The Protestant Reformation Exposed In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, he says “life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in the face of certain defeat”. This is something that we see throughout history whether it’s a war or revolution. For instance, the Protestant Reformation was a movement in the early fifteenth century in which much of the peasants in Europe felt discontent with the church’s growing power in the state and control in people’s relationships with God. After, Martin Luther shared his disapproval of the church’s actions, such as accepting payments to ensure one’s soul would be saved, in his text known as the “95 Theses”, his message resonated with many people and thus the Protestant Reformation began. Despite the large number

Persepolis begins when the main character, Marji, is just six years old and both the Islamic Revolution and the cultural revolution are just beginning. During this period of radical change, Marji and her female schoolmates “found (themselves) being veiled and separated from (their) friends” when gender suddenly segregated their school (Satrapi 4). Throughout the novel, we see instances where Marji is trying to figure out her identity as an Iranian girl who has a passion for rebelling against a regime that is holding her back from becoming the individual she desires. For example, later in the revolution, Marji must illegally buy western music off the street which shows how little say and freedom they have when it comes to their culture (Satrapi). Because their new government opposed westernization, much of their material culture was taken away from them. The more authority the new regime tried to assert over Iranians such as forming a committee who were “guardians of the revolution”, the less freedom they had to have their own opinions and individuality (Satrapi