Harry Potter 1

1. Why does Dumbledore decide to have Harry grow up with the Dursleys rather than with one of the wizard families? How does Harry’s experience with his relatives build his character? 
   
   
   After word got out about Harry surviving Voldemort, he became and ion of the wizard community. I strongly agree with Dumbledore's decision to have Harry grow up with the Dursley's rather than a wizard family.
   
   Had Dumbledore chosen a family for Harry, Harry would have not grown up to have a "normal" childhood. Wizards from all around would have attempted to get a glimpse at him because of the idea that he was a protege. By growing up with a dimwit brother, Dudley, Harry was subjected to bullying. Harry very quickly learned how to adapt to the mistreatment by Dudley and the Dursley's. Later to come, Harry is introduced to people in the wizard community who will treat him poorly and automatically dislike him upon meeting him. If Harry had never been subjected to the degradation and humiliation, he would not have been able to cope when moved into Hogwarts. 
   
   
   
   In an article relating to bullying, it was found in a study that bullying may teach children to cope and problem solve their way out. It also states that we can not expect children to fend completely for themselves when in situations of harassment, as well as expect them to learn and eventually fend for themselves if we intervene every instance. I believe that Hagrid and Dumbledore were Harry's interventions at times where it was needed. Without Hagrid and Dumbledore, Harry would have been tormented substantially more and possibly not been able to cope.
   
   

Finding Your Identity

Reading Persepolis, I have noticed one of the biggest challenges faced by Marjane is finding who she is. She underwent many hardships as a young girl, pushing her to become an adult more rapidly. With becoming an adult, she had to find her identity by realizing what she was about and what she stood up for.

I believe for Marjane, the moment she truly understood herself was when she left for France the second time. The scene was set as the same to when she left the first time as a young girl, with her parents walking away and Marjane looking through the window. This was the perfect representation of her journey. When she left home the first time, she felt along. Marjane was not leaving by will, and was a young teenager. In the end, she makes the decision to leave on her own, she seems happy with that decision, and she looks confident-- as if she is starting a new chapter in her life.


There were many other moments throughout the novel where she discovered a little about herself. After getting married, she felt restricted. I think she succumbed to her failure in the end. I do not believe, however, that succumbing to her failure was necessarily a bad thing. By doing so, it made her understand herself a little better. After she sacrificed another man for herself in order to avoid being arrested, she suffers self-conflict. She was forced to question her integrity and her dignity.

In an article about failure and how it helps us grow, it was said that with ever failure experience you have, your potential increases. It is because the most painful events in life often give us the most valuable experiences and dramatic growth. Marjane was able to experience growth after her failures; which ultimately lead her to finding her identity.

First blog post for Persepolis 2

Marjane had an extremely unusual high school experience. After leaving her home, she was estranged from her mother and father. Adolescence is a crucial time in a girl's development. She learns how to make decisions on her own, take responsibility, and grow into an adult. 

Marjane did not have her parents by her side to teach her these things. Moving to a new country at the time of learning all these "life need-to-knows" impeded on her ability to adapt. She was put in a very unusual situation. Being Iranian caused her to have a low self esteem. She began to think of herself as ugly, and eventually got involved in the wrong crowd. She used drugs to escape her dreary reality. Although using drugs to mask your problems is not the answer, I can understand why she did. Marjane drew a bad hand from the moment things went South around the age of 6. 

Comparing her high school experience to my own, there are many differences. I was never forced to move to a new city and hide my identity. I also have never lived on the streets for even a day. I have, however, felt like an outsider. That feeling of wanting to escape reality consumes you. Marjane had to grow up very quickly in order to make it. I also know what it feels like to be forced to grow up. Being robbed of your childhood before you can even enjoy it. 

In an article summarizing research on how moving is tough for kids, is was found that moving disrupts important friendships. It was seen that these moves were most problematic for children who are introverted. I believe that Marjane was an introverted individual, given everything she holds in her mind. Marjane moving to a new city drastically changed who she was. The article continues to go on to say how technology influences the relationships made by children after they have moved. Given the time period this graphic novel was written in, there was not the same kind of technology we have today. When Marjane missed her mother, she could not hop on a laptop and Skype her. Marjane handled moving badly, however the question is, is there really any other way to handle a move so colossal.