Whether struggling to make a living as a typist on the streets of Rio or growing up under a repressive government in war torn Iran, the circumstance and plight of both Macabea and Marji in Clarice Lispecters Hour of the Star and Marjane Starapis Persepolis respectively serve as instruments to criticize various aspects of society. This essay will seek to examine how the criticism towards different aspects of society is dealt with by the two sub-genres of the novel, the graphic novel in the case of Persepolis and the reflective novel, Hour of the Star. In Persepolis, the image that accompanies the text or vice versa is just as important as the "simple" language S.M Rodrigo uses in Hour of the Star. The images not only function in a manner …show more content…
The creation of a narrator, a very intrusive one at that, who at times blurs the lines between what or who is the protagonist, is especially uncharacteristic. The narrator, S.M Rodrigo's almost stalker like tendencies towards the protagonist, Macabea bring further anarchy as the he begins to describe a plot structured with such simplicity that could only be told with such a high degree of complexity, or in his words - "I confine myself to narrating the unremarkable adventures of a girl living in a hostile city" . Heavily dependent on the text, an intrusive narrator who interrupts a rather fragmented story and a protagonist that is not aware of her existence, Hour of the Star comes across as a one big metaphor subtly addressing ideas of existence, reality, poverty and society associated with the …show more content…
an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists." sets the tone of the novel as well as hints at the angle that criticism towards society will be directed, she might as well be pointing her finger. For example; "Because in this country you must stay within your social class." , in reference to the incident with her maids love affair with their neighbours son. Here one can distinctly see the way she addresses the problem in relation to social class. Strong and direct criticism as depicted in the panels that follow relying on provoking the readers immediate thought and emotional responses. In simpler words the text and images themselves have strong influence in terms of pushing the reader to the desired
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.
Persepolis focuses on major themes like Feminism, Freedom, Religion, War, and Culture. Although this book is about Marjane Satrapi a young girl who lived her childhood in Iran from the 1980’s which was during the Iran revolution, where at a young age she’s already opened up to a warfare environment. This book can be interpreted differently based on the reader’s location, history background with Iran, and the differences in government. In this essay we would be comparing the readers from Iran vs. America.
the series but there is one particular theme that stands out – “Resistance to Change and Rebellion.”
In the novel, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, there are many different themes that you could look at and decide to analyze. I decided to look at four different themes that are brought up throughout the novel. In the novel there is a lot of talk about the contrasting regions of Iran and everywhere else in the world, politics and religion, and warfare.
Marjane Satrapi’s memoir Persepolis is considered a “coming of age” story based on her experiences growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. This graphic novel explores the life she lead in Tehran which encompassed the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. Undergoing life with such a chaotic environment, it took Satrapi courage to act and live as her “authentic self” and explore what it meant to her to be authentic. Similar to Aristotle, May and Medinas Persepolis examines the concept of courage, through the view of innocence; through Satrapi’s childhood.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel that provides insight into a young girl living in Iran during the hardship of war. Persepolis takes place during the childhood of Marjane Satrapi. It gives a background of the Islamic Revolution and the war in Iran. Satrapi attempts to guide herself in a corrupted world filled with propaganda. She tries to develop her own morality concerning religion, politics, and humanity. Satrapi was blessed enough to have high class status and parents who had an open mindset about the world around them. Thanks to her slightly alternative lifestyle, she is able to reconstruct gender norms that society has set by depicting the different ways women resist them. “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others” by Lila Abu-Lughod is an essay detailing the misconceptions surrounding the veil. Through this essay we can see how colonial feminism, the form of feminism in which western women push for a western way of living on their third world counterparts, has shined a negative light on cultures all around the world - particularly Islamic women. The essay shows how women who don’t conform to American societal structures are labeled as women who urgently require saving. Through this essay one can develop a thorough understanding of the veil itself and the many representations it holds to different entities. Although in Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood Satrapi
The theme of adversity and how it affects characters discussed in class can be seen clearly within the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and the graphic novel of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. The fictional novella Of Mice and Men - based in 1930’s California during the Depression - demonstrates the struggles of adversity distinctly through the characters of Curley’s Wife and Crooks, and the non-fictional story of Persepolis – a story narrating the author’s childhood during the Islamic Revolution during the 1980’s in Iran – displays this theme of adversity through the antagonist author, Marjane. In addition to the difficulties each character faces, how the adversity affects them and the ultimate result of their attempts
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
As Clarice Lispector was writing what would become her last literary creation, The Hour of the Star, little did she know that while her body was plagued with the devastations of cancer, her mental struggle for peace and grace in death would inspire her most renowned novel. Perhaps it is because of those circumstances, she created a novel with intuitive reflections on both life and death, as seen through the life of the main character, Macabea. The story is narrated by Rodrigo S.M., and although Rodrigo attempts to maintain a neutral stance, he is often conflicted by his own perceptions and feelings. At the book’s commencement Rodrigo spends quite some time explaining that while the story is mainly about a woman,
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
Pesepolis is an autobiographical graphic novel depicting the life of Marjane Satrapi during the Iranian Revolution. In the early pages, Marjane illustrates that she saw herself as a prophet. She wanted to change the world, and with the help of God, she thought that she could.
