Persepolis Essay

Persepolis, an autobiography by Iranian native Marjane Satrapi, illustrates and describes the struggles of one young girl, Marji, as she grows up during the Islamic Revolution and subsequent Iran-Iraq War. Near the end of the graphic novel, a somber panel illustrates an image of a distraught Marji with her mother desperately pulling her away from a bombed building belonging to a family friend, Baba-Levy. Upon being forcefully tugged away from the wreckage Marji spots a turquoise bracelet above the shambles, which later she shockingly discovered was still attached to the hand of Baba Levey's fourteen-year-old daughter. Seeing this horrific destruction and raw death right next door sparked a new beginning for Marji, where her parents realized

First, the size of the picture completely overwhelms the words convincing the reader that the picture is far more significant. The image is also able to convey the shocked yet mournful facial expressions of Marji and her mother which words inadequately portray. In addition, psychologically it is easier for humans to connect to something by seeing facial expressions and body language compared to only descriptions from words. The caption explains the inner thoughts of Marji where she,” could feel that she was discreetly pulling me away”. Marji is describing “she” as her mother is pulling her away physically from the rubble, however, does not mention her emotions which are only highlighted in the picture. Furthermore, within the illustration, Satrapi purposely draws the bracelet shaded and geometrically different from the setting around it enhancing the pop out effect which makes the panel very engaging. Through seeing the bracelet it triggers a registration process in Marji’s brain which allows the eventual realization that this piece of jewelry is part of a bigger idea. It underlays the realization that this object signifies the death of an old friend but the start of a new chapter in Marji’s life. Using the balance of pictures versus words Satrapi exemplifies the classic quote, “pictures are worth a thousand