Persepolis Blog

Yes we have moved on to a new book. So no more talk on consumerism and all that other "good"stuff.
Before i get started id like to say my trip to the U of M totally blew and was a major let down ..ughh.. whatever now on to more important matters. DUN DUN DUNNNN!! oh and yeah its kind of last minute but i just woke up.. oops. it was still posted before 12 so i win :)

--Written as a memoir... more powerful then fiction?
I think that any type of non-fictional books are more powerful then fictional writing. We know that what we are reading has actually happened and good or bad i think we can all connect to the text in some way even if we don't want to. With fictional writing i also think that yes you can connect but we know that whatever it was didn't happen with a real person in real life. We can always make ourselves feel better when reading fiction because we make up what we wanted to happen and everything works out perfectly but with non-fiction you really cant. The only other memoirs i have read was the series of A Child Called "It". That series of books is so freaking powerful because you read about this boy and how his mother nearly killed him and you cant help but feel bad for him and while i was reading it there was nothing to say that could make me feel better. Comparing this to other books i have read that have been fiction, if something is going horribly wrong then i can always make something up for myself. I think its really good to write memoirs because it tells a true story that can only be told by one person. Its a part of history.

--Describe the writers voice... how did it affect my reading experience?
I really liked how this book was set up. The writing style was young enough for me not to be bored with reading, yet it was mature enough at the same time so it wasn't like reading a book written by a four year old trying to tell this big important story (which we all hate listening to a four year old retell his day when he stumbles over every word and half of the damn story doesn't make sense.. or is that just me and the kids i listen to??). I really did have some connections with Marji's character. Her character asked lots of question concerning things she wanted to know more about or didn't understand fully, she was very naive at some points in the story but she was super observant. She noticed every little detail and analyzed everything, never really just taking somebodies word for it always having to make sure for herself. Which is something i do all the time and i never really understand why I'm so untrustworthy of people its a bad quality... But having all of these connections with the character made my reading easier but harder at the same time. Because it was easy o connect with i could put myself in her shoes but with the context of the story that kind of sucked...

--What ways does Persepolis tell stories and comment on importance of stories in our lives?
I believe that stories are a HUGE part of our lives. Your entire past is one big story and its important to know about it. Not only does your past help shape who you are but your other relatives have a past who helped shape them. Since they were shaped by their past and they are apart of your past/life its important to know about all of their pasts and what they went through. Its like a never ending circle. When Marji heard all of the stories of her uncle Anoosh, and her grandfathers story, and her mothers story of growing up it gave her insight to how those around her A)survived through any obstacle they had and B)shaped them and made them who they are today. Its important to know these types of things because you can learn from these past experiences and it can make you a better person.