Persepolis Study Questions
Persepolis Study Guide Questions
Introduction
1. Satrapi is trying to dispel the stereotypical image that all Iranians are fundamentalists, extremists, or terrorists. 2. The author’s two motives for writing the book are to dispel the stereotype and to honor the memory of those who fought for freedom and died.
“The Veil” 1. The novel begins in 1979. 2. The two outcomes of the Islamic Revolutions were the shutting down of bilingual schools, and the girls had to wear veils. 3. The children dislike the veil; they don’t understand why they have to use it so they take it off or use it to play. 4. The new regime made boys and girls go to different classes, they were not together anymore. 5. The veil symbolizes religion …show more content…
and the power the new “king” had over them. 6. The bilingual school symbolized capitalism of decadence. 7. Women did have a response to the veil, they didn’t like it. Most women shouted “freedom” and that makes us think the veil was a form of dictatorship. 8. There was a picture of Marjane’s mother taken by a journalist and this was because she was in a protest against the veil and the new dictatorship. It was shown around the world to see what was happening there. Her mother got scared and therefor changed her hair color and wore dark glasses for a long time. The reason behind this is that if the dictator knows who this person is then he might do something against her and her family. 9. In the picture on page 6 there is a girl who has half the veil on and half being avant-garde. It represents the conflict she has with being religious and being modern. Deep inside she is religious but she can’t express it the way she wants to because of modern times, they are different. 10. When marji was six she decided to be a prophet, and was convinced she was the last one. 11. Marji wanted to be a prophet to have equal rights, for example her maid sitting with them, because her father had a Cadillac, and above all, because her grandmothers knees ached. 12. Zarathustrian was the first prophet of her religion, and his three rules where, behave well, speak well, and act well. 13. Marji has had various encounters with God himself. She spends hours talking to him about her decision of becoming a prophet. 14. The theme of Marji’s rules seem to be the equality of people, she tell her grandma that she wants everyone to have a Cadillac, she wants the maid to seat with them and many others reasons. 15. The answer she gave t her grandmother reveals that she doesn’t know how to make her biggest wish true, she just wants it. 16. Other boys and girls laughed at Marji’s decision to become a prophet, while her teacher called her parents because she thinks they should be worried. 17. Marji tells her parents she wants to be a doctor instead of telling them she wants to be a prophet because she wants that to be kept secret. 18. Marji wants to implement three attributes of God in her rules, one to have justice, secondly she wants love a, and lastly she wants the wrath of God in all. I think that these represent her wish of equality and it also represents how strongly she believes in religion.
The Bicycle 3. They were three revolutionaries and this is important because she was in the middle of a revolution 4. Children reflect the political realities of the world because they to act like Che, Fidel and Trotsky inventing a revolution of their own 5. The simile is the bicycle because it represented freedom since you can go almost anywhere with a bike 6. The metaphor was that the Persians have been under the rule of many different 7. Persians faced oppression from their own emperors, the Arab invasion from the west, the Mongolian invasion from the east, and modern imperialism. 8. Rezai, Dr. Fatemi and H.Ashrap were all revolutionaries from Iran. 9. Dialectic materialism was Marji’s favorite book. 10. Marx and Descartes were characters in the book of Dialect Materialism and Descartes believed that the material world didn’t exist and Marx didn’t believe so. 11. Books shape the public sentiment because they enlightened people to new ideas. 12. The picture on pg. 13 is ironic because she is comparing Marx a human to a god. 13. Marji’s relationship with god begins to change because she starts to ignore him and it seems like if she doesn’t want to be a prophet anymore and gods come to ask her about this and she just wants to change the topic and she also leaves him out now. 14. The Rex cinema was burned down and the police and firemen didn’t respond on purpose and they blamed the revolutionaries for the fire and this was bad because it would make the revolutionaries like criminals. 15. The image on page 15 shows the people in the Rex cinema burning to death and not being able to escape. 16. After Marji asks that to god if she looked like Che Guevara, god left because she was now ignoring him. 17. Marji’s underlying motive to join her parents in the demonstration is that she wants to be a revolutionary like Che Guevara and she wants to actually stand for her believes.
The Water Cell 18. On pg. 18 we see how the revolution is going on and that it’s getting more violent because people are getting shot. Also the soldiers are dressed in black like if they were death squads. 19. Marji’s parents find her request to play monopoly humorous because they are thinking about very serious stuff and they cannot just go on playing a game while a revolution is going on also the game is about properties and gaining money. 20. According to Marji god chose the king. Her rational was that it said so on the first page of her schoolbook. Her father said that that’s what they say because he knew what really happened and wanted her daughter to know the truth. 21. The two contrasting views of the Republican ideal were that some interpreted it as Gandhi in India (non-violent) and other as Ataturk in Turkey (more religious). 22. Reza differ from Gandhi and Ataturk because he was an uneducated general unlike Gandhi who was a lawyer and Ataturk who was a leader of men. 23. Reza’s initial political motive was to overthrow the emperor and establish a republic. He later trades the oil from his country to British in exchange of British help to get him to become emperor and not a republic like he wanted before. He does it because he fells good about it and is uneducated. 24. A puppet government is a government that is controlled by a foreign nation but a has a country native figure “running” the government. The real emperor of Persia was Britain. Another example of a puppet nation could be Nicaragua when it was under Somoza because the US put Somoza as president to assure their alliance with Nicaragua and to maintain it against communism during the cold war. 25. Marji learns that the emperor that was overthrown by Reza was her mom’s grandfather. This adds to the conflict because now Marji is more related to the revolution that’s going on because its against the Reza bloodline that overthrew her own. 26. The image at the bottom of pg. 22 shows that under the grandpa of Marji Persia was peaceful and free but then came represented as a lion or a violent figure and that it took over the good peaceful emperor and then changed everything to his ways which were more violent. Now she’s got a positive view about the monarchy because her grandfather was part of one. 27. The four things that happened to the emperor family was that all he owned was confiscated, also he was sent to jail, he was put in a cell full of water for hours and was forced to work for the regime. 28. The new government role that Marji’s grandfather took was to be prime minister of Reza. He later started to meet intellectuals since now he wasn’t a prince and he started studying Marx and communism because he was disgust that people were condemned to a bleak future by their social class. 29. Marji’s mother revealed in the flashback that her father was in prison and that he was in very bad conditions and that all his life was in pain. Marji’s father said that that is past because probably he didn’t want Marji to hear anymore of this. 30. I think that god return after a very long absence because he saw that now Marji needed him for guidance.
Persepolis
31. Marji’s grandmother initial response to questions about the past was that she tried to change the topic but later told Marji that is was very hard for all the family because they lived in poverty. 32. The strength of using cartons to tell the story is that you can see the cartoons emotions but the limitation is that you can only take their reactions in one way because you cannot use your own imagination that much. 33. Shah’s rule compared to Reza was ten times worse and he never kept his promises unlike all the leaders before him. 34. At the bottom of pg. 27 is symbolic because he looks very honest and good but it’s ironic because he ends being one of the worst emperors. 35. Cyrus the Great was one of the ancient emperors of Persia and he was so important because during his reign Persia was THE superpower of the world and the one of the largest empires of all time. 36. Marji’s father took pictures of a demonstration and this made Marji’s mother nervous. This activity was forbidden because it demonstrated the violence that was committed by the government. 37. What happens when a second dead man is carried out on a stretcher during a demonstration is that revolutionaries were calling him a hero and a martyr and it was ironic because he died of cancer and not because of the revolution. 38. What happens next that surprises Marji and amuses her family is that the widow then also starts saying that the king murdered her husband.
