Politics and sentiment do not mix if a person wants to be in a position where they do not have to identify with other people. According to the interview Steven Cobert conducts with Marjane Satrapi, the very purpose of Persepolis is for people to see the humanity of the Iranians. They have a sense of humor, they have families, they struggle to find their identity and they also do not always support the actions of their government. When the Iraqis first bommbed Iran, Marji responds to her parents as they read the paper "We have to bomb Baghdad." Her mother tells her to "Take your feet off the table, it's impolite"(82). This passage struck me because parents teach their children to share toys and play nicely with others. A code of conduct for decency toward our fellow man is taught to our children. Even during this discourse between mother and daughter the reader feels the irony of the lesson for isn't it much more impolite to drop a bomb on a persons home than to put a foot on the table?  Satrapi realizes that change begins in how people relate to one another on a small scale. These grass roots efforts spread and can work themselves into the mainstream. The next part of the discourse is about Marji feeling her dad is a defeatest because he does not take more action. The two celebrate together however when Iran begins to bomb Saddam back. This makes Marji feel like her father loved his country. There is a deeply rooted struggle in humanity for the need to be "right," to feel justice and the necessity for boundaries so what is "mine" is mine. If someone does something to you, you want to get them back! It is often called pride. This is where politics turns into patriotism which is a sentimental thing. It is very difficult to separate politics and sentiment because they feed off of each other. Many of the political agendas stem from emotional arguments and background. Satrapi then introduces the reader to Pardisse who lost her dad in the fight. Pardisse says, "I wish he [her father] were alive and in jail rather than dead and a hero"(86). The realities of politics are again reduced to a family. The reader is able to see how actual people are affected by policy. 

In the film, when Marji hits bottom she returns to her family; the place she identifies with. Marji's grandmother who always smells good because she puts flowers under her clothes has a very influential role on her. Marjane goes through a coming of age situation where she tries to deny who she is to the world around her. She comes to realize it is not by a denial of who you are that you will be of influence, but by accepting yourself and helping others to see the truth about that which they may fear that will bring about change. I think the woman in Marji's life helped her see this truth. As an adult she says she spends most of her time defending groups from other groups that are in disagreement; such as defending Iran to Americans and Americans to the French. It is by mixing politics and sentiment that people will think twice before going to war with a government that is actually a city-town-neighborhood and family.