Abdoulah 1
Lea Abdoulah
Pre-AP English 10
8 August 2017
English 10 H Pre-AP Summer Reading 2017-2018
I am Malala ​and ​Persepolis
1. Would Malala from ​I am Malala ​and Marji
from ​Persepolis ​be any different,
characteristically, if their family background
and support system were different?
1. Malala Yousafzai and Marjane Satrapi
both came from very supportive parents, who
allowed their daughter to dream however big
their imagination would let them while
always keeping safety in mind. Malala was
very open to her parents on why she believed
education was so important. Her father,
owning a school, was a big inspiration for
Malala and her dreams of becoming a
politician. In ​I am Malala​, Malala writes,
“For as long as my father could remember it
had been his dream to open a school, but with
no family contacts or money it was extremely
hard for him to realize this dream. He thought
there was nothing more important than
knowledge. (…) He believed that lack of
education was the root of all Pakistan’s
problems” (Yousafzai 41). Malala’s father
was raised to appreciate women and
education, so he had no problem accepting
Malala’s controversial beliefs. If Malala
didn’t have that encouragement, faithfulness,
or inspiration from her parents, especially
from her father, Malala’s views on the
importance of education for a woman’s future
would not be as strong as they were and still
are. As for Marjane, she came from parents
who were both very strong advocates for
ending the Revolution and war. Marjane
would go along with them to protests and
learn from her parents, at such a young age,
the importance of fighting for your rights.
Marjane writes, “When I finally understood
the reasons for the Revolution I made my
decision. ‘Tomorrow we are going to

2. When did the people of Iran and Pakistan
start to lose their trust and faith for their own
country and when did their level of fear start
to rise?
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demonstrate’. (…) We shouted from morning
till night” (Satrapi 38). Marjane would never
back down on her planned actions, making
her a bit stubborn, but for the right reasons.
Malala and Marjane are able to be who they
are and believe what they want to believe
because of the powerful support and
considerate actions from their parents.
2. In both books, the authors describe their
leader’s actions and promises and how they
affected their country. The lack of gaining
trust in either Pakistan or Iran came from the
constant switching out of leaders and the
country never having that one leader to rely
on for making the country a better place.
Both countries had many leaders that stayed
for a very short time. Malala and Marjane
would always hope to think that her new
leader would have a different and more
positive mindset, but would always lose her
faith in that person when he/she would either
leave or disappoint the country. Their level of
fear would start to rise when it all became a
pattern. Malala writes, “‘If Benazir can die,
nobody is safe’. It felt as if my country were
running out of hope” (Yousafzai 133).
Benazir Bhutto was Malala’s favorite leader
because she was a woman who advocated for
girl’s and women’s rights. Once Benazir was
killed, Malala lost a lot of faith in her country
and started to fear for her country’s safety
because the Taliban leader, who was starting
to take over her country, was an evil man
who had complete opposite views when
compared to Malala’s. Iran also went through
many changes involving leaders. Even
though Marjane’s leaders were in and out of
ruling, Marjane would always rely on God to
lead her through her country’s toughest
battles. However, when she pushed God out
of her life, things started to go downhill.
“And so I was lost, without any bearings…