The Letter 39. Ali Ashraf Davishian was an author. He wrote about the work of the poor at young age. 40. Marji feels ashamed because she has a Cadillac and a maid while she is reading of children at young age that are already working for hours. This is connected to the revolution because the revolution is about social-classes and she is in the higher social classes than most of the people that are revolting. 41. Mehri was Marji’s maid. She joins the family because her parents couldn’t take care of her and gave her to Marji’s family. Marji view her as a good friend and Mehri saw Marji as her sister. 42. Marji helps Mehri for six month by writing all the letter to her neighbor who Mehri liked because Mehri couldn’t read and write. 43. The new of Mehri’s clandestine affair reached Marji’s father because Mehri’s younger sister who worked for one of Marji’s uncle also fell in love with the neighbor but she was jealous and told Marji’s uncle about it who later told Marji’s father. The outcome was that the father clarified to the neighbor that Mehri was their made and not her daughter. He told this to the neighbor because he believed that their love was impossible because they were from different social classes. 44. Marji’s was confused about the break up because she knew that it was wrong that people couldn’t be married just because they were born to different social classes because it wasn’t their fault that they where born in that family so she decided to go with Mehri to the revolution. 45. On black Friday a lot of people were killed because of the revolution but Marji learned it was their own who attacked them. 46. The irony in the picture of pg. 38 is that Marji and Mehri are out their yelling in the street for revolution but if the revolution succeeds Mehri wont probably work for them anymore since this is a revolution about social classes.
The Party 47. The symbolism on pg. 40 is that you can see in the Shah’s follower’s faces that they are also getting tired of him and want him out. Also by the top picture we can see that hundreds of people are dying but the Shah is still calling for democracy, which doesn’t make sense. 48. To appease the people he tried many different prime ministers to help him but he didn’t like any of them so he failed. 49. The picture on pg. 42 differs from that of pg. 40 because now everyone is happy because the Shah was gone unlike in pg. 40 in which they were all suffering. 50. The US changed its public policy towards Iran because before they were closed friends with the Shah but now they wouldn’t accept the exile Shah in the US. 51. Anwar Al-Sadat is the president of Egypt and he offer refuge to the Shah because they had been friends for a long time and they both betrayed countries of the region to make a pact with Israel. 52. According to Marji’s dad the Middle East will never have peace because of its oil. 53. What contributes to Marji’s anger and confusion when she return to school is that now the teacher is telling them to rip all the photos of the Shah of their books and before the teacher said the Shah was chosen by god. 54. Marji’s neighbor made up that am spot on the cheek she had was from a bullet and this shows that now everyone wants to say they were part of the revolution so that they are seen as good and heroic. 55. Marji and her friends want to attack Ramin because his father was in the secret police of the Shah and is supposedly said that he killed millions. This behavior can be seen in Nicaragua because many people say that the President Daniel Ortega is an assassin and many people want him dead. 56. The two lessons that Marji learn from her mother are that she has to do justice and learn to forgive. 57. Ramin believes his father is not a murderer because he says that his fathers murdered communist and communist are evil. His comment reflect the attitude of other children because this is what their fathers make them believe when they know they did something wrong.
The Heroes 58. 3000 political prisoners were released after the Shah stepped down from power. 59. According to Laly her father Saimak was on a trip. What Marji responded was that generally when someone was told to be on a trip it was that they were dead. 60. What Marji learns about the truth is that it’s sometimes hard to accept and that no one will accept the truth. 61. Saimak and Mohsen had been in prison for the last several years for speaking against the government. 62. What united the prisoners was the prison because they all got to know each other and they lived together through their most horrible experiences in life. 63. The CIA led the training in torture practices. 64. On pg. 51 Marji looks very disturbed by the stories of prison and her response was that she didn’t knew that appliances such as an iron could be used for torture and that it was a good thing that Laly’s father wasn’t killed in prison. 65. After Marji and Laly learn the truth Marji admitted she was wrong about Laly’s father trip and Laly says that her father was a hero and she was still kind of mad at Marji for thinking he was dead. 66. According to Marji someone who was a hero was someone who survived prison. 67. The war corrupted the innocence of children like Marji because they are learning about all this tortures and they get affected in their minds and start playing dangerous games that include tortures. 68. The ethical dilemma that Marji faces was that before her mother believed that people should be forgiven but now she wants revenge against the torturers so this confuses Marji. My opinion about justice is that people who do wrong should be punished by putting them in prison but their shouldn’t be any death sentences because only God has the right to take life away and not us. 69. Now that the revolution was over Marji decides to abandon her comic trips and go back with god.
Moscow
70. What motivated Marji lie about her father was that she wanted her father to be seen as a hero. I think this behavior is normal because anyone wants to make their fathers look like the best father in the world. 71. Anoosh was Marji’s father’s brother and Marji likes him a lot because he was in prison so she saw him as a hero. 72. Fereydoon was an uncle of Marji’s father, and his goal was to free Iran province by province. 73. Anoosh abandon Fereydoon because Shah’s soldiers surrounded him and he could do nothing about it. 74. Anoosh later went to his father’s house. I would characterize him as smart because if he would’ve stayed and died all hi movement would’ve been lost but with him alive he could start again with the freedom of Iran. 75. Anoosh’s fathers reaction to his return was that why he had come and didn’t stay with his uncle and this was because he didn’t like what his son was doing since he was a follower of the Shah. 76. Anoosh had to leave so quickly after his arrival because he knew the police was looking for him so he went to the USSR. 77. Fereydoon was visited by his wife before his execution and the condition was permitted because his wife paid the guard. 78. I learned that mothers in Iran who were unmarried were shunned and lived like in hell. 79. Anoosh studied Marxism-Leninism in the USSR. Marji’s response to her uncle shows that she knew about that topic. 80. What Anoosh reveals about his past was that he got divorced and he says that Russians don’t know how to love. 81. The picture at the top of pg.60 is symbolic because it shows that you can always depend in your family and that you will never stop to think about them. 82. Anoosh attempts to leave his old life by getting a fake passport and disguise to try to get back in to Iran but he failed because he was recognized and was sent to prison for 9 years. 83. What caused Anoosh to suffer most in his life was his wife because he didn’t receive any love from her. 84. Anoosh primary motive to share his story with Marji is that he doesn’t want the family memory to ever be lost. 85. The gift that Anoosh gives Marji is a duck made out of bread, which he made in prison. It symbolizes freedom because ducks can fly and go anywhere and he escaped prison and now is free like a duck. 86. Marji’s conflict at the beginning of the chapter reaches a resolution because she now learned that she has heroes in her family and that’s what she wanted. The underlying theme is Marji’s definition of a hero in this chapter.
The Sheep 87. The sheep is an important title because it represents the people of Iran which were most illiterate so they could be manipulated like sheep under his owner. 88. What Eby and Anoosh find so troubling about the revolution is that it was supposed to be a leftist revolution and the republic wants to be called Islamic. 89. According to Anoosh it’s nearly impossible to persuade the population to follow Marxism because more than half of it was illiterate. 90. The reported outcome of the elections was that 99.99% voted for the Islamic Republic and Marji’s father explains this results by telling her that the elections were stolen. 91. The two possible consequences about the people ignorance is that half of the population doesn’t know how to read so this tells us that hey didn’t have an education and don’t really know what’s happening so they believe everything in the TV which is not always true. 92. Marji’s parents refuse to leave Iran because they don’t want to end up as a taxi driver and a maid. Their opinion on those who left is that they will regret it and come back. 93. The news that the phone call brings is that Mohsen was found dead. Anoosh responded by saying that everything will be all right. 94. What happens next is that Saimak’s sister was murdered. 95. Sartrapi carries the symbolism on this chapter because its called sheep and Saimak’s family escape by hiding among a flock of sheep’s. 96. On pg. 66 Anoosh looks worried with his reaction unlike in the previews news where he still was optimist. 97. What makes Marji suspect that something happened to Anoosh was that he didn’t come to pick her up to school and she believes that the trip about Moscow was just another “trip” which means he was dead. 98. Anoosh final wish was that one day the proletariat will rule and that Marji was the girl he always wanted to have since they connected. 99. Symbolism on pg. 69 is that Anoosh seems to really care about Marji by the he is hugging her. 100. Anoosh was executed under the premise of being a Russian spy. 101. God comes to visit Marji after Anoosh death and she tells him to leave immediately. 102. The literary and artistic elements on pg. 71 help convey the mood and theme because Anoosh just dies and we see the duck on the newspaper which represents the relationship between Anoosh and Marji so here we Marji destroyed by Anoosh death.
