I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to write here. This is my vlog. I just kind of talk about my cat, my classes, video games, and my friends and how since coming to Kpark I’ve finally found a place where I fit in. Enjoy, I guess.

In the second quarter of the memoir, Persepolis, the main character, Marjane, is beginning to lose faith in her religion and wants to start protesting against the Islamic Revolution. She no longer dreams of becoming a prophet. Other revolutions that happened outside of this memoir also caused people to lose faith and/or change their opinions on something.

A revolution is defined as a large-scale, dramatic change. Notable revolutions include the French Revolution, the American Revolution, and, of course, the Islamic Revolution shown in Persepolis. These dramatic changes have altered many people’s ways of thinking. When life changes on such a large scale for you, you are bound to question your way of thinking or your faith. Marjane is no exception to this. As the Islamic Revolution went on before her very eyes, she began to question her faith, just as many people would’ve questioned their ways during the French and American Revolutions.

This connection between revolutions deepens my understanding of Persepolis because I’ve studied other revolutions in my history classes. However, this leads me to question, are the revolutions I’ve studied really the same as the revolution Marjane lived through? I think that they’re the same at their cores, but the key difference lies in the fact that the Islamic Revolution is centered around religion, while the revolutions I know (French, American, Haitian, Russian) are not.

What makes me the person I am today? There are a lot of answers to that question, but it all boils down to the people in my life. Whether they’re still in my life or they’re people from my past, they’ve shaped me into who I am today. My family has had a huge impact on me. They’ve always been there for me when I need their love and comfort. Former family issues and struggles are what made me as strong as I am today. An old, toxic friend made me even stronger. My new friends are what helped me find myself again and made me happier. My former and current romantic relationships have probably had the biggest impact on me. Through my mistakes and heartbreaks, through the ups and downs of it all, I have learned the most about myself. I’ve been hurt and lost myself, taken some time to find myself again, and I’ve found happiness yet again. I’m just gonna say that I realize I’m being really vague about everything, but honestly I don’t want to get too personal in a blog for a school project because I feel like that’d be awkward. I’ll just leave with the idea that, although I like to focus on the present lately, the people in my life will shape my being throughout my future, as they have throughout my past.

In the first quarter of the memoir Persepolis, the main character, Marjane, strongly believes in her Islamic faith and even dreams of being a prophet when she grows up. Many people outside of this novel have similar religious lives, such as Catholic children who want to become priests and nuns one day. This connection helps deepen my personal understanding of Persepolis because I’ve grown up Catholic and I can relate to the idea of feeling a connection to your faith and wanting to grow in it in your later life. Many kids in my religion are like Marjane; they want to grow up to spread their religion. Some want to become priests, some want to become nuns, and some just want to get married in the Church. Marjane, on the other hand, wanted to be a Muslim prophet and spread her faith that way. This raises the question, is the faith Marjane had similar to that of kids from my religious? I think it is. Islam and Christianity are fairly similar religions, as is Judaism. I think that, despite our differences, our similarities give us all the same sense of faith. That’s why there are kids of every religion that want to grow up to be a religious figure, be it a prophet or a priest.

Music has always been a big part of my life. I’m pretty sure it’s like that for everyone. I mean, when was the last time you met someone who just doesn’t like music?

Zelda’s Lullaby – I’ve been listening to a lot of video game soundtracks lately. Specifically, the soundtrack from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Zelda’s Lullaby is one of the many songs that Link, the main playable character, must learn to play on his ocarina so that he can use the magic that lies within the song. It’s the first song he learns, and it’s played often throughout the game. Whether it’s Link on the ocarina or just the background music in the game, Zelda’s Lullaby seems to be the main reoccurring song in Ocarina of Time. It even plays in the background of the final cutscene of the game, making this beautiful, perfect ending even more beautiful and perfect. If you’ve played Ocarina of Time, Zelda’s Lullaby will, without a doubt, bring back memories for you, which is why I love it so much. It brings back memories and gives me nostalgia for a game that played a big role in my life for a period of time.

All Time Low – Weightless (explicit) – Weightless is one song that I’ve always just found really uplifting and inspirational. It’s fun and upbeat, but if you take a closer listen you’ll also find a deeper meaning in the lyrics. The line “Maybe it’s not my weekend, but it’s gonna be my year,” has kept me hopeful during some dark times in the past. All Time Low has been one of my favorite bands since middle school, so they’re a pretty big part of my life. Their fun, loud, guitar-centered music is just my style. Songs like Weightless are what inspire me when I feel down again sometimes.

Panic! At the Disco – Golden Days Panic! At the Disco is a more recent obsession of mine. I listened to them briefly in middle school, but it was the beginning of this school year, after the release of their Pray for the Wicked album, that I really started to get into them. They have that same loud, upbeat vibe to them that All Time Low has, which is why I like them so much. So far sophomore year has been my favorite year of my life. Things are finally good at home, I finally have a good group of friends that I really feel like I belong with, and I overall just feel like these are the “Golden Days,” that everyone says the high school years are supposed to be. The Panic! song Golden Days inspires me because it reminds me that I’m finally happy with my life and I finally just love who I am, and one day I’m going to look back on these days and think of them as the golden days.