Author: Malia

My favorite chapter so far of Marjane Satrapi’s “The Complete Persepolis” is “The Party”. In this chapter the Shah’s reign comes to an end. In an attempt to appease the people the Shah tries to elect a prime minister, however the people continue to demonstrate and tear down his statues. Therefore he steps down and leaves the country and the nation celebrates. It is interesting to watch Marjane’s emotions and reactions to this happening. Her teachers who once praised the Shah tell her class to tear out his pictures. She is confused and does not understand the sudden change of behavior of the adults around her. The effect on the children experiencing the conflict in the country is shown throughout this chapter when Marjane decides to attack a fellow student with nails because his father was a part of the Shah’s secret police. It was Marjane’s idea, but her friends readily agreed to it. They mirror the actions of the adults and demonstrators without second thought. The children’s moral compasses may have been altered or even broken after witnessing so much violence. Marjane’s mother tells her that she must forgive, which she doesn’t really understand either. Marjane, and children in Iran now struggle with right and wrong. As well as concepts such as justice, forgiveness, and empathy because of what they’ve experienced.

Roddy Doyle’s “New Boy” tells the story of a young boy named Joseph’s first day of school, through third person point of view. The story takes place in a school somewhere in Ireland. As Joseph is from Africa, he is nervous about his new surroundings and fitting in. Throughout the story he remembers his experiences from his school in Africa and compares them to the ones he’s currently having. He thinks of how much he liked the sound of the bell at his old school and the way the new one sounds harsh, and electric. Which could be symbolic of him feeling unfamiliar at his new school. Joseph gets picked on by his classmate Christian Kelly. Here, Joseph has to make a choice, to fight or de-escalate. There are a few things that make Joseph an interesting character and different from his classmates. Firstly he seems to be very perceptive. Though he doesn’t always understand the words spoken by his teacher and peers, he understands that it is important for him to know what they mean. So he thinks them over until he can find the meaning behind them. Not only perceptive, but he seems desperate to blend in. He raises his hands when other children do, he doesn’t smile because he thinks it will make them laugh. Lastly, Joseph is strong. He grabs Christian Kelly’s finger when he tries to wipe his booger on him and again when he pushes him. These qualities are unusual for your average 9 year old. This alludes to how he grew up differently from other kids. Joseph had to pick up these qualities to survive. He couldn’t stand out or else he’d be targeted, and he couldn’t be weak because he’d be bullied or worse. This is shown through Joseph’s memories from home. He describes seeing a soldier fire at the school bell, killing his father who was a teacher. He recalls the sound of gunfire, screaming and crying, the soldiers’ laughter. Even his father’s lifeless body. Joseph likely knows the consequences of violence, having seen them first hand. He decides to de-escalate the altercation between himself and Christian, with Seth Quinn onlooking. Though he still stands up for himself. He learned from his earlier experience with Christian Kelly that grabbing his finger would stop him from doing anything further. Ultimately, the boys develop an unspoken pact to not tell their teacher what happened between them in order to not be punished. In this moment Joseph seems to feel that he is safe in this new place, laughing with the three boys. He comes out of fight or flight mode and grieves his father, realizing he can never laugh with him again. But maybe it would be okay in this new place with new people. The boys laugh together and they seem to become friends, the teacher nicknames them “the three musketeers.”