“Marjane's identity, as an adolescent has been formulated against a background of loss, because of the Iran-Iraq war and civil unrest and because her parents have sent her into exile in Austria, to keep her safe. Staying with family friends, Marjane meets Shirin, another teenage exile in Vienna. Moving from the war zone to Europe creates an identity dislodgment for Marjane. As Shirin talks about her pearly pink lipstick, Marjane thinks, "What a traitor! While people were dying in our country, she was talking to me about trivial things." Having experienced war, bombings, disappearances, and secret police raids, Marjane feels detached from Iranian exiles, who have forgotten the violations of their homeland. The traumatic experiences of war have been part of her childhood, and the amnesia about these events creates anger and distance” (Segall 38-49). Marjane is sent to Austria as a means to be safe and start a new life as a teenager, yet transitioning brings on new people, new school, new food, and a new culture. Prior to assimilating, Marjane thinks it’s wrong for Shirin to be thinking about lip stick at a time during war but then Marjane becomes Shirin, she assimilates herself to wearing make-up. Marjane has undergone transitions from hostile war environments to westernized culture and back and she grew up through it all, all the changes and all the pressures of religion and rebellion.
“There are many signs of an uneasy, yet desired, return. Having left Iran as a teenager, she has grown up in Europe, and her father does not recognize her at first—a failed recognition. She notices that her parents seem older, shorter, and less "imposing," and despite their "comforting words" of welcome home, she proceeds to her room and does not speak of her time in exile. Her exile experience, with the temporary cultural aphasia of identity, now feels unspeakable, because she has been disconnected from Iran; it is an uneasy return to reemerge with war victims” (Segall 38-49).
When Marjane comes back and sees that her parent’s looks older, shorter, and different, it becomes a reality that she was away from all the terror in Iran. She missed out on what her family was experiencing during a rough time. Marjane was disconnected from Iran while she was in Austria which can sometimes be detrimental when moving from place to place because you go on thinking that you are missing out on your family and friends along with the feeling of missing out on events and what happens in your hometown and culture. It’s very uneasy to return to a time of war because all the emotions, all the fear and anxiety comes back to a person that has to relive all the things he/she lived before the transition process.
Kimberly Wedeven Segall. "Melancholy Ties: Intergenerational Loss and Exile in Persepolis." Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 28.1 (2008): 38-49. Project MUSE. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 6 Apr. 2009
Purpose: To have the students reflect on how Marjane felt when she left home in Iran and went to Austria and then eventually France.
Overall lesson topic/title: Marjane’s Transitions
Grade Level Content Expectations: This lesson is designed for high school level students.
Goals/Objectives:
Knowledge Goal: The goal of this activity is for students to practice their writing skills without worrying about being graded.
Commitment Goal: Students will write their journal entry/reflection based on how they would feel leaving their home and family at a young age and traveling to a new country.
Materials/supplies needed: A journal and a pen or pencil.
Procedures & approximate time allocated for each event: 10-15 minutes possibly longer if students need more time to gather their thoughts
Closing summary for the lesson: Students will write a brief journal entry (no page length required) and then put their desks in a circle to have a class discussion on the topic of transitions.
Transitions Writing Assignment
There is one component to this assignment:
(1)Journal Assignment: After reading "The Dowry" chapter in Persepolis on pages 143-153, you should apply how you feel after reading this section and apply it to your journal entry.
Assignment: In this journal entry, you will be free writing about how you would feel if you were put in Marjane’s position. Do you think that you would be mature enough to leave home at age 14? How would you feel if the new country you are living in is not as glamorous as you originally thought? Use these questions and then continue free writing until you have all of your thoughts on paper.
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