Persepolis Response Essay

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In one hundred fifty-three pages of black and white, Marjane Satrapi tells her haunting childhood story, Persepolis. The art style is cartoonish, but the message is anything but. Topics like rape, war, execution, and political oppression appear often, possibly inferring why the book lacks color. The story however, seems so family-oriented at times, that it becomes easy to place yourself in the main character's shoes. After reading this book, it would be difficult to imagine it portrayed any other way. The art works with the story, while the incorporation of youth emphasizes it.

On the first page of Persepolis, the author introduces religion and politics, a combination that resulted in the dangerous life she grew up with. These themes are …show more content…

In a way this shows the progression of time and highlights specific points the author wants the audience to focus on. For example, on page 62, there is a headline titled The Sheep. Within the next five pages, there is a specific frame about a family having to hide in a flock of sheep to cross Iran's border for safety. Typically, the book frames accentuating violence from war/oppression will be appear much larger than others. We see this on page 116, where the frame of a battlefield is the only one shown or page 51 demonstrating common torture …show more content…

When I reflect on my childhood, I remember family, playing with old friends, and school. Marji, of course, has this, but with bomb sirens, and the reality of constant death. I have no intentions of challenging the material, but it was crazy how much the author remembers from age eight or twelve (possibly with the input of others). You have this child narrator who could have died at so many points in the book, but her personality mostly shoves it off. As I progressed through the story with its characters, I assumed the scenes of protest would pay off. However, the book leaves you almost with a cliffhanger, where the atmosphere has gotten so unstable, that Marji must leave for

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