English IO

I will be discussing 2 different texts, one literary; Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and one non-literary piece; Political cartoon by Lisa donnelly. Both of these texts address the global issue that I have chosen. The discrimination and oppression of women is an issue that still persists in our world despite the development of countries and culture. I thought it would be interesting to explore this global issue and how it is presented throughout Persepolis and the work of Lisa Donnelly.

Liza Donnelly’s cartoon offers a visual on the global issue of discrimination and oppression faced by women. Through strategic use of denotations, connotations, atmospheric elements, as well as a variety of authorial choices, the cartoon is able to powerfully portray the challenges and experiences of women globally. The top part of the cartoon, the women are placed in boxes, the title reads ‘women are diverse’, denoting the differences that women have from one another. This point is supported by the set of words to the right of it. “Love clothes?”, “breasts”, “Know how to cook”, “nurturing”, “Sweet”, “thoughtful” are some of the words. A few of the words are bold and in bright colour, creating a point of focus for the reader, drawing their attention to the words, adding intensity, emphasising the emotional weight of the cartoon's message. The bold coloured words could be associated with women, or the general stereotype regarding the physical appearance and behaviour, it symbolises the reduction of women to physical attributes or gender roles. “Breasts, vagina, soft, sweet, nurturing” are the words. This already starts to create the impression of stereotypes or societal norms throughout the cartoon.

Under the faces of the women, “but what do they have in common?” written in small black writing, referring back to the words as sort of a double meaning, giving the impression of stereotypical themes being present in the cartoon as well as displaying the way in which women are different from one another.

In the bottom half of the cartoon Lisa Donnelly depicts a group of women, the same woman whose faces were framed in boxes above, they are all different; culture, ethnicity, clothing etc. The women all have speech bubbles above their head, their body language and facial expression reveals an undertone of annoyance, anger and self defense.Crossed arms, arms behind their back or on their hips in combination with their open mouth and wide eyes creates this atmosphere, which further supports the previously discussed theme of stereotypes, all of this links back to the global issue of oppression and discrimination against women. Stereotyping is a form of oppression. The speech bubbles refer back to the question posed by Donnelly; “But what do they have in common?”

The speech bubbles above the women’s heads refer to their shared experience of oppression discrimination or form of assault. Words such as “Assualted, belittles, raped, dismissed, harassed, underpaid” creates a stark contrast that contradicts the previous image and the word in the top half of the cartoon. The top portion highlighted the diversity of women and how none of them are the same as well as an undertone of stereotypes, this is contrasted by the fact that they all have one thing in common, which is the unfortunate reality that what these women have in common is some form of oppression, discrimination or assault. The stark contrast evokes a sense of gravity, emphasising the global issue of ‘discrimination and oppression against women’ and creating a shocking atmosphere that compels the reader to confront the appalling fact that these women are united by their experience of oppression.

Persepolis

In Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel “Persepolis”, page 75 depicts a violent fight between a group of people, with Marjane boldly spreading leaflets against the repressive regime. This page displays the global issue of discrimination and oppression faced by women. Through strategic use of denotations, connotations, atmospheric elements, as well as a variety of authorial choices.

The monochromatic palette of the entire book emphasises the atmosphere and emotion that is being created by Marjane, it emphasises the gravity of the situation. This in combination with the packed and chaotic composition of the page adds to the sense of stress and urgency, with a number of different people filling the frame, developing an underlying feeling of claustrophobia and unease. The crowds various reactions, with some wearing headscarves and others not, illustrates the societal gap as well as the stark contrast between the ideologies.

The use of dialogue is an important literary method for showing conflict and the repercussions of resistance of a repressive regime. “Scarf or beating!” exclaims one man in the panel, conveys the regime's oppressive nature as well as the difficult decision that individuals have to make. This sentence serves as a stark reminder of the penalties for those who go against the regime's rules. The oppressive nature of the regime against women is displayed by the sentence “scarf or beating!” is directed specifically to women as they are being forced to wear scarfs or they’ll be met with threats of violence. This is a disturbing reminder of the regime's tyrannical nature. It represents the widespread fear and violence for women who disobey their cultural norms, their idea of what women should be, should act, look like. 

In another panel a man stabs a woman who is protesting along Marjane against the act of forcefully making women wear headscarves and act as the regime dictates. The act of stabbing the women who are demonstrating highlights the oppression and discrimination that individuals experience when they cross an oppressive regime. The woman represents all women as well as hope while the man stabbing her contrasts this and displays not only the oppression and discrimination against women but what happens when they try to fight against it, the smothering of hope, of freedom, to do what you would like with your body and life.