Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Essay -- Memoir

Growing Up Satrapi It is hard to tell the story of a â€Å"typical† youth and it is hard to write a story that relates to experiences in everyone’s lives, but this is exactly what Marjane Satrapi accomplished in her memoir. Persepolis is the story of a child’s growth from preteen to adult. The specific challenges that Satrapi faces are unique to her situation, but we can ask whether they accurately portray the psychological development that children go through. Do her reactions to situations resemble the reactions that most children have to similar problems? While reading Satrapi’s story, it is necessary to understand that the circumstances she encounters and her reaction to these circumstances parallel how youths around the world react to similar situations. Throughout her memoir, Satrapi uses stepping-stones that all children use and reaches the same stages of development that psychologists believe most children reach. For these reasons, Persepolis is a believable coming of age story. Throughout a child’s life, many factors influence their socialization. In Persepolis, Satrapi demonstrates the three major microsystems1 that influence a child’s socialization; family, education, and community. As a ten year old child, Marjane lives in a typical nuclear family, her community is currently in the midst of a revolution, and her school is teaching her how to look and act like a proper woman. It is important to understand how these three microsystems are crucial in Marjane’s development as a young adolescent. In American society, schools are used to educate children on how to become independent members of society. Children are expected to abide by rules that are established in the classroom, and they are taught to mo... ...Company, 2004. Dopheide, Julie A. "Recognizing and treating depression in children and adolescents." Clinical Reviews 01 2006. Feb 2006 . Elias, Marilyn . "After suicide link, kids taking fewer antidepressants." USA Today 25 Oct 2005. Feb 2006 . Halgin, Richard, and Susan Whitbourne. Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Rice, F. Philip, and Kim Gale. The Adolescent: Development, Relationships, and Culture. 11th ed. Boston: Pearson Education , Inc., 2006. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The story of a childhood. : Pantheon Books, 2003. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis Two: The story of a return. : Pantheon Books, 2004. Williams, Armstrong. "Teen Suicide." The New York Amsterdam News 11 Jan 2006. Feb 2006 .