Personal and Objective

Several readers can relate to Persepolis. They can either relate to the history it presents or the events Marijane, the main character, faces. Just like those people,  I can also relate to this book. In the chapter “The Sheep,” Marijane loses someone she loved dearly. As I sat reading this chapter, I could not help but think of my beloved father. Even though the situations are not completely similar to each other, a painful memory was triggered. In the book Marijane meets her uncle, Annosh, for the first time and immediately adores him for his bravery (54). He not only tells her stories, but he also so gives her political knowledge (54-60, 62). Then one day, Marijane world comes crashing down on her. She soon learns that her dearly loved uncle Annosh has been arrested by the government and sentenced to death penalty (68-70). What is more, he calls to see her for one last time before his execution (68). When I read this passage, my mind immediately went back to year 1999. I was about to turn eight when my father fell sick. Even though he did not go through what Uncle Annosh went through, the emotions were the same – betrayed. Like Marijane, I came home from school one day to find my father nowhere to  seen. After asking my grandmother what had happened, I soon learned that my “father was invited by God to the heaven because he was a very good man.” I immediately knew that something was wrong; Tragedy is always in the air when an adult tells a child that a loved one has “gone on a vacation” or has been “invited to the heaven.” I soon learned that my father had passed away—just two weeks before I was to turn eight. I felt betrayed by God. Why would He do something like that to a child, I thought. Why would He take away something so precious? I cried and cried and cried, but my questions were left unanswered. However, I never lost my faith in Him. I soon realized that life is full of challenges, and what does not kill you makes you stronger. In addition, Uncle Annosh asked for Marijane before his execution (68). My father never did, for he never wanted me to see him suffering. He wanted me to keep the healthy memories of him.

I believe that the author included this scene to show the effects of the war that a country has on various children and to illustrate Marijane’s anguish and vulnerability . Many children develop a strong relationship with their family members, and nothing could be more devastating to a young child then to see their loved ones being torture and executed. By including this scene, the author applied pathos to appeal to the readers’ emotions. If she had not included this scene, the readers may not have realized the psychological dilemmas a child suffers from. Moreover, this scene is also vital to the book because it showed why Marijane lost faith in her faith and in God. If this scene was not written, I would have never been able to develop a connection with Marijane and her story and know that I am not the only person who has had felt lost. What is a book if it fails to make connection with its reader? What is a book if it fails to trigger a memory?