How and Why Is a Social Group Represented in a Particular Way? Persepolis
Which social groups are marginalized, excluded or silenced in the text?
Outline: * Show how Marjane Satrapi grew up under oppression during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. * Give and explain evidence of how the author presents that different social groups were marginalized/silenced. * Show how Marji and her parents shared the same beliefs when making reference to the regime. The graphic novel Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, explores her childhood years in the middle of the Islamic Revolution. Situated in the commotion of the overthrowing of the Shah's regime, and the war with Iraq, the reader learns how secularists, nationalists and even Muslims marginalized, excluded and silenced the modernists in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Through the eyes of herself as a child, Satrapi shows how the period brought out and affected different parts of society in multiple ways. By analyzing different scenarios in the novel, this essay will show that Satrapi’s use of symbolism and imagery create tension in Persepolis, which, in turn, reveal differences in social classes and their respective marginalization. From the very first page of the text the author explores the theme of growing up under oppression. She introduces herself and the troubles of the Islamic revolution through the symbolic implications of the veil. The first frame presents a portrait of Marjane Satrapi wearing the veil with a vacant, expressionless gaze. The caption reads, “This is me when I was ten years old. This was in 1980” (p.3), setting the tone with a hopeless portrait of herself, as the reader immediately notices she is depressed. In the next frame, Marji sits alongside three other girls, and it is impossible to distinguish her from the rest given they all look the same. Thematically, the juxtaposition of these two frames alludes to the lack of individuality at the time, making the reader see the discouraging effect this had on the youngsters, they all look out of humor and
Outline: * Show how Marjane Satrapi grew up under oppression during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. * Give and explain evidence of how the author presents that different social groups were marginalized/silenced. * Show how Marji and her parents shared the same beliefs when making reference to the regime. The graphic novel Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, explores her childhood years in the middle of the Islamic Revolution. Situated in the commotion of the overthrowing of the Shah's regime, and the war with Iraq, the reader learns how secularists, nationalists and even Muslims marginalized, excluded and silenced the modernists in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Through the eyes of herself as a child, Satrapi shows how the period brought out and affected different parts of society in multiple ways. By analyzing different scenarios in the novel, this essay will show that Satrapi’s use of symbolism and imagery create tension in Persepolis, which, in turn, reveal differences in social classes and their respective marginalization. From the very first page of the text the author explores the theme of growing up under oppression. She introduces herself and the troubles of the Islamic revolution through the symbolic implications of the veil. The first frame presents a portrait of Marjane Satrapi wearing the veil with a vacant, expressionless gaze. The caption reads, “This is me when I was ten years old. This was in 1980” (p.3), setting the tone with a hopeless portrait of herself, as the reader immediately notices she is depressed. In the next frame, Marji sits alongside three other girls, and it is impossible to distinguish her from the rest given they all look the same. Thematically, the juxtaposition of these two frames alludes to the lack of individuality at the time, making the reader see the discouraging effect this had on the youngsters, they all look out of humor and