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This scholarly article details a study done on how Persepolis teaches students about U.S. Imperialism. The narrative mentions how the presence of oil in Iran led to western interference in elections across the region, which contributed to both the Islamic Revolution (rejecting western influence) and the Iran-Iraq War. The study itself talks about how conversations like this in the classroom can be uncomfortable, but that they ultimately lead to a student's intellectual growth.

-Professor Gravitt

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“Why Do We Need to Know About This?”: U.S. Imperialism, Persepolis, and Knowledge Production on Iran in the Classroom - Roozbeh Shirazi, 2022

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Contributing to a growing body of research on acknowledging U.S. imperialism within teacher education, this article explores how knowledge production on Iran—an…

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This blog post explains how the long war between Iraq and Iran is shown in Persepolis. It talks about why the war started which was due to a few reasons like boarder disagreements and political issues. The post also talks about the huge number of lives lost, the use of chemical weapons, and how young boys were sent to the front lines to fight in this war. It shows how the war caused fear, sadness, and major changes in daily life, especially for families everyday families like Marjane’s. This post helps readers understand the serious impact of the war and how it effected the people as well.

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Persepolis is a novel that is about the life of Marjane Satrapi as she grows up in Iran during the 1970's and 1980's and as she travels abroad. During her childhood, the Shaw revolution takes place and the Iraq-Iran war starts. This war and its effects are depicted many times throughout the novel and shape Marjane's character and life.

The neighboring Iraq had agreed to a border agreement in 1975 that relinquished control over both sides of the Shatt al-Arab, therefore turning over control of Iraq's access to the Persian Gulf. Iraq's Sunni president, Suddam Hussein, also sought to gain rule over Iraq to avoid a Shi'ite revolution similar to the Shaw revolution that had just occurred. (History.com 2009)

Persepolis describes the Shaw revolution and why it took place. In summary, a pro-western culture dictatorship is dismantled and replaced with a fundamentalist government that enforced strict religious laws. With this revolution came the weakness of the military. Iraq saw this weakness and launched an attack in September of 1980.

The Iraq-Iran was claimed many lives over its 8-year duration. Although many sources give conflicting numbers on the casualties, almost all agree it was over 1 million. According to Slavin & Kadhim from the Alantic Council, "Iran lost at least a quarter of a million people, and its soldiers were the victims of weapons of mass destruction-Iraqi munitions laced with deadly chemical agents." One thing that makes this war so gruesome was the use of those Chemical weapons which were banned by the Geneva protocol in 1925 (OPCW.org). Another horrifying fact of the war was Iran's use of children in the war, something that Marjane depicted in the novel. A Washington Post article from 1988 talks elaborates on this:

Our sources also agree that the boy soldiers get little training and are used as a shield for Khomeini's fanatical Revolutionary Guards Corps fighting at the front or as mine sweepers whose lives are expendable. (Anderson 1988)

The article goes on to estimate the number of children to be used this way to be 64,000 in about the 12-13-year-old range. The way ended with a cease-fire in 1988 after many failed offenses from both sides.

Citations:

Slavin, B., & Kadhim, A. (2021, September 30). Iran 'won' the war with Iraq but at a heavy price. Atlantic Council. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/iran-won-the-war-with-iraq-but-at-a-heavy-price/.

Anderson, J., & Atta, D. V. (1988, January 18). Children Khomeini's cannon fodder. The Washington Post. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/01/18/children-khomeinis-cannon-fodder/8b7673b3-c701-484c-955c-0bd4c3ea1d70/.

History.com Editors. (2009, November 9). Iran-Iraq War. History.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/iran-iraq-war.

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Persepolis is a novel that is about the life of Marjane Satrapi as she grows up in Iran during the 1970's and 1980's and as she travels abroad. During her childhood, the Shaw revolution takes place and the Iraq-Iran war starts. This war and its effects are depicted many times throughout the novel and shape Marjane's character and life.

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Isolation and Western Perception in Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis" explores how Satrapi's graphic novel challenges Western stereotypes about Iran and its people. The author argues that Persepolis serves as a response, offering readers an Iranian perspective. It sheds light on widespread misconceptions that depict Iranians as hostile fundamentalists, particularly in the wake of events like 9/11, the U.S. government's designation of Iran as part of the 'Axis of Evil,' and even current events.

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Isolation and Western Perception in Marjane Satrapi’s “Persepolis”

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Oppression and misplaced representations of Iranians as Others led Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian in exile, to publish Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood; a graphic novel released in Western countries to communicate the unknowns of Iranian culture.

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One of the primary focuses of this source is the perspective of the story. It talks about how Marji, being only a child at the time, may not have completely understood the events going on around her, but it also emphasizes that that should not discredit her experiences. It talks about just how significant the Islamic Revolution was for Iran and also briefly talks about how the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam created this situation. One last thing that it adds just towards the end is an explanation for the title "Persepolis," being the former capital city of the Persian empire.

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The story line of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis takes place during the late 1970's in the Iranian capital city of Tehran. During this time period, the country of Iran was undergoing major political changes that would forever change the social and political landscapes of the nation. During this period of time, a social and political movement known to historians as the Iranian revolution had been increasing popularity as the governing monarchy of the Shah had lost support from citizens. This was the public reaction after many years of the Shah's dealing with western nations and making weak political and economic decisions. Also, this was an era of idiotic war between the countries of Iran and Iraq. One of the most interesting aspects of the historical references made in the novel is the perspective in which Persepolis is told. The perspective is through the eyes of a young Marianne, growing up during the revolution, born into a world that she does not quite understand, yet contains a strong urge to find meaning in her life. The historical perspective receives various opinions due to the graphic novel's "eyes of a child" narration, because in some cases it can cause sympathy and in others, doubt. Although a child as a source of information can be unreliable, the event was still experienced and should not be overlooked.

The Islamic Revolution is referred to as the most significant event to have ever taken place in the Iranian history. The revolution was sparked by a group of Islamic fundamentalists (who) were disgusted by the modernized culture that the previous ruler had adopted. The people's support for western ways of life had grown largely during the time of the Shah. . This capitalistic lifestyle was seen as sacrilegious in the name of Islam and needed to be overthrown by a new government that would reinforce the word and doctrine of Allah. This led to the removal of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from his monarchial power and ushered in an Islamic regime which continues still to this day. This new government had received support from the majority of the population living in the country. This Islamic regime was lead by a Shia cleric named Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini attained political fame due to his radical positions against the governing Shah's rule. He believed western countries, such as the United States, had seized the power of the country and simply used the Shah as a puppet as a way of controlling western interests.​

The Iranian revolution was violent due to the aggressive nature of Khomeini's ruling, which was to follow the rules of Allah as stated in the Quran. This new theocracy had many followers, who were mostly Shia Muslims. Although there was much acceptance, there was a large number of people that opposed the stringent regulations put into order by Khomeini and began to revolt against the new governing system. Satrapi's parents began protesting against the new government and witnessed harsh treatment and full-scale riots taking place in the streets. The revolution failed to take control out of the harsh rule fist of Khomeini.

