Marjane Satrapi 's ' Persepolis '

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 theme of repression is a never changing issue with Persepolis. The abuse of power happens because there is a leader trying to run the country in a certain way. Satrapi illustrates how Iranians were repressed in public spaces and by public figures. Satrapies mom was on the newspapers, because a German journalist took a photo of her (5). Her mom would hide most of the time, this was creating some sort of discomfort for her, and obviously she was scared. She even had to dye her hair so she wouldn’t be recognizable. Satrapies mom, makes this a

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.

Marjane Satrapi deliberately uses an interesting layout usually used in successful comic books that convey deep messages. The layout of the graphics in Persepolis include elements such as panels, gutters, and graphic weight. The panels, or distinct segments of a comic containing a combination of images and texts, provide transitions that are instantaneous and direct. For example, on page seven, Satrapi uses a panel to show an innocent conversation with her grandmother about the rules she will assign once she becomes a prophet. The author also uses gutters - the space between framed panels- to clearly show where time happens. For instance, on page three, a gutter is used between two images to show the Islamic Revolution taking place in 1979

The graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a political and personal account of a young girl’s growth to maturity. The novel serves as an autobiography of the author’s childhood in Tehren, Iran. It describes what it was like to grow up during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the end of the Shah’s regime, and the war with Iraq. One of the most prominent themes in the novel is the clash between modernity and fundamentalism. The reader can observe this conflict through Iran's internal oppositions, the Satrapi’s modernity, and Marji’s western soci-political beliefs. This aspect of the novel is important because it shows the ideological diversity within Iran and the consequences faced by those in the opposition.

The novel “Persepolis” shows many life changes during the Islamic Revolution told through the eyes of a young girl. “Persepolis” was based on Satrapi’s childhood experience in Iran. Throughout the span of the 1970’s to the early 1980’s, Satrapi experiences many changes in her life, not only with the government, or her education, but also with herself. Although she witnessed many violent acts right in front of her eyes, these experiences helped Marji (Satrapi) grow as a young child.

It is not unusual for a teenager to go through a phase of rebellion. As teens get older, they are continually trying to discover themselves, so often times they lash out and become disobedient. When teens start breaking rules and regulations is when they put themselves and their families in danger. In the autobiography, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, the author Marjane Satrapi writes about her childhood and growing up in Iran during the war. The new leader is enforcing numerous outrageous rules, including banning some games, music, and alcohol. Breaking the rules is hard to resist for the feisty teen, however her actions have effects on her entire family. Marjane’s acts of rebellion against different authorities, including her family and the government, have varying levels of enormity and repercussions.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is an autobiography graphic novel. The book is about a young girl named Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In the book, many stories and struggles are presented, such as the Islamic revolution, issues with school, the war between Iran and Iraq, and Satrapi’s struggle with growing up. The strongest theme from all of these situations in the novel is rebellion. Rebellion is constantly seen, in many different shapes and forms, all throughout this book.

Marjane Satrapi articulates the times of turmoil in Iran in her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis. The text conveys the experience of three different time periods over a short span of fifty years: the pre-Shah period, the Shah’s monarchy, and the Islamic Revolution that followed. Satrapi chooses to use the main female characters, her grandmother and mother, and the minor characters, her school teacher and servant Mehri, to reflect the societal and political changes made during these time periods. These figures Satrapi uses are defined through the symbol of the veil and the conversations Marji, as Satrapi calls her younger self, has with them. Satrapi chooses to present the graphic novel in black and white to mirror the anarchy in society

The memoir of Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran is written as a very personal account in the comic book Persepolis. This is a story that describes her life during the Islamic Revolution which includes her moral, physical, religious, and psychological struggles she endured. Being the setting of a bloody war with Iraq, Iran was not the ideal environment Marjane’s parents wanted her to grow up in. Persepolis represents a unique life of a child in Tehran, Iran and the actions she took in order to survive the political upheaval her country was facing. Marjane Satrapi is of great importance in teaching us the hardships of life during war as well as the history of her country.

Satrapi was always a rebellious person and many of the readers can relate to those feelings. “As for me, I sealed my act of rebellion against my mother’s dictatorship by smoking the cigarette,… with this first cigarette I kissed my childhood goodbye,” (Satrapi 117). This quote talks about she is kissing her childhood goodbye and becoming an adult so to speak many people are going through similar emotions and can learn from her experience. She also disobeys her parents’ wishes and sneaks out to a demonstration. In the book Satrapi says, “‘Tomorrow we are going to demonstrate,’ ‘We are not allowed,” (Satrapi 38). This also shows her rebellious side that many of the readers might have or can learn from. Her parents felt it wasn’t safe for her in Iran so they sent her to Vienna since she was on her own she really had to grow up and become mature. “What I feared was true. Maybe they’d come to visit, but we’d never live together,” (Satrapi 152). Many of the readers are going through a time where they have to become mature and this story can really help them through that time. The coming of age that happens throughout Persepolis really makes the story relevant because many of the readers can benefit or relate to the struggle of growing up and

From the very beginning of Persepolis we the readers know that Marjane Satrapi was no ordinary child growing up in 1980 Iran. While she did have the same confusion as to why she was veiled and separated from her male counterparts she did know what she want to be at the age of six. She wanted to be a prophet for childish reasons. She knew she was destined for greatness before the Islamic Revolution. The veil and separated classes marked the beginning of Iran’s political and religious unrest. Protest began to spread like a cold across the land that was more deadly than Occupy Wall Street. Some of these protest were had several appearances by Marjane’s mother, father, and several of her relative. One of her relatives had to retreat to U.S.S.R as a result of being suspected a spy by the Iranian regime. That was her Uncle Anoosh. Uncle Anoosh and Marjane had grown close which made it harder to accept the execution of her uncle.

The world is chock-full of different cultures, religions, and political ideals. These forces are a part of many childhoods, forcing the young to decipher how they want to incorporate aspects of these principles into their identity. Marjane Satrapi similarly finds herself experiencing this difficult process throughout her childhood. In her graphic memoir, Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi poignantly portrays how the distinction between Western and Iranian cultures helps shape her character in the midst of a torn society in order to display the clash of cultures and its process of molding Satrapi’s childhood in Iran. Satrapi’s utilization of a graphic memoir medium allows her to illustrate visually the complex divide of religious values in Iran.

To understand and obey any law forcing individuals to change their way of life causes resistance. In the graphic novel Persepolis, although she effectively remembers those who suffered, Marjane Satrapi excels in showing Iranians as very ordinary but interesting people. Satrapi illustrates their normalcy through everyday activities and their responses to the situation they face within their country. Although Persepolis is a graphic novel, it portrays issues of politics through the innocence and lightheartedness of a child. Satrapi acknowledges those who were forced to leave their homes, as well as, remembering loved ones who have died and suffered.

The graphic novel Persepolis is a coming of age memoir written by Marjane Satrapi. It is an autobiographical depiction of the life of an Iranian girl living in Iran during and after the period of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, demonstrating how Marjane’s persona becomes increasingly aware of the various cultural influences and religious influences that surround her and the constant conflict between the promotion Iranian and Muslim beliefs and the repression of Western ideals in an increasingly war-torn Iran, which has affected the formation of her personal identity. Later on, it portrays her struggle with a young Iranian woman’s identity, where her ten year old self is often seen talking to God about her numerous troubles, and she see