In Persepolis, Marji's father tells her "politics and sentiment don't mix." In looking at the horrors of the war and revolution that their family is living through, it is easy to see how he could come to such a conclusion. He is watching his country be destroyed by people who repress the population. However, I'm not sure I agree. Political choicese come as a direct result of personal sentiment. The violence of the war that is terrorizing their country came as a result of politics. Is politics not a personal sentiment? People take positions on political issues because of how they think it will effect their country and the lives of those they care about. Those in power in Iran during the war force the citizens to adhere to strict religious conduct (the way they dress, who they see, or even how they walk down the street). But, are they not doing this out of a desire for, what they call, a good environment? While people may have different political views, everyone wants what is best for those they care about.
I think Marji may agree with this statement, but I'm not sure she would mean it. Marji's struggle throughout the story comes as a result of her conflict with politics. It is only through the love of her family and pride in who she is that she emerges on the other side of the conflict. Personal sentiment serves to combat the hardships of politics in this story. If Marji was an orphan, I highly doubt she would have emerged out of the turmoil of her childhood into the strong, confident adult she is at the end of the story. I think the women in her family would agree as well. The hardships women face in that part of the world, especially during that time period are more than I can imagine. However, Marji's mother and especially Marji's grandmother are both confident women who have turned into strong people. While sentiment and politics might not mesh perfectly, they definitely exist parallel to each other.
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I think your illustration of politics and sentiment running parallel is spot on and I completely agree with it. I also agree with how you said Satrapi would not totally agree with the statement. To her, politics and sentiment do seem very similar, and her entire story is based around her struggle to be herself in a political atmosphere that prohibits that. To her the politics are very personal, and thus they her personal feelings influence how she thinks politically. However, we need to look back at the fathers comment and look specifically at what made him make the statement in the first place. Marji wonders if the real reason Sadat welcomed the Shah after he exiled from Iran was because Shah’s first wife was Egyptian. This is when Marji’s father makes that remark. He is assuming that the only reason the Shah would be welcomed by Sadat would be for politically gain of some sort. There are no selfless deeds in politics, in other words. I think that the politics has a way of separating people from their sentiment, or if not politics than political power. Marji, on the other hand, is the victim of political oppression; therefore it seems her humanity is still intact.
ReplyDeleteI agree on your thought, to disagree with the original statement that “politics and sentiment don’t mix.” I fail to see a way in which they can’t as well. All politics seem to be based around personal opinions and feelings. Every politician seems to have the best interest of their country and their people at heart, even if others fail to agree with that. If they don’t have the best interest of their country at heart, they certainly have their own best interest in mind. Either way a politician has some form of their own personal sentiment influencing them and their decisions.
ReplyDeleteI also think Marji would agree with the statement, but most likely just to appease her father and not because she meant it. She is certainly able to make it through her struggles by keeping them in mind. There was evidence of that not only in the book, but also in the movie. During the scenes when Marji was out of the country and on her own, her grandmother’s words would always come back to her reminding Marji to be true to herself and never compromise who she is. Her family had her best interest at heart when they sent her away, hoping for a better life for her other than the one she was living in Iran. When that life failed to work out for Marji they welcomed her back with open arms, never pushing her, but always being a supportive foundation on which she could rely on.