After the revolution occurred and Khomeini's government had just been put into place, the Iran Iraq War began. In September 1980, the Sunni Muslim-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein in neighboring Iraq, invaded Iran in an attempt to take advantage of revolutionary chaos and destroy the revolution in its infancy. Iran and Iranians rallied behind their new government, helping to stop and then reversing the Iraqi advance. By early 1982, Iran regained almost all of the territory captured during the invasion. Satrapi described public appeal of the war as starting off high citizen approval and support. Towards the end of the war, it seemed pointless in the eyes of those in opposition to the Iranian government.

In Persepolis, Satrapi describes the excessive power exercised by government officers during the war, in order to keep the citizens oppressed.

The title Persepolis was used in reference to the Persian empires ancient capital city. Persepolis, which is now Iran's Takht-i Jamshīd. This ancient city was the center of the Persian Empire until Alexander the Great conquered the area, burning and demolishing Persepolis to ruins. I believe Marjane Satrapi decided to use this title because it reminds Iranians of a time when mass destruction occurred in the capital city. During the Islamic Revolution, the destruction of Tehran, Iran's capital city, led to a rise in civilian deaths, stranding citizens without any true knowledge of why these lives were being cut short.

Works Cited
"Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 - Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 04 June 2011. .

"Ruhollah Khomeini - History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com - History Made Every Day - American & World History. Web. 04 June 2011. .

"Persepolis (ancient City, Iran) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 05 June 2011.

Satrapi, M. (n.d.) Persepolis: Historical Context. Retrieved from https://satrapi1.wordpress.com/about/ on 15 June, 2015.

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library.SCOTCH: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: Context

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A study guide to the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi.

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This article gives an overview and history of the Iranian Revolution. To start, the Islamic Republic was established in 1979 by combining elected institutions with powerful unelected bodies. In September 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, which initiated an 8-year war. This revolution started many Shi'a movements and resistance groups in Lebanon. Western powers and regional monarchies reacted to this invasion, which led to increased influence and conflict. After this revolution, an authoritarian theocracy was formed and cultural and educational reforms happened. Iran has since remained isolated and has faced prolonged sanctions. This article went into detail about the things that were simply stated or acknowledged in Persepolis.

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On April 1, following overwhelming support in a national referendum, Khomeini declared Iran an Islamic republic. Elements within the clergy promptly moved to exclude their former left-wing, nationalist, and intellectual allies from any positions of power in the new regime, and a return to conservative social values was enforced. The Family Protection Act (1967; significantly amended in 1975), which provided further guarantees and rights to women in marriage, was declared void, and mosque-based revolutionary bands known as komītehs (Persian: "committees") patrolled the streets enforcing Islamic codes of dress and behaviour and dispatching impromptu justice to perceived enemies of the revolution. Throughout most of 1979 the Revolutionary Guards-then an informal religious militia formed by Khomeini to forestall another CIA-backed coup as in the days of Mosaddegh-engaged in similar activity, aimed at intimidating and repressing political groups not under the control of the ruling Revolutionary Council and its sister Islamic Republican Party, both clerical organizations loyal to Khomeini. The violence and brutality often exceeded that which had taken place under the shah.

The militias and the clerics they supported made every effort to suppress Western cultural influence, and, facing persecution and violence, many of the Western-educated elite fled the country. This anti-Western sentiment eventually manifested itself in the November 1979 seizure of 66 hostages at the U.S. embassy by a group of Iranian protesters demanding the extradition of the shah, who at that time was undergoing medical treatment in the United States ( see Iran hostage crisis). Through the embassy takeover, Khomeini's supporters could claim to be as "anti-imperialist" as the political left. This ultimately gave them the ability to suppress most of the regime's left-wing and moderate opponents.

The Assembly of Experts (Majles-e Khobregān), overwhelmingly dominated by clergy, put a new constitution to referendum the following month, and it was overwhelmingly approved. The new constitution created a religious government based on Khomeini's vision of velāyat-e faqīh (Persian: "governance of the jurist") and gave sweeping powers to the rahbar, or leader; the first rahbar was Khomeini himself. Moderates, such as provisional Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan and the republic's first president, Abolhasan Bani-Sadr, who opposed holding the hostages, were steadily forced from power by conservatives within the government who questioned their revolutionary zeal.
Janet Afary The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Iranian Revolution - Aftermath, Reforms, Legacy

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Iranian Revolution - Aftermath, Reforms, Legacy: On April 1 Khomeini declared Iran an Islamic republic. The militias and the clerics they supported suppressed Western cultural influence. In November 1979 hostages at the U.S. embassy were seized by a group of Iranian protesters.

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This blog post starts off my explaining what major event initiated the war, and then is immediately connected to Persepolis, and how Marjane's life was effected. Including wearing the veil, what she could or couldn't say, what she learned in school, etc. The blog also explores how Islamic leaders were against many ideas of westernization, which is what lead them to overthrow the Shah. All these conflicts are what Marjane witnessed when growing up during this time period, and ultimately shaped the enviornment in which Marjane came of age. This blog offers just a glipse of personal effects that came from this war.

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The English Melon summary of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi provides an insightful overview of the graphic novel's themes and narrative. It highlights Marjane's journey from a politically aware child in Tehran to a young adult grappling with identity in Europe. The summary emphasizes her family's progressive values, her personal aspirations, and the challenges she faces under the Islamic Republic's oppressive regime. Through vivid storytelling and stark black and white illustrations, Satrapi's blog post offers a deep exploration of history, politics, and personal growth.

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Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi - Englishmelon

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Sample Questions. At the end of this chapter, you will be able to answer the following questions: “Literary works often explore the conflict between the individual and society.” Discuss with reference to at least two works you have studied. “Writers use storytelling to shape our understanding of history.” To what extent do you agree? Compare […]

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The article portrays the Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq War as Events that led to intense political and religious repression. Even though while the revolution and war are not the main focus, they are crucial details that highlights the themes of feminism, identity, and cultural conflict discussed in the analysis.

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Orientalism, Gender, and Nation Defied by an Iranian Woman: Feminist Orientalism and National Identity in Satrapi’s Persepolis and Persepolis 2

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Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novels Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (2003) and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return (2004) —focused on her youth and early adulthood in Iran and Austria— reveal in many ways the conflicting coexistence between the West —Europe and North America— and the Middle East. This article explores feminist Orientalism and national identity in both Satrapi’s works, with the purpose of demonstrating the manners that these comics complicate and challenge binary divisions commonly related to the tensions amid the Occident and the Orient, such as East-West, Self-Other, civilized-barbarian and feminism-antifeminism. In the first part of the analysis, feminist Orientalism —a concept based on the works of Edward Said and Roksana Bahramitash, which is defined in the paper as any form of domination from the West on the East, validated by women’s rights and/or Western feminism— is applied on the two comics of Satrapi, in order to explain how they break some stereotypes linked to women from the East, like their passive and subjugated role in a patriarchal and religious society. Through the study of feminist Orientalism on both graphic novels, it can also be observed the various ways in which the protagonist disputes the notion of the West as the best place for women to live, unlike the “uncivilized” Orient. The second part of the analysis exposes the complex national identity of the main character. On the one hand, she opposes the nationalism that the Iranian fundamentalist regime wants to impose, and, on the other hand, she is attached to her family and Iranian culture. Moreover, the article delves into the ambivalent national identity of the protagonist during her experience as a migrant in Vienna, where she defies misunderstandings and Orientalized visions, but also suffers because of the tensions and differences between the Occident and the Orient.

