May 2014, Paper 2 (HL), Question 2: Texts originally produced in a culture or in a language different from that of the reader’s can have a strong impact. With close reference to at least two of the texts you have studied, show how they challenge the reader to see the world in a new way.

The fundamental creation of books in the world of literature should not only be limited to the idea of being a hobby, it is the platform for new knowledge and helps expand awareness. This notion is created or emphasized on the fact that books are constantly being produced from a variety of languages, cultures, and places. This gives readers the opportunity to experience a world that they may never experience first-hand. This Earth of Mankind, originally written in Indonesian by Pramoedya Ananta Toer, follows the story of the protagonist Minke during the Dutch colonization of Indonesia, or the Dutch East Indies, during the 1890s. Written when in political prison during Seoharto’s regime, Pramoedya reveals the struggle of Indonesians as they have been oppressed from the Dutch superiority when colonized. Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, is about the protagonist Marji and her family living in the context of the Iranian Revolution, the overthrow of the Shah, and the resulting Iraq-Iran war. Satrapi is able to capture the struggle and dissonance between politics and social class, and portrays the idea of growing up during political war and turmoil. Both Persepolis and This Earth of Mankind are texts that allow readers from different cultures to gain greater insight on historical events that occurred in the past. Through structure and the sub-genre of bildungsroman, Satrapi and Ananta Toer invite readers to develop an understanding the history of Iran and Indonesia through an exploration of what life was like during the Islamic Revolution and Dutch colonization.

Satrapi’s Persepolis is produced in the structure and form of an autobiographical graphic novel, which can be considered as a less gruesome and subtle method of portraying the violence of the Iranian Revolution. Unlike Ananta Toer, who was in political prison, Satrapi was not being oppressed in 2002 when her novel was published. Instead, Satrapi wrote this novel in order to portray Iran in a more nuanced way, and to challenge Western conceptions of Iran and all Iranians as terrorists and extremists. Her novel is structured is short, immediate chapters that are, sometimes, non-linear in chronology. The panels and frames throughout the novel are composed in stark black and white composition without shades of grey or colour. This minimalism is almost certainly an aspect of artistic intent, to convey the bleak, dull, and lifeless conditions of many citizens in Iranian society. In addition, the fact that the novel consists of animated and child-like drawings is ironic as it contradicts the characters’ and incidents’ complexity within the plot of the novel. Also, the inclusion of animated drawings could possibly reveal the personal nature of the narration. The graphology suggests nostalgic, personal memories of the writer-protagonist as a young girl in a time of conflict, change, and war. The novel consists of heavy graphic weight, the contrast between black and white, and panels that shift in size in relation to the significance accorded to each event. Some less important frames are quite small in size, while others bleed entirely through the page, suggesting greater significance to the reader. Satrapi has herself stated that an image is a “universal language. If I (Satrapi) draw an image that is sad, happy, or angry… it would mean the same in all cultures… it is more accessible.” The idea of representing the Iranian Revolution in the form of a graphic novel, accompanied by dull and bleak structure, suggests that Satrapi believes the novels meaning can transcend cultures, but also raises awareness of a particular historical period of time in Iran. In other words, Satrapi’s form is both deeply personal, but also translates universally.

While Persepolis is produced and dominated by the form of visual imagery and minimal structure, The Earth of Mankind was originally produced verbally when the author was imprisoned. Not permitted paper or a pen in his cell, the form of entertainment prisoners had was to listen the writer’s stories about Dutch colonization. Several years after Ananta Toer had related his stories to fellow prisoners, he was permitted to write them down. Perhaps because of the oral genesis of his stories, his novel seems to be erratic and scattered as if his writing were a bunch of notes. Narrated in first person, and told mainly chronologically, the novel often consists of stories that are seemingly unrelated to earlier or later chapters. It is difficult for readers to know if what is told is fact or fiction, and whether the author himself is the character Minke or not. The novel’s inconsistencies and the nature of its subsequent translation to English affords a sort of realism that allows readers an authentic glimpse of Indonesian society in the period.

Although the structure of both novels is different, and they reveal different historical events, they share a concern for oppression and suffering. Both texts are a bildungsroman – both protagonists, Marji and Minke, go through change as they move from childhood to adulthood. In This Earth of Mankind, protagonist Minke is fortunate to enrol in a prestigious school, HBS, that is dominated by Europeans and Indos (half Western, and half native blood). He has always looked up to the Europeans, believing them to be determined and successful, and associated with civilisation and progress. Attending school with them, Minke feels “modernized” because he is able to receive a Dutch education. However, since Minke is native Indonesian, his schooling develops a tension and crisis of identity. After Minke meets Nyai Ontasorah, the concubine of a Dutch man, and falling in love with Nyai’s daughter Annelies, he becomes increasingly impressed with indigenous Indonesian culture. Nyai is intelligent and educated, and she challenges Minke’s prejudice of native people. Minke’s education continues when Annelies admits that she wants to “be an Indo like mama.” This surprises Minke, and later Minke confronts his parent’s disappointment in his desire to adopt European cultural practices. Minke is questioned about his lack of pride in his Indonesian identity. It is suggested to him that the Dutch are “eating and drinking on Indonesian Earth”, and Minke should no aspire to be “living in Dutch Earth”. Eventually, Minke realizes how superficial, selfish, and manipulative the Dutch are when he is put on trial for his ‘illegal’ marriage to Annelies. When Annelies is taken away by the Dutch, Minke understands that although he has regarded the Dutch as progressive, there is no advantage in this if they are cruel and harsh. The reader learns of Minke’s change as he moves from naivety towards adulthood and maturity, and at the same time learns about Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule.

Minke transforms into a more experienced and self-aware character, and Marji in Persepolis undergoes similar character development. Marji is initially religiously devout, aspiring unrealistically to become a prophet. She fails to grasp the reality of her circumstance or the deadly political change that she is living through. Whilst Iran wishes to overthrow the Shah, Marji thinks the Shah is needed because God chose him. It is not until violence breaks out and Marji’s loved ones are hurt that she understands the true nature of the Shah’s rule. Once the Shah is overthrown, a theocratic, fundamentalist government takes control of Iran, forcing women to wear the veil and banning the consumption of alcohol. Marji now understands the brutality of the Shah’s regime, but she is conflicted by the change, not least because of her modern avant-garde parents who are resistant to the changes in Iran. Satrapi presents an illustration of her conflict between modernism and fundamentalism in a panel that is split in half. On half of the panel shows Persian art, representing fundamentalism, whilst the other half of the panel is covered in tools, representing progress and modernity. In the first half of the panel, Marji is drawn wearing a veil, whilst in the other she wears Western clothing and has a bobbed haircut. The stark nature of the contrast in this panel reveals Marji’s confusion as she struggles to decide on an authentic identity for herself. Later in the novel, Marji’s understanding of Iran improves and she develops a clearer sense of self-identity. She lights a cigarette to symbolically “kiss goodbye to childhood.” Marji’s growth takes place during the Islamic Revolutuion. As with Minke in This Earth of Mankind, readers follow Marji’s change from childhood to adulthood and also learn of the complexities of the Islamic Revolution. The fact that both novels are narrated through the voice of the protagonist develops the sympathy of the reader, and it may be argued that readers learn to see the world – a world that they may be unfamiliar with – through the eyes of someone else.

Both novels are in obvious ways very different. One is a graphic novel, the other is not. One is set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, the other is set in Soeharto’s oppressive Indonesia. One is obviously autobiographical, but this is less obvious in the other. However, both novels deal with the challenges of coming of age. And it is through following the challenges of two youthful protagonists that readers learn to see unfamiliar worlds in new ways.