Wasserstein, Wendy and Anton Chekhov.  “Man in a Case.”  Class Reader 19-25. Print.

Satrapi, Marjane.  Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2003.  Print.

Parronaud, Vincent, and Marjane Satrapi, Dirs.  Persepolis.  Sonya Classics 2007. Film. 

 Hwang, David Henry.  “Sound of a Voice.”  Class Reader 26-40. Print. 

The New York Times : Teheran Journal; One Wife Is Not Enough? A Film to Provoke Iran

By DOUGLAS JEHL Published: December 24, 1997

"THE MAN IN THE CASE" is the story about two main characters Byelinkov and Varinka. They live in a small village of Mironitski. 

Byelinkov is the master of Greek and Latin at a local school at the end of the village of Mironitski and Varinka is his lover. They are about  to get married. It looks like they will live happily with each others but there is serious a problem with this couple, that is their thinking is so different. Byelinkov is a rigid man, he lives with a lot of his own rudes and he always tries to put his rude into everyone while Varinka is a progressive person. The detail about the bicycle shows that their thinking is opposite. Varinka thinks that there isn't any problem when riding a bicycle but Byelinkov thinks it's illegal. In the end of the story, the author created a open-ended to let people think about the future of Byelinkov and Varinka. Will they get married or they will break up?

My classmate did a great job to prepare for his play, he wrote a beautiful picture to show the background of the play. It is a small garden in the village, the garden looks so romantic with some beautiful flowers. 

The picture helps us to imagine the real background of the story. 

My classmates  prepared so well for their costumes. "Byelinkov" looks mature and "Varinka" looks so pretty with her dress.
In this part of the story, Byelinkov still didn't know about the existence of the bicycle so that they had a sweet time together.

The performance is vivid and interesting. It helps me to understand the story better.
 The funny part is when they played the scence that Byelinkov put a lilac on Varinka's hair. Because there was no lilac or small flowers right there, Byelinkov tried to put whole bunch of flowers on Varinka's hair. I had a great time enjoying their performance. They created a fantastic play.

Marjane, the main character in Persepolis is an amazing girl. At the age of six, she started to face with a lot of changes in her life and that situation create a special personality in Marjane. When I was six years old, the only I can think about is candy and toys, but for Marjane,  she thinks about being a prophet to helping people.

  Her thinking is so mature. Although she has a better life than another people, she realize something wrong when her maid doesn't eat with her family and feel ashamed when her father has a expensive car. She thinks that if she was a prophet she can make the life becomes better. She is a good girl because she cares about everyone, she wants a equality life that people can receive the same treatment. She also thinks about her grandma, she hopes her grandma will not bear with the pain. I think at the age of six, others kid rarely have the same thinking with Marjane.

I am surprised that a little girl can think about the country problems. Marjane is really a special girl when she realized that the revolution is like a bicycle and when the wheels don't turn, the bicycle will fall. She also demonstrates in the garden with her friends. Before reading Persepolis I never think that a little girl can come up with those complicated problems.

in the story, Marjane says that her favorite book is "dialectic materialism" and that is unbelievable. I remember that when I was in high school, I had to learn about this book and I am sure that this is the most difficult book I have ever read. I am not the only one who can't understand about this book, all of my classmate are scared when they think about "dialectic materialism" because this book bring us big headaches. I wonder that how a little girl can understand it and feel it interesting. Marjane is the most special girl I have ever know.

* What do you see as the future for Byelinkov and Varinka?  

=> I think they may break up because their thinking is too different. Byelinkov is an old fogy man and he lives with a lot of rules while Varinka is a modern thinker. Their big problem is Byelinkov always puts his rules on Varinka because he thinks that his rules are standards of the life.

*Do you believe that they will marry?  

=> I don't think they will marry. In the end of the play, Byelinkov really got angry after falling from the bicycle and saw Varinka laughing at him. This situation is a big outrage for Byelinkow and with his personality I think he is not able to forgive Varinka even though she is his lover.
 

*Do you think the marriage will be successful?

=> I don't think the marriage will be successful because Byelinkov will never change his old thought and Varinka will not be happy if she has to change herself in order to follow Byelinkov rules. Even though they love each others, their different thinking will trammel their happiness. 

What do Byelinkov’s final actions mean to you?  -- tearing up the piece of paper, scattering it, then putting it back together again?

I think when Byelinkov's final action, tearing the piece of paper, shows that he wants to break up with Varinka. I think when he puts the piece of paper back together it doesn't mean that he repented for his action. Maybe he just doesn't want the pieces of paper makes his garden looks messy.

Think about the bicycle:

The bicycle is the main reason to lead Byelinkov and Varinka to the argument. While Varinka thinks that there isn't any problems when riding the bicycle but Byelinkov thinks that it is illegal. The bicycle is the most important detail in the play, it helps them realized that their thinking are too different.   

My partner and I will act out scene III of "Sound of a Voice"

I am very excited because this is the first time I have a chance to wear Kimono ( actually, I think this garment is Yukata because it comes in cotton fabric...)

I don't have enough time to prepare for my play as well as I hope, but I will try to practice my scene as many times as possible to make a good performance. I hope everyone will enjoy the play.

(This is me one year ago, this hair style made me look more like Japanese girl. If I have more time to prepare for my play, I will make my hair look like this)

           The Sound of a Voice is a tragic story which is written by David Henry Hwang. 

The story talks about Yukiko, a lonely woman who lives in a deserted house.Her life is so drear because people rarely come to her house. Everything changes when there is a man comes to her house. Although she has never had chance to know his name and the man is kind of a cold man, the appearance of the man makes her life becomes more meaningful. Day by day, they realize that they have common thinking and they become to fall in love with each others. Sadly, their love story can't have a happy ending. In the end of the story the woman is desperate when the man decides to leave because he thinks that she is a witch. Finally the woman's death comes in the end creates a tragedy for "the sound of a voice" .  

