1. Persepolis Background
By: Marjane Satrapi
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis

2. Title
The title PERSEPOLIS comes from the Persian capital founded in the 6th century BC by Darius I, later destroyed by Alexander the Great. It’s a reminder that there’s an old and grand civilization, besieged by waves of invaders but carrying on through millennia, that is much deeper and more complex than the current-day view of Iran.

3. Persepolis Today

4. Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (mostly known as the
Islamic Revolution)
refers to events involving
the overthrow of Iran's
monarchy under Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

5. Revolution Continued
The first major demonstrations against the Shah began in January 1978.
The Shah left Iran
for exile in mid-
January 1979.

6. Revolution Continued The monarchy was replaced by an Islamic
republic under Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini.
Much of Persepolis reflects
on the injustice within the
country following the exile
of the Shah. .

7. Iranians’ Views of the Revolution
For some, it was an era of heroism and sacrifice that brought forth nothing less than the nucleus of a world Islamic state — "a perfect model of splendid, humane, and divine life… for all the peoples of the world.“
Other disillusioned Iranians explain the revolution as a time when "for a few years we all lost our minds“ and which "promised us heaven, but... created a hell on earth.”

8. Iran – Iraq War 1980-1988 Iraq invaded Iran for a few reasons:
Fears about the effects of the Iranian Revolution on Iraq
Iraq wanted to become the dominant Persian Gulf state
Figured they’d take advantage of the chaos from the Revolution

9. Novel Background Persepolis details Satrapi's life during
the war between Iran and Iraq.

10. Background Continued It is impressive that the
novel was created at all,
because of the importance
of one’s reputation in Iran
and the risks that Satrapi
took for she and her family.
To share a personal background and the history of one’s immediate family is ground breaking.

11. Background Continued Marjane's child's-eye-view of dethroned emperors,
state-sanctioned whippings,
and heroes of the revolution
allows us to learn as she
does the history of this
fascinating country and of
her own extraordinary family.

12. Background Continued
Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq.
Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

13. Reception
Drawn in black and white, the graphic novel found great popularity following its release.

14. Cultural Info Islam is a religion Muslim is a person practicing Islam
Nearly 1 in 5 people in the world today
Not all Islamic countries are Arabic
Not all Arabic countries are Islamic
Not all Muslims wear a veil (hijab)
Nowhere in Muslim law is violence permitted or advocated as a religious act