Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi: An Analysis

430 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Conclusion to culture shock

Persepolis details Marjane Satrapi’s life from her early childhood in war ravaged Iran to her adult years spent in Vienna, Tehran, and Paris. In the first part, one of the most intriguing moments that stood out to me is when the Iraqi bombings begin on Iran. This particular moment, not entirely significant for the onset of the war itself, marks a personal development in Satrapi, who comes to realize the true atrocities of war, and morphs from a mere child to a rebellious individual. Satrapi’s life before the war was very simplistic, as with any ordinary child in Iran. She abides by the rules and symbols of the regime that are set in place after the Islamic Revolution, such as the veil. However, once her beloved Uncle Anoosh is executed, her world changes drastically. Satrapi in this short period begins to realize the true atrocities and deception of the war on her people: “thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the minefields …show more content…

This small act she carries out has a profound impact on me, because I realized that she has become an adult now, leaving her childhood behind. This signals a turning point in her life, and it was important to me because I could relate this change. It made me reflect on my personal transition from a child to an adult, and think about all the small, often unrecognized moments that we go through in our lives. Her act of lighting the cigarette displays how such minuscule moments can covertly start depicting our development into adults. This specific moment in Satrapi’s life also made me compare our upbringings as individuals. It made me realize the extent to which one’s environment has on his or her development. Satrapi’s upbringing in tumultuous Iran caused her to become a rebellious adult. Her growth into an adult is one of the most distinguishing events in her life, and made her into the person she is

Show More
Related

  • American Culture In Persepolis

    443 Words  | 1 Pages

    Because her parents were lenient enough to let her own the illegal American items, Satrapi was exposed to a culture that most Iranians were not. Objects such as those mentioned above not only presented her with an opportunity to rebel, they were responsible for demonstrating an alternative way of life; A way of life with more leniency and freedom to be who she

    Read More

  • Examples Of Pathos In Persepolis

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Marjane Satrapi’s memoir, Persepolis, the characteristics and qualities of revolution are portrayed through rhetorical devices such as visual text, similes, and pathos. Satrapi’s use of rhetorical devices enhances and supports her expression of the revolution in Iran. Persepolis was Marjane Satrapi’s way of allowing people to see how the revolution in Iran affected her family's lifestyle and her upbringing. This memoir also allows the readers to analyze how war changes the way of the people and government in a country.

    Read More

  • The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel that depicts the life of Marjane Satrapri during the Iranian Revolution. Satrapi tells her story as a child growing up during the time of the many drastic changes forced upon women and the effects of the new laws made by the Shah. During this time people in Iran were banned from reading, or listening to music that was not approved by the regime. Schools were separated by gender and women were forced to wear veils to protect themselves from being molested or raped by men. The middle class women in Persepolis are prescribed the most important roles such as rearing their children and the duties in the home. But most importantly because they are in the home they are unable to attain legal rights for women in Iran. “In no country do women have on have political status, access, or influence equal to man” (Kazemi, 2000). The divorce of a man and woman lies solely in the hands of men. Though the women in the Satrapi family were oppressed outside of the home they continued to live two separate lives, one inside the household and one on the outside. They often had gatherings and drank alcohol even though it was not allowed. The roles that were prescribed to the women were not effective because they had no opinion, and because there were no laws in favor of women who sooner or later begin to give up and inherent the man’s thoughts.

    Read More

  • Persepolis Story Of A Childhood Essay

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi captures life in Iran during the 1980’s through a child's eyes. Marjane Satrapi grew up during a time when both the Islamic Revolution and the Iran/Iraq War took place. Personal experiences are expressed through themes including revolution, imperialism, nationalism, religion and loss of innocence and affect Marjane personally as she grows up.

    Read More

  • Persepolis Identity

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Satrapi clearly occupies a different social location than Wheatley. Truly, Satrapi has more self-ownership than a black woman in slavery during the 1700s. Still, having grown up in Tehran and Europe during the Iranian Revolution, she is a marginalized person. One might argue that for Satrapi, the simple act of writing would contribute to “writing against the grain.” However, I think her difference in agency from Wheatley based upon her social location implies that there needs to be more subversive elements in her work for it to be classified as part of this genre. Satrapi’s Persepolis is an example of such a subversive piece, largely due to its nature as a graphic novel. The combination of cartoon image and regular text allows for the portrayal of the complexities of emotions Satrapi experienced as a result of violence, gendered oppression, and racism during a time of political and religious turmoil. As Golnar Nabizadeh writes in Vision and Precarity in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, nuanced feelings “are literally given space for visualization” (154). Satrapi is thus able to explore many levels of emotion and meaning in just one panel, thoroughly developing her experience as a marginalized person and giving voice to many silenced like her in a way that breaks the

    Read More

  • Persepolis Two, By Marjane Satrapi

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return” by Marjane Satrapi is a memoir that depicts the troubled life of Marjane Satrapi. Marjane Satrapi, the author, was born in Rasht, Iran in the year 1969. She was born to a rich family in Iran and grew up in Tehran during the revolution and revolt against the Shah, the ruler at the time. She lived during the era where Islam was emerging in Iran and becoming the predominant religion. Marjane lacked academics for two years in Iran and suffered indeed from the bombings of Iraq. These horrific events impacted her and her parents, so as a result was sent to Austria for a better life. Her juxtaposed life in Austria and emergence of maturity is described in Marjane’s second installment of Persepolis.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Western Culture In Persepolis And A Long Way Gone