The Trip 103. The US response to the embassy was that nobody would be able to go from Iran to the US because they couldn’t get a visa. This was upsetting for Marji because she wouldn’t be able to see her friend Kaveh 104. The new Islamic Republic impact the educational system by closing all universities and they would revised all the books to ensure that nothing the children are reading will lead them away from the path of Islam. 105. The impact the Islamic republic had on young women like Marji was that they wouldn’t be able to have a complete education. 106. The consequences that women like Marji’s mom face if they failed to comply with the new fundamentalist guidelines as that they would probably be raped and then thrown into the garbage. 107. The rational for making the veil obligatory was that women’s hair excite men o for their safety they should wear the veil. 108. Fundamentalist women and men differentiated from the modern women or man because the fundamentalist women wore a veil that covered them all while the modern women let a few strands of hair to show. Fundamentalist man wore a bear and the shirt hanging out and the modern man was shaved and the shirt tucked in. Neckties were a symbol of the west. 109. What Marji meant when she said “There was a kind of justice, after all.” Was that both men and women were affected evenly. 110. Ordinary citizens responded to the new guidelines by accepting them. 111. Marji should tell people that she prays during the day. 112. On pg. 77 the scene shows Marji and her family on a flying carpet which demonstrates that they are in a dreamlike vacation and there is this famous tower in Italy that shows that they went their and a Spanish ballerina. 113. What startles Marji’s family at the hotel is that hey see a black cloud going over Iran and they believe it’s a report about pollution. 114. Marji’s grandmother meets them at the airport and they are happy to be back at home. 115. “There is no place like home is ironic” because their home is at war and war is not a comfortable place to be. 116. The last Arab invasion had been 1,400 years ago. The reason for this second invasion was that the fundamentalists tried to stir up their allies against Saddam. 117. How Marji responds to the news of invasion is that she wants to fight.
The F-14’s 118. Marji sees Iraq’s fighter jets above 119. After the attack on Tejran Marji wants to fight back her father said that why should he fight. 120. Marji reflect that Iranians believed that Arabs hate them and her dad responded that the real invasion came from their own government. 121. The reflection of war is that it started when no one expected it and that it bring the family together. 122. Marji behavior towards her parent reflects how she just thinks stuff and doesn’t reflect about them because all the time she is saying to bomb the Iraqi’s. 123. It would be impossible for Iran to retaliate effectively against Baghdad because they needed pilots for that but all the pilots were in jail. 124. Marji’s was angry with her father because she believed he wasn’t patriotic because he disproved any idea Marji had about fighting back. 125.
It was unusual to hear the national anthem because it was replaced by the new government’s Islamic hymn and the national anthem had not been played for a year. 126. The television reports that 140 F-14’s from Iran bombed Baghdad. The initial reaction of Marji’s dad was that they couldn’t believe what the TV always said and this was because he just told Marji that it was impossible for and Iranian air attack to happen because their were no pilots but this news contradicted him but then when he also hears the radio he starts to jump in excitement. 127. The outcome of the attack on Baghdad was that half of the Iranian planes didn’t make it back. 128. Marji response towards the teachers writing assignment was a 4 page text about the war but the teacher wasn’t very impressed. 129. Pardisse describe in her paper how she promises her dead father to take care of her mother and little brother. Marji tried to console her by saying that her father was a true hero and Pardisse responded by saying that se would prefer to have him alive and in jail instead of dead and a hero. Marji learns from this that not everyone who dies is seen as a hero by everyone because some people would rather to have him alive and normal like Pardisse and her father.
The
Jewels 130. One of the ramifications of the nations political conflict was that the stores were left with almost no supply at all. 131. Marji’s mom criticizes capitalism because she says that if there were no food that this civilized people would each other and that if everyone only took what they needed their would be enough food for everyone. 132. Iranians had to ration their supplies by filling jerry cans to have gasoline. 133. The symbolism on pg. 89 shows that a fire is engulfing the cars, which shows how the war is affecting everyone and is growing on everyone just like a fire does. 134. Mali’s family was living in Abadan which was a city that got bombed by the Iraqi’s and Marji’s family reacts by calling them but no one answered the phone. I think that Mali’s family is either dead or has escaped. 135. The shoppers express that since the refugees have descended on Tehran they can’t get anything to eat anymore. 136. Refugee families have lost everything they had built in their lifetime such as their house and money.
The Key 137. The Iranian army was different from the Iraqi army because the Iraqi army was modern but the Iranian had quantity. 138. The purpose of publishing Iran “martyr’s” was to get people excited about going to war and die as martyrs because someone that dies as a martyr goes straight to heaven. 139. A nuptial chamber was a kind of tomb built when a unmarried man died and it symbolizes carnal knowledge. 140. 141. The Persian philosophy of resignation was that “when a big wave comes lower your head and let it pass” which means to kind of avoid the bad stuff and just move on. 142. The educational system engrained the Persian philosophy by mourning the dead twice a day and the students had to hit themselves in their breast. 143. On the picture on pg. 95 we see the girls at school hitting their chest to mourn the dead and all the girls look frightened and sad showing that they didn’t like this. 144. One of the country’s rituals was to hit yourself and its purpose and its purpose was to live through some sort of pain for them to really know what their soldiers are going through so that they can honor them meaningfully. 145. The students started to ease the tension of a very serious by starting to make fun of the martyrs. 146. The teacher started to get angry with the students and punished them but the students were able to endure the treatment because they were completely united. 147. Marji’s generation was so rebellious because their generation had known secular schools and the teachers blamed the parents for their rebellious conduct. 148. The injustices that the parents see on the educational system is that the students have to hit themselves twice a day, wear a veil, and that are forbidden to play like children and ironic that they said the one about the veil but still they are wearing one and not doing anything about it. 149. Mrs. Arsine was her Marji’s family’s maid and she receives a plastic key from her son and it meant that if the kid died that this key would get them into heaven. She perceives this like he is getting recruited and is going to day in war. 150. Narsine’s description of paradise is that their will be plenty of food, women and houses made of gold and diamonds and this is ironic because he is worried about him but he is going to paradise. 151. The government recruits kids to serve on the army and they persuade them by telling them that the afterlife is even better than Disneyland. This practice was used during Guatemala’s revolution when kids were recruited by guerillas. The image on pg. 101 that disturbs me is the one where they are hypnotized because older men are using them and that is just sick. 152. The key to paradise was possessed by poor people because they were the easiest to be tricked on to believing in that key. 153. The picture on top on pg. 102 reflects that the young kids are dying and that key they are wearing on their necks is going to vanish along with their bodies on those explosions and isn’t going to open any paradise. 154. Clothing of the 80’s reflect political realities of that time period because people are dressing the 80’s style which represents freedom and peace and this is what they want in this time of war.
