Persepolis Character Analysis

810 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Persepolis identity theme essay

Humor and Graphics: Persepolis and American Born Chinese
The role of humor and the use of graphics are similar in both a graphic memoir Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and a graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Persepolis is a graphic memoir of a young girl named Marjane that grew up in Iran when the Islamic revolution was occurring. Satrapi throughout her graphic memoir novel is able to interpret her own personal struggles growing up in a world of tragedies and fitting in society. American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that contains three stories. The main character of the first story is Monkey King. Monkey King is a monkey god with fascinating powers but his problem is certainly being a monkey. Jing Chang is the main character of the second story. Jing Chang is a boy that is new in school and is the only Asian in his class. The main character of the third story is Danny an all American boy. Danny appears to live a normal life but there is a problem which is his immensely stereotypical cousin Chin-Kee. Yang throughout his graphic novel is able to interpret struggles such as: fitting in, culture, and assimilation. In both Persepolis and American Born Chinese the authors illustrate the difficulty of assimilation because of their Iranian and Asian culture in this case. By analyzing the role of humor and the use of graphics one could argue that humor and graphics are well illustrated in both Persepolis and American Born Chinese, which are also used similarly. This is significant because without the role of humor or the use of graphics both of these books would not have been a success.
In Persepoli, Satrapi turns to humor as a way of coping with her feelings that are bringing her down. The use of humor in Persepo...

... middle of paper ...

...izing.
Persepolis and American Born Chinese both use humor effectively but they are in some way different. Persepolis humor is different from American Born Chinese because of how it is utilized as protecting reality from what seriously is happening. For example, the black and white gives the novel a more deliberate type of impression. If Persepolis would have been in color the serious humor and color would have not balanced out. On the other hand, American Born Chinese novel is in color. The humor here is distinct from that of Persepolis because it is utilized in a comical way that explains the discouraging details of an unacceptable person. American Born Chinese being in color makes the novel more humorous because of the art that is seen in it. It would not have been that much of a success if it were to be black and white because the humor and the colorlessness.

Show More
Related

  • 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 Redemption of a Trickster

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...assical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West) is a story of redemption. Although this goes beyond the scope of “The Monkey’s Story”, which ends with Monkey imprisoned under the mountain and condemned as Heaven’s worst criminal, through a “journey to the west” with a Buddhist monk in an effort to retrieve religious scrolls for the Buddha, Monkey is able to shed his violent and troubled past, transcend his identity as a trickster, and ultimately redeem himself. In this way, Monkey can be viewed as a Bildungsroman for Monkey, similar to the way in which The Odyssey can be thought as one for Odysseus. Monkey undergoes a journey towards wholeness, transitioning from a fragmented self dominated by the trickster to a relatively whole self with the overarching archetype of hero. Archetypes do not stay the same forever; they are fluid, dynamic, and ever-changing.

    Read More

  • Satrapi's Persepolis

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most significant similarity that Satrapi shows in persepolis is the similarities of Iran and American schooling. He does this through the main character Marji. The western view that the author challenges is the view that the

    Read More

  • Self-Education In The Complete Persepolis And A Woman's Story

    1603 Words  | 4 Pages

    Education is an important part in the development of young woman’s life. In the novel’s The Complete Persepolis and A Woman’s Story, the culture of the young woman affects the education they receive, allowing for a strong emphasis on self-education, which helps shape the relationship between mother and daughter. In A Woman’s Story education is the key component to social development, while in The Complete Persepolis education is imperative for enlightenment. This social development through education in A Woman’s Story helps establish the importance of self-education between mother and daughter.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Persepolis

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    The story Persepolis uses the medium of graphic novel and the perspective of a child to convey her message. The events of Persepolis are very dark and in some

    Read More

  • Margi's Hardships In Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” This quote by Helen Keller sums up the book Persepolis perfectly. Margi went through many hardships but in the end it strengthened her character and she was able to embrace the world in a better way. Margi is like a baby. The first time they try and take their first steps they topple over in a few seconds but each time they fall they learn and soon enough they are running as happily as can be. The events Margi experiences throughout the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi helps her be able to deal with life`s hardship in .

    Read More

  • The Complete Persepolis

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    When writing any sort of narrative, be it novel or poem, fiction or non-fiction, scholarly or frivolous, an author must take into account the most effective manner in which to effectively convey the message to their audience. Choosing the wrong form, or method of speaking to the reader, could lead to a drastic misunderstanding of the meaning within an author’s content, or what precisely the author wants to say (Baldick 69). Even though there are quite a bit fewer words in a graphic novel than in the average novel, an author can convey just as much content and meaning through their images as they could through 60,000 words. In order to do that though, their usage of form must be thoughtfully considered and controlled. Marjane Satrapi, author of the graphic memoir The Complete Persepolis, took great pains in the creation of her panels in order to reinforce and emphasize her narrative, much like a novelist utilizes punctuation and paragraph breaks. Through her portrayal of darkness and lightness, Satrapi demonstrates that literary content influences, and is primary to, the form.

    Read More

  • Persepolis American Culture Analysis

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the graphic novel, Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, Satrapi’s childhood was highly impacted by American culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of American culture on Satrapi’s view of the Iranian Revolution.

    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

  • Theme Of Identity In The Jade Peony

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is evident in the persistence of elderly characters, such as Grandmother Poh-Poh, who instigate the old Chinese culture to avoid the younger children from following different traditions. As well, the Chinese Canadians look to the Vancouver heritage community known as Chinatown to maintain their identity using on their historical past, beliefs, and traditions. The novel uniquely “encodes stories about their origins, its inhabitants, and the broader society in which they are set,” (S. Source 1) to teach for future generations. In conclusion, this influential novel discusses the ability for many characters to sustain one sole

    Read More

  • Persepolis Essay

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, portrays a diverse amount of symbolism throughout the novel which contributes to the protagonist developing into a young women. The main character, Marji Satrapi flourishes at an early age in her life due to the setting of the novel. Satrapi acquires knowledge about different insights of the Iranian government which constitutes her self judgement. Satrapi reckons that the individuals that make up the population of Iran should all support the idea of the government before the ministry of Iran can commence a war. “For a revolution to succeed the entire population must support it" (Satrapi 17).

    Read More

  • Cultural Conflicts In Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    When it comes to culture, different views can cause major conflicts, and these said conflicts occur in the novel Persepolis. The book is a memoir about Marjane Satrapi, also known as Marji, growing up in Iran under the Shah’s rule and the Islamic rule. Even with the many different cultures in Iran, she stuck up for what she believed in and rebelled against the things she thought were wrong. In Persepolis, Marjane’s growth is affected by various aspects of culture including religion, government, and social organization.

    Read More

  • Internal Conflict In Persepolis

    489 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Veil in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    Persepolis shows the damages caused by a country at war through the forcing of religion on its people. Religious disagreements, death, stress and early maturity drives the people to uprisings. Satrapi shares her experiences so the hardships she experienced will be understood by those of other cultures and not have to be endured by others.

    Read More

  • Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Persepolis, a graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, is not a run-of-the-mill comic book. It is written with purpose. Satrapi wrote and illustrated this book to show Americans that their perspective of her home country, Iran, is askew. She believes Americans are too focused on the “fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism” (Satrapi ii), of the nation and that they forget to notice the normality and humanness of it. Since these two perspectives have vast differences, Satrapi wants to change their minds. 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.

    Read More

More about Persepolis Character Analysis

Open Document