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This blog post touches on how aggressive gender roles were during the Iranian revolution and how it was depicted throughout Persepolis. The author, Mac Lee, begins with how Persepolis perpetuates stereotypes within gender and the rules that many had to follow to stay alive. Many of the gender roles are seen through the women being forced to wear veils and not being able to show their bodies. Men also faced regulations such as no jewelry, covering their arms and suffering by being on the front lines. The roles showed immense power from the government and caused many to resent the regulations and feel as though they were trapped. This post brings awareness to how gender roles were a large issue in Persepolis and was also very evident during the Iranian Revolution. As time passes, a person’s freedom becomes restricted, which can affect them personally as they are limited in their actions but also can cause many to retaliate against those who enforce these laws.

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by Mac Lee

The Iranian Revolution had significant grievances with the government's laws, and gender roles were the laws that affected the citizens the most. In "Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi, the author shows the readers the different ways in which Iranian laws perpetuate gender stereotypes. Many of the rules that affect Marjane and her family are meant to restrict and prohibit women.

A primary example of this mistreatment is that they were forced to wear a veil over their hair because the government said hair distracts men, "Women's hair emanates rays that excite men's" (Satrapi 74). This shows that the country's laws were mainly based on the male perspective because the Shah and political leaders were all men. Marji and some of her friends had a negative perspective about the veil, and they often performed small acts of resistance, such as imperfectly wearing the veil or making fun of children who wear a veil. From the beginning of the story, the reader can see that Marji already had an unfavorable opinion of the government before she learned about the Shah and the protest. As the government changed, rules against women wearing clothes became stricter, "Look at her! Last year she was wearing a miniskirt, showing off her beefy thighs to the whole neighborhood. And now madame is wearing a chador it suits her better, I guess" (Satrapi 75). Women could not show their bodies, including their arms, hair, legs, and most of their faces. This affected many people, making them uncomfortable while wearing the mandatory chador in public. It also shows how much power the Shah has over the country and can make laws that the citizens don't like. Marji did not like the rules focused on women and what they wore. However, as she became older, she grew to hate the government due to these strict rules. The resentment toward the government was why she started smoking, listening to rock music, buying illegal posters, and even war clothes, which were all against the rules. The strict regulations that the government made were like a small prison for women. Marji was always trying to break free from this prison.

On the other hand, men were not as restricted as much as women, but there were certainly lots of things men were not able to do, and as a family, there were laws that prohibited certain things in a house. Men were not allowed to wear any jewelry or neckties. Unsurprisingly, women were also not allowed to be seen wearing jewelry. Men must also cover their arms so they cannot wear any short shirts that reveal their arms. Men were recommended to shave and tuck in their shirts at all times. Men also had to be ready to go to war, even young boys. These laws were why many parents and families decided to leave Iran."My parents say it's impossible to live under an Islamic regime, it's better to leave" (Satrapi 63). An extreme measure, such as fleeing one's home country, shows how deeply the Islamic regime's laws affected Marji and her friends.

It should be pointed out that men continued to suffer unfairly also, as they were primarily responsible for taking care of the family. Most of the people dying in prison and being tortured were men. While there were women and children's protests, men were mainly on the front lines of the demonstrations, and thus they faced the most significant dangers. For example, Uncle Anoosh, while protesting, was finally caught and executed. Marji's grandpa, who was supposed to be the prince of Iran but didn't follow the rules of the Shah, was put into jail and tortured. Throughout the story of Persepolis, we don't see any cases of women getting arrested and being tortured or executed. In contrast, men were constantly tortured, executed, and sent to jail.

Restrictive gender roles are a severe problem in Persepolis because laws severely prohibit what citizens can wear and do. While in different ways, men and women are both affected by these laws. Marji was seriously affected by discrimination against women because of the veil laws. As Marji grew up, she began to understand the reasons behind these kinds of laws and what was happening to the country, so she started to not follow these rules as an act of defiance against the government. Laws that prohibit or restrict a person's freedom because of their gender will affect them significantly because they could not change their gender or where they were born and raised

Work Cited

​​Satrapi, M. (2011). Persepolis. L'Association.

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Gender roles of the Iranian Revolution in Persepolis

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by Mac LeeThe Iranian Revolution had significant grievances with the government's laws, and gender roles were the laws that affected the citizens the most. In "Persepolis," by Marjane Satrapi, the author shows the readers the different ways in which Iranian laws perpetuate gender stereotypes.

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The article I found that discusses Persepolis's depiction of the Iranian Revolution and/or Iran-Iraq War comes from the Middle East Policy Council website. The author talks about the meaning behind the name "Persepolis" and the tension and conflict that took place in Iran from Marjane Satrapi's point of view. In this article, the author states, "The Islamic Revolution of 1979 marked the overthrow of the Shah’s monarchy and the establishment of a theocratic regime under Ayatollah Khomeini, introducing strict religious laws and suppressing political dissent. Satrapi’s family, descended from Iranian royalty, is privileged, but becomes a target as the regime cracks down on perceived opposition." The art style used in this book was also purposefully done a certain wait to create an emotional reaction from the reader and show the devastating impacts of how the lives of people in Iran were affected during this time. Towards the end of the article, the author also mentions how what takes place in Persepolis is still important today in terms of complicated political and social issues.

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TeachMideast - An Educational Initiative of the Middle East Policy Council

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Persepolis: A Graphic Memoir of Identity, Resistance, and Resilience - TeachMideast

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Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is a groundbreaking graphic autobiography depicting her childhood and early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis, referring to an ancient Persian city of the same name, reflects the deep cultural and historical roots that underpin her story. Through bold black-and-white illustrations and candid storytelling, Satrapi tells her

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This article explains Magdas perspective on Persepolis. She analysis one of the images in particular that she saw as what Marji imagined torture to be like. This is important because Marji was very young and naive, so her perception of the war differed from what some it might have actually been like. The point of the illustration is to show how normalized death and violence has become in Iran. The article also touches on how Persepolis images are full of shading and contrast. which is important to help show the emotions behind the image.

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The story behind the images in Persepolis – The Past put into Perspective

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This article begins by explaining how Persepolis is written through the eyes of a child in the Iranian Revolution. It also explains what the Iranian Revolution was and how it started. The article says it is "the most significant event to have ever taken place in Iranian history". The Shah was overthrown by Islamic fundamentalists because people began supporting western ways of life under the Shah's rule, which was seen as sacrilegious to Islam. The Iranian Revolution was very violent.

