A society cannot prosper without its women. The strongest and most developed societies in the world value women and, conversely, the weakest societies in the world do not value women. Nearly all developed nations provide women with the freedom and protection of the law. However, even the strongest societies have sexist values. In Marjane Satrapi's memoirs Persepolis and Persepolis 2, this social model is prevalent both in the Iranian culture in which she grew up and in the Austrian society where she is a guest for several years. In Iran, the government systematically oppresses women through harsh laws and policies, and the country is in turmoil. In Austria, women are much more valued and the country is peaceful, but Satrapi's Austrian peers still experience sexism. Furthermore, a new form of oppression controls Satrapi's life when she is taken out of her home where everyone looks like her and moved to a place where her skin color and culture are shameful. Although on the surface it seems that women in developed countries do not live under hatred and oppression, Persepolis and Persepolis 2 dispel this myth by showing an inside view of a woman's life in Iran and Austria. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Persepolis, the veil that women had to wear was highly controversial and secretly oppressive. Marjane, when she was 10 years old in 1980 during the time of the Islamic Revolution, was forced to wear a headscarf when in public or at school along with the rest of her classmates. These girls were not explained the significance of this, leading them to not "want to wear the headscarf, especially because they [didn't] understand why [they] had to do so." (Persepolis, page 3). Riots broke out in the streets among Iranian men and women over whether or not wearing the headscarf was morally correct (Persepolis, page 5). A division has thus been created among the Iranian people. There were the fundamentalists, who wore full veils and long dresses, and the moderns, who "showed their opposition to the regime by letting a few strands of hair show through" (Persepolis, page 75). The oppression of women in Iran runs much deeper than clothing, yet these clothes have made a social statement as faithful visual representations of what women should and should not be. A few strands of hair peeking out from under a veil indicates rebellion and sends a message of negativity to anyone who sees it, although this could easily happen by mistake. But the problem is even bigger than the veil. You might argue that it's just a piece of fabric and it's not difficult to just put it on. However, oppression begins to apply when a government dictates what a certain group of people can or cannot wear, and implies that this reflects on the person's value to society. Marjane recounts the pain and sense of helplessness (Persepolis, page 134) among her people, especially the women, in Persepolis. Iranian women wore this sadness tied around their chins. Social values towards women change, although they are no better or worse, when Marjane goes to Austria in Persepolis 2. Marjane is no longer made to wear a veil when in public and generally notices more respect for women. She is allowed to live her definition of a “true independent adult life,” going out in public without her headscarf and shopping for herself at age 14 (Persepolis 2, page 5), which she could not have done with such ease. when in Iran. In Europe, however, the way women behave is extremely different from how they act in Iran. The women.
tags