3. Why did a sword, gun, or a whip become
the main source for gaining power in both Iran
and Pakistan?
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What could be worse than that? (…) It was
the beginning of the war” (Satrapi 74).
Marjane never felt passionately for her
country’s leader, so God was her true leader.
When she was in a tough place, she put a wall
up against God and felt utterly lost and
confused. She had lost her faith for a bit and
started to fear for her country’s future, just
like Malala had.
3. The Taliban and malicious leaders felt that
power and a superior country came from the
use of weapons. They created armies or
groups that included reeducated soldiers who
used weapons to kill or to teach someone a
lesson. For gaining power, they took the
easier route because they knew the
government or anything “considered of
higher power” wouldn’t do anything.The
horrid way the groups would use the weapons
were described equally among Malala and
Marjane. Malala wrote, “You could hear the
Taliban shouting, ‘Hold her down. Hold her
hands down.’ At one point during the
flogging her burqa slips and they stop for a
moment to adjust it then carry on beating her.
They hit her thirty-four times. A crowd had
gathered but did nothing. One of the
woman’s relatives even volunteered to help
hold her down” (Yousafzai 170). The Taliban
would publicly whip people because that
person went against the path of Islam,
believed differently, or didn’t participate in
an act supported by the Taliban. People
watching the beatings weren’t taken by panic
or rage because they knew they would be
next if they ever did anything to stop it.
Marjane Satrapi also saw her country’s
leaders gaining power through the use of
weapons. Marjane wrote, “‘A missile has just
exploded in the Tavanir neighborhood’.
Tavanir was where I lived” (Satrapi 138).
Marjane had experienced the highest level of

4. How did social class discrimination affect
Malala’s and Marji’s lives at such a young
age?
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fear when she heard that her family could all
be dead because of that missile. Her family
was okay, but her neighbor had died all
because of a weapon that was used for an
army based on keeping a pointless regime
alive. The use of weapons for “a win”,
control, or brainwash is a routine in those
countries and those groups use it to build up
people’s constant fear so that no one could
possibly get in their way. This easier route
hurt millions, tore their country into pieces,
and left peace in their country non-existing.
4. Benefiting the upper class at the expense of
the lower class; that’s what social class
discrimination is. If those labels of upper and
lower class were removed, countries like Iran
and Pakistan could fight their main problems
as one country instead of having individual
behaviors that are used intentionally to bring
another person down. Malala and Marjane
were personally victimized when it came to
social class discrimination. As a result of this,
it left them confused, scared, and lost.
Marjane was writing letters for her maid, who
was illiterate, to the maid’s true love next
door. Once the letters were out, Marjane
experienced her first classism. “‘You must
understand that their love was impossible.’
‘Why is that?’ ‘Because in this country you
must stay within your own social class.’ ‘But
is it her fault that she was born where she was
born??? Dad, are you for or against social
classes?’” (Satrapi 37). Marjane was left
completely confused on why classism
existed. She didn’t understand why two
people who loved each other couldn’t be
together all because of where one person was
born, their wealth status, or family history.
Malala was also left questioning what her life
would be like if classism didn’t exist when it
came down to her father being involved in it.
“Haqqani says he is sure my father would

5. After losing trust for their own country,
when did everyone in Iran and Pakistan
become completely misguided?
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have been president of the PSF and become a
politician if he had been from a rich khan
family. Student politics was all about
debating and charisma, but party politics
required money” (Yousafzai 45). Malala’s
life would be different if her father was a
powerful and more well-known politician. It
might have been a better life but she will
never know because classism took that dream
from her father and took that opportunity
from her. Social class discrimination is
everywhere, but it is ever so strong in these
two countries. Iran and Pakistan don’t need
labels, like upper and lower classes, to prove
they have power. Power comes from unity
and no discrimination.
5. Misguidance was alive in these countries
for multiple reasons. Marjane proved
misguidance through her country’s leader.
Iran’s leader was one of ignorance,
selfishness, and cruelty. When they were
misguided, it wasn’t that they went off the
path of Islam or disobeyed. They went off the
the path of the little trust and faith they had
left in their Shah. Marjane’s father said,
“‘They burned down the Rex Cinema
tonight.’ The firemen didn’t arrive until forty
minutes later. The BBC said there were 400
victims. The Shah said that a group of
religious fanatics perpetrated the massacre.
But the people knew that it was the Shah’s
fault!!!” (Satrapi 15). Marjane later said that
she was going to demonstrate to show that
being misinformed and lied to over and over
again is the last thing the country needs right
now. Malala’s country was misguided
because they ignored their country’s main
problems. She wrote, “There seemed to be so
many things about which people were
fighting. If Christians, Hindus or Jews are
really our enemies, as so many say, why are
we Muslims fighting with each other? Our

