Analysis Of Marjane Satrapi 's ' Persepolis ' Essay

Adolescence is an age where children began to find themselves or, in some cases, lose themselves, an idea clearly developed by Satrapi in her graphic novel “Persepolis”. Satrapi explores the challenges and difficulties experienced by a sheltered and naive girl during the tumultuous and uncertain years of the Iranian revolution and attempts to solve the oppression she witnesses by the Islamicist government. This is important to the whole text as it identifies the religious conservatism and Islamisation of the state causes distress and confusion in Marjane who consequently had to redefine herself, given that her freedom and personal liberties were denied them in schools, public places, and even her own home.

In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, Satrapi states that her goal in writing the book was to dispel many of the hasty generalizations made by the western world about Iran, a principal sentiment being that the country is little more than a nation founded by fundamentalists and home to terrorists and extremists. To combat the misconception, Satrapi enlists the assistance examples of barriers and dissent towards the new conservative regime in Iran from her adolescence. By employing events from her childhood in Iran Satrapi rattles the foundation of the myths and false beliefs assumed by the occident. Satrapi writes that the initial waves of conservative fundamentalism in Iran were met with unified national dissent. To support this

Satrapi talks about the Mullah that she was interviewed by and the Mullah said that she was the only person who did not lie, and she felt that she was lucky to have met a “truly religious man”. Satrapi feels that there aren’t many true religious men in Iran, and most of them will use religion as a means to power. She was happy to see that the man in charge if admitting her to college truly believes in his religion, and appreciates Satrapi’s true belief as well.

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis introduces the Islamic veil as an attempt by the Iranian government to control women. Islamic radicals promised safety and security for those who abided by their rules. Rebels who refused to wear the headscarf were threatened with beating, rape or death. These modern women who fought against religious oppression met the minimal requirements of the government rules to safely live in the hostile environment. Through being forced to wear the veil, the control of the Islamic government drives its people to a rebellion.

Although Satrapi’s family was religious, like many Iranian families, they did not agree with the beliefs of the government. Satrapi says “I was born with Religion. At the age of six I was already sure I was the last Prophet.”, and she continued to tell everyone that at school that when she grew up she wanted to be a prophet (6). She wanted to be a prophet because even at such a young age she could look around her and see things that she did not like about the world. “I wanted to be a prophet because our maid did not eat with us. Because my father had a Cadillac. And, above all, because my grandmother’s knees always ached” (6). She wanted to be the last prophet because she wanted to see change in how people lived out their religion even though Islam had already had their last prophet. She hated that her maid did not get to eat with her and that her father drove a Cadillac when a lot of people did not have cars. She wanted to bring equality to all the different social classes as a six year old. This shows that when children grow up in a place where so much is happening around them, they are forced to grow up faster and have already formed their own opinions on social issues while children in other countries are just worried about things like learning how to ride a bike.

In her short story, Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi writes about her accounts of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. As a child, religion was of extreme importance to Marji, so much so that she would talk many hours to her imaginary friend, God, about her dreams of becoming a prophet. But as the revolution began to take hold of her and her family, the new regime forced Marji to rethink what religion means to her. Does fundamentalism have the opposite effect on some of the followers of God?

Throughout the Iranian Revolution, many events and changes took place that largely affected the views of Iranians by other nations. The graphic novel, The Complete Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi (Satrapi, 2003), conveys many of these events and changes through the eyes of a child growing up in the 1980s in Iran. Satrapi’s main purpose for this book is to describe how the Iranian government was corrupt, causing foreign nations to have a tainted view of all Iranian citizens. The Complete Persepolis does so by presenting major events and changes in a manner that is directed towards audiences that are willing to have an open mind about ethnicity and false stereotypes, and an audience that is young and can relate to the “coming of age” aspect of this novel. By exhibiting a credible first hand account of how Satrapi and many others were affected by the events that took place during the Iranian Revolution, The Complete Persepolis can effectively persuade a reader to eliminate the “Islamic extremist” stereotype that the corrupt Islamic Republic gave all Iranian citizens.