The Wine 155. Everyone seek for refuge because now the bomber where bombing Tehran and this environment shows the emotional state of the people in Iran because they are always scared and in a constant fear of what is going to happen next like when they all went running down the stairs to the basement. 156. Besides their own life other thoughts that plague families was the thought of if their family members where still alive and they would always call them after a bombing to check. 157. The interior of their homes reflect the external changes that were occurring because it showed how now they couldn’t even trust their neighbors since they put black curtains so that they couldn’t be seen and that because of all the bombings now they were putting tapes on the windows to protect themselves from the glass. 158. The forbidden item that the government found at Timoosh’s house were records, video cassettes, a deck of cards and a chess set and his dads punishment was that he got wiped 75 times. 159. Marji’s family continued to hold parties despite the danger because without them it wouldn’t have been psychologically bearable. 160. Marji’s dad brought light to the darkness at the party by playing his Zarb. 161. Mrs. Nassrin’s actions are symbolic because she is doing something illegal that she doesn’t want to do since she is crying “oh god forgive me”. 162. Marji get doubts about the “maternal instinct” when her aunt gave her the newborn baby and went running away. 163. The two violation’s Marji’s dad was guilty at the traffic stop was that he had been drinking and that he was wearing western cloth and his wife respond by saying that the officer was a young boy and that she could be her mother so to calm down. The condition of their release was that the officer went to their home to check they didn’t have any alcohol and Marji’s father paid the officer and he left. 164. Marji’s grandmother says she has diabetes so that she can stall the officer and she is really planning to throw all the alcohol on the toilet but ultimately they get rid of the officer by paying him.
The Cigarette 165. The war had been going on for two years. The local news reported that they had destroyed 13 Iraqi planes, but Marji then realizes this information is false. Since the BBC, which is a reliable source, reports that the Iraqi shot down two of their planes. 166. Marji’s motive to break her parent’s rules was to be friends with 14 year olds. The other time she violated their trust was by going to the demonstration in 1979. 167. Marji’s destination was Kansas in Jordan Avenue and it was known as the temple for the teenagers of the nice neighborhoods in North Tehran and it survived the regime’s repression out of ignorance or to give them a little free space. 168. The relationship between Marji and her mother was very tense during these days since Marji has broken her trusts many times. Marji refers to her mother as a dictator and Marji learns that everything comes at a time and place. 169. The effort to end the war was made by Iraq who proposed a settlement in which Saudi Arabia was willing to pay for reconstruction but it failed because the Iranian government was against it. 170. The motive for Iran launching an attack on Karbala was because it was a holy city in Iraq. 171. The symbolism on pgs. 115 and 116 is that the images show the war going on and Marji showing that it all happened for nothing. 172. The survival of the regime depended on the war and the human cost of this survival was one million lives. 173. The regime became more repressive by arresting and executing anyone who opposed them. 174. Marji’s symbolic act of rebellion was smoking a cigarette that she stole from her uncle and her response was that she hated it but she wouldn’t give up on it. 175. Marji has become an adult because now she believes in what she thinks and now she debates with her parents over her opinions and she stands for her opinions.
The Passport 176. The internal war had become a bigger conflict than the war against Iraq and this was manifested by killing anyone who opposed the government. 177. The borders of Iran were closed for three years. 178. On pg. 118 we can see irony because Marji’s uncle was prohibited to smoke but keeps on smoking and Marji was seen smoking on the last chapter. 179. The surprising philosophical comment that Marji makes to her parents is that at 14 you don’t need your parents anymore and my reaction was that as any kid going to the teenage this is a normal thought since I believed this in some cases but later one she will realize the she really needs them. 180. Marji’s parents view their daughter’s defiance differently by thinking she is just stubborn and blunt but that will help her later on in life. 181. The phone call brings the ominous news that uncle Tehar had his third heart attack. 182. In front of the hospital there is a request for the Iranian people to give blood to the wounded in war. The double meaning is that Iran is having severe losses in contradiction to what the radio said before. 183. Marji was surprised by the hospital visit because she got to see wounded people from war in which some cases some of them were missing legs. 184. Patients face the dilemma of not having passports so that they can be treated outside the country due to the war closing the countries borders. 185. The government delegates positions of power depending on how supportive a person is to the government and the religion and this can be seen because the window cleaner is now a director of a hospital and Marji’s aunt and her encounter with the Minister of Health was tense because he used to be her window washer. 186. Many of the severely wounded travel to Germany to be treated and this is ironic because Germany supplied the chemical weapons that wounded this people. 187. Marji’s aunt is angry at the doctor’s explanation of the war because she only cares for her husband. 188. Marji’s dad visits Khosro because he created fake passports and he needed one to get Taher out of the country to be treated and Khosro’s motive for assisting him is that his brother used to be in jail with his Anoosh. 189. Khosro’s family is in Sweden and he helps Miloufar because the government is searching her because she is communist and she is the sister of Khosro’s messenger boy. 190. Khosro’s services cost $200. 191. Taher’s only wish was to see his son for one last time and his dream could not be made because Khosro had to leave the country by emergency and couldn’t make his passport which prevented Taher from getting the treatment necessary for him to live. Ironically three weeks later on the same day he died his real passport arrived.
“Kim Wilde”
1. Marjis parents received their passports a year after her uncle died. When the borders reponed.One provision listed is that in the last page, “ It is strictly forbidden to travel in occupied Palestine with this document.”
211. Iran accommodate for its need for imports during the war us that nothing was imported just in the west.
212. The problems that Marji mom faced when she was in the trip to Istanbul was that they found the poster that they wanted; but she put to poster in the back of the coat. She show her ingenuity by putting the poster in the pack.
213. The way I will described the mood of the airport was in a bad way because they were asking a lot of question if they brought anything illegal.
214. Marji reaction to the Kim Wilde was very exiting to her and she was possession like she was the one of the poster. It change because she is acting like a kid that she admire someone or something.
215. Marji mother compare to other Iranian mothers is that she is very permissive.
216. The Iran food shortage been resolve by the growth of the black market. However, finding tapes was a little more complicated. On Gandhi avenue you could find them sometimes.
217. The purpose of the Guardians of the Revolution is that there were guardians of the revolution, the women’s branch. This group had been added in 1982, to arrest women who were improperly veiled. The encounter said to Marji, “that she is dress of punk.” Marji respond, “ that they are snickers and she is not dress like that.”
218. Marji have to go before the Committee was the HQ of the guardians of the revolution. The thing that it will happen is that they could detain her for hours, or for days. She inventied that her mother had died and her stepmother is cruel if she does not go home she will killed her.
219. The attitude of Marji is upset, mad, debated because she know that she is in trouble and she lied to someone older than her.
The Shabbat”
1. The new strategy was to use ballistic missiles against them. that Iranians “are Olympic champions when it comes to gossip” and they agree that it is probable that Iraq does not have such sophisticated technology.
2. The sirens signify that they had 3 mins to know if it had come to an end. She realizes that she doesn’t want to die. This shows that
3.
4.
“ The Dowry”
1. After Nedas death Marji becomes “a rebel”. At school One day, the principal attempts to take the jewelry and, in a fit of rage, Marjane hits the principal and knocks her down.
2. Satrapi learned that the new government or the Islamic regime no longer has political prisoners. She responds by standing up and tells the teacher that her uncle had been executed by the regime and that the number of prisoners has increased from 3,000 to 300,000 under the regime.
3. Her dad responds to her behavior in school is that he is proud of her for standing up to the lies but Marjane’s mother grabs her and shakes her because she says She tells her, “You know what they do to the young girls they arrest? ...You know that it’s against the law to kill a virgin...so a Guardian of the Revolution marries her... and takes her virginity before executing her.”
4. Her father tells her what happened to Niloufar the girl that had been hiding in Khoroso basement. The man that marries a girl is supposed to give the girl a dowry. If the girl dies, the family of the girl receives the dowry. This is how the family knew that Niloufar had been killed. The family received 500 Tumans, the equivalent of $5, for her life.
5. They tell her that they are sending her to Austria because it has become too dangerous for her in Iran. She is unsure of this at first, but her parents assure her that one of the best French schools in Europe is in Austria.
6. Her grandmothers advice is “always keep your dignity and be true to yourself”.
7. Young boys made a large segment of those leaving the country because by the age of 13 they were not allowed to leave the country anymore.
8. Maji’s dad says “Don’t forget who you are or where you come from.”
9. Marji’s memory before her parents leave is she sees her mother has fainted and her father is carrying her out of the airport. She thinks, “It would have been better to just go.”