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The story line of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis takes place during the late 1970's in the Iranian capital city of Tehran. During this time period, the country of Iran was undergoing major political changes that would forever change the social and political landscapes of the nation. During this period of time, a social and political movement known to historians as the Iranian revolution had been increasing popularity as the governing monarchy of the Shah had lost support from citizens. This was the public reaction after many years of the Shah's dealing with western nations and making weak political and economic decisions. Also, this was an era of idiotic war between the countries of Iran and Iraq. One of the most interesting aspects of the historical references made in the novel is the perspective in which Persepolis is told. The perspective is through the eyes of a young Marianne, growing up during the revolution, born into a world that she does not quite understand, yet contains a strong urge to find meaning in her life. The historical perspective receives various opinions due to the graphic novel's "eyes of a child" narration, because in some cases it can cause sympathy and in others, doubt. Although a child as a source of information can be unreliable, the event was still experienced and should not be overlooked.

The Islamic Revolution is referred to as the most significant event to have ever taken place in the Iranian history. The revolution was sparked by a group of Islamic fundamentalists (who) were disgusted by the modernized culture that the previous ruler had adopted. The people's support for western ways of life had grown largely during the time of the Shah. . This capitalistic lifestyle was seen as sacrilegious in the name of Islam and needed to be overthrown by a new government that would reinforce the word and doctrine of Allah. This led to the removal of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi from his monarchial power and ushered in an Islamic regime which continues still to this day. This new government had received support from the majority of the population living in the country. This Islamic regime was lead by a Shia cleric named Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Khomeini attained political fame due to his radical positions against the governing Shah's rule. He believed western countries, such as the United States, had seized the power of the country and simply used the Shah as a puppet as a way of controlling western interests.​

The Iranian revolution was violent due to the aggressive nature of Khomeini's ruling, which was to follow the rules of Allah as stated in the Quran. This new theocracy had many followers, who were mostly Shia Muslims. Although there was much acceptance, there was a large number of people that opposed the stringent regulations put into order by Khomeini and began to revolt against the new governing system. Satrapi's parents began protesting against the new government and witnessed harsh treatment and full-scale riots taking place in the streets. The revolution failed to take control out of the harsh rule fist of Khomeini.

After the revolution occurred and Khomeini's government had just been put into place, the Iran Iraq War began. In September 1980, the Sunni Muslim-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein in neighboring Iraq, invaded Iran in an attempt to take advantage of revolutionary chaos and destroy the revolution in its infancy. Iran and Iranians rallied behind their new government, helping to stop and then reversing the Iraqi advance. By early 1982, Iran regained almost all of the territory captured during the invasion. Satrapi described public appeal of the war as starting off high citizen approval and support. Towards the end of the war, it seemed pointless in the eyes of those in opposition to the Iranian government.

In Persepolis, Satrapi describes the excessive power exercised by government officers during the war, in order to keep the citizens oppressed.

The title Persepolis was used in reference to the Persian empires ancient capital city. Persepolis, which is now Iran's Takht-i Jamshīd. This ancient city was the center of the Persian Empire until Alexander the Great conquered the area, burning and demolishing Persepolis to ruins. I believe Marjane Satrapi decided to use this title because it reminds Iranians of a time when mass destruction occurred in the capital city. During the Islamic Revolution, the destruction of Tehran, Iran's capital city, led to a rise in civilian deaths, stranding citizens without any true knowledge of why these lives were being cut short.

Works Cited
"Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 - Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 04 June 2011. .

"Ruhollah Khomeini - History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com - History Made Every Day - American & World History. Web. 04 June 2011. .

"Persepolis (ancient City, Iran) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 05 June 2011.

Satrapi, M. (n.d.) Persepolis: Historical Context. Retrieved from https://satrapi1.wordpress.com/about/ on 15 June, 2015.

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library.SCOTCH: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: Context

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A study guide to the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi.

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The article by Youqi Chen focuses on the main subjects the "inner enemy" and as well as Marji's self growth throughout Persepolis's depiction of the Iranian Revolution and/ or Iran-Iraq War. The depiction really showed a different outlook on what Chen's been used to it opened her eyes to new things.

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"Persepolis": The Process of Self-Approval

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Read the instructor's introduction Read the writer's comments and bio Download this essay The Complete Persepolis is a graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi that describes the author's childhood experience in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and her early adulthood after she graduates high school in Austria and returns to Iran.

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This article comes from Ohio States University and gives a descriptive analysis of details during the Iran-Iraq War. Specifically it goes over details of the reasons to why it started, and beliefs between people back then. It talks about how Persepolis talks about shaws revolution and how a weakness in military was taken advantage of in 1980. It goes into detail about the 8 year time span this took place and the types of artillery and weapons used while it took place. Overall the article gives good information, and cites experiences during the Iran-Iraq war where this all took place.

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In this blog post, the writer explores the severity of the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, specifically from the perspectives of Marjane, the main character, and the Iranian people. He first explained the reasoning behind the Iranian Revolution, which was that it replaced a dictatorship-led government with a government that was religiously enforced. Explaining that this separated the people, causing conflict and a lack of unity with the Iranian people and government. Because of this, Iraq was able to see weaknesses in the Iranian government, which led to the attack, also known as the Iran-Iraq War, in 1980. He expresses the intensity of this long war and the use of chemical weapons by Iraq, claiming the lives of millions of Iranians, and the desperate need for soldiers, the use of young boys having to be on the front lines. Which eventually ended after many years because of the failures of attempts from Iran and Iraq, which led to their truce.

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This article is about how Persepolis is part of a wave of autobiographies written by Iranian women living outside Iran after the revolution. But what sets Persepolis apart is the use of a child narrator and a graphic comic style, allowing Satrapi to mix humor, and emotion, and even challenge Western stereotypes of Iran, mainly women. The author's main point is, that Persepolis can engage with many audiences because of its form of expression. Also using a cartoon style helps the reader feel more a part of the story and being able to identify and understand the narrative a lot better.

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Project MUSE - Estranging the Familiar: “East” and “West” in Satrapi’s Persepolis

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Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.

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This essay considers how Marjane Satrapi employs metonymy and juxtaposition in The Complete Persepolis to represent the challenges of forming identity in the midst of the Iranian Revolution. comparing moments of violence and happiness, wealth and poverty, personal freedom and civil compliance, Satrapi translates the political and affective richness of coming of age amidst a war-torn world. Her visual discourse makes explicit how class, religion, and culture shaped her perceptions and revealed the silent but powerful resistance of Iranian women, ultimately reclaiming identity as both the result of conflict and survival.

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Identity during the Iranian Revolution: The Usage of Metonymy and Juxtaposition in “The Complete…

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In Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical comic book, The Complete Persepolis, Satrapi’s upper-class upbringing during the Iranian Revolution…

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This essay considers how Marjane Satrapi employs metonymy and juxtaposition in The Complete Persepolis to represent the challenges of forming identity in the midst of the Iranian Revolution. Comparing moments of violence and happiness, wealth and poverty, personal freedom and civil compliance, Satrapi translates the political and affective richness of coming of age amidst a war-torn world. Her visual discourse makes explicit how class, religion, and culture shaped her perceptions and revealed the silent but powerful resistance of Iranian women, ultimately reclaiming identity as both the result of conflict and survival.

