Learning how to do things on your own is an important aspect of growing up. Even though Marjane and I have lived completely different lives, learning how to do things on your own is an important element of growing up. In Marjane’s situation, she considers being grown up as when she finally rebels against her parents by smoking a cigarette (Satrapi 117). Rebelling is a significant when it comes to growing up because it shows that you can finally make your own decisions without the input of your parents. Although, the decision may not always be positive, they show that Marjane is ready to start to take her life into her own hands. I do agree that this is a necessary part of growing up, it should not be the only factor that someone uses to determine that they are grown up. Rebelling is a necessary part of growing up because it shows that you can make decisions for yourself, even if they are not good decisions. Even the consequences of the rebelling are important, they teach you that their are consequences to your actions and that your parents will not always be there to bail you out of a situation.

This is where Marjane and I are different. I believe that growing up should not only rely on rebellion but also maturity and knowledge. Part of this is the way each of us were raised. I was raised in a stable home where my parents emphasized the importance of knowledge. Marjane grew up in a stable home, but not in a stable country. She grew up in a country that was based on violence and rebelling against the government (Satrapi 38). This caused a major part of her life to be about rebellion and that is what she focused on when she wanted to grow up.

On the other hand, I believe that for a person to be a true grown up, they must be able to do many things. Such as, they should have the maturity level to make decisions for themselves and also to not only think of themselves but the people around them when making decisions that could affect others. A person must also be able to do a number of tasks on their own without the help of others; this shows that they would be able to live alone or get a successful job if necessary. A job requires certain skills that someone will have to learn, this shows motivation. Growing up is very important in someone's life and show that someone is ready to be a productive member of society, but we all have different definitions of what growing up really is.