Introduction
1. Satrapi is trying to dispel the stereotypical image that all Iranians are fundamentalists, extremists, or terrorists. 2. The author’s two motives for writing the book are to dispel the stereotype and to honor the memory of those who fought for freedom and died.
“The Veil” 1. The novel begins in 1979. 2. The two outcomes of the Islamic Revolutions were the shutting down of bilingual schools, and the girls had to wear veils. 3. The children dislike the veil; they don’t understand why they have to use it so they take it off or use it to play. 4. The new regime made boys and girls go to different classes, they were not together anymore. 5. The veil symbolizes religion …show more content…
and the power the new “king” had over them. 6. The bilingual school symbolized capitalism of decadence. 7. Women did have a response to the veil, they didn’t like it. Most women shouted “freedom” and that makes us think the veil was a form of dictatorship. 8. There was a picture of Marjane’s mother taken by a journalist and this was because she was in a protest against the veil and the new dictatorship. It was shown around the world to see what was happening there. Her mother got scared and therefor changed her hair color and wore dark glasses for a long time. The reason behind this is that if the dictator knows who this person is then he might do something against her and her family. 9. In the picture on page 6 there is a girl who has half the veil on and half being avant-garde. It represents the conflict she has with being religious and being modern. Deep inside she is religious but she can’t express it the way she wants to because of modern times, they are different. 10. When marji was six she decided to be a prophet, and was convinced she was the last one. 11. Marji wanted to be a prophet to have equal rights, for example her maid sitting with them, because her father had a Cadillac, and above all, because her grandmothers knees ached. 12. Zarathustrian was the first prophet of her religion, and his three rules where, behave well, speak well, and act well. 13. Marji has had various encounters with God himself. She spends hours talking to him about her decision of becoming a prophet. 14. The theme of Marji’s rules seem to be the equality of people, she tell her grandma that she wants everyone to have a Cadillac, she wants the maid to seat with them and many others reasons. 15. The answer she gave t her grandmother reveals that she doesn’t know how to make her biggest wish true, she just wants it. 16. Other boys and girls laughed at Marji’s decision to become a prophet, while her teacher called her parents because she thinks they should be worried. 17. Marji tells her parents she wants to be a doctor instead of telling them she wants to be a prophet because she wants that to be kept secret. 18. Marji wants to implement three attributes of God in her rules, one to have justice, secondly she wants love a, and lastly she wants the wrath of God in all. I think that these represent her wish of equality and it also represents how strongly she believes in religion.
The Bicycle 3. They were three revolutionaries and this is important because she was in the middle of a revolution 4. Children reflect the political realities of the world because they to act like Che, Fidel and Trotsky inventing a revolution of their own 5. The simile is the bicycle because it represented freedom since you can go almost anywhere with a bike 6. The metaphor was that the Persians have been under the rule of many different 7. Persians faced oppression from their own emperors, the Arab invasion from the west, the Mongolian invasion from the east, and modern imperialism. 8. Rezai, Dr. Fatemi and H.Ashrap were all revolutionaries from Iran. 9. Dialectic materialism was Marji’s favorite book. 10. Marx and Descartes were characters in the book of Dialect Materialism and Descartes believed that the material world didn’t exist and Marx didn’t believe so. 11. Books shape the public sentiment because they enlightened people to new ideas. 12. The picture on pg. 13 is ironic because she is comparing Marx a human to a god. 13. Marji’s relationship with god begins to change because she starts to ignore him and it seems like if she doesn’t want to be a prophet anymore and gods come to ask her about this and she just wants to change the topic and she also leaves him out now. 14. The Rex cinema was burned down and the police and firemen didn’t respond on purpose and they blamed the revolutionaries for the fire and this was bad because it would make the revolutionaries like criminals. 15. The image on page 15 shows the people in the Rex cinema burning to death and not being able to escape. 16. After Marji asks that to god if she looked like Che Guevara, god left because she was now ignoring him. 17. Marji’s underlying motive to join her parents in the demonstration is that she wants to be a revolutionary like Che Guevara and she wants to actually stand for her believes.
The Water Cell 18. On pg. 18 we see how the revolution is going on and that it’s getting more violent because people are getting shot. Also the soldiers are dressed in black like if they were death squads. 19. Marji’s parents find her request to play monopoly humorous because they are thinking about very serious stuff and they cannot just go on playing a game while a revolution is going on also the game is about properties and gaining money. 20. According to Marji god chose the king. Her rational was that it said so on the first page of her schoolbook. Her father said that that’s what they say because he knew what really happened and wanted her daughter to know the truth. 21. The two contrasting views of the Republican ideal were that some interpreted it as Gandhi in India (non-violent) and other as Ataturk in Turkey (more religious). 22. Reza differ from Gandhi and Ataturk because he was an uneducated general unlike Gandhi who was a lawyer and Ataturk who was a leader of men. 23. Reza’s initial political motive was to overthrow the emperor and establish a republic. He later trades the oil from his country to British in exchange of British help to get him to become emperor and not a republic like he wanted before. He does it because he fells good about it and is uneducated. 24. A puppet government is a government that is controlled by a foreign nation but a has a country native figure “running” the government. The real emperor of Persia was Britain. Another example of a puppet nation could be Nicaragua when it was under Somoza because the US put Somoza as president to assure their alliance with Nicaragua and to maintain it against communism during the cold war. 25. Marji learns that the emperor that was overthrown by Reza was her mom’s grandfather. This adds to the conflict because now Marji is more related to the revolution that’s going on because its against the Reza bloodline that overthrew her own. 26. The image at the bottom of pg. 22 shows that under the grandpa of Marji Persia was peaceful and free but then came represented as a lion or a violent figure and that it took over the good peaceful emperor and then changed everything to his ways which were more violent. Now she’s got a positive view about the monarchy because her grandfather was part of one. 27. The four things that happened to the emperor family was that all he owned was confiscated, also he was sent to jail, he was put in a cell full of water for hours and was forced to work for the regime. 28. The new government role that Marji’s grandfather took was to be prime minister of Reza. He later started to meet intellectuals since now he wasn’t a prince and he started studying Marx and communism because he was disgust that people were condemned to a bleak future by their social class. 29. Marji’s mother revealed in the flashback that her father was in prison and that he was in very bad conditions and that all his life was in pain. Marji’s father said that that is past because probably he didn’t want Marji to hear anymore of this. 30. I think that god return after a very long absence because he saw that now Marji needed him for guidance.
Persepolis
31. Marji’s grandmother initial response to questions about the past was that she tried to change the topic but later told Marji that is was very hard for all the family because they lived in poverty. 32. The strength of using cartons to tell the story is that you can see the cartoons emotions but the limitation is that you can only take their reactions in one way because you cannot use your own imagination that much. 33. Shah’s rule compared to Reza was ten times worse and he never kept his promises unlike all the leaders before him. 34. At the bottom of pg. 27 is symbolic because he looks very honest and good but it’s ironic because he ends being one of the worst emperors. 35. Cyrus the Great was one of the ancient emperors of Persia and he was so important because during his reign Persia was THE superpower of the world and the one of the largest empires of all time. 36. Marji’s father took pictures of a demonstration and this made Marji’s mother nervous. This activity was forbidden because it demonstrated the violence that was committed by the government. 37. What happens when a second dead man is carried out on a stretcher during a demonstration is that revolutionaries were calling him a hero and a martyr and it was ironic because he died of cancer and not because of the revolution. 38. What happens next that surprises Marji and amuses her family is that the widow then also starts saying that the king murdered her husband.