One of the most controversial topics concerning Muslim women’s rights is the idea of the veil. It is believed by some Muslims that the veil is an Islamic obligation that all Muslim women must adhere to. But nowadays, the veil can have different meanings that are not necessarily religious. In her article “Reinventing the Veil,” Leila Ahmed addresses some of the different meanings that the veil can have. Marjane Satrapi explores one of those meanings in her animated autobiography Persepolis (2008). In Persepolis, Marjane tells the story of her rebellion against the Iranian Islamist regime that takes over Iran, oppresses women, and forces them to wear the veil. What was interesting to me was seeing Marjane wear the veil without being oppressed, although she does not believe in it, and is being forced to wear it. In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi escapes being a subject to the Iranian Islamist ideology by establishing her individual identity through transforming the veil from a means of oppression into a means of feminist rebellion.

Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is primarily due to the women who have influenced her.

Marjane Satrapi’s early experiences have helped to form a unique perspective acknowledged throughout Persepolis. Throughout the novel, Satrapi uses graphic images to allow her readers to visualize various dramatic events that she (once) witnessed. Informal diction and simple graphics force her audience to perceive Persepolis from the same child-like perspective the author (once) had. More so, special attention is drawn to contrasting colors as a symbol of (internal) conflict. The clash between black and white graphics represents a much deeper meaning regarding Satrapi’s faith and understanding. Such a symbol of conflict enables the readers to empathize

Amazing, intriguing, and unimaginable are just a few words to describe how I felt about Persepolis while I read this true life story of Marjane Satrapi. This book has helped me to see all the life struggles, good times, and adversities that Marji faced between the ages of nine to thirteen. The Islamic Revolution had such a daunting effect in the Middle East, especially in the county of Iran where Marji and her family resided.

Western culture has often misperceived the east and the way that their society functions. In Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Satrapi uses graphic novels as a way to demonstrate to the western culture how the east has been misrepresented. The use of media helps to depict to the west how their views of the east may have been unfairly formed in the past. The media has only revealed limited knowledge that only shows partial perspectives because it is difficult to get perspectives of the minorities although they are the ones who hold the most truth. In other words the use of graphic novels and a child’s perspective give the west a new idea on how it is that society in the east functions. This style of writing brings the connection between the two

As a kid, there are many different aspects that affect how you begin to see the actuality of the world. There is a definite point in your life when you start to understanding life and everyone will comprehend and experience it differently. Marjane Satrapi's process of acceptance and awareness affects her beliefs and perspective on religion, gender roles, and loss of innocence in her book Persepolis.

We do not know how or who started to propagate the idea of religion for certain, but one thing we know for sure is that it was with some clear objectives which are the typical ‘cliché’ questions that no one has been able to answer yet for example: ‘What are we doing in this planet?’ and ‘What is the meaning of life?’. Religion has been the cause of different outbreaks such as ‘The Crusades’ and several terrorist attacks which date not very far away from today, but how can this “collection of beliefs” be the reason for someone to change their way of thinking, especially in such a religious country like Iran. The story of Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi tells us the story of her life in Iran before and after the revolution showing us the different ‘personalities’ she goes through, from innocent girl to a disaffected teenager. In this story Satrapi exploits different themes such as the heterogeneity in regions with Iran and the rest of the world, warfare and politics but one that stands out and is presented through the whole book is religion. Religion is portrayed as an excuse to start a conflict and it shows the personal development of characters, in this case the protagonist Marji.

Each author has their own special technique that they use in their work that makes their novel unique. Symbolism is a common technique that is used by authors all over the world. It is an artistic style, consisting of images and indirect thoughts to express a certain idea or emotion. “Authors use symbolism to add depth and meaning to a story.” (Blogger p1) When a symbolic feature is put into a story, the readers begin to think about the literal meaning and then compare it to the symbolic meaning that could be interpreted from the text. Symbolism displayed throughout the novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi portrays different views of the novel; historical, childlike views. The novel takes place in Iran during the 1980’s which marked the beginning of political and religious confusion throughout the country. Marjane Satrapi lives with a family who supports revolutionaries and attends political protests where she obtains knowledge about the world and the social and political problems that are occurring around her. Since she was introduced to these situations at such a young age, she grew up as a strong and independent woman, wanting to make the world a better place. The author, Marjane Satrapi tells the story and adds in the symbolic aspects to share her stories of her growing up during one of the largest revolutions in Iran’s history and to share her views, feelings and opinions throughout that time period. The symbolic use of color throughout the novel, the veil the women