IB Higher Level Essay - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi PDF

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Higher level essay - Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi...

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How do religion and politics intersect as is seen in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis Religion plays diverse and divergent roles in society, influencing human actions, both harmonious and hostile. The socio-spiritual phenomenon has been the topic of the most controversial discussion for decades, facilitating political conflicts. The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1978 had the potential to affect the entire Muslim community, Muslim nationalism stays a key factor in the ongoing Afghanistan conflict, and Sikh opposition remains on the Indian peninsula. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic memoir that tells the story of her childhood and adolescence in Iran and later in Austria during and after the Islamic Revolution. Marjane Satrapi explores the intersection of religion and politics. Despite a formal separation between church and state in 53 per cent1 of all countries, religion and politics are tightly bound. This raises the line of inquiry: how do religion and politics intersect  This essay explores the relationship between as is seen in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis ? religious and political attitudes. Religion affects one’s political stances. The complexity of the matter is that there is no generally accepted definition of religion. Clifford Geertz2 defines religion as “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, persuasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.” He focuses on how religion influences one’s behaviour, beliefs, and understanding of the world. Since political attitudes are formed by these, according to this description, it is safe to say political attitudes are influenced by one’s religion. When moral policies hang in the balance, religious people often argue from their religious values that have greatly influenced their deeply felt human values. David Campbell and Quin Monson3 looked at the gay marriage case in 2004 in the United States of America, which is both a religious and political issue. The authors found that protestants were not changing their political stances, but rather sprung into action on account of the gay marriage issue. This finding demonstrates that religion not only influences political attitudes but also that people rely on their religion when making sense of the political world around them. Hence, David Campbell and Quin Monson have shown that religion indeed affects one’s political stances. Marjane Satrapi writes on this influence of religion on the development of her political attitude. The Islamic Revolution comes to Iran when she is nine years old bringing with it many political and social changes. Although her parents are not, the book’s protagonist Marji is deeply religious as a child. Religion is important to Marji’s understanding of herself. At the beginning of the memoir, Marji wanted to change the world as she was convinced to be the last prophet. She wanted to be “justice, love, and the wrath of God all in one”. Marji’s identity was shaped by religious values. Her personal identity later rebels against the national identity of the Islamic government. Before the Islamic Revolution, she had come up with numerous rules in her holy book. She only tells her grandmother of these rules by saying “Rule number six: Everybody should have a car. Rule number seven: All maids should eat at 1

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/03/key-facts-about-government-favored-religion-aroun d-the-world/ 2 https://nideffer.net/classes/GCT_RPI_S14/readings/Geertz_Religon_as_a_Cultural_System_.pdf 3 Campbell, David E., and J. Quin Monson. “The Religion Card: Gay Marriage and the 2004 Presidential Election.” The Public Opinion Quarterly , vol. 72, no. 3, 2008, pp. 399–419. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/25167637.

the table with the others. rule number eight: No old person should have to suffer.” These three rules have in common that they imply all persons should be equal. Though Marji was only nine years old when coming up with these rules, the foundation for her political attitude had been laid. When under the rule of the new regime the identities of people in different social classes differed, inequality had become a reality. In Figure 2, the foundation of Marji’s political attitude has now become a political stance as Marjane Satrapi writes on how she felt ashamed about the differences between social classes. Marji’s angry facial expression indicates she is fiercely against the regime’s inequality. She argued against the regime’s inequality from her religious value of equality. Thus, showing that her religion has influenced her political stance.

Figure 1, taken from Persepolis , page 7.

Figure 2, taken from Persepolis , page 33. This influential role of the intersection of religion and politics also works vice versa as politics influence one’s religious beliefs, practices, and identification. Especially in societies with an oppressive regime, as is seen in Persepolis , the shaping of religious affiliation is greatly stimulated. As an individual is deprived of its freedom by oppression, the longing for an

escape route grows. Karl Marx4 argued that man makes religion when oppressed, as he enunciated “Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people.” Although Karl Marx maintains that man makes religion, existing religion is more often what people rely on. In Persepolis , Marji finds comfort in her religion when the world upsets her, as Marjane Satrapi writes “The only place I felt safe was in the arms of my friend [God].” When examining the drawing style of figure 3, Marji and God are portrayed as white contrasting with the black background. This clear contrast implies that the world around Marji is unsafe, but when escaping that world by being in God’s arms, she feels safe. Marjane Satrapi demonstrates how political warfare shaped Marji’s religious affiliation.