The Letter 39. Ali Ashraf Davishian was an author. He wrote about the work of the poor at young age. 40. Marji feels ashamed because she has a Cadillac and a maid while she is reading of children at young age that are already working for hours. This is connected to the revolution because the revolution is about social-classes and she is in the higher social classes than most of the people that are revolting. 41. Mehri was Marji’s maid. She joins the family because her parents couldn’t take care of her and gave her to Marji’s family. Marji view her as a good friend and Mehri saw Marji as her sister. 42. Marji helps Mehri for six month by writing all the letter to her neighbor who Mehri liked because Mehri couldn’t read and write. 43. The new of Mehri’s clandestine affair reached Marji’s father because Mehri’s younger sister who worked for one of Marji’s uncle also fell in love with the neighbor but she was jealous and told Marji’s uncle about it who later told Marji’s father. The outcome was that the father clarified to the neighbor that Mehri was their made and not her daughter. He told this to the neighbor because he believed that their love was impossible because they were from different social classes. 44. Marji’s was confused about the break up because she knew that it was wrong that people couldn’t be married just because they were born to different social classes because it wasn’t their fault that they where born in that family so she decided to go with Mehri to the revolution. 45. On black Friday a lot of people were killed because of the revolution but Marji learned it was their own who attacked them. 46. The irony in the picture of pg. 38 is that Marji and Mehri are out their yelling in the street for revolution but if the revolution succeeds Mehri wont probably work for them anymore since this is a revolution about social classes.
The Party 47. The symbolism on pg. 40 is that you can see in the Shah’s follower’s faces that they are also getting tired of him and want him out. Also by the top picture we can see that hundreds of people are dying but the Shah is still calling for democracy, which doesn’t make sense. 48. To appease the people he tried many different prime ministers to help him but he didn’t like any of them so he failed. 49. The picture on pg. 42 differs from that of pg. 40 because now everyone is happy because the Shah was gone unlike in pg. 40 in which they were all suffering. 50. The US changed its public policy towards Iran because before they were closed friends with the Shah but now they wouldn’t accept the exile Shah in the US. 51. Anwar Al-Sadat is the president of Egypt and he offer refuge to the Shah because they had been friends for a long time and they both betrayed countries of the region to make a pact with Israel. 52. According to Marji’s dad the Middle East will never have peace because of its oil. 53. What contributes to Marji’s anger and confusion when she return to school is that now the teacher is telling them to rip all the photos of the Shah of their books and before the teacher said the Shah was chosen by god. 54. Marji’s neighbor made up that am spot on the cheek she had was from a bullet and this shows that now everyone wants to say they were part of the revolution so that they are seen as good and heroic. 55. Marji and her friends want to attack Ramin because his father was in the secret police of the Shah and is supposedly said that he killed millions. This behavior can be seen in Nicaragua because many people say that the President Daniel Ortega is an assassin and many people want him dead. 56. The two lessons that Marji learn from her mother are that she has to do justice and learn to forgive. 57. Ramin believes his father is not a murderer because he says that his fathers murdered communist and communist are evil. His comment reflect the attitude of other children because this is what their fathers make them believe when they know they did something wrong.
The Heroes 58. 3000 political prisoners were released after the Shah stepped down from power. 59. According to Laly her father Saimak was on a trip. What Marji responded was that generally when someone was told to be on a trip it was that they were dead. 60. What Marji learns about the truth is that it’s sometimes hard to accept and that no one will accept the truth. 61. Saimak and Mohsen had been in prison for the last several years for speaking against the government. 62. What united the prisoners was the prison because they all got to know each other and they lived together through their most horrible experiences in life. 63. The CIA led the training in torture practices. 64. On pg. 51 Marji looks very disturbed by the stories of prison and her response was that she didn’t knew that appliances such as an iron could be used for torture and that it was a good thing that Laly’s father wasn’t killed in prison. 65. After Marji and Laly learn the truth Marji admitted she was wrong about Laly’s father trip and Laly says that her father was a hero and she was still kind of mad at Marji for thinking he was dead. 66. According to Marji someone who was a hero was someone who survived prison. 67. The war corrupted the innocence of children like Marji because they are learning about all this tortures and they get affected in their minds and start playing dangerous games that include tortures. 68. The ethical dilemma that Marji faces was that before her mother believed that people should be forgiven but now she wants revenge against the torturers so this confuses Marji. My opinion about justice is that people who do wrong should be punished by putting them in prison but their shouldn’t be any death sentences because only God has the right to take life away and not us. 69. Now that the revolution was over Marji decides to abandon her comic trips and go back with god.
Moscow
70. What motivated Marji lie about her father was that she wanted her father to be seen as a hero. I think this behavior is normal because anyone wants to make their fathers look like the best father in the world. 71. Anoosh was Marji’s father’s brother and Marji likes him a lot because he was in prison so she saw him as a hero. 72. Fereydoon was an uncle of Marji’s father, and his goal was to free Iran province by province. 73. Anoosh abandon Fereydoon because Shah’s soldiers surrounded him and he could do nothing about it. 74. Anoosh later went to his father’s house. I would characterize him as smart because if he would’ve stayed and died all hi movement would’ve been lost but with him alive he could start again with the freedom of Iran. 75. Anoosh’s fathers reaction to his return was that why he had come and didn’t stay with his uncle and this was because he didn’t like what his son was doing since he was a follower of the Shah. 76. Anoosh had to leave so quickly after his arrival because he knew the police was looking for him so he went to the USSR. 77. Fereydoon was visited by his wife before his execution and the condition was permitted because his wife paid the guard. 78. I learned that mothers in Iran who were unmarried were shunned and lived like in hell. 79. Anoosh studied Marxism-Leninism in the USSR. Marji’s response to her uncle shows that she knew about that topic. 80. What Anoosh reveals about his past was that he got divorced and he says that Russians don’t know how to love. 81. The picture at the top of pg.60 is symbolic because it shows that you can always depend in your family and that you will never stop to think about them. 82. Anoosh attempts to leave his old life by getting a fake passport and disguise to try to get back in to Iran but he failed because he was recognized and was sent to prison for 9 years. 83. What caused Anoosh to suffer most in his life was his wife because he didn’t receive any love from her. 84. Anoosh primary motive to share his story with Marji is that he doesn’t want the family memory to ever be lost. 85. The gift that Anoosh gives Marji is a duck made out of bread, which he made in prison. It symbolizes freedom because ducks can fly and go anywhere and he escaped prison and now is free like a duck. 86. Marji’s conflict at the beginning of the chapter reaches a resolution because she now learned that she has heroes in her family and that’s what she wanted. The underlying theme is Marji’s definition of a hero in this chapter.
The Sheep 87. The sheep is an important title because it represents the people of Iran which were most illiterate so they could be manipulated like sheep under his owner. 88. What Eby and Anoosh find so troubling about the revolution is that it was supposed to be a leftist revolution and the republic wants to be called Islamic. 89. According to Anoosh it’s nearly impossible to persuade the population to follow Marxism because more than half of it was illiterate. 90. The reported outcome of the elections was that 99.99% voted for the Islamic Republic and Marji’s father explains this results by telling her that the elections were stolen. 91. The two possible consequences about the people ignorance is that half of the population doesn’t know how to read so this tells us that hey didn’t have an education and don’t really know what’s happening so they believe everything in the TV which is not always true. 92. Marji’s parents refuse to leave Iran because they don’t want to end up as a taxi driver and a maid. Their opinion on those who left is that they will regret it and come back. 93. The news that the phone call brings is that Mohsen was found dead. Anoosh responded by saying that everything will be all right. 94. What happens next is that Saimak’s sister was murdered. 95. Sartrapi carries the symbolism on this chapter because its called sheep and Saimak’s family escape by hiding among a flock of sheep’s. 96. On pg. 66 Anoosh looks worried with his reaction unlike in the previews news where he still was optimist. 97. What makes Marji suspect that something happened to Anoosh was that he didn’t come to pick her up to school and she believes that the trip about Moscow was just another “trip” which means he was dead. 98. Anoosh final wish was that one day the proletariat will rule and that Marji was the girl he always wanted to have since they connected. 99. Symbolism on pg. 69 is that Anoosh seems to really care about Marji by the he is hugging her. 100. Anoosh was executed under the premise of being a Russian spy. 101. God comes to visit Marji after Anoosh death and she tells him to leave immediately. 102. The literary and artistic elements on pg. 71 help convey the mood and theme because Anoosh just dies and we see the duck on the newspaper which represents the relationship between Anoosh and Marji so here we Marji destroyed by Anoosh death.
