Towards....the future?

Have you ever had that feeling that you know where you're going except that you don't really know where you're going? Confusing right? What I mean to say is...Sometimes you're told to do something (For example: In Persepolis, Marjane is told to go to Austria.) but you don't actually know why you're doing it. I've had that lost feeling many times before. I drive off with a goal in mind like I have to get milk! But after driving for several minutes I begin to contemplate where I could be going like McDonald's to get something to eat! Usually I don't think about food when driving though. I ponder about the possibilities of going beyond the state lines just by myself and wonder how far I would go before I turn back...

Marjane is forced to go to Austria by her parents. Her parents want to provide the best life for her as possible even if it means that they have to sacrifice their own lives. Marjane thinks that she would be able to reunite with her parents in the near future when she leaves Iran for Austria. But reality kicks in when she has this eerie feeling that what she thought would happen wouldn't be the case. The end of Persepolis shows us that our paths towards the future are uncertain. If Marjane had not looked back at her parents, she probably would have never known that her mother became very ill and had fainted.

Life is full of uncertainties. We have to somehow overcome all the barriers that we encounter along the road. The road is bound to look scary and difficult but we must push forwards.

I'm a Rebel!

Although I am usually a very obedient son, I can be very rebellious when presented with the opportunity to do so. My parents normally restrict my activities to ensure that I behave properly. The irony is they actually believe that they are really able to control my actions whlie I'm doing whatever the hell I want secretively. My parents are very much like the Iranian government because both set restrictions on what we (the Iranian citizens and I) can do. In Persepolis, the Iranian government prevents the people from hosting parties and drinking alcohol because supposedly it makes people have the urge to question authority. The Iranian government and my parents are attempting to limit our activities for us to become the ideal citizen and son. However, the method by which they try to implement their beliefs on us is incorrect. We are more likely to act "inappropriately" when told that we can not do certain things.

Take for example: My parents told me I can't go visit friends at UC Davis.
My initial response: In order to please my parents, I said "Okay, fine. I won't go to UC Davis to visit my friends."
My action: I went to UC Davis for the weekend.

If my parents had told me that I could go out and visit friends, I probably would have found an opportunity to go when it was okay for them to allow me to do so. But since my parents had told me that I couldn't go out, I naturally found my own way there without thinking much about the consequences of spending a whole weekend in another city.

The Iranian government needed to realize their rules are only rules until it is actually enforced. Saying the people can't have parties didn't really do much because Marjane's family had many parties, played card games and drank alcohol secretively.

Who's to say what we can and cannot do? No one.

Sky's experience

It must have been hard for Sky to open up about his military experience with the class. Countless casualties have occurred with the ongoing war and if we continue, more lives will be loss. We are very lucky for Sky to have gone to the battlefront, return with true stories of war and to be able to present in such a manner that moves the audience. I wanted to comment during his presentation but I couldn't find the words that express how grateful that he was able to come back to America safely and words that expresses my dislike of the stress that are put on to American soldiers. They fight for our country whether there is a clear reason to fight or a gut instinct of possible weapons of mass destruction. Thank you Sky for bringing the truth to light. I would have only known of the war through what the news tells me. We don't hear much about soldiers suiciding, they only continue to increase the death total.

POP! Goes the Missile!

Dead bodies line the street with blood mixed in the dirt. A gross smell fills the air along with the feelings of sadness and depair. As a naive Asian American citizen, I can only imagine what it feels like to experience being under attack by a thousand missles coming from a land far away. But my imagination is very limited and only based on what the media tells me. I don't know the true feelings of terror and fear. All I see is death counts on tv while reporters tell me there more deaths that can't be seen. I can only imagine the confusion the people must have dealt with during such horrid events. In Persepolis, Iraq is the first to attack Iran, launching an all out assault with no particular target in mind. The only intent was to weaken the morale of the large country and create fear so that resistance would be minimized. Marjane, the lead character in Persepolis, reacts to the attacks in a way that most people would. Fear and terror soon becomes the thirst for revenge and retailiation.

*Radio playing..*

"IRAQI MIGS hAVE BOMBED TEHRAN..."

Marjane's father: "NO! The bastards!"

Marjane: "THOSE ASSHOLES!"
(Satrapi 80)

We tend to forget amist our vengeful states that acting out of place would only lead us to no good. Marjane and I are very similar in the sense that we would want to fight against our aggressors immediately to get even with them. We act before considering the possible consequences of our actions. Emotions get the best of us. When this happens, we tend to forget the things in life that matters the most. Marjane almost forgets her mother's well-being in this situation.

Sometimes we just need to be more analytical before acting out of line.

Alvin's Blog! =D

Iran vs Iraq! Round 2: A Nonexistent Reason to Fight

With such a large army reserve, Iran had already driven out the Iraqis from Iran by 1982. Seeing as how Iraq had initiated the war, Iran begun an offensive against its neighboring country. No longer did Iran have a purpose in fighting Iraq. Iranian forces continued growing due to the propaganda spreading within the country. In order to recruit new soldiers, the Iranian government, according to Persepolis, passed out Golden Keys to the young men of Iran. These Golden Keys were said to be able to "Get them into Heaven" (Persepolis p.99). The youth of Iran was set to believe that fighting and dying in war was the highest honor a man could have and thus Iran was able to build a massive army based on new recruits alone.

In August 1988, the war was ended with no victor. Many lives were lost on both sides of the battlefield. There was no victory for anyone, just the lost of many lives and families torn apart by the war.

Iran vs Iraq! Round 1: the Road to War

"BOOM BOOM POW!"

What would cause a major war to engulf two nations located in the Middle-East?
OIL!!!
Iran, like most other Middle-Eastern countries, is located in a region where there is a vast amount of oil reserves that has yet to be touched. Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, could not attempt to invade Iran without a righteous cause. When Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq was assassinated, Saddam Hussein blamed Iran for murdering the foreign minister thus justifying his cause for war. On September 22, 1980, Iraq launched an invasion on Iran that seemed somewhat successful due to the damage suffered by Iran. Being a big country, Iran did not flinch after suffering several minor bruises and scratches. Iran set off its defensive tactics against Iraq and by June 1982, Iran had nearly driven out all of the Iraqi forces.