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Identity during the Iranian Revolution: The Usage of Metonymy and Juxtaposition in “The Complete…

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In Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical comic book, The Complete Persepolis, Satrapi’s upper-class upbringing during the Iranian Revolution…

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This article briefly describes the story of Persepolis and the black and white drawings in the book. The article describes an interview with the author of the book. In the interview she talks about why she chose to write this book. She said she wanted to write the book because many people did not know what her country was like and had many wrong ideas about her country. She said she also wrote the book to show that not all Iranians are "religious fanatics".

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Iran: Artist Strikes a Nerve With ‘Graphic’ Tale Of Her Childhood

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Marjane Satrapi is an Iranian artist who has become famous for “Persepolis,” the story of her childhood during the Islamic Revolution told in the form of a “graphic novel,” or long-form comic book. “Persepolis,” published last year to great success in France, has since been translated into many languages, including English, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, and Finnish. RFE/RL talked with Satrapi about her book and her future projects.

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This article mainly talks about how the Iraq-Iran War affected so many people. It goes into detail of how Persepolis is a novel about a girl going through her life during the time of this war. It talks about the different revolutions and religious conflicts that went on during the novel. The article concludes by talking what an impact that this war had on the people living there throughout this war.

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The article by NPR talks about the book Persepolis and its 20-year anniversary. It describes the book and goes into some of the historical context around the book. It talks about how Satrapi was in the news again in 2022 after a young girl in Iran died in custody after being detained for the way she was wearing her head covering. It also goes into some of the controversies around the book. It has been banned in schools for its graphic images and language. It has also gained some confusing reactions such as those claiming supposed depictions of sexuality, depictions of communism, those claiming it's promoting Islam, and those claiming it's Islamophobic. However, Satrapi has said she takes the banning as a huge compliment.

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The English translation of the now classic memoir Persepolis by comics artist, painter and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi turned 20 this year - and it's being celebrated with the release of a new hardcover edition in August.

Based on the author's life and told in spare but dramatically rendered black-and-white comics, it tells the story of a young, precocious, outspoken girl who grows up in Iran during the 1979 revolution - and its tumultuous aftermath, including the Iran-Iraq War. She, her family and others around them struggle to adjust to living in the new Islamic Republic, with its oppressive rules. Many of them also rally around one another, putting their survival and comfort regularly on the line for the sake of love and self-determination.

The changed laws in Iran famously included compulsory head coverings in public for all women and girls over the age of 9, regardless of personal beliefs. But, among other things, the laws also decreased the ages at which girls and boys were allowed to marry as well as limited the rights of women to initiate divorce and retain custody of their children. As of late, Satrapi, who has not returned to Iran in over two decades, has been back in the news. This is largely a result of the ongoing protests and civil unrest catalyzed by the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in September 2022. Amini died while in police custody, after being detained for the way she was wearing her head covering.

The rekindled public opposition to religious authorities in Iran has unsurprisingly led back to Satrapi and her work. "What I have lived, the youth is living now," she said in an interview with The Guardian last fall.

The cartoonist, who has described her autobiographical comics as an ode to her home country, first published the memoir in four installments, between 2000 and 2003, in France, where she moved after leaving Iran when she was still in her 20s. The work was put out in two volumes in an English translation shortly thereafter. In 2007, the already critically renowned Persepolis broadened its reach when it was adapted into an animated film, co-directed by the author - albeit after some hesitation - and ultimately earning a Jury Prize at Cannes. The film, which includes the voice of famous French actress Catherine Deneuve in the role of Marjane's mother, was promptly condemned by Iranian authorities.

Persepolis has a long history of garnering controversy, and well beyond the author's home country. In 2014, the book was second on the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged books. The work was first taken to task in the U.S a year earlier in the Chicago Public School System, for its inclusion in a 7th-grade curriculum. It was deemed by its challengers as inappropriate due to its "graphic language and images," including several brief scenes documenting the torture of political prisoners - situations young Satrapi learned about as a child when she overheard adults around her. In the book, the related images, drawn in Satrapi's characteristically unadorned but bold illustrations, are scenes that take place through the imagination of a young girl trying to grasp what has been happening to the adults in her life.

"I take the book's banning as a huge compliment," writes Satrapi in her introduction to the 20th anniversary edition, which collects both English language volumes and also includes a new cover image. Over time, the memoir - both as a book and film - has elicited strong reactions for a host of reasons, many of them perplexing, even contradictory. They include, for example, the work's supposed depictions of sexuality ("I still don't know where those scenes are," Satrapi quips in her introduction); of communism (Marx is a cartoon character - with a keen sense of humor - in young Marjane's imagination); its general religious imagery (Marjane's version of God is downright garrulous at times, and in fact, as the young protagonist notes, looks a whole lot like Marx); and its Islamic content, which has been described by some as promoting Islam, by others as Islamophobic.

These challenges, outnumbered as they are by the readers and educators who have adopted the book into their course content and brought it into countless local and home libraries, are a particularly telling response to a work that, at its heart, is about growing up with and through books. In fact, from early in the memoir, young Marjane is pictured as a girl happily surrounded by towers of tomes. Like her frequently depicted loving and judicious parents, or her cheeky but wise grandmother, they offer yet another affirming, if singularly metaphorical, embrace in an otherwise hostile and dispiriting environment.

Indeed, over the course of the work, the protagonist turns to books at pivotal moments, particularly when she is feeling overwhelmed or confused about events unfolding around her. When her parents send her to Austria on her own, at just 14 years old, in order to continue her schooling away from the terrors of state and institutional authorities, her mother assures her: "Above all, I trust your education." As readers we know that the education to which her mother refers is largely unofficial. It is the one shaped by the rich Persian culture and history passed onto her by the bibliophiles and nonconformists in her orbit. Later, far from home and a bit older, she burrows back into books when she needs to orient herself, as when the pressures to assimilate feel overwhelming. Books help Marjane find a way back to herself, not because they tell her what to think but because, on the contrary, they remind her that - equipped with all kinds of information, ideas and stories - this decision will always be hers.

As a memoir told in comics that are both comical and also deeply serious, sometimes at the same time, what might potentially bewilder certain audiences is the unorthodox packaging of this complex and deeply moving story. Told through the eyes of a heroine whose moral compass is better defined than many of the adults around her, even as her naiveté is a source of endearment as well as amusement, Persepolis reminds its readers that children and teens are more often tuned in to the ways of the world than the adults around them are willing to admit. It's exceptional - and perhaps for that reason a bit unsettling - when a piece of art, or literature, can so thoroughly capture that basic, but easily forgotten, reality.
Tahneer Oksman is a writer, teacher, and scholar specializing in memoir as well as graphic novels and comics. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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A look at the tumultuous life of 'Persepolis' as it turns 20

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Marjane Satrapi's memoir has a history of garnering controversy - it's been on the ALA's list of most challenged books and continues to be the subject of debate about inclusion in school curriculums.

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This analysis into Persepolis dives into the Iranian Revolution's impact on women. Renata Carlos Daou states that Persepolis provides a good look into a young girl's life and the normal issues that come about. However, Daou explains that Satrapi's experience is unique due to her position in Iran. She also states how the book is unique in the fact that the author is a woman since there was massive censorship towards women during the revolution. Daou begins to explain Satrapi's depictions of religious fundamentalism on women under the Khomeini government and how it was illegal to kill a virgin. Since Satrapi was extremely outspoken in school and public, Satrapi's mother was afraid she would be killed after being violated for her behavior which influenced her decision into sending her to Vienna.

