In Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel Persepolis, education is an extremely important theme. At the beginning of the book, we learn that Marjane had been attending a French, non-religious, co-ed school until 1980. Then, when she was ten years old, the Cultural Revolution called for girls to wear the veil, boys and girls to be separated at school, and for bilingual schools to be banned.
Her family's primary goal was giving Marjane a secular, liberal education. This became impossible. So, in addition to attending school, she was encouraged to read as much as possible and to have sophisticated religious, political, and philosophical discussions with her parents. At the beginning of the book, Marjane explains that ''...as a family, we were very...avant-garde.'' In fact, one of the book's major themes on education is that sometimes institutionalized education is not to be trusted.
As an only child, she was often privy to adult conversations at her
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Her mother encourages her, saying, ''Our revolution set us back fifty years. It will take generations for all this to evolve. ...You are a free woman. The Iran of today is not for you.'' For the entire book, Marjane's parents emphasized to her that education, and particularly self-education, is equated with freedom. Marjane's leaving Iran is a fulfillment of what they wanted for her.
Lesson Summary
Throughout Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis, education is an important theme. The main messages are that education is essential for a person to have true freedom, but also that institutionalized education cannot always be trusted. This is shown through Marjane's questioning of authority at school and her constant self-education through reading and spending time with her family's circle of highly-educated and progressive
Today’s class discussion on Persepolis 2 (Marjanne Satrapi) revealed the importance of dependence and independence in forming one's identity. Persepolis 2 starts when Satrapi has been sent to Vienna by her parents to escape the oppressive Iranian regime. In doing so she is also separating herself from the dependence she had on her parents. In this separation Satrapi is left without inhibitions, her rebellious attitude consumes her. She becomes friends with anarchists and experiments with drugs.
Persepolis is a inspirational story written by Marjane Satrapi in the perspective of a young girl’s life during a powerful, historical moment in Iran. The Islamic Revolution was a life-changing moment that impacted her view on the world around her and her innocence shaping her into the woman she is today. Not many people understand what it feels like to feel pain, hurt and abandonment as a child from major and minor things. The author writes this story and decides for it to be a graphic novel to allow the not only young readers, but also for those who do not understand what happens everyday in the world they live in. Satrapi uses all rhetorical stances, ethos, pathos, and logos to show problems, purpose and emotions.
The story Persepolis uses the medium of graphic novel and the perspective of a child to convey her message. The events of Persepolis are very dark and in some
“Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return” by Marjane Satrapi is a memoir that depicts the troubled life of Marjane Satrapi. Marjane Satrapi, the author, was born in Rasht, Iran in the year 1969. She was born to a rich family in Iran and grew up in Tehran during the revolution and revolt against the Shah, the ruler at the time. She lived during the era where Islam was emerging in Iran and becoming the predominant religion. Marjane lacked academics for two years in Iran and suffered indeed from the bombings of Iraq. These horrific events impacted her and her parents, so as a result was sent to Austria for a better life. Her juxtaposed life in Austria and emergence of maturity is described in Marjane’s second installment of Persepolis.
After Marjane learns that her great grandpa was an emperor of Iran, she pictures him living an extraordinary life as royalty. Her image includes her great grandpa riding an elephant with a crown and the sun shining with a castle in the background (Satrapi 22). This illustration of her imagination is comedic because it shows Iran’s past being perfect through Marjane’s eyes when, in fact, it was nothing like she envisioned. Her limited knowledge causes her to perceive things almost opposite of how they really are, while distracting the reader from the conflicts occuring in the country. Futhermore, Satrapi uses comedy to demonstrate that Marjane’s personality is similar to an average child her age, despite the environment she is living in . When Marjane’s father goes out to take photos of the revolution, her mother and grandma become worried about him, and they start to discuss the matter. They are clearly not talking to her, but
During our class discussions, the issue of identity in Marjane Satrapi’s novel, Persepolis (2004), became a contentious issue. The question was asked whether Persepolis might be understood to being in-dialogue with western ways of seeing and did the effects of modernization influence the identity of Marjane’s protagonist in Persepolis. How does the novel involve the issue of identity? I will extend the argument and, through the exploration of Marji’s changing ideologies, I will attempt to prove that Marji is caught between the traditional eastern culture and western modernization.
