A perfect example of these is all the people who jumped on the “ go green” wagon. It is okay to resist but it is very hard!

How does media, consumerism, reliance on technology, and/or popular culture personally affect you? Do they mold us? Or do we mold them?

Personally reliance on technology and consumerism affects me quite a bit. But not any more then others I know. I shop at least two times a week, yet every time I go shopping there’s always something that “ we need” when really we don’t. We always find something to need. And I go a little crazy without my cell phone. It’s the way I connect with people. I think technology molds us in a way but cannot complitly mold us. We mold technology though too. The only reason it exists is because we want it. We design it to what we want, so yes we mold technology too.

 

How does it impact you? Define you? What does it say about your personal habits, your individuality?

            Technology and consumerism impact me in a good way. I mean it makes things ten times more convenient. I don’t even need to memorize phone numbers, or have a calculator, or worry about a schedule. My devices can do that all for me.  It defines me in not such a big way. If I had to say it defined me I would be lying, I CAN live without a cell phone or going shopping all the time, it would suck, but I could do it. This says about my personal habits that I rely on the current situation of my life to keep me going and it also shows that I an like the whole world are getting lazy since these devices do everything for them.

 

If there is a moral to the story, what is it?

         Yes there is a moral to feed. The main moral is that if we keep up the technological usage like today and only advance it we could end up brainless and having technology control us. It is a symbol of how we are today.

 

Are people anything without the feed, in the world of the story?

What does the feed interlude at the end of the book mean (everything must go…)?

             Yes people are “anything” without the feed. They don’t fit in as well but they are way smarter and are more then the people with feeds will probably ever be. Look at Violet. When “Everything must go.” is being repeated over and over at the end of the book it is saying that our habits of today must be left behind if we as a country and world don’t want to be a bunch of mindless idiots letting a corporation and a microchip control their life, CHANGE!

watch this to laugh ( has nothing to do with FEED, yet is funny)

CONSUMERISM-THE BAD, THE WORSE AND UH.. THE WORSER LOL

Erin mentioned it, it is quite funny... watch

Visual Essay

My theme that I picked to represent Feed was one) confusion in consumerism and two) the fact that people buy and buy and buy.

The skull represents the thought of many americans yet tells the truth. It seems that america is in competition with itself for who can own the most stuff ( yet most people dont own half the crap that is in their house.) The picture next to it and the one in the lower left corner represent that the media is purposefully confusing one so they think they need the product now, or to fit in or because a celeb has it. I find the last picture funny. The trees are our world and us, humans, are eating it away like were animals. To me that picture is saying we will eat away our world even if we know its not good, we cant stop our consuming ways, its how the world was "meant to be". These two themes I decided to do my visual essay on are things I have learned to recognize through peoples habits and even my own. I could go in to a store and a sign would say 50% off, so im drawn to it and then you get up to pay and the deal wasnt what you thought because you didnt realize that in really really really little letters it says like when you buy a shirt at regular price get the 2nd half off. Thats a purposeful confusion, theres a reason the text was super small, to confuse the consumer. The second theme I can personally identify with. My whole life I have gotten basically everything I wanted ( besides a car!!!) Honestly when me and my mom are bored we go shopping, its like entertainment, we just buy and buy and buy though we have everything we need. Consumerism has become a past time in America. Yet one must  remember our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we satisfy our selfs with consuming... we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever accelerating rate. This is america, this is consumerism.