Persepolis - Paper 2

Context of Marjane Satrapi

The author wrote the Book Persepolis to tell the people in the world that a entire nation should not be blamed for the wrong doings of some extremist. She herself struggled growing up with this issue when she was not in Iran.

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She also wrote it because she wants to defend the people who died or have suffered in Iran.

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Her goal with the novel is to not only show the flaws of the media in portraying any particular culture, but also to shed light on communication as a way to liberate a person from fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism

Why is the book called Persepolis?

Persepolis is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. It connects with her story about culture.

Why a graphic novel?

The use of the graphic novel format in Persepolis I and Persepolis II by Marjane Satrapi effects the portrayal of war by increasing the emotion experienced by the reader, providing a more accurate interpretation of events, and allowing insight through images of the destructive nature of war.

Theme: Iran vs The world

* ***Persepolis*** explores what it's like to grow up in Iran, and to be misunderstood no matter where you go simply because of where you came from.
* Anyone who has been judged based on where they are from, versus who they actually are, can relate to Marjane Satrapi's story of coming from a misunderstood country.

Theme: Women’s rights

* Iran gets around this by setting a strict dress code for women. The thing is, though, telling women what to wear is just the first step toward limiting their rights. They're also told how to act, what to think, and how to raise a family.
* Marjane’s mother lived in a time before women’s rights
* This is how Marjane learns how to be a strong independent woman.
* The European ideals that Satrapi gets used to are ‘slutty’ in Iran

Theme: Coming of age

* Growing up as a child during war → gives the reader a new perspective on the war in Iran
* Marjane spends most of her teenage years in Europe where she has a much broader range of choosing her identity.
* She learns about relations, music, punk, different outfits.
* If Marjane had spent her teenage years in Iran, she would have been a much different person.

Theme: Warfare

* Marjane lives in Tehran, which is subject to countless bombings
* She knows many people serving in the war or prisoners of war
* When Marjane goes through difficult times as a teenager, she is able to cope with it better because she was raised in a war zone.

Theme: Politics

* Everything in Iran is regulated, the media, freedom of speech, etc.
* People who oppose the regime are killed.
* Government exists of religious fundamentalists and xenophobes of Westerners.
* Marjane is very passionate about her views on politics, because she was raised by parents who are very active in anti-war protests.

Theme: Freedom and confinement

* No freedom of speech
* Everyone is expected to dress as Muslim fundamentalists, especially women.
* The book shows a wide contrast between Vienna and Iran in terms of freedom.
* Marjane fears losing her freedom as she goes back to Iran from Vienna.

Theme: Fear

* The regimes of Iran rely on fear to control their people (1984!)
* Scaring them into wearing specific clothing, adhering to strict religious observances and not socializing with people of the opposite sex.
* Police in Iran don’t exist to protect people, but to instill fear and follow the regime.
* Iranian people also have to fear the attacks from other countries.

Theme: Mortality

* The Iranian people are constantly surrounded by death
* The people in Iran get brainwashed to believe that anyone who died in/for the war is a martyr
* The Iranian government came up with this concept of becoming a ‘martyr’ to prevent the people from rebelling against them when their children or family die in the war

Theme: Family

* She is an only child
* Her mother and father have their similarities and their differences
* Although the Iranian government is a big influence on behaviour the way that Marjane is raised by her family influences the way that she lives.
* Her grandmother is a big influence on her life.
* She returns to Iran because she misses her family

Theme: Religion

* The regime wants everyone to follow the Islam
* Marjane actually has a strong faith, which we see when she is a child.
* She has a more modern belief system, she doesn’t belief that a veil will change her religion.
* Marjane believes in God, not necessarily in religion
* The regime cares more about power than about loving God.

Theme: Drugs and Alcohol

* Marjane turns to drugs and alcohol to avoid her problems.
* First when she is in Vienna she avoids drugs
* However the longer she spends there, as she becomes a teenager who is trying to find her identity she starts doing more drugs and consumes more alcohol.
* The alcohol makes her identity crisis worse.
* Marjane only relates to friends because of her drug usage.

Marjane

* Book starts when she is 10
* Marji at a young age has conversations with God. She wants to be a prophet but tells her parents she wants to be a doctor. This is already where her identity crisis starts.
* Has a hard time keeping friends
* Loves heroes

Marjane mother

* Very revolutionary
* Wants a good life for Marjane but is scared herself as having an identity is dangerous.
* Very permissive compared to other mothers in Iran

Marjane’s father

* Photographer, finds himself in dangerous situations such as political protests
* She doesn’t think he is a hero, because he hasn’t gone to prison.
* When Marjane returns to Iran, she sees how beaten and broken down her parents are from staying in the country.

Marjane’s Grandma

* Very influential figure in Marji’s life
* Always has advice for Marjane
* She teaches Marjane how to keep her dignity and be true to herself.
* Grandma is the last person mentioned in the book

Uncle Anoosh

* Helped Azerbaijan declare its independence, and he himself was revolutionary who escaped Iran for the Soviet Union

Mehri

* The family maid since eight years old.
* Mehri was like an older sister to Marjane
* Falls in love with neighbour

Siamak Jari and Mohsen Shakiba

* Two guys who were imprisoned for rebelling against the government
* They were tortured in prison

Quotes:

“I was a westerner in Iran, an Iranian in the West. I had no identity.”

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“It’s fear that makes us lose our conscience. It’s also what transforms us into cowards. You had guts! I’m proud of you!” (Grandma)

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“The reason for my shame and for the Revolution is the same: the difference between social classes.” (When Mehri has to leave)

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“I had learned that you should always shout louder than your aggressor”

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“The bracelet was still attached to… I don’t know”

Point of view Persepolis

Effect of POV from young Marji:

* Allows reader to understand the confusion Marji experienced as a child
* Much more innocent perspective
* Tells backstory of her family
* Gives reader a unique perspective that they normally would not hear anywhere else

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Effect of POV from older Marjane:

* Has more knowledge about what is actually going on
* Allows the reader to understand conflict more clearly

Significance of black and white of comics

Marjane sees the world in black and white. From beginning till the end, Marjane tried to make a distinction between good or evil, right and wrong.

Tones in different settings of the book

Inside her house in Iran:

* With family who she loves, friends.
* Relaxing, reading, writing

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Outside of her house in Iran:

* Chaos and violence
* Alert, nervous and guarded for authorities
* Hair needs to be covered

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In Austria:

* She doesn’t like the repressive culture of Iran but recognizes it as home.
* Outside of comfort zone in western world.
* Loses herself to drugs and sexual promiscuity of the West.
* Artist draws her as worn down and tired.

Genre

Autobiographical graphic novel

When was Persepolis written?

In 2000