“One can forgive, but one should never forget”. Forgiveness is a main idea in the award-winning and compelling novel, Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. It is mentioned throughout the novel numerous times, which can be seen as surprising. The novel is very sensitive, very detailed, and very brutal in many areas. One may think it is absurd how many times “forgiveness” is mentioned. However, the fact that a child is able to look past the smoke-filled air and shouts of violence in the streets, and have enough love in her heart to focus on forgiveness, speaks volumes for what the basis of the novel is about, as well as the message that is being sent out to the world for the future days to come.
In Persepolis, stories are told from young Marjane’s perspective. In almost every story, things are happening in her town that are causing conflict to her neighbors, her friends, and her close family. In particular, the story titled “Kim Wilde”, Marjane is the center of the conflict. Ladies from the Women’s Branch of the Guardians of The Revolution caught her on the street wearing Nike sneakers and a blue jean jacket adorned with a Michael Jackson pinback button. She was questioned and taken into further hands, but pleaded her case and was released from any further questioning. It is unfathomable to even think about myself, being stopped as I walk across campus at Mississippi University for Women, getting stopped and questioned (even perhaps, punished) for what I am wearing. However, things
People grow up in different way, affected by many different things as they grow and mature, during the process people change perspectives and ideals. In the book "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi, a middle eastern girl who is coming of age, finds that her environment changes her as the country that she is in goes through an unstable violent state. With the rise of multiple changes, Marji’s family must learn how to adjust to the changing times. While Marji becomes a bystander to the persecution, violence ,and revolution, the main theme of the book is stay true to one’s self and forming one’s true identity through their own will. Marjane Satrapi shows how the quirky, but simple and straightforward communist child in a changing world to a grown young adult who is confused about herself and the world around her.
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.
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
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.
Not cognisant of why the world works around them, the main characters in both Persepolis, and A Long Way Gone play roles as victims, while struggling to be heroes. Themes of Revolution and Rhetoric are primarily present in Persepolis, the story of a childhood girl by Marjane Satrapi. The tale is told from the perspective of a young girl, taking place in Iran, during the Islamic revolution. A Long Way Gone, the gripping story of a child’s journey through hell and back, by Ishmael Beah deeply connects to Persepolis in terms of each story’s message. Coping with each’s individual problems, as well as the problems coinciding with the war, each child at one point feels hopeless. As children, they are not advocates of their battles, feeling as if
One way the Iranian people rebelled against the Iran government was by allowing western influences into their lives or acting more modern than the traditional Islamic government. In the chapter Kim Wilde, she shows her love for music, specifically western music. This is meaningful because the government has outlawed most western or modern ideas or influences. Marjane’s love for western music has even nearly gotten her arrested by the guardians of the revolution when she was walking around town after getting a few tapes of music by western musicians. As she was walking home she was stopped and asked about her clothing and Michael Jackson pin, one of her favorite musicians. This leads to the next act of rebellion Marjane does, her clothes and shoes. During the same time when she was stopped by the Guardians of the Revolution, Marjane was asked about her shoes. Marjane claimed,”I wear these because I play basketball,” (Satrapi 134) but the Guardians refused to believe her and questioned everything she says. Marjane tries to make an excuse so she is not taken away by the Guardians of the revolution. This shows that even through a small act of rebellion such as wearing western clothing, you can be punished for it. This makes everything that does not conform with the government a massive problem. In a final attempt at getting home safely she says, “Ma’am, my mother’s dead. My stepmother is really cruel and if I don’t go home right away, she’ll kill me… she’ll burn me with the clothes iron! SHE’LL MAKE MY FATHER PUT ME IN AN ORPHANAGE” (Satrapi 134). She finally convinces the guardians to let her go and is able to get home safely.This shows the risks Marjane takes to rebel against the Iranian government and
Throughout the book persepolis they have many themes. It has Nationalism, Imperialism, Revolution, Danger, and Religion. The themes all connect to the war with Iran and Iraq. They all happen during the war.
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.
Persepolis is an autobiography by Marjane Satrapi that pushes the reader to visualize Marjane’s life from childhood to growing and becoming an adult. This story takes place in Iran and it’s during the Islamic Revolution. The name Persepolis itself comes from the capital of an ancient Persian empire. The most prominent motifs for this novel is smoking, and the major reason for it is repetition, Marji spontaneously changes her lifestyle, habits, and attitude after she begins smoking, and that holds hands with another major motif which is coming of age. This writing will prove to you how Marji’s start of smoking and coming of age will bring changes to her lifestyle, attitude, and habits.
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.
Persepolis tells the story of a young girl named Marjane who grew up in Iran in the 1970’s. Iran at the time was a dictatorship that experienced a period with a new leader as well as a war with Iraq. Throughout Part One of Persepolis women and young girls are marginalized, excluded, and silenced in order show the oppressive dictatorship of their religious society. Some examples of this are how they are forced to dress, the jobs they are allowed to have, the way they must act, as well as what happens to them when they are arrested. These are just some of the many examples of how women in Persepolis are marginalized, excluded, and silenced particularly by a religious dictatorship.
Persepolis is structured as a graphic novel because Marjane Satrapi was able to use graphic weight, emanata and the organization of panels, to benefit her story. On the page that I chose to take a deeper analysis of Marji’s uncle Anoosh is allowed his last visit with Marji before he is sent to execution. Marji goes to visit him, and they both know that he is being put to death but Anoosh is the only one who speaks and tries to tell Marji that it's going to be okay because he was fighting for something that he really believed in. Satrapi’s choice to write this book as a graphic novel proves to be very beneficial especially on this page.