Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi depicts the turbulent life of Marjane “Marji” living in Iran’s capital of Tehran from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. The book begins shortly after the Iranian revolution in 1979, which ended with the Shah, a British and American-supported dictator, resigning. This resulted in a rise of oppressive fundamentalists replacing the Shah and enforcing strict regimens of the people of Iran. Especially women, resulting in grave consequences “through centuries of oppression the veils and the wall enclosed women’s minds as well. Not only did they become second class citizens, but they thought of themselves as such” (Sara-Isfahani, 1980)
Marji is a young girl growing up in a chaotic world and the reader sees her innocence (and subsequential loss), curiosity, and confusion. From the beginning she struggles to adjust especially at school, starting with being separated from male classmates and forced to wear veils. The war reconfigured the gender dynamics “men vacated the civilian labor force en masse to join the army, and women were left to keep the home economy running…the regime began privileging modes of tribal masculinity and virtuous femininity in its wartime propaganda” (Smiles, 2008). She watches as her wealthy and modern parents protest the revolution doesn’t fully understand it for herself. Marji learns about her family’s history, hearing stories about how her grandfather was a price and later a communist whom the Shah removed from power, and her uncle, Anoosh, spent 9 years in prison and was only released after the Shah fell from power, her uncle later dies after Islamic fundamentalists capture him. This leads to confusion and despair in much of Marji’s life.
Marji’s story is told from childhood to young adulthood, the years which could have been considered as exciting and formative in more peaceful times, are clouded by the heightened stakes of the war, forcing Marjane to grow up swiftly. The changes in leadership and loyalties at her school anger her further, forcing her to know she must make choices for herself and not listen blindly to those surrounding her. During the war school in Iran changed, “a series of learning processes are set in motion to change the society’s values from within, starting from early childhood, and sometimes generating important ruptures between school and family” (Matti, 2014). Growing up in a time of war Marji faced confusion and a disadvantage that her parents could not begin to understand.
Matti, Nathalie. “Paradoxical Influence of the Islamicized School Education in Iran since the 1980s on Performance.” Journal of Persianate Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, 2014, pp. 107–123., https://doi.org/10.1163/18747167-12341266.
Satrapi. 2000. The Complete Persepolis. Pantheon.
Safa-Isfahani, Kaveh. “Female-Centered World Views in Iranian Culture: Symbolic Representations of Sexuality in Dramatic Games.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 6, no. 1, 1980, pp. 33–53., https://doi.org/10.1086/493774.
Smiles, Sarah. “On the Margins: Women, National Boundaries, and Conflict in Saddam’s Iraq.” Identities, vol. 15, no. 3, 2008, pp. 271–296., https://doi.org/10.1080/10702890802073241.
Great presentation, it will allow me to more deeply understand the graphic novel! As this is my first book I have read relating Iranian history and culture, I am sure the background you provided will be helpful. I was really interested by the quote you added, “Not only did they become second class citizens, but they thought of themselves as such.” I am interested to see where some of the ideas we have been learning about come into play in relation to these characters.
Thank you for your presentation, having read Persepolis getting more background behind the Islamic revolution is very important. You mention a quote saying “the regime began privileging modes of tribal masculinity and virtuous femininity in its wartime propaganda” which I feel is very important for understanding the story and why Marji as a female is being subjected to the rules created from ideas represented in this propaganda. I think this ties the history of the regime nicely into the narrative of the novel. Really well done!
Thank you for your context presentation, it was wonderful. This presentation helped me with my understanding of Iranian history and culture to better understand the graphic novel Persepolis. The background that the culture was centered around “tribal masculinity and virtuous femininity” helped give me an idea into the environment and situation the Marji a young female is growing up in and trying to understand/ navigate.
I really enjoyed your context presentation! It gave me a better understanding of the Iranian history and culture that I did not know much about before this. The cultural background is important when understanding how and why Marji grew up the way that she did. A female main character in a culture where “tribal masculinity and virtuous femininity” is a very interesting viewpoint to learn about. You made a very clear picture of that in your presentation great work!
Great context presentation you formulated here. You added a great insight to further understand Iranian history. You included the quote of “a series of learning processes are set in motion to change the society’s values from within, starting from early childhood, and sometimes generating important ruptures between school and family.” This was crucial to understand a part of her life story and how everything impacted her as it was a tough time for her to grow up during this time. The revolution made things confusing for her to catch on.
Your introduction to the background of the Iranian revolution helped me a lot. Marji grew up under the background of a chaotic war. You summarized and summarized her mental journey in detail, you said “Growing up in a time of war Marji faced confusion and a disadvantage that her parents could not begin to understand.” I think you summed up very well. Through your description, I have a clear understanding of Marji’s growth environment and difficulties, which helps me understand the changes in Marji’s mental path and her inner entanglement and confusion.