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The Iranian Revolution and its Influence on Women

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An analysis of Persepolis, The Islamic Revolution in Iran, and how that influenced the lives of women

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This article on Persepolis goes in depth on the Iranian part of this war. As much as war had ruined the country. The article talks about how a lot of it was self-inflicted damage. Such as warmongering with Iraq, its radicalization of young soldiers, religious fanaticism, the valorization of martyrdom, and also the punishment done to their people, such as torturing women who didn't wear a veil. The second part of the article talks about the complicity of the Iranian people at this time. For example, when her mother told her that one must forgive, but later she was told that forgiving can be dangerous. This explains the moral conflict that was imposed on Marjene by others when she was just a child and was confused about how she should feel.

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Violence, Forgiveness, and Justice Theme in Persepolis | LitCharts

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This short article while giving a resume of the book also show us the historical context in which it happened, the picture above is from the march that Marji and her Maid went, the "Black friday" one of the last breaking points the people had before the end of the revolution. The article emphasizes the view of Marji through the story and how events shake her way of thinking. How the war affected her and her family for more longer than she though, since her gradfather, uncle and father all were revolutionaries at some point. But due to their safety her parents decide to stop going to protest, and when the war between Iran Irak she feels proud and nationalist, but that feeling gets mixed up when she sees all teh casualties and learns about the kidsoldiers

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The article goes over Satrapi's piece of Persepolis from a feminist narrative that explores her visual storytelling. From this narrative, we realize how much Satrapi did for society in terms of censorship and marginalization under the regime. It pulls off scholars such as Chandra Mohanty or Nima Naghibi in order to challenge binaries and create a more complete society.

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The Complete Persepolis: Visualizing Exile in a Transnational Narrative

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The Complete Persepolis: Visualizing Exile in a Transnational Narrative - IranNamag

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Leila Sadegh Beigi received her PhD in English literature from the University of Arkansas, where she is an instructor of literature. Her writing focuses on the intersection of gender, exile, and translation in contemporary Iranian women’s literature. Her recent publications include “Simin Daneshvar and Shahrnush Parsipur in Translation: The Risk of Erasure of Domestic Violence …

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‘The little girl in Persepolis has grown up’: Marjane Satrapi on life after her hit graphic novel – and her radical new work

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As a new wave of protests sweep Iran, the author explains why she has returned to drawing. Plus: an extract from her new collection of protest cartoons

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This is a news article by The Guardian which covers Marjane Satrapi, who is the little girl which the graphic novel is based. It covers how Marjane has grown!

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‘The little girl in Persepolis has grown up’: Marjane Satrapi on life after her hit graphic novel – and her radical new work

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As a new wave of protests sweep Iran, the author explains why she has returned to drawing. Plus: an extract from her new collection of protest cartoons

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The article titled "Un-veiling and revealing: un-layering constructions of the self in Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis 1 and Persepolis 2" explains how Marjane discovers her self identity. The author compares Marjane's life to a teenager that has more freedom of self expression who lives in a country that does not oppress its people. For example, he or she will find out who they are and express themselves through clothing and hair. It is a way for their peers to recognize them as an individual. Conversely, Marjane lived her teen years during the Iran-Iraq War. The government enforced women to wear veils and clothing that covered their skin. The theocratic government told women that their hair and skin would make men lustful. Thus, Marjane was unable to express her identity through her hair and clothing choices. The Islamic government wanted men and women to follow rules of Islam. Marjane discovers what she likes in the comfort of her own home. Her parents bought her a denim jacket, punk shoes, and rock posters. She tried to wear her new clothes outside but she was threatened by older women. Marjane learned her lesson and stopped trying to express her identity in public.

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This article is about how Satrapi uses symbolism & narratives to explore Iranian nationalism during the revolution and war. It gives intricate detail about how the main protagonists begins to accuse those of not having loyalty and trust in the government. This piece also explains in conclusion that over the expansion of the war, it was evident that Iran's backbone was nationalism in the late 70's and 80's.

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Throughout history, the rise of nationalism has always played an important part in building a country's cultural distinctiveness, for better or for worse. It plays such a role because it helps bring about a common goal, which in turn helps promote the support for one's own nation and its interests, which nationalism entails. Persepolis, a graphic novel written by French-Iranian author Marjane Satrapi, illustrates from first-hand experience the impact nationalism has had in the history of Iran, particularly during the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s. In the novel, she portrays how nationalist sentiment had manifested itself in the latter years of the reign of the Shah, as well as throughout the early years of the Islamic Republic. In doing this, Satrapi uses the symbolism of the revolution and the martyrs of the war to depict the dichotomy of nationalism in Iran.

Throughout the novel, Marji, the main protagonist, engage in accusing those around them of being unpatriotic due to their distrust of the government. Marji herself comes to a conclusion about her dad based on his lack of agreement with Marji, who seems confident in Iranian victory, describing him as being "no patriot" and a "defeatist" (83). The use of the word "defeatist" to describe her father emphasizes both her optimism in the army of her nation and her view of the father as having a lack of loyalty to his nation. Furthermore, Marji's reaction to her father not being "a hero" of the country emphasizes her lack of respect for people like her father, a powerless man, who is diminished in her eyes for being what she would consider unpatriotic (54). After all, she is of the belief that in order for structural political change to come about, "the entire population must support it", a monolithic image that is often spread with nationalistic ideologies (17). When introducing Uncle Anoosh, Satrapi notes the fact he was shunned by his family for his anti-Shah views, with her grandfather describing him as "a traitor!" (55) The imperative mood conveyed by the use of an exclamation point in the sentence combined with Satrapi's use of the word "traitor" in the sentence conveys the toxic nature of his message. This attitude to those who sport anti-government ideology is one that is also held by others seen in the novel. For example, the continued description of Anoosh's uncle by her grandfather as his "idiotic brother" also conveys the iniquity of questioning nationalism in relation to the Shah, which becomes a symbol of the herd mentality for the Iranian people at this time, following nationalist politicians who push adverse and unrealistic messages to them. This is exemplified in chapter 9, in which the people succumb to a mentality of excluding people who seem to stray away from the messages of support for the government. On page 67, Satrapi describes this mentality, saying that "All the former revolutionaries became the sworn enemies of the republic" (67). This has also seemed to manifest itself in mob mentality, which although juvenile in nature, serves as part of the larger nationalistic violence that came about during the revolution. For example, Satrapi declares alongside her friends that "In the name of the dead million, we'll teach Ramin a good lesson" (45). In this situation, she begins to engage in threats with a kid over something that is rumored that his father has done, not using logic but resorting to the nationalistic methods of ostracizing their fellow citizens, reinforcing the potentially harmful aspects of local propaganda.