Persepolis is a coming of age story for Marji living in the middle of the Iranian war and adapting to the changes to both her culture and her personal life. Inequality between genders is heavily discussed within the story, as well as the struggles between the fundamentalist ideas and customs compared to the less extreme morals of some families: it is shown through the simplistic, but effective images by Satrapi.
Taking place in the late 1970’s, Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis” exemplifies a profound illustration of the county of Iran, including aspects of its people and political structure. Unlike a conventional composed novel, the story of Persepolis is expressed through both textual and visual representation; otherwise known as a graphic novel. Through the experiences of the ten-year old character Marjane, the reader is exposed to historical events, movements, crises, and motives that occurred within Iran. Furthermore, the novel has gained much praise in its portrayal of emotions that occurred through the people of Iran. Although there has been tremendous support of the account of Marjane, there have been a few critics of the novel, attacking its overall literary value. For instance, New York’s Ithaca College student paper called The Ithacan, slammed the role Persepolis had on the literary society. In fact, they went as far to say that the novel “...is worth broaching but its literary value, in terms of building vocabulary and furthering comprehension, falls short.” An absurd statement, to say the least. Not only is Persepolis of literary value, it is a glimpse into the past. It allows the reader to understand the various conflicts that the people of Iran were facing. Through the account of Marjane, the audience is exposed to elements of Iranian history, gender roles, religion, and political fluctuation.
In Persepolis 2, Marjane is set on a journey of self discovery while living away from her home in Iran to escape the war. She experiences many obstacles varying from finding her self identity heartbreak and isolation. All of these obstacles would eventually lead to a very confident Marjane. MArjane lives in Vienna for most of her adolescence and so it is at this time that she is truly on a journey of finding who she is as a person and developing herself. Upon living in Vienna, Marjane discovered that Vienna is very different from her home of Iran and because of this, she assimilated herself into this new society while distancing herself from her Iranian culture. In her final days of living in Vienna she becomes homeless and it wasn't until this moment that she is notified that she is welcome to come back home to Iran. When she returns home to Iran she discovers that not only has she herself changed, but also how much her home of Iran has changed as well. Modern Iran is similar to Marjane, regarding their similar journey of self discovery and the many challenges that they have both faced.
Graphic weight is used to benefit the reading process of Persepolis. This scene is very heavy because there is this unspoken thing about how Anoosh is going to be executed. The dark colors represent the mod of the room because, other than the first panel, majority of the page is black but Anoosh stands out because he is depicted in all white. This could represent his purity and innocence because he is about to get killed for doing nothing wrong, in Marji and the readers eyes. This scene also includes pitch black shadows for both people, this second layer of darkness from the white people creates a sense of mystery and makes the reader feel like something bad is happening. Shadows often add a creepy aspect, they are used in horror films to give people the same eerie effect. The Graphic weight helps the reader get a feel for the emotion of a scene before even looking at the photos and texts. The second someone sees a mostly white page, they can usually assume that the page will be positive and an all black page will be mostly negative. The scene that I am discussing is a very deep and heavy subject, so by creating a mostly dark scene the reader can feel the weight of what the characters are going through. The reader can quickly see the mood by looking at the colors that are mostly used on the page, but for more context the reader can look at context clues that the author has physically drawn in.