The Trip 103. The US response to the embassy was that nobody would be able to go from Iran to the US because they couldn’t get a visa. This was upsetting for Marji because she wouldn’t be able to see her friend Kaveh 104. The new Islamic Republic impact the educational system by closing all universities and they would revised all the books to ensure that nothing the children are reading will lead them away from the path of Islam. 105. The impact the Islamic republic had on young women like Marji was that they wouldn’t be able to have a complete education. 106. The consequences that women like Marji’s mom face if they failed to comply with the new fundamentalist guidelines as that they would probably be raped and then thrown into the garbage. 107. The rational for making the veil obligatory was that women’s hair excite men o for their safety they should wear the veil. 108. Fundamentalist women and men differentiated from the modern women or man because the fundamentalist women wore a veil that covered them all while the modern women let a few strands of hair to show. Fundamentalist man wore a bear and the shirt hanging out and the modern man was shaved and the shirt tucked in. Neckties were a symbol of the west. 109. What Marji meant when she said “There was a kind of justice, after all.” Was that both men and women were affected evenly. 110. Ordinary citizens responded to the new guidelines by accepting them. 111. Marji should tell people that she prays during the day. 112. On pg. 77 the scene shows Marji and her family on a flying carpet which demonstrates that they are in a dreamlike vacation and there is this famous tower in Italy that shows that they went their and a Spanish ballerina. 113. What startles Marji’s family at the hotel is that hey see a black cloud going over Iran and they believe it’s a report about pollution. 114. Marji’s grandmother meets them at the airport and they are happy to be back at home. 115. “There is no place like home is ironic” because their home is at war and war is not a comfortable place to be. 116. The last Arab invasion had been 1,400 years ago. The reason for this second invasion was that the fundamentalists tried to stir up their allies against Saddam. 117. How Marji responds to the news of invasion is that she wants to fight.
The F-14’s 118. Marji sees Iraq’s fighter jets above 119. After the attack on Tejran Marji wants to fight back her father said that why should he fight. 120. Marji reflect that Iranians believed that Arabs hate them and her dad responded that the real invasion came from their own government. 121. The reflection of war is that it started when no one expected it and that it bring the family together. 122. Marji behavior towards her parent reflects how she just thinks stuff and doesn’t reflect about them because all the time she is saying to bomb the Iraqi’s. 123. It would be impossible for Iran to retaliate effectively against Baghdad because they needed pilots for that but all the pilots were in jail. 124. Marji’s was angry with her father because she believed he wasn’t patriotic because he disproved any idea Marji had about fighting back. 125.
It was unusual to hear the national anthem because it was replaced by the new government’s Islamic hymn and the national anthem had not been played for a year. 126. The television reports that 140 F-14’s from Iran bombed Baghdad. The initial reaction of Marji’s dad was that they couldn’t believe what the TV always said and this was because he just told Marji that it was impossible for and Iranian air attack to happen because their were no pilots but this news contradicted him but then when he also hears the radio he starts to jump in excitement. 127. The outcome of the attack on Baghdad was that half of the Iranian planes didn’t make it back. 128. Marji response towards the teachers writing assignment was a 4 page text about the war but the teacher wasn’t very impressed. 129. Pardisse describe in her paper how she promises her dead father to take care of her mother and little brother. Marji tried to console her by saying that her father was a true hero and Pardisse responded by saying that se would prefer to have him alive and in jail instead of dead and a hero. Marji learns from this that not everyone who dies is seen as a hero by everyone because some people would rather to have him alive and normal like Pardisse and her father.
The
Jewels 130. One of the ramifications of the nations political conflict was that the stores were left with almost no supply at all. 131. Marji’s mom criticizes capitalism because she says that if there were no food that this civilized people would each other and that if everyone only took what they needed their would be enough food for everyone. 132. Iranians had to ration their supplies by filling jerry cans to have gasoline. 133. The symbolism on pg. 89 shows that a fire is engulfing the cars, which shows how the war is affecting everyone and is growing on everyone just like a fire does. 134. Mali’s family was living in Abadan which was a city that got bombed by the Iraqi’s and Marji’s family reacts by calling them but no one answered the phone. I think that Mali’s family is either dead or has escaped. 135. The shoppers express that since the refugees have descended on Tehran they can’t get anything to eat anymore. 136. Refugee families have lost everything they had built in their lifetime such as their house and money.
The Key 137. The Iranian army was different from the Iraqi army because the Iraqi army was modern but the Iranian had quantity. 138. The purpose of publishing Iran “martyr’s” was to get people excited about going to war and die as martyrs because someone that dies as a martyr goes straight to heaven. 139. A nuptial chamber was a kind of tomb built when a unmarried man died and it symbolizes carnal knowledge. 140. 141. The Persian philosophy of resignation was that “when a big wave comes lower your head and let it pass” which means to kind of avoid the bad stuff and just move on. 142. The educational system engrained the Persian philosophy by mourning the dead twice a day and the students had to hit themselves in their breast. 143. On the picture on pg. 95 we see the girls at school hitting their chest to mourn the dead and all the girls look frightened and sad showing that they didn’t like this. 144. One of the country’s rituals was to hit yourself and its purpose and its purpose was to live through some sort of pain for them to really know what their soldiers are going through so that they can honor them meaningfully. 145. The students started to ease the tension of a very serious by starting to make fun of the martyrs. 146. The teacher started to get angry with the students and punished them but the students were able to endure the treatment because they were completely united. 147. Marji’s generation was so rebellious because their generation had known secular schools and the teachers blamed the parents for their rebellious conduct. 148. The injustices that the parents see on the educational system is that the students have to hit themselves twice a day, wear a veil, and that are forbidden to play like children and ironic that they said the one about the veil but still they are wearing one and not doing anything about it. 149. Mrs. Arsine was her Marji’s family’s maid and she receives a plastic key from her son and it meant that if the kid died that this key would get them into heaven. She perceives this like he is getting recruited and is going to day in war. 150. Narsine’s description of paradise is that their will be plenty of food, women and houses made of gold and diamonds and this is ironic because he is worried about him but he is going to paradise. 151. The government recruits kids to serve on the army and they persuade them by telling them that the afterlife is even better than Disneyland. This practice was used during Guatemala’s revolution when kids were recruited by guerillas. The image on pg. 101 that disturbs me is the one where they are hypnotized because older men are using them and that is just sick. 152. The key to paradise was possessed by poor people because they were the easiest to be tricked on to believing in that key. 153. The picture on top on pg. 102 reflects that the young kids are dying and that key they are wearing on their necks is going to vanish along with their bodies on those explosions and isn’t going to open any paradise. 154. Clothing of the 80’s reflect political realities of that time period because people are dressing the 80’s style which represents freedom and peace and this is what they want in this time of war.
