Why Persepolis is Relevant to Modern Readers
Marjane Satrapi’s widely popular graphic novel, Persepolis, is a popular choice for high school English classes. The complex themes, historical background, and unconventional format make the book compelling to teachers and students alike. Despite being set in the 20th century, the book is still very much relevant to modern readers; though the story is particular to a certain time period, the majority of the overarching themes are familiar to readers. Persepolis is relevant to modern readers because many others deal with cultural identity issues, women’s rights are still being threatened all over the world, and the coming of age theme is relatable to many young adults.
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Persepolis describes many incidents of discrimination against women, including the clothing rules that women were forced to adhere to. When running to catch a bus, she is pulled over by two Guardians who reprimand her. In response, she yells “Well then don’t look at my ass! (Satrapi, 304)” She is an empowered woman and has learned to stick up for herself. When Satrapi goes to Austria she becomes used to the way life is for women there and has trouble readjusting when she returns to Iran. She was going out for a walk one day after she had just returned and almost forgot to put her veil on (Satrapi, 253). She became accustomed to the culture in Austria and the way women were expected to behave. When Satrapi begins attending art school in Iran, a new and much more restrictive dress code for women is put in place. She finds it unfair that only women are being targeted and speaks out against the rules (Satrapi, 300). This is relatable to many modern readers because double standards for women are very much present in day to day life. Due to the challenges that are still being faced by women, Persepolis and its themes of gender inequality can be found very