We had to choose a fictional character in a movie, so I chose Marjane from the movie Persepolis. I chose her because the Irani revolution is something that has affected the lives of Persians, especially young women. I wanted to get the perspective from a younger girl living her life during a revolution. What started this revolution was the growing economy in Iran which caused there to be more people graduating, and less jobs being given. In Mexico, there is a similar issue going on. There are not enough jobs, with not enough wage being given either. This made Ocotlan, Jalisco a poor city. My grandfather had been married, he was 19. He had his wife and four year old daughter. He knew they couldn't be living like this for the rest of their lives, and wanted a better future for his daughter. Both Marjane and my grandfather went through a transformation in their lives by one issue, economy. Now this doesn't really cross anyones minds, but money was behind all of this. Economy in both countries was what made these two heroes. You will see how this caused them to leave their country through the two slideshow presentations, and interview with my grandfather.
Interview With My Grandfather
Transcript of interview: Translated from Spanish to English
Q: How old were you?
A: I was nineteen, your grandmother was sixteen, and your mother was barely four years old.
Q: What was the purpose of you coming here?
A: I wanted a new life. I wanted to provide for my daughter and your my wife, as any man would do in Mexico. Look, in Ocotlan, everyone in the back of their minds knows there isn’t much hope for them in the city. There’s industries which I guess is a similar job to what I have now, but you have more potential in America, and we were aware of that. Plus, we already had some family waiting for us in California, and some family in Chicago.
Q: Did you make a plan on how you would leave without getting caught?
A: I had planned everything. We would leave at night time because it was less likely to get caught by border control. We would take breaks and sleep in the desert and keep walking. We would get there in the morning. We were young. We didn’t think about the most essential items, besides the ones for your mother. Looking back, I would have done things differently.
Q: Did anything not go according to plan?
A: A lot of things. It’s not good to plan for the future. You may think you have everything in check, but anything could happen. Many things did not go to plan. Getting caught was one, which was our major issue. I got caught by border control late at night which was something I had planned not to happen. I was sent back, but headed back the next morning and started the journey over so I could be back with your mother and grandmother. Then, your grandma was caught with your mom. They sent your grandma back, but your mom got to go in a van with other children that were separated from their parents. She was picked up by our family in California which she nothing about, until your grandmother and I got back to the U.S.
Q: Did you feel a guidance by anyone through the difficult times?
A: God. I was raised believing in God. I was raised in knowing to seek God through difficult times. I knew he was watching over my family and I, and that made me feel safe. Knowing that my daughter was going to be okay.
Q: How did you eventually get here?
A: I finally made it. It took me about 1-2 months to get here. I kept taking long breaks, trying to figure out new plans to eventually make my way. When we all got here, we stayed with the family I had in California. Eventually we got a car, and moved to Chicago. We lived with your uncle, my brother, for a while, and then we bought a house.
Presentation of Hero's Journey: Persepolis
Presentation of Hero's Journey: Grandfather
Overall, this action project allowed me to open my eyes on both people. For one, I was able to look deeper into the Islamic Revolution even outside of class. I was able to see how this revolution changed the structure of Iran, and how much of an impact economy can have on a whole country. Realizing that this is not only a situation in the country of Iran, but also in Mexico. I didn’t know that I could correlate the two, a nineteen year old guy and a young girl living in Iran. They were both going through two different issues, but both had to leave their country. This caused them to start a new life and without even realizing it, they became heroes.
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