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s childhood experiences allow her to demonstrate the cultural changes that occurred in post-revolutionary Iran, as well as those perpetrated by western culture. In Persepolis, western culture plays a major role in the author’s attempt to dispel the

    Read More

  • Persepolis American Culture Analysis

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through her devotion to the art and music of the United States, she was able to rebel. The encouragement of the pursuit by her parents created further inspiration for her to use it as a way to protest. Already having a deep devotion to American culture, the ability of Satrapi to use her passion to disobey the regime only strengthen her love. The affection she felt for American culture gave her the courage she needed to stand up to the harsh government of Iran. Despite the risks associated with possessing items from America, Satrapi did so anyway. She was willing to risk serious punishment to pursue happiness through the means of her favorite hobbies. The influence of said entertainments helped shaped Satrapi’s views. By providing her with experiences that were foreign to the majority of her peers, the culture that Satrapi enjoyed influence her open-minded opinions. Listening to the music of artists such as Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden and following the clothing trends like denim jackets and Nikes exposed Satrapi to ideals she normally would not have been growing up in post-revolution Iran. They provided a door into a different, more accepting world and a glimpse into the possibilities of what could

    Read More

  • Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: An Analysis

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of an oppressive regime on the child Marjane Satrapi as depicted the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

    Read More

  • How Does Satrapi Use Comedy In Persepolis

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the Islamic Revolution begins, Satrapi utilizes comedy to highlight different aspects of Marjane’s naive personality in relation to the serious conflicts in Iran. Moreover, Satrapi incorporates comedy into her character’s provincial personality to emphasize the limited

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Persepolis 2: The Story Of Return

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    Persepolis 2: The Story of Return is anchored around how Marji is affected by the social injustice that occurred during the Islamic Revolution. Growing up as “a westerner in Iran and an Iranian in the West,” (Satrapi 274) changes and molds her into the young woman she is at the end of her journey. In this second chapter of Satrapis life she moves away from the comfort of Iran and finds a life in Vienna. Marji desires to find her purpose and identity during her brief time here and faces many battles with language barriers, people and herself. Marjis past from Iran haunts her and instills the idea that she needs to make something of herself while in Austria. Finding that Austria took her down a darker path where the light was scarcer and the

    Read More

  • Cultural Conflicts In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religion, government, and social organization all played a part in Marji’s journey in Persepolis from childhood to adulthood. Religion caused many arguments between Marji and parents, friends, and teachers. The Iranian government affected Marji by making her more rebellious than she already was. Social organization was a big issue in her life, because she had a good relationship with her maid and was angry that she could not have the same opportunities. The revolution in Iran has changed Marjane Satrapi’s life, in ways good and

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Mrs. Nasrine is telling her dilemma of the key (99.3.1), Marji frowns and looks concerned but out of place, as if she doesn’t know what to make of it. She tries to show sympathy, suggesting that her privilege makes her unable to truly relate. She continues to look uncomfortable and bug-eyed when Mrs. Nasrine says, “Now they want to trade this key for my oldest son”. “Trade” connotes simplicity, an object, suggesting the government thinks of the lower class citizens as valueless objects. When arriving home from school, Satrapi draws Marji as a small figure in the distance (100.2.1), symbolizing the distance in economic status between her and the maid. This proves the separation of classes and the reason why Marji, not offered a key by the government, will not go to war in hopes of using a key to paradise. When her son says “I’ll marry her” while pointing a finger at Marji (100.2.2), it grants him a “whap” from his mother (100.2.3). Her reaction to his statement shows his ignorance and naïve behavior towards the social hierarchy; a maid’s son would never be allowed to marry a girl of Marji’s status because only rich people marry rich people and only poor people marry poor people. This shows the economic difference between Marji and the maid’s son, and the wall between them through government orders. When she asks her cousin Peyman whether or not the government offers his school the keys to paradise, he replies, “Keys to what?” (100.3.3) implying his equally high economic status. This suggests the government values upper class citizens more than lower class citizens. Satrapi also contrasts Marji and the poor boys in between the bombing panel (102.1.1) and the party panel (102.2.1) where Marji dances with her friends at Peyman’s birthday party. She jumps from discussing dying boys to having fun at a party to imply a difference between the poor and

    Read More

  • Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thus, it is crucial that she effectively communicate this humanness of Iran to the literary audience in America. Since the literary devices in a work are needed to correctly convey a message, she found it necessary to include these and manipulate them in her favor. Satrapi uses the innocence of a child along with morals in her pictures and a relation of cultures to effectively communicate her message. It is necessary to examine how she manipulates such literary devices in order to gain a full understanding of the text. To begin with, Satrapi writes Persepolis from a child’s point of view.

    Read More

  • Satrapi's Persepolis: The Jewels

    338 Words  | 1 Pages

    Through stylistic choices, Satrapi argues the Iraqi missile attack in Abadan was very important in the development of history of Iran. In Persepolis, Marjane is with her father when there is a missile attack in Abadan. Marjane and her father warn her mother, who calls her friend Mali who lives in Abadan. Satrapi draws black lines coming from the north to show that there is darkness/evil coming from the north. North is where the government is, as well as where most people would associate hope to be. In addition to that the people coming to the north are being engulfed by those lines. The repetition of the lines creates the effect of flames from a fire which was caused by the missiles in Abadan. The contrast of

    Read More

More about Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi: An Analysis

Open Document