Figure 3, taken from Persepolis , page 53. Furthermore, regimes stimulate the deformation of religious beliefs. Regimes often manipulate religion for whatever purpose needed, creating religious values that are not recognized by religious individuals. This raises a prominent question within individuals, worded by a reader of the Atlantic5: “How could a higher power allow for so many people to suffer so greatly when (s)he had the power to alleviate suffering, which is so vast and unending in the world?” In Persepolis, the role of politics exerts such influence on the religious beliefs of all characters. As they start realising the moral evil that is done by arguing from religion, they start questioning their God. Victims of trauma may feel let down or betrayed and experience a sense of mistrust6 or anger7, and some individuals may direct these beliefs and resulting feelings toward God. Marjane Satrapi writes on her religious struggle formed by the oppression of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its religious beliefs and practices were violently forced upon the Iranian citizens. Hence, personal religion was under attack. Figure 3, a two-panel page, shows Marji’s interpretation of a happening done by the 4 Marx, Karl, and Joseph J. O'Malley. Critique of Hegel's "Philosophy of Right": Transl. from the German by Annette Jolin and Joseph O'Malley. Ed. with an Introd. and Notes . Univ. Press, 1970. 5 h  ttps://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/03/losing-your-faith-after-seeing-so-much-suffering/476064/ 6 Brewin CR, Holmes EA. Psychological theories of posttraumatic stress disorder. Clin

Psychol Rev. 2003 May;23(3):339-76. doi: 10.1016/s0272-7358(03)00033-3. PMID: 12729677. 7 Andrews, B et al. “Predicting PTSD symptoms in victims of violent crime: the role of shame, anger, and childhood abuse.” Journal of abnormal psychology  vol. 109,1 (2000): 69-73. doi:10.1037//0021-843x.109.1.69

government. A cinema containing innocent people was set on fire. 400 hundred lives were taken that night by the police locking the cinema and forbidding people to rescue those that were inside. By making the visual aspect so simple, the reader is drawn into the story making it easier for the reader to relate to the traumatic experience that is now burned into Marji’s mind. By the arrangement of the panels, the reader takes in the full horror of the 400 burning souls. Marji makes it clear she wants to demonstrate against the deteriorating state. When on that evening, Marji asks God where he is, he does not show. The heretofore personification of God emphasizes the insignificant role He is now starting to get in Marji’s life. She is slowly realising that God may only be there to comfort her instead of saving her and other victims. When later on in the memoir, her uncle Anoosh is executed, she is sure God was only ever there in her head and loses all faith in Him. When looking at the panels of figure 5, all visual aspects make it abundantly clear that Marji is fuming with God. Her very blunt use of language is further emphasized by the scream bubbles and her facial expression allow the reader to recognize her anger for feeling betrayed by Him. Marjane Satrapi exemplifies throughout Persepolis how one’s personal religion could be lost due to the trauma of political turmoil.

Figure 4, taken from Persepolis , page 15.

Figure 5, taken from Persepolis , page 70. In conclusion, the intersection of religion and politics is a two-way street. Religion affects one’s political stance. Religion influences one’s human values from which political stances are formed. In Persepolis , religion exerts influence on Marji’s understanding of herself and the formation of her human values. Vice versa, Politics influence one’s personal beliefs since it stimulates both the shaping and deformation of religious affiliation. Though the manipulation of religion done by the Islamic Fundamentalists is initially bringing Marji closer to God by Him providing an escape for her, it finally makes her doubt Him and ends in her completely losing faith. All together demonstrating how religion could affect one political stance and how political turmoil could affect one’s religious beliefs. Works cited Andrews, B et al. “Predicting PTSD symptoms in victims of violent crime: the role of shame, anger, and childhood abuse.” Journal of abnormal psychology vol. 109,1 (2000): 69-73. doi:10.1037//0021-843x.109.1.69 Bodenner, Chris. “Losing Your Faith After Seeing So Much Suffering.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 27 June 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/03/losing-your-faith-after-seeing-so-much-suffering/4 76064/. Brewin, Chris R, and Emily A Holmes. “Psychological theories of posttraumatic stress disorder.” Clinical psychology review vol. 23,3 (2003): 339-76. doi:10.1016/s0272-7358(03)00033-3 Campbell, David E., and J. Quin Monson. “The Religion Card: Gay Marriage and the 2004 Presidential Election.” The Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 72, no. 3, 2008, pp. 399–419. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25167637. Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays: Selected Essays . Basic Books, 1973.

Marx, Karl, and Joseph J. O'Malley. “Critique of Hegel's "Philosophy of Right": Transl. from the German by Annette Jolin and Joseph O'Malley. Ed. with an Introd. and Notes.” Univ. Press, 1970. Masci, David. “Key Facts about Government-Favored Religion around the World.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/10/03/key-facts-about-government-favored-religion-aro und-the-world/. Satrapi, Marjane. “The Complete Persepolis / Marjane Satrapi.” First edition. New York: Pantheon Books, 2007....