Persepolis Gender

After the empowerment of the Islamic Regime, the treatment of women turned tables in Iran. Before the Regime, Iranian women were much like the average American woman during that time. They were able to dress in modern clothes, associate with male counterparts, and have a role in society. But most of this was drastically changed, especially the dress code. Around 1980, the women of Iran were forced into the wearing of a veil. A veil is a piece of cloth used to cover the hair and part of the face. Many women were against the veil and took to the streets to protest. After many protests, the women were still forced to wear the veil. In the graphic novel Persepolis, Marji goes the store and bought some modern clothes. She decided to wear them out to go buy tapes. In the last frame, Marji is approached by two women wearing chadors: “They were the Guardians of the Revolution, the women's branch. This group had been added in 1982, to arrest women who were improperly

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 conflict in Persepolis is shown through the changes that are caused between families, women and children when fundamentalist Islamic state takes over Iran. The story progresses though the main character, Marjane’s point of view and experience.

Though the veil forms an inconvenience in the lives of all Iranian women, it serves as a form of protection in their lives against the dangerous religious extremists fighting for the revolution. Marjane and her mother did not believe in the religious importance of wearing the veil but knew they had to wear them for their own protection against radical religious men that could try to take advantage of them. The president claimed that “women’s hair emanates rays that excite men” (74). Supported by this proposition, men could claim that a woman without a head scarf excited him and he would rape her because that is what she deserved for being a “little

One of these incidents occurs when Marjane is in art school. When the students were told that they needed to wear longer headscarves, Satrapi immediately responded that “as a student of art…I need to move freely to be able to draw.” She further questions “why is it that I, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men, can get excited by two-inches less of my head scarf?” here Marjane questions the restrictiveness of the veil and comments on the injustice in Muslim society and the gender inequality. The veil represent the repressions and the gender injustices in Iran. By revolting against the veil Marjane is able to protest the repressions. On hearing Marjanes complaint, the school administrators asked Satrapi to design her own veil. Marjane accepts this offer while still in the confines of the veil. Marjane designs the veil to suit the needs of the students and

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.

The biggest contrast between Iran and the United States is the level of religious diversity practiced within each nation. Iran’s population is 99% Islamic and only 1% non-Islamic (“Iranian Groups” 1) . The United States shows greater diversity with its population being 70% Christian, 23% Atheist, and 7% non-Christian. (“America’s Religious Landscape” 3). Iran claims that it offers religious freedom, yet those who choose to practice another faith are in danger of being denied basic civil rights and liberties and can even be executed. “Persepolis” allows us to see how the Islamic faith is unwavering within Iran. Every character both male and female are walking the streets fully covered. The women are cloaked in long black drapes to completely shield their bodies from head to toe. This is specifically an

Throughout the novel The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, many examples of what women are supposed to be are presented during and after the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian Revolution changed the way women were viewed in Iran and greatly influenced women during this time. Marjane’s character is influenced by the roles that the women in her life play around her, as well as her surrounding especially including the revolution. In 1980 a cultural revolution took place in Iran. Women were forced to wear veils and not show any hair.

When she sends Marjane away from Iran, she assures her: “I know how I brought you up. Above all, I trust your education” (147). Marjane’s mother doesn’t want her daughter to live in such an oppressive time. When the veils become mandatory, Marjane’s mother wishes to take her to an opposition demonstration: “She should start learning to defend her rights as a woman right now!” (76) In growing up with such strong female role models, Marjane learns to express her opinion and always stand by her beliefs. They taught her to stand up for herself as a woman, and in doing so, introduced her to a feminist perspective on life.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic memoir that reveals the life of a woman growing up in pre and post Iran, as well as her experiences in Western countries. In this book, Marjane utilizes historical events that affect her life during her upbringing in Iran. These include the oppression of the Shah, as well as the rise and effects of the regime. These events’ integration into the story showcase how they affect Marjane and the other citizens of her country. Additionally, these events are important for the context and understanding that they grant readers unfamiliar with the text.

After the revolution that was sparked by a group of islamic fundamentalists, the people’s support for western ways of life had to be abandoned. That made Iran a more islamic country with a government that reinforces the word and doctrine of Allah. This affected Marjane because she is a westernized woman and grew up in a westernized environment. The context proves that Marjane felt alienated from her culture and society because it’s not where she belongs. This is proven in the chapter ‘’The Socks’’, where Marjane organizes private parties in which she has fun with other women without respecting the society and its restrictions. It also shows a juxtaposition between her behaviour in public and and her behaviour in private. This shows that even if the society obligates her to act less westernized, she continues to do whatever she likes but privately. This proves again the theme of rebellion, she is a rebellious person since her

Many people from around the world have a different perspectives of what western culture really is depending on where you are in the world, or what cultures and religions you follow. Some see is at a place of wealth, self-expression, or opportunity. While other places see it as a place of freedom away from the harsh realities they are facing in their own homes. Some countries, like Iran see “western culture” as a negative thing because it causes iranian

Marjane’s mother was a revolutionary woman; she stood up for herself and the right of other Iranians; she had chosen not to wear the veil once and as a result she was “insulted (...) And [told] that woman like [her] should be pushed up against a wall and fucked”(74/4). Satrapi describes this horrifying situation in a series of small panels that fill up the entire page, she does this to depict how dramatic yet quick the event unfolded. The simple act of punishing women for not wearing a simple piece of clothing is in itself oppressive, seeing as the veil restrained women from fully expressing themselves. The veil influenced Marjane to do certain things in life and it made her feel a certain way, which is why the “religious” piece of clothing is extremely significant to Iranian women, whether it be in negative or positive way.

Set in revolutionary Iran during the 1980s and 1990s, Persepolis, a beautiful film, tells the story of a young girl, Marjane, growing up during the revolution. The theme of Persepolis is about tension and freedom: the tension of the country, the self-inflicted tension of Marjane, and the need of freedom for everyone. Director Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud uses movement, humor, expressions, sound, and editing to pull this theme together. The combination of these different techniques in each scene completes the total effect of the movie.

Persepolis is a graphic book illustrated and written in the basis of a revolutionary Iran wherein political control is taken into intense circumstances within freedom, feminism and culture.