Persepolis Expository Response Essay

Persepolis Expository Response Essay

In the graphic autobiography Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, she presents her illustrations effectively to tell her story as a child in the pre-revolution and post-revolution in Iran. She starts the graphic autobiography by using her point of view to tell her story of the events that took place in 1980 during the starting revolution. Such as the obligatory to wear the veil, the separation of genders in schools and closing of bilingual schools. Satrapi slowly begins to illustrate what happened in the few years before the revolution when she was 6 years old. She described herself as being conflicted with how she felt about being very religious and her family being very modern and avant-garde. As a child she

wanted to become the last prophet because she was immersed in the holy book and her agreement with the beliefs. Marji (Satrapi) was also enlightened with many books about the children of Palestine, Fidel Castro and comic books of dialectic materialism. Marji experiences very different things that a child anywhere else would experience. She was told stories by her family members that influenced and developed her knowledge of the world at a young age. Satrapi described herself as being conflicted, religious, enlightened, and having perception and or awareness.

Satrapi who has lived before the revolution was used to her normal lifestyle until the revolution slowly approached in Iran.

She didn’t understand the purpose of the veil and so she and her peers toyed around with the veils. “Everywhere in the streets there were demonstrations and against the veil.” (Satrapi 5) She was surrounded with constant demonstrations that were for and against the revolution. With one side opposing with the “veil!” (Satrapi 5) and the other with “freedom!” (Satrapi 5), this affected Marji to become conflicted. “I really didn’t know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde.” (Satrapi 6) Marji lived with very modern parents and with her being very religious deep down it confuses her on what she should be thinking about the revolution. With this compared to any child anywhere, most children would be redirected into what their parents think about a situation. In this case, Marji follows her the last prophet path with the guide of

God.

Marji was born with religion and at the age of six she knew a few things that she believed was right.

She included reasons to why she wanted to be the last prophet: “...Because out maid did not eat with us. Because my father had a cadillac. And, above all, because my grandmother’s knees always ached.” (Satrapi 6) Since she felt very religious deep down, she had conversations with God. She deeply believed in herself that she needed time to get ready and that she was the last prophet. With this compared to a child anywhere else, she was a child who was confident in something different that another child most likely wouldn’t. Marji grew up in a country that influenced how she thought and how she felt about situations. She was guiding herself in the direction she wanted, but also following what her parents did. Most children anywhere else would be guided to the direction their parents would

want.

Satrapi also described herself as being very self-educated because she’s very keen on Iran’s revolutionaries, public figures and world events. Marji was motivated to enlighten herself to become aware of the events and people who were/are around her. She: “Knew everything about the children of Palestine. About Fidel Castro. About the young Vietnamese killed by the Americans. About the revolutionaries of my country...but my favorite was a comic book entitled “Dialectic Materialism.”” (Satrapi 12) Marji to other children anywhere else was very different in education wise. She educated herself on people and events that other children most likely wouldn’t. With living in a country that’s in a revolution and her parents being communists and a modern family, it influences her to go in a direction that doesn’t involve playing with toys or learning about animals.

Marji did not only educate herself from books, she also learned from her parents, uncle and grandmother. In the chapter “The Water Cell”, Marji learns about the king and her uncle Anoosh. She learns that her uncle became a communist, “...So he became a communist.” (Satrapi 23) and how he was often sent to prison, “...So he was often sent to prison.” (Satrapi 24). Marji’s grandmother also told her side of the story and what happened to her. In the chapter “The Letter” Marji’s father found out about the letter and he lectures her about social classes: “Because in this country you must stay within your own social class.” (Satrapi 37). Unlike other children, Marji grows up in an environment that could be considered unusual to other children. An environment that you could go to prison because of opposing the government and the existence of strict social classes.

Satrapi as a child lived through a revolution in Iran that had her conflicted and confused of what to think because of her religious side. She also was heavily self-educated and immersed in books during the revolution that progressed to learning things from her family. Marji had lived in a very modern family and with her also being very religious it confuses her on what to think of the revolution. Marji also deeply believed that she was the last prophet and gave valid reasons to why she did. She was also heavily immersed into books because she wanted to enlighten herself about the public figures during the revolution and become more aware. This progressed to her learning more about personal events from her parents, uncle and grandmother. Marji lives in an environment that is unlike most children anywhere else. She learns from her mistakes and learns from what’s around her which plays into who she grew up as.