ipl-logo

Persepolis Essay

495 Words2 Pages

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi, is a graphic novel that depicts the author's childhood and adolescence in Iran during the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. The novel provides a powerful and personal perspective on the impact of government control and oppression on individuals and society.

One of the main themes of the novel is the oppressive nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was established after the revolution in 1979. The government, led by the Ayatollah Khomeini, implemented strict religious laws and censorship, and used violence and repression to maintain control over the population. This is depicted in the novel through the experiences of the main character, Marjane, …show more content…

Similarly, Marjane's parents, who are politically active and opposed to the regime, are also at risk of arrest and imprisonment. Furthermore, the government's censorship and control of the media and education are depicted in the novel through Marjane's experiences at school, where she is taught a distorted version of history and is not allowed to read books or listen to music that is deemed unacceptable by the regime.

Another theme in the novel is the impact of government control and oppression on society. The novel shows how the oppressive regime creates a culture of fear and mistrust among the population. People are afraid to speak out or express their opinions, and those who do so risk arrest or punishment. Moreover, the regime's policies lead to economic hardship and poverty for many Iranians, particularly for those who are not loyal to the regime or who are from minority groups.

Furthermore, the novel also depicts the regime's policy of forced veiling for women, which is a powerful symbol of the government's control over women's bodies and lives. Marjane and other women in the novel are forced to wear the veil and face harassment and discrimination if they do not comply. This oppressive policy is also a manifestation of the regime's patriarchal and conservative values, which are imposed on women and restrict their freedom and

Show More
Related
1439 Words | 6 Pages

It’s written on the first page of our schoolbook’ [said Marjane]” (Satrapi 19). Marjane’s perspective before imperialism is shown in this quote, and here the reader can see how Marjane is not yet ready to speak out against what she is told to believe.

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

Marjane´s unique perspective heavily influences her demonstration

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

In this chapter Marjane’s parent had just gotten back from their trip with all their smuggled goodies for Marjane. The fourth panel on page 132 depicts Marjane walking down the street in her denim jacket singing about kids in America. Not only does her jacket and neck scarf oppose the Islamic regime but her singing cheerfully about kids in America does as well. In the background you can see angry adults yelling and pointing at her most likely because of the casual clothes she is wearing. This demonstrates opposition to the regime because it shows her going against laws in her own free will to show what she loves.

Read More
1032 Words | 5 Pages

Importance of religion in Iran and its society is a crucial point in this graphic novel, Persepolis: A Story of a Childhood. It was mentioned in the novel how the society was corrupted when the Shah took charge. When the Shah took over, this lead to the many rebellions and demonstrations Iran had in order to keep the peoples freedom. The significance of women and how they were treated was also affected when everything changed during the 1980’s. Women are treated not only like trophy wives but they also did not have any sort of freedom for themselves.

Read More
962 Words | 4 Pages

Without God as a guiding presence in her life, Marji began to rebel against the ever-encroaching fundamentalist institution as much as possible. Under the pretense of religion, Iran strictly enforced new laws against social gatherings and all items of decadence, “They found records and video-cassettes at their place. A deck of cards, a chess set, in other words, everything that’s banned… It earned him seventy-five lashes”(105). This sudden loss of mediums to enjoy one’s self and prevalence of excessive punishment enforcing the declared moral code (132) were invitations to rebel for Marji.

Read More
1744 Words | 7 Pages

There is an established thought that every person must be an active participant in their life, and this is done by making choices; however, it is accepting responsibility that controls our lives and the people around us. Marjane Satrapi is an outspoken female, who is not afraid to stand up for something she believes in. As she grew up, Islamic Fundamentalists created strict moral and dress codes for the people of Iran. As a woman, she was forced to wear a hijab in a certain manner. At the time, Marjane was studying at an art school.

Read More
1255 Words | 6 Pages

Both these novels show the constant struggles that people have had to go through to survive. In Persepolis the people of Iran began to protest the Shah by demonstrating. Eventually the Shah fought back by ordering the police to burn down the Rex Cinema, where there were 400 people. “The doors had been locked from the outside a few minutes before the fire and they forbade people to rescue those locked inside, and then they attacked them.” (page 14).

Read More
1402 Words | 6 Pages

Marjane states, “With this first cigarette, I kissed childhood goodbye. Now I was a grown-up” (Satrapi 117). Marjane, just like the girl in this image, has shown her loss of innocence through her perspective. She can no longer be sheltered from her parents or be ignorant in relation to the world around her. The theme of gender roles has heavily impacted Marjane 's perspective in regard to the events occuring in Iran.

Read More
1203 Words | 5 Pages

She knew that it wasn’t all perfect and good but she also knew that it was not a cesspool of despair and darkness that some people make it out to be. So, she wrote the novel in a very smart way, she uses literary devices to show and tell a fantastic story but at the same time uses it as a way to talk about the problems and good things about Iran in the 1970s. This allows Persepolis to live longer and be discussed much longer if she simply didn’t use metaphors. It is also a way to show and teach people about a very heated subject and show them not everything is totally black and white in this world and that sometimes the monsters are actually men but at the very same time people can be great, people can work together to further a cause, people can care and at the end of the day people in Iran are exactly that, people and Marjane Satrapi simply wanted to show that in her novel and she succeeded

Read More
1826 Words | 8 Pages

The readers can see the transition of cultural background by noticing details within the image, for example, character’s clothing and how they dress themselves up. The transition of clothing and fashion represent cultural backgrounds that create struggles for Marjane and her search in self identity. The necessity of Iranian girls wearing veils indicates the regime taking over Iranian society further effect Marjane’s belief towards her identity. The first part of the book presents the background history of this graphic novel by saying, “In 1979 a revolution took over place.

Read More
1088 Words | 5 Pages

With all things considered, the personal nature of the story is expertly expressed through Marjane’s loss of innocence, her beliefs and opinions on her religion, and her experiences with gender

Read More
1436 Words | 6 Pages

After the Iranian Revolution, it became compulsory for women to wear the veil as the Islamic dress code and all women were removed from government positions, leading to increasing oppression and inequality in Iran. The use of black and white on the first page of the book creates a very clear image that a lot of people are unhappy with the new rules that are introduced by the government. The use of images shows us the oppression of freedom in a way that it would be hard to imagine with words. The first panel shows Marjane in a somber mood, crossing her arms to show her defensive thinking against the veil and the world. In the following panel, the girl’s expressions range from neutral to dislike or discomfort, which shows the general thoughts from people on how they think of the veil.

Read More
1228 Words | 5 Pages

The graphic novel shows how we carry on, with laughter and waterworks, in the face of absurdity. Satrapi clarifies the complications she had altering her typical ways and getting in trouble for articulating herself with the things she enjoyed. Although we see Iran’s way from young Marjane’s eyes; as we learn about Marjane, we also learn about: her mother, father, grandmother, uncle Anoosh, and more. There were many changes for the people of Iran during the Revolution. Marjane just wants to grow up as a normal teenager, listening to rock music and doing what she wants.

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

When Marjane is a child, she was very obedient. She followed the rules of Islam and the rules that her parents had established. As Marjane grows older, she begins to lose her innocence. She grows into this girl who is rotten. She does not obey Islam, she begins to not obey her parents, and she causes trouble in her school.

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

The story begins with the life of marjane and ends with her life. But in the background, the novel involves the war in Iran. Iran is always at war which includes the Iranian revolution and the struggle of people after the revolution. Though these are not implied does not affect their significance. They have a very important function of shaping the actions of the characters of novel which have long lasting effects.

Read More

More about Persepolis Essay

Related Topics

Open Document