The Wine 155. Everyone seek for refuge because now the bomber where bombing Tehran and this environment shows the emotional state of the people in Iran because they are always scared and in a constant fear of what is going to happen next like when they all went running down the stairs to the basement. 156. Besides their own life other thoughts that plague families was the thought of if their family members where still alive and they would always call them after a bombing to check. 157. The interior of their homes reflect the external changes that were occurring because it showed how now they couldn’t even trust their neighbors since they put black curtains so that they couldn’t be seen and that because of all the bombings now they were putting tapes on the windows to protect themselves from the glass. 158. The forbidden item that the government found at Timoosh’s house were records, video cassettes, a deck of cards and a chess set and his dads punishment was that he got wiped 75 times. 159. Marji’s family continued to hold parties despite the danger because without them it wouldn’t have been psychologically bearable. 160. Marji’s dad brought light to the darkness at the party by playing his Zarb. 161. Mrs. Nassrin’s actions are symbolic because she is doing something illegal that she doesn’t want to do since she is crying “oh god forgive me”. 162. Marji get doubts about the “maternal instinct” when her aunt gave her the newborn baby and went running away. 163. The two violation’s Marji’s dad was guilty at the traffic stop was that he had been drinking and that he was wearing western cloth and his wife respond by saying that the officer was a young boy and that she could be her mother so to calm down. The condition of their release was that the officer went to their home to check they didn’t have any alcohol and Marji’s father paid the officer and he left. 164. Marji’s grandmother says she has diabetes so that she can stall the officer and she is really planning to throw all the alcohol on the toilet but ultimately they get rid of the officer by paying him.
The Cigarette 165. The war had been going on for two years. The local news reported that they had destroyed 13 Iraqi planes, but Marji then realizes this information is false. Since the BBC, which is a reliable source, reports that the Iraqi shot down two of their planes. 166. Marji’s motive to break her parent’s rules was to be friends with 14 year olds. The other time she violated their trust was by going to the demonstration in 1979. 167. Marji’s destination was Kansas in Jordan Avenue and it was known as the temple for the teenagers of the nice neighborhoods in North Tehran and it survived the regime’s repression out of ignorance or to give them a little free space. 168. The relationship between Marji and her mother was very tense during these days since Marji has broken her trusts many times. Marji refers to her mother as a dictator and Marji learns that everything comes at a time and place. 169. The effort to end the war was made by Iraq who proposed a settlement in which Saudi Arabia was willing to pay for reconstruction but it failed because the Iranian government was against it. 170. The motive for Iran launching an attack on Karbala was because it was a holy city in Iraq. 171. The symbolism on pgs. 115 and 116 is that the images show the war going on and Marji showing that it all happened for nothing. 172. The survival of the regime depended on the war and the human cost of this survival was one million lives. 173. The regime became more repressive by arresting and executing anyone who opposed them. 174. Marji’s symbolic act of rebellion was smoking a cigarette that she stole from her uncle and her response was that she hated it but she wouldn’t give up on it. 175. Marji has become an adult because now she believes in what she thinks and now she debates with her parents over her opinions and she stands for her opinions.
The Passport 176. The internal war had become a bigger conflict than the war against Iraq and this was manifested by killing anyone who opposed the government. 177. The borders of Iran were closed for three years. 178. On pg. 118 we can see irony because Marji’s uncle was prohibited to smoke but keeps on smoking and Marji was seen smoking on the last chapter. 179. The surprising philosophical comment that Marji makes to her parents is that at 14 you don’t need your parents anymore and my reaction was that as any kid going to the teenage this is a normal thought since I believed this in some cases but later one she will realize the she really needs them. 180. Marji’s parents view their daughter’s defiance differently by thinking she is just stubborn and blunt but that will help her later on in life. 181. The phone call brings the ominous news that uncle Tehar had his third heart attack. 182. In front of the hospital there is a request for the Iranian people to give blood to the wounded in war. The double meaning is that Iran is having severe losses in contradiction to what the radio said before. 183. Marji was surprised by the hospital visit because she got to see wounded people from war in which some cases some of them were missing legs. 184. Patients face the dilemma of not having passports so that they can be treated outside the country due to the war closing the countries borders. 185. The government delegates positions of power depending on how supportive a person is to the government and the religion and this can be seen because the window cleaner is now a director of a hospital and Marji’s aunt and her encounter with the Minister of Health was tense because he used to be her window washer. 186. Many of the severely wounded travel to Germany to be treated and this is ironic because Germany supplied the chemical weapons that wounded this people. 187. Marji’s aunt is angry at the doctor’s explanation of the war because she only cares for her husband. 188. Marji’s dad visits Khosro because he created fake passports and he needed one to get Taher out of the country to be treated and Khosro’s motive for assisting him is that his brother used to be in jail with his Anoosh. 189. Khosro’s family is in Sweden and he helps Miloufar because the government is searching her because she is communist and she is the sister of Khosro’s messenger boy. 190. Khosro’s services cost $200. 191. Taher’s only wish was to see his son for one last time and his dream could not be made because Khosro had to leave the country by emergency and couldn’t make his passport which prevented Taher from getting the treatment necessary for him to live. Ironically three weeks later on the same day he died his real passport arrived.
“Kim Wilde”
1. Marjis parents received their passports a year after her uncle died. When the borders reponed.One provision listed is that in the last page, “ It is strictly forbidden to travel in occupied Palestine with this document.”
211. Iran accommodate for its need for imports during the war us that nothing was imported just in the west.
212. The problems that Marji mom faced when she was in the trip to Istanbul was that they found the poster that they wanted; but she put to poster in the back of the coat. She show her ingenuity by putting the poster in the pack.
213. The way I will described the mood of the airport was in a bad way because they were asking a lot of question if they brought anything illegal.
214. Marji reaction to the Kim Wilde was very exiting to her and she was possession like she was the one of the poster. It change because she is acting like a kid that she admire someone or something.
215. Marji mother compare to other Iranian mothers is that she is very permissive.
216. The Iran food shortage been resolve by the growth of the black market. However, finding tapes was a little more complicated. On Gandhi avenue you could find them sometimes.
217. The purpose of the Guardians of the Revolution is that there were guardians of the revolution, the women’s branch. This group had been added in 1982, to arrest women who were improperly veiled. The encounter said to Marji, “that she is dress of punk.” Marji respond, “ that they are snickers and she is not dress like that.”
218. Marji have to go before the Committee was the HQ of the guardians of the revolution. The thing that it will happen is that they could detain her for hours, or for days. She inventied that her mother had died and her stepmother is cruel if she does not go home she will killed her.
219. The attitude of Marji is upset, mad, debated because she know that she is in trouble and she lied to someone older than her.
The Shabbat”
1. The new strategy was to use ballistic missiles against them. that Iranians “are Olympic champions when it comes to gossip” and they agree that it is probable that Iraq does not have such sophisticated technology.
2. The sirens signify that they had 3 mins to know if it had come to an end. She realizes that she doesn’t want to die. This shows that
3.
4.
“ The Dowry”
1. After Nedas death Marji becomes “a rebel”. At school One day, the principal attempts to take the jewelry and, in a fit of rage, Marjane hits the principal and knocks her down.
2. Satrapi learned that the new government or the Islamic regime no longer has political prisoners. She responds by standing up and tells the teacher that her uncle had been executed by the regime and that the number of prisoners has increased from 3,000 to 300,000 under the regime.
3. Her dad responds to her behavior in school is that he is proud of her for standing up to the lies but Marjane’s mother grabs her and shakes her because she says She tells her, “You know what they do to the young girls they arrest? ...You know that it’s against the law to kill a virgin...so a Guardian of the Revolution marries her... and takes her virginity before executing her.”
4. Her father tells her what happened to Niloufar the girl that had been hiding in Khoroso basement. The man that marries a girl is supposed to give the girl a dowry. If the girl dies, the family of the girl receives the dowry. This is how the family knew that Niloufar had been killed. The family received 500 Tumans, the equivalent of $5, for her life.
5. They tell her that they are sending her to Austria because it has become too dangerous for her in Iran. She is unsure of this at first, but her parents assure her that one of the best French schools in Europe is in Austria.
6. Her grandmothers advice is “always keep your dignity and be true to yourself”.
7. Young boys made a large segment of those leaving the country because by the age of 13 they were not allowed to leave the country anymore.
8. Maji’s dad says “Don’t forget who you are or where you come from.”
9. Marji’s memory before her parents leave is she sees her mother has fainted and her father is carrying her out of the airport. She thinks, “It would have been better to just go.”