Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

The graphic memoir Persepolis, written and drawn by Marjane Satrapi, tells her story as she grows up in 1980’s Iran. Now, as an author, the way of writing emotion is simple. The author could describe with words how they felt. But as an artist, drawing is the only way of describing. An artist uses no words to explain an event or emotion but instead draws them out in a clear, understandable way for a viewer. The artist must portray the event and emotion felt in precise detail so that the viewer can feel as if they were there, in the art. Marjane Satrapi, the author and artist of Persepolis, accomplishes this through the use of graphic panels in her memoir. Marjane Satrapi chooses to use graphic panels in her memoir to show her life to the readers. This choice works well for the author to show the different emotions which she went through during her life. In a page of panels, Satrapi comes home to find that her street was bombed. Satrapi is led from her neighbors home, which is demolished by the bomb (Satrapi 142/1-5). Satrapi’s mother tries to usher her past the home but she catches sight of a dead body in the rubble of the home (142/1,2). In the

This panel portrays the growth of Satrapi and her family as she leaves her home again but for good this time (341/4). The main focus, once again, is her father and mother along with her grandmother and the three are shown in light with a happy, hopeful emotion (341/4). Even though the grandmother is crying, she fits the hopeful emotion since in the previous she was wishing her granddaughter luck on her endeavors (341/3). In the background, Satrapi is behind the glass but instead having an expression of saddened shock, she is gleefully waving to her family for the last time (341/4). The two panels of Satrapi leaving her family, represent the growth of Satrapi and her family throughout their life in