Dear Marjane Satrapi,

I am a college student currently taking an English class in which your book Persepolis was required for this class. We had to read the book and write journals about our feelings towards every chapter we read. It was a bit unclear at the beginning why the little girls had to wear veils and it bothered me how such things were forced on the youth when all children want to do is have fun. I thought that the people who wore the veils were a part of their religion, but as I read this book, I come to realize that at first, these veils were forced upon them. At some points I would feel sad, frustrated and angry but also very proud of little Marji. For example, on the chapter “The Heroes”, as I read along I visualized the torture people in Tehran during the 1980’s went through because they opposed the government and its regulations. Another chapter was “The Sheep” in which I felt really sad and almost felt like crying because of how one of Marji’s most beloved family members was executed which caused Marji to leave her faith in God by kicking him out of her life. It made me think of how it affects children in a drastic way living under an oppressive regime. I can relate to this because even though we’re not going through the same problems, there are parts in our lives were we feel just like Marji. I feel angry when things go wrong in which I start questioning God because, just like Marji, I communicate with God. When I have a problem, I start blaming God but since this was during my younger days, I didn’t know much about my faith and my religion so it was easy for me to question God and think twice about what I believe in. Going back to the chapters, there is another chapter in which I felt proud of Marji. The chapter “The Key”, I noticed how smart Marji was and how her knowledge makes her life easier to understand. I thought it was smart of Marji to play around as a martyr because that caused for a parent meeting in which Marji’s father attacked the teacher back by saying “if hair is as stimulating as you say, then you need to shave your mustache!” (98). The remark Marji’s father made, other than being quite hilarious, was an example to have the teacher realize that children are children and they play around because that’s what they do and that the rules imposed to the people are ridiculous. This book really made me realize that things can get worse. By reading and learning about other cultures and lifestyles, I learn that I should appreciate life and be proud of my country because we, as residents of the United States, are fortunate compared to other countries. Even though we don’t live under the same government Marji had, we still have problems that somehow relate to us based on our struggles in our daily lives. I am pleased to say that this book has made me think about life and how we all go through different problems and how culture is diverse. Persepolis gave me a clear understanding of life in Tehran and the Persian life during the 1980’s in which shows how truly proud you are of your country. Because of this book being a graphic novel, it helped me picture the events better since pictures speak more than words and it also captivated my attention in which makes me eager to read the next novel! I will most definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs to learn more about life in Tehran in the earlier days.