6. How is education more than just being on
the pursuit of knowledge for both girls?
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people have become misguided. They think
their greatest concern is defending Islam and
are being led astray by those like the Taliban
who deliberately misinterpret the Quran. We
should focus on practical issues. We have so
many people in our country who are illiterate.
And many women have no education at all.
We live in a place where schools are blown
up. We have no reliable electricity supply.
Not a single day passes without the killing of
at least one Pakistani” (Yousafzai 223).
Misguidance was brought into Marjane’s and
Malala’s lives all because of lies or fighting
for the wrong things when their country truly
needs the truth on why their country is
shattered.
6. Education was a gift to young girls like
Malala and Marjane. Even though it was a
bigger part of Malala’s life than Marjane’s, it
still brought something extraordinary to their
lives in which they can hold onto for the rest
of their lives. Education brought Malala
much more than knowledge and she says she
has God to thank for that. “I love my God. I
thank my Allah. I talk to him all day. He is
the greatest. By giving me this height to reach
people, he has also given me great
responsibilities. Peace in every home, every
street, every village, every country -- this is
my dream. Education for every boy and every
girl in the world. To sit down on a chair and
read my books with all my friends at school
is my right. To see each and every human
being with a smile of happiness is my wish”
(Yousafzai 313). Education wasn’t just the
pursuit of knowledge for Malala, it was what
made her realize her rights, her justice, and it
is what brought back her faith in good in the
world. For Marjane, she appreciated the gift
of education even at a very young age
because it brought her stability in a country
where common sense was non-existent. “‘But

7. How did Malala’s thought process differ
from Marjane’s thought process when it came
down to becoming a powerful woman in a
country where that was looked down upon?
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let’s be fair. If women faced prison when
they refused to wear the veil, it was also
forbidden for men to wear neckties (that
dreaded symbol of the West). And if
women’s hair got men excited, the same
thing could be said of men’s bare arms. And
so, wearing short-sleeved shirts was also
forbidden. There was a kind of justice, after
all’” (Satrapi 75). Education brought Marjane
the thought of true justice which was
equality. Marjane became happy when she
realized there is a solution to any problem
when common sense and knowledge is a
factor. Education was a gift for Malala and
Marjane and it was more than being on the
pursuit of knowledge for them. It was being
on the pursuit of happiness.
7. Malala and Marjane were both young girls
with big dreams. They were always pushing
through tough times to see that light at the
end of the tunnel they knew they were
destined to see. They both wanted to become
powerful women to prove to others that
women are just as strong as men. Wanting to
become powerful women, their plan to
achieve that goal differed between each other.
Malala was a bit more realistic while Marjane
started off thinking way outside the box of
reality. Malala knew she could become the
women she dreamed of being through
education. “I want to learn and be trained
well with the weapon of knowledge. Then I
will be able to fight more effectively for my
cause” (Yousafzai 311). Malala knew that for
her to be forever happy and for her dreams of
becoming a politician to become true, she had
to stick to the path of education. Marjane
thought a little differently with keeping
God’s help in mind. “‘No, no, I will be a
Prophet but they mustn’t know.’ I wanted to
be justice, love and the wrath of God all in
one” (Satrapi 9). Marjane was young when

