1. Themes in Persepolis Review: Broadly speaking, what is theme?
What is a theme concept or topic?
What is a theme statement?

2. With your table: Brainstorm 4 potential theme concepts for Persepolis

3. Did you come up with… Family? Conformity? Education? War? Revolution?
Religion?
Freedom?
Politics?
Theocracy?

4. What elements help develop themes into theme statements in graphic novels?

5. What elements help develop themes into theme statements in graphic novels?
Plot
Character
development,
perspective,
characterization,
and character interaction
Artistic Elements [graphic novel terms]
Historical context
any Literary Devices
Especially symbolism

6. New Phrasing: big elements are created by ‘smaller’ techniques
Theme is a big element of a text, created by smaller techniques.
What other ‘big elements’ can you think of?

7. Writing Task: literary devices  effect  theme development
Step 1: carefully examine each of the three sets of panels in the handout and write what you see; identify literary devices, graphic novel terms, your feelings, etc.
Share with your group.

8. Writing Task: literary devices  effect  theme development
Step 2: Then circle what you think it the dominant feature from each of the three lists you made.
What effect is created by this…

9. Writing Task: literary devices  effect  theme development
Step 3: What theme concept best fits with these three sets of panels? Which theme is Marjane Satrapi developing? Write it on the back.

10. Writing Task: literary devices  effect  theme development
Step 4: Turn your theme concept into a theme statement

11. Writing Task: literary devices  effect  theme development
Step 5: write a thesis about how Marjane Satrapi uses 3 smaller techniques to create an effect which develops a theme in Persepolis