Jordin De La Rosa – Coffeehouse 2 – Favorite Chapter

After reading “The Complete Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi, I came to a realization of one of my favorite chapters from the beginning of the comic and it has to be “The Bicycle”. The reason behind it that being my favorite chapter is because of the meaning and context behind it. Marjane describes what it means for a revolution to occur and what happens if the wheels stop. What happens if the cyclist stops pedaling? It falls. For a revolution to succeed, you’ll need individuals on the bike constantly pedaling to keep the bike moving. Without movement, you’re stagnant. No matter what is thrown your way, everyone on the bike must continue pedaling in order to win. You begin to understand Marjane’s faith and how she became the way she is. In the chapter, you also hear the conversation between her mother and father. They’re talking about the unforeseeable events that occurred in a cinema. How it was all part of a scheme to allow four hundred lives to either be injured or lost. Marjane overhears the conversation and is willing to join her parents to help fight this revolution. Her parents explain the dangers of doing this and brushes off her question. This is another reason why I enjoyed this chapter because it shows how much of a child Marjane is. She believes that this is all a game and doesn’t understand it’s true horrors. On how much she believes that she can help the cause but doesn’t understand the consequences of doing so. Marjane wants success and she strongly feels that she’ll bring change at her age. To then conclude the chapter with her wondering where God is at so she can perhaps vent her anger on why she isn’t allowed to revolt.