Islamic Key Words

            As I stated on my previous blog, I had never actually heard much about the Islamic Revolution, and as I started to read this memoir, my curiosity began to grow. I decided to do some investigation on the topic. The following are some quotes that mention certain icons about the Islamic culture. Which, I had no idea what they were.

“At the age of six I was already sure I was the last prophet” (6) : “The last prophet” is a term used mainly in Iran which refers to “the last person through whom God speaks.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_prophet)

“I also wanted us to celebrate the traditional Zarathustrian Holidays” (7) : The Zarathustrian Holidays come from the Zoroastrianism religion. The holidays include the Fire Ceremony and the Persian New Year. 

“I knew everything about the revolutionaries of my country: F. Rezai, Dr. Fatemi, H. Ashraf” (12): 

F. Rezai: Fatemeh Rezai was a women that was executed in Iran for defending her rights.

Dr. Fatemi: Hossein Fatemi was a politician in Iran. He was tortured, arrested and then executed because of “treason against the Shah.”

H. Ashraf: After searching for ten minutes, and confusing him with another woman, I wasn't able to find any information on H. Ashraf.

The Islamic Revolution is a very interesting topic. As I keep on reading I’m going to keep on investigating. Not only for my personal interest, but to be able to understand and keep up with the book. 

The Islamic Revolution

As I kept on reading Black Ice, I realized that I didn’t like the book, so I decided to change. Mr. Tangen offered me to read Persepolis, a book that I had once started to read, but never actually finished it or got too far.

A little girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution? Must have been tough. At least it was for Marjane Satrapi, narrator of the memoir Persepolis.

Because this memoir is a comic, it does not contain fluent sentences. In my opinion, it is an informal text.

I had never read or knew something about the Islamic Revolution, but now that I’m reading this memoir I am learning how horrible and hard it was. Especially for small kids like Marjane. She was only 10 years old when all of this began.

“Then came 1980:  the year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school. We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to.” (3) This quote shows how useless and abusive this is. Making ten-year-olds wear a veil that they don’t even know what it is for? Insulting. As I keep on reading, many phrases as the one above are seen. Marjane keeps on commenting on the Islamic Revolution as a good thing, because, obviously, she doesn’t understand what is happening in her society. I just hope that she grows up and does something to help her community. 

Descriptive Prescribers

Reading The New York Times’ article Which Language Rules to Flout. Or Flaunt? Makes me really confused. It was very hard for me to understand the text. After I discussed it with some friends and read it a second time, my confusion cleared up.

According to Robert Lane Greene in the first paragraph of the article, he says that “By now we know the battle lines.” Which are

·      As a descriptivist: “I try to describe language as it is used.”

·      And as a prescriptivist: “You focus on how language should be used.” (Which by the way the word is underlined with a red zig- zagged snake on my word document)

This article is a debate between two authors, Robert Lane Greene, and Bryan A. Garner, in which each writer gives their opinions of being either a descriptivist or a prescriptivist. Greene being both, and Garner being a prescriptivist.

I would consider myself a both of them, just like Greene. Of course I do describe language as it is used but I also tend on inventing words that fit the sentence, even though it doesn’t make sense. But that’s just sometimes, so I agree more with being a descriptivist. The two authors have really strong points, which makes me undecided on which side to choose.
Greene once wrote: “There is a set of standard conventions everyone needs for formal writing and speaking. Except under unusual circumstances, you should use the grammar and vocabulary of standard written English for these purposes.” Reading this quote made me agree with Greene. We have a language that has a set of rules for people to understand you, and they should be used.
But then Garner describes descriptivists as “quantitative social scientists with no interest in literary style who nevertheless study language, reporting all findings in maladroit, leaden prose, fallaciously insisting, through a misguided relativism, that all forms of language are equal and berating anyone who dares to say that the nonstandard use of a word or phrase is “incorrect.” Which is also a very valid point that defends people who want to speak as they wish but are corrected.

The article gets very intense. Each author giving strong ideas and opinions about “Language Wars” on the topic, referring directly to each other makes me really curious about these rules. However, in my opinion, each one has a different and strong point of view, which needs to be respected. Or as Greene states at the end of the article: “The fighting must stop.”