John Miller
Professor
Philip Jenks
Forbidden
Knowledge
12:30 –
1:45
The stark contrasts between Marjane Satrapi’s home life and public life are astounding. It must have been mind numbingly aggravating, at times, to have to constantly be on guard against hard line Islamic Fundamentalists and to shift between those two worlds. Coming from a modern household, her family was adamant about teaching her how things really were and why they needed change. They were very supportive of her quest for knowledge and encouraged her to pursue the truth.
Satrapi, as she matured, was, naturally, interested in modern things, such as clothing styles and music. Unfortunately, her tastes were what the theocratic government would have been considered too decadent and a wicked symbol of capitalism for its citizens.
How Satrapi lived her life in her early years
assuredly falls into many categories of forbidden knowledge. Many strict Muslims
in
The first passage I found for the rebellious nature of Marjane Satrapi dealt with her utter dislike for the veil. I find on examining it, the first type of forbidden knowledge it falls under is Inaccessible, Unobtainable Knowledge. It clearly states, “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to.” (Satrapi, 3)
Next, is the section where she decides at a young age she was chosen to be the last prophet. When she made this announcement, she received much ridicule from her fellow students and her parents were called in to discuss her ambitions. This would fall under the category of Knowledge Prohibited By Divine, Religious, Moral, Or Secular Authority. Her religion dictates that a woman couldn’t possibly hold such a lofty position. (Satrapi, 8)
After this, I found the passage where Satrapi was taught in school that God chose the Shah to rule. Here, she learns from her father how the Shah really came to be in power and sets her straight. This I realized, at this period, could be deemed Dangerous, Destructive, or Unwelcome Knowledge, simply because her father could be labeled a troublemaker and imprisoned for teaching her this (Satrapi, 19).
Later, in what I would classify as the start of Satrapi’s rebellious start, she and the maid, Mehri, attend a demonstration calling for the downfall of the Shah. When they return home, her parents are waiting angrily for them. It turned out they had protested on “Black Friday,” a day when many protestors had been killed in one of the neighborhoods. This portion of the novel would also fall in the category of Dangerous, Destructive Knowledge, due to chance of Satrapi and her maid standing a chance of losing their lives while in the process of protesting. At the same time it could also be classified as Knowledge Prohibited By Divine, Religious, Moral, Or Secular Authority for the same reasons. (Satrapi, 38)
I found the portion of the novel where Satrapi meets the newly released political prisoners to fall into the realm of Fragile, Delicate Knowledge. I feel this is so because she mentions how Mohsen Shakiba explains the torture methods that the guards used in prison. Her parents were so shocked upon hearing this that they forgot to keep Satrapi from hearing this). This knowledge, to me, cost Satrapi some of her innocence. Especially the way she shuddered when she found out an iron could be put to dangerous, painful uses. (Satrapi, 51)
Marjane Satrapi’s experiences with her Uncle Anoosh
also classify as different areas of Forbidden Knowledge. The stories he told
her about different events in his life could be found in the realm of
Dangerous, Destructive, or Unwelcome Knowledge. Again, this all leads back to
those in power in
Anoosh’s execution also would be located in Fragile, Delicate Knowledge. His being tried and executed served to strip away her innocence. It left her feeling broken and empty. It also served to damage her relationship with God. (Satrapi, 70)
The section that dealt with the demonstration
against the veil and its bloody outcome is one of the biggest arguments of the
existence of Forbidden Knowledge in
Being forced to honor the martyrs from the war is another example of Forbidden Knowledge in Satrapi’s rebellious period. She makes no bones about not taking the sessions seriously immediately. This has an effect of Forbidden Knowledge of the Dangerous, Destructive, or Unwelcome kind. She and her classmates find themselves constantly in trouble due to their humorous reactions to the rituals. For the same reasons, this type of Forbidden Knowledge could also meet the standards of the Knowledge Prohibited by Divine, Religious, Moral, Or Secular Authority. (Satrapi, 97)