In the middle of the novel, Iranians such as Marji are portrayed as patriots ready to spill their own blood for their people. The portrayal of Iranians as patriots ready to be martyred play a key role in displaying the negatives of Iranian nationalism that came about following the Iranian Revolution. This has been displayed multiple times throughout the novel. For example, Marji justifies her newfound patriotism at the beginning of the novel, declaring that she "had to take action" and put her "prophetic destiny aside for a while", a message that shows the prioritization of her country over her own childhood (10). This idea is reinforced by the militant portrayal of Marji and her friends on page 10 (shown above), in which they are shown carrying guns and ammunition while chanting "Down with the King!" In both instances, she is only a ten-year-old, and yet she seems to be transitioning from childhood to adulthood. In the previous climate, during which the Shah reigned with Western ideas, this would be considered unacceptable, however, because Iran has a very nationalistic society at this point, even someone as young as her is encouraged to engage in this type of action.

Another example of this taking place can be found during her interactions with other people at the start of the revolution. Satrapi describes the action of martyrdom as one that will "inject blood into the veins of society," an image that Satrapi uses to address the legitimization of violence (115). It is almost a representation of the idea that violence is the way to save the nation of Iran, implying that no death is without purpose and all death is worth it because the nation and society benefit from it in some way. At the outset of the war with Iraq, she declares that her "blood is boiling" and that she is "ready to defend my country against these Arabs who kept attacking us", a historical image that is meant to reinforce the idea that she is a nationalist for her country willing to stand up to all forms of aggression, serving as a representation of the more positive aspect of Iranian nationalism at this point in time (81).

Throughout the novel, the impact of the Iran-Iraq War is used to convey the effects of Iranian nationalism. The war served as fresh propaganda for the newly installed Iranian regime, who according to Marji believed that "the survival of the regime depended" on it, an example of how the government can exploit people's patriotism and grief for their own purposes (114). The insertion of certain symbolisms occurring have also served to further the manipulation that Iranian nationalism had brought about. For example, when Marji describes herself as being "overwhelmed" following the playing of the Iranian anthem, it serves to convince Marji that the war is just (83). At a time when her country was in a tragic situation, and Marji had started to lose pride in her country, the old national anthem became a symbol of the old days of the former regime and for her, relatively better times that saw Iran as a stable country.

People have also often been manipulated under the same circumstances under the guise of being a patriot. With war seemingly surrounding Iranian life, many Iranian men were sent to the front as part of the army contingent. According to Satrapi, the nationalist rhetoric presented to the newly recruited soldiers gives an image "that the afterlife is even better than Disneyland", which is supplemented by more propaganda that "put them in a trance with all their songs." Due to the connotation, the word has with lacking control is an indicator of how manipulative it really was for the Iranians who were consuming this information (101). The "key of paradise" ended up being a lie promised by nationalist politicians, with the victims being the soldiers who it was meant to attract by promising a more powerful Iran, being reduced to being "exploded on the minefields with their keys around their necks" (102). With all of this going on at the same time, Marji gets wrapped up in the evils of nationalism during the war, telling her father that "We have to teach those Iraqis a lesson!" also has to grapple with the fact that her father can be a hero without going to war (81).

As Iran changed over the course of the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, it becomes evident from the behaviors of the Iranian people that nationalism has supported the backbone of Iranian society in the late 70s and throughout the 80s. Through the common themes of heroism and martyrdom, Satrapi successfully conveys the evolution of her country and society while also presenting the consistency and permanence of Iranian nationalism.

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"Sheep": An analysis of the tools used to depict Iranian nationalism in Satrapi's "Persepolis"

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Throughout history, the rise of nationalism has always played an important part in building a country's cultural distinctiveness, for better or for worse. It plays such a role because it helps bring...

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This article by NPR celebrates the 20th anniversary of Persepolis. Based on Marjane Satrapi’s life, her graphic novel depicts the life of a young Iranian during the Cultural Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. It talks about how the story revolves around repression, family, resistance, and identity. It also details how her graphic novel has been used as a tool to educate and empower others. Additionally, it covers Persepolis’ critical acclaim, film adaptation, and history of censorship. Then connected it to the recent protests in Iran (2023).

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The English translation of the now classic memoir Persepolis by comics artist, painter and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi turned 20 this year - and it's being celebrated with the release of a new hardcover edition in August.

Based on the author's life and told in spare but dramatically rendered black-and-white comics, it tells the story of a young, precocious, outspoken girl who grows up in Iran during the 1979 revolution - and its tumultuous aftermath, including the Iran-Iraq War. She, her family and others around them struggle to adjust to living in the new Islamic Republic, with its oppressive rules. Many of them also rally around one another, putting their survival and comfort regularly on the line for the sake of love and self-determination.

The changed laws in Iran famously included compulsory head coverings in public for all women and girls over the age of 9, regardless of personal beliefs. But, among other things, the laws also decreased the ages at which girls and boys were allowed to marry as well as limited the rights of women to initiate divorce and retain custody of their children. As of late, Satrapi, who has not returned to Iran in over two decades, has been back in the news. This is largely a result of the ongoing protests and civil unrest catalyzed by the death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in September 2022. Amini died while in police custody, after being detained for the way she was wearing her head covering.

The rekindled public opposition to religious authorities in Iran has unsurprisingly led back to Satrapi and her work. "What I have lived, the youth is living now," she said in an interview with The Guardian last fall.

The cartoonist, who has described her autobiographical comics as an ode to her home country, first published the memoir in four installments, between 2000 and 2003, in France, where she moved after leaving Iran when she was still in her 20s. The work was put out in two volumes in an English translation shortly thereafter. In 2007, the already critically renowned Persepolis broadened its reach when it was adapted into an animated film, co-directed by the author - albeit after some hesitation - and ultimately earning a Jury Prize at Cannes. The film, which includes the voice of famous French actress Catherine Deneuve in the role of Marjane's mother, was promptly condemned by Iranian authorities.

Persepolis has a long history of garnering controversy, and well beyond the author's home country. In 2014, the book was second on the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged books. The work was first taken to task in the U.S a year earlier in the Chicago Public School System, for its inclusion in a 7th-grade curriculum. It was deemed by its challengers as inappropriate due to its "graphic language and images," including several brief scenes documenting the torture of political prisoners - situations young Satrapi learned about as a child when she overheard adults around her. In the book, the related images, drawn in Satrapi's characteristically unadorned but bold illustrations, are scenes that take place through the imagination of a young girl trying to grasp what has been happening to the adults in her life.

"I take the book's banning as a huge compliment," writes Satrapi in her introduction to the 20th anniversary edition, which collects both English language volumes and also includes a new cover image. Over time, the memoir - both as a book and film - has elicited strong reactions for a host of reasons, many of them perplexing, even contradictory. They include, for example, the work's supposed depictions of sexuality ("I still don't know where those scenes are," Satrapi quips in her introduction); of communism (Marx is a cartoon character - with a keen sense of humor - in young Marjane's imagination); its general religious imagery (Marjane's version of God is downright garrulous at times, and in fact, as the young protagonist notes, looks a whole lot like Marx); and its Islamic content, which has been described by some as promoting Islam, by others as Islamophobic.

