Presentation by Magana Kabugi, Ellen Petersen and Christina Poe

 First published in French in 2000  Autobiographical novel about Marjane Satrapi’s experience growing up during the Iranian Islamic Revolution  Told in graphic novel (comic book) format

 Marjane Satrapi is a writer and cartoonist; born in Iran in 1969  Grew up during the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s; family was involved in Communist and socialist activism

 At 14, her parents sent her to Vienna to flee the Iranian regime  Lived on the street; nearly died of pneumonia  Returned to Iran; studied at Tehran Azad University  Popularity of graphic novels

 Republic in SW Asia bordered by Turkey, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan  Population: 65,875,233  Persians, Azeri, Gilaki & Mazandarani, Kurds and Arabs  Muslims (89% Shi’a, 9% Sunni), Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, Baha’i

 One of world’s oldest civilizations  First Iranian nation founded by Medes in 7 th Century BC  Originally called Persia  Changed to Iran in 1935 under Reza Shah  Country often invaded; culture survived  Zoroastrianism

 Reza Shah wanted to modernize Iran  Oil boom  Allies wanted Iran’s help in fighting Germany  Allies invade Iran  Mohammed Reza Pahlavi made new Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi

 Prime Minister Mossadeq nationalizes oil industry in 1951  Britain and CIA stage coup d'état in 1953  Mossadeq deposed; Shah reclaims power  Shah implements social and economic reforms known as the “White Revolution”; backed by U.S. government  Land distribution  Construction

 Over time, attitude towards the Shah becomes increasingly dissident  Shah overthrown, 1979  Iran becomes an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

 Religious Shi’a cleric and politician who fueled the Iranian Revolution  Opposed Shah Pahlavi’s “White Revolution” in 1963  Regarded the Shah’s objectives as dangerous Westernizing trends  Exiled in Iraq and France  Made Supreme Leader after overthrowing the Shah

 A story in which the narrative is told using sequential art  Graphic novels deal with a broad range of subjects and are in many languages  Various genres  Appeals to many different readers  Promotes literacy  Graphic novels being used more often in classrooms  Students analyze literary conventions as well as color, shading, panel layout, perspective and even lettering

 Marjane Satrapi on comics: “…Comics are just another medium to express yourself. It’s not cinema; it’s not literature; it’s just something else. It has a specific requirement, which is that images are used to tell the story.”  Was there a connection between the fact that Marji’s favorite book about the revolution was a comic and the way she chose to write her autobiography?  Are comics another form of protest?

As a young child, Marji is exposed to the hard reality of the violence and suffering of the Iranian Revolution. pg 48, she tells her friend that when someone is on a “trip”, it is usually an excuse for that person being dead. How is this an example of Marji losing her innocence and accepting the truth, which in her words, is “hard”? Is she forcing other children to go through their own childhood faster? What does her first cigarette represent on page 117? As immature as Marji’s civil disobedience was on page 98, what does it represent in a larger sense?

Why does she stop believing in God? Why does she want to be a prophet? What’s the significance of the depiction of God in this story? What is the significance of God’s image looking like Marx?

On pages , how does the school system indoctrinate young boys into joining the cause for the revolution? Why are religion and politics used? How did the ideology of the religious clerics affect the educational system? On page 37, Marji’s father explains to her that higher and lower social classes in Iran should not mix. Even Marji’s family is more liberal than the traditional religious hierarchy, why are they still using this framework of thinking?

Why did America and American popular culture have such huge influences on Marji? On page 43, why is Marji’s father distrustful of American President Jimmy Carter?

Why did her parents take such a big risk to bring Marji the Michael Jackson pin, Nike sneakers and Kim Wilde poster (page 128)? The parents didn’t particularly care for the USA—was there a conflict of interest?

Why does she refuse to wear the veil? Marji and her friends imagine themselves as Che Guevara, Leon Trotsky and Fidel Castro. What does this say about the kinds of revolutionaries they see themselves as?

What do we make of the American flag bedspread on page 95? Why did Satrapi choose the name Persepolis? Why did Satrapi write it in French and not her native language? Why is the entire novel in black and white?