I would classify the part of the novel of her so-called rebellion against her mother and her first cigarette as Forbidden Knowledge of the Fragile, Delicate kind. In her mind she symbolically breaks away form her mother and her childhood with just a few simple puffs. (Satrapi, 117)
The western culture that Marjane Satrapi was
interested in would definitely classify in
Marjane Satrapi’s rebellious nature towards the forced Iranian way of life continued after her parents brought home her gifts. She went out to purchase some tapes being sold on the black market. On her way home The Guardians Of The Revolution, the Women’s Branch, stopped her to investigate her manner of dress. She barely escaped being arrested and punished for how she was dressed. The Intentions of the women’s group were clear. There is no other way to describe this other than Knowledge Prohibited by Divine, Religious, Moral, or Secular Authority. But it could have also very well lead to Dangerous, Destructive, or Unwelcome Knowledge. (Satrapi, 131)
The final act of Satrapi’s rebellion mentioned in
I compared Marcus Garvey’s article, Living For Something,
to
I believe Satrapi is completely in sync with the proposal Garvey makes. She lives life on her terms and will not allow anyone, outside of her family, to tell her how she should live. She approaches life fearlessly and with such gusto. By the end of the first book, she is ready for life and adventures. It’s too bad that most people don’t take the time to or allow other people to realize this is how life should be lived.
I can identify with Satrapi’s desires of uniqueness and individuality and wanting to break free from the repression of the Islamic Fundamentalist government. I grew up in a strict Catholic household where my parents’ word was law. It was not up for debate. As I came into my teenage years, I started to feel like I needed more independence and the acceptance that I was becoming an adult and could make some of my decisions. Here I was, a senior in high school and I’m still being sent to bed at 9:00 PM. I found myself struggling with my mom and stepfather over what rights and privileges I should have. At times, it was like talking to a wall when it came to trying to debate these issues with my stepfather. Unfortunately, some of these debates could get pretty ugly at times. We were both equally frustrated with each other over the other’s point of view.
I was never so glad as when I finally got out on my own. I was going to prove them that I could successfully make my own decisions. If I made a bad choice, I was going to be adult enough to take the repercussions from it. It was the principle that mattered to me, that it was finally my decision to make.
A few years back, I had been working on a production of Inherit The Wind, a play based on the Scopes Monkey Trial. I remembered how certain lines from the character of the defense attorney, Henry Drummond, held great meaning for me. While working on this paper, I stumbled across my old script. I immediately began reading through, reminiscing about that time in my life. I happened to come across one of my favorite lines from the play. I found it an interesting twist of fate that I happened to find a speech that tied in so well with what I was writing about.
The speech comes from the end of the play where Henry Drummond and Bertram Cates, the accused, are waiting for the deliberating jury to come back in with the verdict. Cates, naturally, is showing great concern over how the trial will play out and what his fate will be. Drummond is trying to reassure him that the outcome might not be as bad as he thinks. Along the way Drummond uses a recollection from a moment in his childhood to teach Bert a useful life lesson.
Drummond – (Sighing)
Someday, I’m going to get me an easy case. An open-and-shut case. I’ve
got a friend up in
Cates – You sure picked the long shot this time Mr. Drummond.
Drummond – Sometimes I think the law is like a horse race. Sometimes it seems to me I ride like fury just to end up back where I started. Might as well be on a merry-go-round, or a rocking horse…or…(half closes his eyes. His voice is far away, his lips barely move) Golden Dancer…
Cates – What did you say?
Drummond – That was the name of my first long shot.
Golden Dancer. She was in the big side window of the general store in
This final
speech, to me, sums up a creed that Marjane Satrapi seems to live her life by.
She too is not afraid to question something that she knows is not right. To, in
a sense, “show it up for what it really is.” That she is unafraid of the
consequences that may come from her actions.
And she will always strive for finding a way to make her voice heard in
a world filled with injustice.
Works Cited
Satrapi,
Marjane.
Lawrence,
Jerome, and Robert E. Lee. Inherit The Wind.