Rebellion: an act of armed resistance to an established government or ruler (“Rebellion”). The book, Persepolis, follows the main character, Marji, as she grows up during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. She and her family participate in rebelling against the monarchy and religious leaders for a democratic republic, whether in the street or in their home. In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, the author explores Marji’s evolution from being a confused girl who listens to what she is told to a confident young woman who stands away from social norms, in order to illustrate society’s participation in rebellion against religious leaders who want to create an oppressed society. As a young girl, Marji did not completely understand what was going on around her. She is a child trying to comprehend the confusing world around her. For instance, in chapter one, the author depicts a scene with Marji and her friends, who are about ten years old, playing outside in the schoolyard. They play with their veils by using it as makeshift jump ropes and pretend to be scary monsters. The author writes, “Then came 1980: the year it became obligatory to wear the veil at school. We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to” (Satrapi 3). The quote confirms Marji and her friends did not understand why they had to wear the veils. She and her friends treat the veils like toys and act how children are when they don’t understand a
How do you identify yourself? What do you use to really identity to others who you are? So people use terms like mother, father, friend or find it in religion or materlisitic things. In the witty and heartbreaking graphic autobiography, Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi uses a childlike tone to address an internal struggle within a mind in identity crisis. Marjane’s childlike point of view cannot comprehend God’s role in the domestic turmoil of her country. Marjane was “born with religion”(6) and treats her relationship with God as if it was a friendship. God comes to Marjane in times of solitude to discuss how she finds her identity in being the last prophet, the troubles within her family, and how she feels about her world as a child in the
What is the first thing that comes to mind when the word “rebellion” is presented? Some would
What does freedom mean to one person? How do they define it, and do different groups of people interpret the importance of freedom differently? These questions have been asked by philosophers since the beginning of the Enlightenment. After the Protestant reformation, freedom meant the right to practice your own religion. The English colonies of America in the 1770’s valued a say in parliament. Black revolutionaries such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr fought for equal social and political standing for blacks in the United States. Throughout history, the definition of freedom has meant similar things to different groups of people, especially the freedom to express oneself and the promise of basic human rights. These ideas are greatly focused on in Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, a memoir of her experiences and her personal life as a child during the Iranian Revolution. From a young age, Satrapi begins to develop her own opinion of what freedom means, using the circumstances around her as motivation to stand up for what she believes in. During the whole of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi defines freedom for herself due to influences of those around her, witnessing a fundamentalist regime brainwash her generation in order to remain in power, and fighting back for what she believes is right.
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.
In The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, she provides a detailed account of what it was like to live amidst the Islamic revolution. She does so by depicting her life through a series of comic strips, which allows the reader to gain a better understanding of expressions and emotions of the characters throughout the story. In this unique coming of age story, Marji constantly struggles with the pressure to conform to cultural norms, most notably in the three different schools she attends: her elementary school in Tehran, her high school in Vienna, and at the university in Tehran.
In the graphic memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the main character Marji and her family are living through the Iranian Revolution, as well as the War. The people of Iran are revolting against the Shah and fighting for what they believe in. During this time, acts of violence occurred and injured many people, their nation was divided. When in time of war or disagreements against certain beliefs, people may use acts of violence to show their frustrations, instead of solving the problem and uniting, Satrapi develops this theme through graphic weight, motif and chapter titles.
Rebelling has been a part of many people’s lives whether people try to or not, but not acts of rebellion are the same. In Iran, the Iranian people rebel against the Ayatollah in many minor and subtle ways. These small acts of rebellion could result in imprisonment or even death. In Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, the people of Iran bravely protest against the Islamic government in many subtle ways which show their determination to risk everything and fight for not only what the believe in, but also their country.
Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Marji came from a family in which her parents were thought of being progressive and knew more about the views on government. During the Revolution in Iran, there were many impactful events that were going on. There were many changes in the way that the government was working, and life in Iran at this time was very difficult because there was changes being made all the time and most of the time there were more and more restrictions going on. Also, many people would do demonstrations in public places and that is when things would get out of hand because many people wanted to stand up for their beliefs and government officials would not be ok with them
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.
To what extent do the graphics and violence in the novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi portrays the real truth of what type of country Iran really is?
Evident in the abundant arguments regarding freedom and to the extent of which these freedoms are protected by legislation, Americans typically believe that their fellow citizens can be trusted with almost unlimited freedom. Americans exercise many privileges such as speaking freely and having access to news media (whether true or fictitious) that we assume are our basic human rights. We believe that the more freedom we have the better and that we can control ourselves rather than relying on external pressures on freedom However, these are not given to all people and were in fact punishable offenses for Marjane Satrapi in her childhood and young adulthood as a woman in Iran as revealed in Persepolis. While at first she despises the constraints on her freedoms put in place by the government and her family, after struggling on her own with virtually unlimited freedom she goes back to the more restrictive environment in Iran. Satrapi argues that while we should not allow extreme government control of freedom, so restraints made by parents and other family members is crucial in the development and bettering of a person’s upbringing. With too strong of governement restriction of freedom, one has no outlet of self expression or individuality and with too much freedom Satrapi is unable to create a safe environment for herself and remains emotionally unstable and she therefore argues that an environment with some restrictions is best.
Marji notices the many differences between equality for all genders, and how one sided and strict the rules towards it can be. The women must wear veils in public at all times and must refrain showing too much skin, so they don’t “tempt” men. This rule is not accepted by Marji and her family, and find the rule absurd. The opinion on the veil started as it was required to wear in school. In the first chapter, “The Veil,” Marji comments on the first opinion on the veil. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to.” (Satrapi, 3). Marji really expresses her opinion on women’s rights and how strict they are compared to men’s in the chapter “The Convocation.” She points out to the administration how one sided the rights are and how things are unfair. In her own words “ Why is it that, 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?” ( Satrapi, 297). This explains that women are suppose to compose
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 the beginning of the graphic novel, Satrapi portrays a frame where the children are playing with the veil to reveal a rebellious nature against the Islamic Revolution. “We didn’t really like to wear the veil, especially since we didn’t understand why we had to” (Satrapi 3). The narrator refuses to accept the change implemented by the Islamic Revolution’s philosophy. She conveys a message where many the children do not want to follow the new custom by creating an image where kids disrespect the veil. This image convinces the readers many of the children do not want to wear the veil is powerful. Western readers always stereotyped that all middle eastern girls dressed in a
Persepolis was written by Marjane Satrapi and was published in 2004. Marjane wrote this book to tell the life that she was living and the difficulties she faced. Persepolis takes place at the same time as the Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Revolution is seen to be one of the most important events to take place in Iranian history. This is significant to know while reading the book because it shows how the revolution affected the people of Iran. The girls were forced to wear veils to school; boys and girls were separated from their schools, which caused the people of Iran to begin protesting against the Shah. They wanted a democracy and to overthrow the king. The protest became more dangerous everyday; people were being killed for standing up for what they believed in. One day while Marjane’s mother was protesting, her picture was taken and published in the newspaper. She was terrified, so she dyed her hair and wore dark sunglasses. She felt as if someone recognized her then they would try to kill her for being a demonstrator. The story is told from the eyes of a young, determined Satrapi. At first she believed that the Shah was a great leader because her teacher told her that he was chosen by God. However, her father informs her that he wasn’t chosen by God. She also learns that her grandfather was a prince and a prime minister who was imprisoned for behaving as a communist. At