The novel Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi, portrays a diverse amount of symbolism throughout the novel which contributes to the protagonist developing into a young women. The main character, Marji Satrapi flourishes at an early age in her life due to the setting of the novel. Satrapi acquires knowledge about different insights of the Iranian government which constitutes her self judgement. Satrapi reckons that the individuals that make up the population of Iran should all support the idea of the government before the ministry of Iran can commence a war. “For a revolution to succeed the entire population must support it" (Satrapi 17).
When it comes to culture, different views can cause major conflicts, and these said conflicts occur in the novel Persepolis. The book is a memoir about Marjane Satrapi, also known as Marji, growing up in Iran under the Shah’s rule and the Islamic rule. Even with the many different cultures in Iran, she stuck up for what she believed in and rebelled against the things she thought were wrong. In Persepolis, Marjane’s growth is affected by various aspects of culture including religion, government, and social organization.
Even in our present time we can see how culture principles and characteristic drive can cause conflict. Within a society, an individual does not exist. If an individual does exist, then they are no longer a part of the society causing rebellion. In I and Thou, Buber explains that the self becomes either more disconnected or more unified through its relationships to others. The film Persepolis is an adaption to Marjane Satrapi’s The Complete Persepolis coming-of-age graphic memoir. It involves a young Muslim girl name Marjane as she comes of age within the environment of the Iranian Revolution. The film explores the actualization of Marjane through allegory to show how she must construct her identity within a foundation of westernization, religion, and gender.
Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is strongly due to the women who have influenced her.
Throughout Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi displays the vital role that the women around her have in developing her character and becoming the woman she is today. Women such as her mother, her grandmother, her school teachers, the maid, the neighbors, and even the guardians of the revolution influenced Marjane and caused her to develop into an independent, educated, and ambitious woman. Throughout the novel, Marjane never completely conforms or lets go of her roots, this is primarily due to the women who have influenced her. Marjane’s mother was one of the most influential people in her life, her mother taught her to be strong and independent. By introducing her mother through the story of her mother getting photographed at a demonstration, Marjane presents her mother as being independent and rebellious (Satrapi 5).
“This time, you’re leaving for good, you are a free woman. The Iran of today is not for you. I forbid you to come back” (341)! Marji’s parents were willing to make the sacrifice of not having their daughter next to them in order for her to be happy. They realized that in Iran Marji would never have happiness or tranquility.
Marjane Satrapi in her memoir, “The Complete Persepolis” enlightens readers with the reality of living in Iran, as she tells her journey through her life of becoming a woman during the Islamic Revolution. Iran similar to other countries has made different prescribed roles for their women and men based on their cultures religious and traditional set of laws. Society to them was a depiction of what their people were expected to look, and act like when in public. When trying to understand the importance of gender along with their roles in society, it’s crucial to acknowledge outside factors, for instance things like culture and social class. The characters throughout her memoir illustrate how their
Marjane grew up in a severely oppressed society, women did not have basic rights and endured confrontations with police officers wanting to arrest them for showing the smallest amount of skin on a daily basis. She said "If a guy kills ten women in the presence of fifteen others, no one can condemn him because in a murder case, we women, we can’t even testify!” (Satrapi 183). This quote shows that women didn't even have the right to stand up for themselves in court against a man. Early on in Marjane's life she rebelled against her family and the government by listening to forbidden music, and wearing unconventional clothing. This early stage of her fight against gender and religious discrimination paved the way for her to make a change in her culture. As Marjane grew older she realized that through education, she could make a significant difference. She said in Persepolis 2 “Culture and education are the lethal weapons against all kinds of fundamentalism.” (Satrapi 115). Comparable to Malcolm’s beliefs on how to make changes, Marjane began to read every book she could get her hands on about her culture and why they have the customs they have. She started to stand up not only for herself, but for other women in her society. Marjane became educated and was passionate about her beliefs and
To begin with, Satrapi writes Persepolis from a child’s point of view. Young Marjane Satrapi displays the characteristics that any child might have. She is simple, innocent, and easily influenced. For example, when her parents are demonstrating against the king, Marjane Satrapi says, “As for me, I love the king, he was chosen by God” (Satrapi 19). Her teacher tells her this, and she believes her teacher because Marjane Satrapi is a child and, in all innocence, will believe anything because her teacher, in her eyes, knows everything. Situations such as this show the influence of authority on her as a child because the teacher is an authority who tells Satrapi a misleading fact and Satrapi believes her, or is influenced by ...