You gave a very appropriate historical setting for this story, which helped me to better understand the change of heart of the characters. Growing up in such a revolutionary environment, Marji gradually feels the hierarchy of gender. Whether it’s from her schooling, the values instilled by the government, or her parents’ views on the revolution, we can all get a better sense of her mindset in some way.
This was such a great post! I really liked the description of how Marji’s developmental years were taken from her due to the revolution, and it really put the book in a different perspective. Your description of the war also clarified what was happening in my mind, so I can better understand now what exactly was happening at the time. I also like that you included the fact that her parents could never understand her, because it is sad that she has such a unique experience. This experience can help erase the stigmas surrounding Iranians now. Awesome job!
Great job on the presentation, it is informative and well written. Marji grew up in a world of extremes, from s democratic society to a strict fundamental Islamic environment. But, she was surrounded by a dynamic family, who protested the Shah and his injustices. Everything was changing from her schooling, people around her dying and the dangers of having parents that were protesting in the street against the Shah.
thank you for your presentation, it was very well written and gave me a good understanding of Iranian history which I’ve known little about before reading your work. I now how much better insight as i continue the novel. Marji’s life was constantly in a whirlwind. From where she lived, education, and her peers. As a reader we see how her upbringing had affected her growth and mindset.
Great presentation and insight to this reading. I have read this before and always though about how crazy Marji’s life was. The dangers she faced at such are young age are incomprehensible. Her life was a constantly changing dynamic. I could not imagine living in a society that is constantly on the brink of war so close to home. Being in this area, and especially a woman, during this time period would be horrid. It is unfortunate that oppression and lack of human rights are still going on within that area today. The indoctrination of the children and changing what they learn was an interesting part of this reading.
I really enjoyed reading your presentation. You gave some great insight and really helped me better understand the reading. You really helped me to understand how difficult Marji’s life was and how her surroundings impacted her life. One quote that really stuck out to me was when you said “Marji’s story is told from childhood to young adulthood, the years which could have been considered as exciting and formative in more peaceful times, are clouded by the heightened stakes of the war, forcing Marjane to grow up swiftly.” This really showed me how hard her life was and what she had to go through. Overall I really liked your presentation and learned a lot from it.
Great job on the context presentation! I agree with you that Marji was forced to grow up quickly due to the disadvantages that she faced. The time when she was supposed to enjoy most in life was clouded by the Iranian Revolution. This changed her perspective on life and made her mature at a younger age than her peers.
Excellcent summary, you did a fantasic job provided an effective and detailed summary and analysis of the novel. You also definitely furthered my understanding mostly from your mentions of the differences between the lives of men and women as you included here ‘”Not only did they become second class citizens, but they thought of themselves as such”‘ (Sara-Isfahani, 1980), but also, more specifically, your discussion on what it meant to be either a man during the war or a woman. And then finishing with the discussion of the changes in schools. You added several different aspects that were very important to understanding the reading and you did an excellent job describing them. This overall helped me to apply more detailed explanations and examples to the reading.
Hello!
Thank you for putting together this wonderful presentation for Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Your analysis of the reading was wonderful and you hit some striking and important points in your post. I think it is important that we take away power from this story and understand the effects it may have on other people. Marji’s life was surrounded by war and growing up her she was always impacted by those around her and really had no time or even any idea how to make a choice for herself. You mention in your presentation that “the changes in leadership and loyalties at her school anger her further, forcing her to know she must make choices for herself and not listen blindly to those surrounding her”. I feel that Marji has had enough in this moment and was ready to start living for herself and her own needs rather than what she was told to do.
This context presentation was very well done! It gave me a clear understanding of what really happened during the Islamic revolution. I believe that Marji, the protagonist, and Satrapi’s representation of her young self, struggle throughout the novel with balancing her ancestors’ culture with the culture of people around her. “Iran was often subject to foreign occupation,” Satrapi writes in the book’s preface regarding Iran’s history. “However, the Persian language and culture were unaffected by these incursions.” This is a recurring motif throughout the novel: Iran, and Marji in particular, are “subject to foreign rule,” but they manage to keep their Persian culture and identity.
This presentation of the story was very well put together. Your first paragraph was very informational regarding the book’s background; from what I took from it while reading your summary, it gave more insight into what the book was about. Your second paragraph went more into the events that specifically took place in the story. The way you summed up each event was beneficial and easy to read. The third paragraph was also a perfect way to further explain Marji outside of what the story told, along with more information on the events in the book.
You did a great job summarizing the story. I really like how you explained what the Shah government was. That is very important and makes more connections with the story. I also liked how you explained Marji’s back story. You explained her life, parents, ancestors, views, feelings, thoughts, etc. It was a lot to unpack. It was very meaningful information. It helped me understand the story better.
Great insights! This really frames the story of Persepolis and mixes in the events of Marji’s life that make the story impactful. This summary is helpful because it gives a roadmap to why the story is important and what to expect Marji to overcome. I appreciate the background and historical context given first and then placing Marji in there during the times.
Thank you for your presentation! This helped me see a different perspective of the film and develop a better understanding.