8. How did the books have two separate
moods, at times, yet having very similar
protagonists?
9. Would Malala and Marji ever live a normal
life again?
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she thought this, so she eventually outgrew
the thought and moved onto dreams of
becoming an educated and liberated young
woman. This is where Malala and Marjane
come to share yet another similarity.
8. Even though Malala and Marjane were
very similar girls, the moods they created for
their audience were very different. Malala
might have used more formal language while
Marjane used more childish or informal
language, but the main reason for that is that
Persepolis ​is a comic book so more dramatic
emotion was exerted from Marjane through
her outbursts and creative drawings. Marjane
created a more energetic mood because of the
more irrational dreams and proud
exclamations she shared. “The second
invasion in 1400 years! My blood was
boiling. I was ready to defend my country
against these arabs who kept attacking us. I
wanted to fight” (Satrapi 79). Marjane used
many exclamation points to show her
extroverted self and her drawings showed her
dynamic character. Malala created a more
confidential, or sensitive mood by telling of
her family history, the importance of her
dreams, and her own thoughts on why her
country is the way it is. “Manual workers
made a great contribution to our society but
received no recognition, and this is the reason
so many of them joined the Taliban -- to
finally achieve status and power” (Yousafzai
148). Malala never held back when it came to
sharing her thoughts or beliefs while Marjane
would usually implicitly share her beliefs.
Both moods created two powerful books that
resulted in two strong women.
9. Malala and Marjane went through many
tough times and learned so much about who
they are or who they want to be at such a
young age. They had the rest of their lives to
 Abdoulah 9

live. Both books had a pretty happy ending

because both women seemed to be in a safe
place; however, their past wasn’t neither safe
nor the happiest. A normal life doesn’t
consist of a girl always being scared to go to
school or out on the street. A normal life isn’t
a girl seeing a group take over her country
while abusing people. A normal life isn’t a
little girl seeing her own leader lying and
cheating her country. This is what Malala and
Marjane experienced, so how could they
possibly ever live a normal life again? They
share their thoughts on what their life will be
like and it goes to show that their life will
never be described as normal. Malala talks
about how how public her life went after the
shooting and how she misses her country.
“But Mohammed Hanif wrote an article
pointing out that the good thing about the
Taliban letter was that many people claim I
wasn’t shot, yet they were accepting
responsibility. (…) Over the last year I’ve
seen many other places, but my valley
remains to me the most beautiful place in the
world. I don’t know when I will see it again,
but I know that I will” (Yousafzai 311-313).
Malala’s life will be forever different not
only because she was physically injured by a
group that was after her, but because she will
always be left a little lost without knowing
the full answer for her Taliban shooting or
never knowing if she can return home.
Marjane talks about how being sent off to
Austria for a better life truly made her feel.
Her mother says to her at the airport, “‘And
in six months, we’ll come see you.’ What I
had feared was true. Maybe they’d come to
visit, but we’d never live together again. (…)
I couldn’t bear looking at them there behind
the glass. Nothing’s worse than saying
goodbye. It’s a little like dying” (Satrapi
152-153). Marjane didn’t want to leave, but
she knew it was for the best. Her life would

10. What is a theme that can be used to
describe Malala’s and Marjane’s life lessons
and personal character growth?
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never be the same because she was off to
another country to live on her own at a very
young age and would never live with her
parents again. She also would probably feel a
little lost without that satisfaction of total
safety and protection from her parents she
had had her whole life before the big move.
Malala’s and Marjane’s lives won’t be ever
be described as normal, but they also won’t
be described as a disaster because the girls
remained kind, strong, and brave through
terrible times.
10. One’s world can change but that one
person can remain the same, with the same
dreams, same goals, same passion, and same
heart. Malala and Marjane fit this theme for
their books because their lives flipped upside
down. They experienced trauma, hate, war,
crime, abuse, and inequality; however, they
remained the same confident, considerate,
and loving young women. They loved the
exact same, they fought the exact same, and
they dreamed and believed the exact same.
Malala wrote, “I am Malala. My world has
changed but I have not” (Yousafzai 313).
Malala was an individualistic girl and knew
who she was destined to be, so she knew
nothing and no one could change her.
Marjane, saying goodbye to her parents,
wrote “I never realized how much they loved
me. And I understood how important they
were to me” (Satrapi 149). Marjane always
appreciated her family and their support, so
she knew she always had them when her
world was turned into something
unimaginable and frightening. Both girls
never lost their love for their country, family,
or themselves. They proved that passion and
love will always win. Dreaming big and
staying true to oneself will always win.