Jasmine and Stars & Persepolis
I tried to use motifs from Jasmine in the Stars and depict it in the style that Persepolis was drawn in, but I don’t know if that carried through the piece very well.
What we talked about in class really stayed with me— about how even though it was important to recognize that there are other parts of a culture than the devastating grasshoppers, such as the jasmine and the stars, sometimes only focusing on the jasmine or stars could effectively dismiss the grasshoppers, when they are very real and scary things. However, I do not think Keshavarz is trying to say that we should solely focus on either the positive or negative, but rather that both aspects are what make up the whole picture. Without understanding that there are jasmine and stars in Pakistan, one might never see beyond the horrors of grasshoppers (or whatever else is solely portrayed in the media). Just because one recognizes that there is beauty and tradition in Pakistan does not mean one underestimates the severity or presence of other problems that need to be attended to.
I think reading about childhoods that are different than our own allows us to understand that the “other” are also human beings. This held true for both Jasmine and Stars and Persepolis. Through knowing more about each other, we can eventually triumph over the many dangerous and even degrading generalizations that facilitate “othering” today. However, as Keshavarz mentions in the beginning regarding Reading Lolita in Tehran, it is equally important to make certain that this does not lead us to assume a new Orientalist perspective. Appreciating shared human experiences (such as reading and appreciating literature) is important, but we have to mindful that one type of literature is not superior to another; in fact, recognition that another culture has literature—along with various other quirky traditions—that is just as legitimate and beautiful as yours is a vital step in genuine human dialogue between populations.
Ultimately though, I think that knowing about the jasmine and stars of another helps us imagine each other complexly—as individuals rather than ideas or preconceptions. The picture must show jasmines, stars, and the grasshopper to be truly helpful.