My partner and me will act on scene III, the situation that the man takes off his shirt and helps the woman chops the wood. After he finished the work, the woman comes out and thanks for helping her. After that the man realizes that the woman is staring at his belly and he tries to make fun of it. The woman tells him that he shouldn't make fun of his body and she thinks that his body looks strong. That situation makes the man feel embarrassed so he wants to go back to chopping wood but the woman tells him that there is nothing left to chop and makes him sit down beside her. She tries to tell him that he should learn to love his belly but that makes the man makes more jokes with his belly. Finally, the woman puts her hand on his belly. 

Do you know that we can watch "Persepolis" by the movie? I think the story "Persepolis" became more amusing with the sound effect and moving picture.

 Even though there are some differences between the movie and the book, they are both very interesting. This movie was simply great. It kept my fascination the entire time. I found myself emotionally feeling what the characters were feeling. Grief, Hate, Excitement, anything that they felt I found myself almost involved in the story. And the characters are so great. Even though the most of the main characters were communist, I almost feel persuaded by there cause. They main character is an energetic, and some times emotionally distraught woman, who seems to have everything that could go wrong. The character I find the best is the grandma, she is spunky and independent. She is the mean of the young lady as she grows into a woman. The score was also really well done, it was very beautiful. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNx4Pa2Gqfk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97e6d0CNPk

I recommend everyone to watch this movie and see the difference between the movie and the book so that you can decide that  which one is better. 

My little baby, little boy

On a beautiful fall day

You come to this life

My little baby, little boy

You are the greatest miracle in the world

You are my sunshine

You bring the smile to me

My little baby, little boy

Love you so much, my little boy

I love you more than cat love fish, more than mice love rice

Love the moment when I see your smile

Love everything belong to you

My little baby, little boy

Miss you so much, my little boy

Mommy will wait until you say

"Mommy come home, I love you too"

Mommy will wait, mommy will wait

That day will come, that day will come

One day I will come back to see my little boy, my little baby...

I think Persepolis is a interesting comic book that everyone should read. Persepolis is a diary of Marjane, a young girl who lives in Iran under the Islamic revolution. Her life is full with fluctuations and that create some special situation which makes the story more engaging. I feel interested in every picture in Persepolis. 

Reading this comic book is a interesting way to learn more about Iran history. Marjane has her own experience in some historical events and use a lot of vivid pictures to describe it in her comic book. She shows in the comic book the difficulties that the Iranians have to face in the war. 

Persepolis also encourage people to live optimistically. Although Marjane and her family have to live under the control of a lot of strict rude, they have their own way to enjoy their lives. They also participate some parties even though it is banned in their country. 

I recommend everyone to read it. Reading Persepolis and it will bring you to the life of the Iranian culture. It will be the most interesting way to help you to understand more about the Islamic revolution.

MEHRI'S STORY

 I like this part because it shows the dissonance between social classes. 

 This part of the story talk about Mehri, a maid in Marjane family. She came to live with Marjane family when she was eight because her parents can't support for her life.

Mehri has taken care of Marjane since she was just ten years old. Mehri also is Marjane's friend.

In 1978, Mehri fell in love with the neighbor's son. Every night they looked at each others from the window until the day the neighbor's son started to write a letter for Mehri. She was very happy when she received the letter.

Mehri wanted to write a letter for her lover too, but because she is a maid, she doesn't have chance to go to school and doesn't know how to read and write so Marjane helped her to do that.

The problems began when Mehri told her sister about her lover.

Unfortunately, her sister loves the neighbor's son too. Her sister is so jealous with Mehri so she told her story with everybody. 

finally, the story came to her father.

Her father came to the neighbor's house. When he met the neighbor's son, he told the boy that Mehri is his maid.

Immediately, the boy decided that he doesn't not want to continue seeing Mehri and returned  all the Mehri's letters. 

Marjane's father realize that the letters are in Marjane’s handwriting, he asks his daughter why she had not told him of the situation. He told Marjane that because the different between their social class, their love is impossible.  

Marjane can't accept the idea that Mehri is from a different social class. She started to realize that their life is so injustice. 

Everyone in Iran follow the rude of social class. The Mehri's sister know the difference between Mehri and the neighbor's son, they come from a different social class, she told Mehri's story for everyone because she knows that when everyone know the true, Mehri and her lover will break up. 

Neightbor's son is the one who follow the social class rude too. After he knew that Mehri is from a different social class, he doesn't want to see her anymore.

"The letter" shows the paradox in Iran, Iranians think that they are fighting for the progression and equality but their acting shows the opposite, what they are doing is follow some fogy rude.

Persepolis show the big political problem in Iran.

In this part of the story, Marjane tells with her parents that she wants to demonstrate on the street because she doesn't to demonstrate in the garden anymore.  

Her parents are surprise when they hear their little girl say that, they don't want her to go to the demonstrations because they know that the demonstrates are extremely dangerous. Then Marjane argues that "For a revolution to succeed, the entire population must support it."

I think it's kind of weird when a little says that. This quote shows that Iran is having a big political problem and this problem effects the Iranian children life. In stead of playing some childish games, Iranian children want to demonstrate. They don't know how dangerous it would be. The young generation in Iran is forced to participate the revolution even though they don't really understand about it.


The revolution became meaningless when the Iranians still think that there a difference between social class. Although Marjane is a little girl, she realized that problem and felt ashamed about it.

 fly as high as you can...

 I will try my best...

 

I took this photo on the last day of summer quarter 2013 at De Anza college...