These challenges, outnumbered as they are by the readers and educators who have adopted the book into their course content and brought it into countless local and home libraries, are a particularly telling response to a work that, at its heart, is about growing up with and through books. In fact, from early in the memoir, young Marjane is pictured as a girl happily surrounded by towers of tomes. Like her frequently depicted loving and judicious parents, or her cheeky but wise grandmother, they offer yet another affirming, if singularly metaphorical, embrace in an otherwise hostile and dispiriting environment.

Indeed, over the course of the work, the protagonist turns to books at pivotal moments, particularly when she is feeling overwhelmed or confused about events unfolding around her. When her parents send her to Austria on her own, at just 14 years old, in order to continue her schooling away from the terrors of state and institutional authorities, her mother assures her: "Above all, I trust your education." As readers we know that the education to which her mother refers is largely unofficial. It is the one shaped by the rich Persian culture and history passed onto her by the bibliophiles and nonconformists in her orbit. Later, far from home and a bit older, she burrows back into books when she needs to orient herself, as when the pressures to assimilate feel overwhelming. Books help Marjane find a way back to herself, not because they tell her what to think but because, on the contrary, they remind her that - equipped with all kinds of information, ideas and stories - this decision will always be hers.

As a memoir told in comics that are both comical and also deeply serious, sometimes at the same time, what might potentially bewilder certain audiences is the unorthodox packaging of this complex and deeply moving story. Told through the eyes of a heroine whose moral compass is better defined than many of the adults around her, even as her naiveté is a source of endearment as well as amusement, Persepolis reminds its readers that children and teens are more often tuned in to the ways of the world than the adults around them are willing to admit. It's exceptional - and perhaps for that reason a bit unsettling - when a piece of art, or literature, can so thoroughly capture that basic, but easily forgotten, reality.
Tahneer Oksman is a writer, teacher, and scholar specializing in memoir as well as graphic novels and comics. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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A look at the tumultuous life of 'Persepolis' as it turns 20

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Marjane Satrapi's memoir has a history of garnering controversy - it's been on the ALA's list of most challenged books and continues to be the subject of debate about inclusion in school curriculums.

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I found this book on google scholar and the section about Persepolis analyzes how the narrator becomes increasingly aware of the tension happening in her country and how she gradually grows out of her youthful mindset. They go on to talk about how Persepolis captures the mindset and attitude of a lot of teens and that teens can maybe relate to the author and her journey. This book recommends that before reading Persepolis, even if you do have prior knowledge of Iranian history, it would be a good idea to compare and contrast pictures from before and after the revolution and to analyze it to start thinking critically.

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Paula Greathouse, Ph.D., is a clinical assistant professor at the University of West Florida where she works in the doctoral program. She was a secondary English and Reading teacher for sixteen years.

Andrew L. Hostetler, Ph.D., is an associate professor of the practice of social studies education at Vanderbilt University. His teaching and scholarship focuses on social studies methods, literacy in social studies, human geography, and teaching difficult discourses for community engagement and social change. He was a secondary social studies teacher for nine years.

Melanie Hundley, Ph. D., is a professor of the practice of English education at Vanderbilt University. Her teaching and scholarship focuses on digital and multimodal composition, teacher preparation, and young adult literature. She teaches writing methods courses and young adult literature.

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Exploring History through Young Adult Literature

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Giving students opportunities to read like historians has the potential to move their thinking and understanding of history in monumental ways. In Exploring History through Young Adult Literature: High School, Volume 2 each chapter presented in this volume provides high school readers with approaches and activities for pairing a young adult novel with specific historical events, eras, or movements.

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This article opens up by talking about how Marjane Satrapi's "Persepolis" is the story of a young girl navigating the world of a war-torn country through cutesy black-and-white illustrations. It talks about how a child in a warring environment views the world around her and emphasizes how her innocence and the adults around her were significant in shaping her views. Throughout the story, Marji is constantly feeling how her home changes and how she is forced to grow up into "Marjane", the girl in her now transfigured world.

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Graphic novel shows the horror of war and extremism - Youth Journalism International

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YJI’s Kayla Chan reviews the autobiographical graphic novel “The Complete Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi, about growing up in Iran after the revolution and during the Iran-Iraq War.

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Author: Sophie (May 11, 2024 on essmatsophie.com)

Summary:
This blog post explores how Persepolis uses stark, minimalist visuals and a fragmented narrative structure to depict the trauma of the Iranian Revolution and Iran–Iraq War. Sophie highlights how scenes like Marji’s uncle’s execution or the bombing of Tehran avoid graphic depiction yet convey deep psychological wounds through suggestion and absence. She also discusses how Marji’s distinct silhouette against identically veiled classmates visually emphasizes the struggle between individuality and oppressive conformity. Drawing Trauma: Visualizing Traumatic Memory in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis

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Retracing Traumatic Experience in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis – The Entanglements of Collective History and Personal Memory

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The comics medium has frequently been used to articulate the otherwise unspeakable nature of traumatic experience. In works ranging from Art Spiegelman’s Maus to Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, we see that the combination of visual and verbal modes of representation can materialize trauma in a way that transcends a solely textual form. In her Persepolis series, Marjane Satrapi details her experience of historical trauma from the perspective of her childhood self. Her simplistic, minimalist drawing style, resembling that of a child, makes visible the atrocities of war in an unrealistic but easily digestible format. Satrapi disrupts master-narratives of Iranian history on two levels – one as told by ideologically driven revisionists of the Iranian Revolution, and the second as created by the seemingly progressive liberalism of the West. By transcribing the trauma of her childhood in and later exile from Iran, she constructs a countermemory of Iranian historical experience specifically aimed at Western readers. Satrapi thereby demonstrates that the process of retracing traumatic events, in her case, through comics, works against the larger cultural silence of Iranian people who are vilified in Western representations of Iran.

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This article provides a summary of Persepolis and what life was like for Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraqi War. It explains how Satrapi uses black and white drawings and her personal stories to show how the Iranian people were affected by the government and war. She explains the meaning behind Persepolis and how Satrapi resisted oppression in everyday life. The article also talks about how she struggles with her personal identity as a young girl trying to figure out who she is while being surrounded by war and political turmoil. It provides thoughtful insight and analysis of the text and explains that Persepolis is not just about Satrapi but about showing the oppression Iranians went through at the time.

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TeachMideast - An Educational Initiative of the Middle East Policy Council

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Persepolis: A Graphic Memoir of Identity, Resistance, and Resilience - TeachMideast

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Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis is a groundbreaking graphic autobiography depicting her childhood and early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. Persepolis, referring to an ancient Persian city of the same name, reflects the deep cultural and historical roots that underpin her story. Through bold black-and-white illustrations and candid storytelling, Satrapi tells her

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This is a theme analysis that explores the haunting life that Iranian people had to face during the time in Persepolis. The piece goes into detail about how the author and narrator, Marjane Satapi, portrayed the violence that the Shah and the Islamic Republic caused to their people. The analysis comes to a conclusion by stating that Marjane figured out that a lot of the corruption happening in Iran was due to a lot of self-inflicted harm. It also explores the evolution of Marjane's understanding of one's involvement in crime, but also the ability to be forgiving to those individuals who were part of the radicalization.

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Violence, Forgiveness, and Justice Theme in Persepolis | LitCharts