Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi is an autobiographical account of a girl’s youth during the Iranian Revolution in 1969. As a graphic novel, Satrapi accompanies her text with images, drawn in a simplistic fashion in the comic book format. This is very effective in displaying her perception of Iran during the time of the revolution. The black-on-white drawings depict scenes of intense violence, emotion, and imagination. “Satrapi’s super-naïve style is powerful; it persuasively communicates confusion and horror through the eyes of a precocious preteen” (Press, www.villiagevoice.com/ books/0319.press.43844.10.html, 2) The seemingly child-like imagery that Satrapi used in drawing Persepolis serves as an effective tool to convey her powerful emotions and opinions with regard to the state of living that she endured during the Iranian Revolution.
Marji, as Satrapi refers to herself, is the daughter of two intellectual Marxists living in Tehran. She is blessed with many freedoms that other children her age lack. In the initial pages of Persepolis, she believes that she is the last prophet. One frame depicts her image of herself as this prophet, where the sun manes her head and people bow before her stature, proclaiming her the celestial light. This dreamy self-perception slowly dwindles away as the book progresses through its stages of war and tragedy. After the overthrow of the monarchy of Marji’s great-grandfather by the Shah Reza, Iran became the host of a slew of unjustifiable prejudices against women and non-supporters of the teachings of the Shah’s regime. All of the women of Iran were forced to wear veils, referred to as chador, to cover their hair, which was thought to be a tool of seduct...
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.... The powerful emotion that is displayed in Satrapi’s rendering of her childhood self could scarcely be rivaled in even some of the best non-fictional texts. The comic book style allows her to show the reader exactly what she experienced, without them having to imagine it. This is truly a media that could give many artists a more affective means of self-expression, and could be harnessed, easily, to do so.
Works Consulted
1. Eberstadt, Frenanda. “God Looked Like Marx.” May 11th, 2003. http://query.ntimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03EFD61F3DF932A25756C0A9659C8B63 (9/24/06)
2. Press, Joy. “Veil of Tears.” May 2nd, 2003. http://www.villagevoice.com/books/0319.press.43844.10.html (9/24/06)
3. Theokas, Christopher. “Persepolis” paints Iran from a kid’s perspective. USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/lite/books/review/2003-08-06-persepolis x.htm (9/24/06)
In Persepolis, Satrapi develops the central idea of Marji and her parents rebelling against the social injustices held by the Shah and the government. This is demonstrated in chapters “ The Trip”, “The Passport”, and “Kim Wilde”. Early in the revolution, females were forced to cover themselves up. They were told to wear their veils because it didn’t show a sign of western American style or sexual
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.
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.
Persepolis is a inspirational story written by Marjane Satrapi in the perspective of a young girl’s life during a powerful, historical moment in Iran. The Islamic Revolution was a life-changing moment that impacted her view on the world around her and her innocence shaping her into the woman she is today. Not many people understand what it feels like to feel pain, hurt and abandonment as a child from major and minor things. The author writes this story and decides for it to be a graphic novel to allow the not only young readers, but also for those who do not understand what happens everyday in the world they live in. Satrapi uses all rhetorical stances, ethos, pathos, and logos to show problems, purpose and emotions.
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.
In America, many have come to recognize Iran as a terrorist nation, but in reality, many Americans stereotype Iranians because they misunderstand the country and how it got to that point. In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis, she gives her readers an inside look of Iran by writing about her childhood during the Iranian Revolution and the changes in her life during that time. The frames in Satrapi’s graphic novel draw similarities and differences between advertisements and the Iranian culture. After analyzing the Satrapi’s graphic novel to advertisements we will look at the similarities and differences of how graphic novels and advertisements use words and images to establish the visual rhetoric.
“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.
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
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
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
There are many times when problems in a country affect one's life. Persepolis by Majarne Satrapi recounts the coming-of-age of a girl during a period of war. Utilizing a graphic novel to illustrate, Marjane recalls the struggles of her family and herself living in warfare. For instance, in Persepolis, Marjane's external conflict result in her internal conflict.
In Marjane Satrapi’s memoire Persepolis, the chapter “Kim Wilde” suggest that people perform small acts of rebellion in order to express their desire for freedom from Iran’s oppressive regime. Marjane lives in a country whose regime seeks to ban Western cultural influence, however, Marjane continues to engage in Western clothing, music and lifestyles even though she is becoming more aware of the severe consequences that she may face upon doing so.
In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi tells a story through pictures and words of her difficult childhood in Iran and her trouble living in a life of strict ideals enforced by revolutionaries that she strongly opposes. In one of the most notable panels in Satrapi’s graphic novel, Marjane’s uncle, called uncle Anoosh, has been executed because he was convicted of being a Russian spy. She is in a time of grieving and is overwhelmed by the chaotic world that she has been brought into. At the same time, the town that she lived in, called Tehran, is being bombed by the Iraqis.
Marjane Satrapi in her memoir, “The Complete Persepolis” enlightens readers with the reality of living in Iran, as she tells her journey through her life of becoming a woman during the Islamic Revolution. Iran similar to other countries has made different prescribed roles for their women and men based on their cultures religious and traditional set of laws. Society to them was a depiction of what their people were expected to look, and act like when in public. When trying to understand the importance of gender along with their roles in society, it’s crucial to acknowledge outside factors, for instance things like culture and social class. The characters throughout her memoir illustrate how their
Young Marjane Satrapi displays the characteristics that any child might have. She is simple, innocent, and easily influenced. For example, when her parents are demonstrating against the king, Marjane Satrapi says, “As for me, I love the king, he was chosen by God” (Satrapi 19). Her teacher tells her this, and she believes her teacher because Marjane Satrapi is a child and, in all innocence, will believe anything because her teacher, in her eyes, knows everything. Situations such as this show the influence of authority on her as a child because the teacher is an authority who tells Satrapi a misleading fact and Satrapi believes her, or is influenced by her.... ...