The questions and discussion topics that follow are intended to
enhance your group's reading of
Persepolis by Marjane
Satrapi.
Persepolis is Satrapi's memoir of growing up in
Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white
comic strip images, 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. It is a childhood entwined
with the history of her country.
Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life
in Iran: the bewildering contradictions between home life and
public life and the toll that repressive regimes exact on the
individual spirit. Satrapi's child's-eye-view of dethroned
emperors, state-sanctioned whippings and executions, and heroes of
the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this
fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely
personal, profoundly political, and wholly original,
Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder
of the human cost of war and political repression.
As the
Los Angeles Times has written, "Although she may
not have intended it, Satrapi has grown into her youthful dream of
prophethood. She is a voice calling out to the rest of us,
reminding us to embrace this child's fervent desire that human
dignity reign supreme."
1. The New York Times hails Persepolis as "the
latest and one of the most delectable examples of a booming
postmodern genre: autobiography by comic book." Why do you think
this genre is so popular? Why did Satrapi chose this format in
which to tell her story? What does the visual aspect add that a
conventional memoir lacks? Have you read other graphic memoirs,
such as Maus by Art Spiegelman or Joe Sacco's
Palestine? How is Persepolis different and/or
similar to those? How does Persepolis compare to other
comic books? Would you call this a comic book, or does it transcend
this and other categories? Where would you place this book in a
bookstore? With memoirs, comic books, current events?
2. Written as a memoir, is Persepolis more powerful
than if Satrapi had fictionalized the story? Why or why not?
Compare this book to other memoirs you have read. What are the
benefits and drawbacks of memoirs?
3. In an Associated Press interview, Satrapi said, "The only
thing I hope is that people will read my book and see that this
abstract thing, this Axis of Evil, is made up of individuals with
lives and hopes." And in her introduction to Persepolis,
she explains that she wrote this book to show that Iran is not only
a country of "fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism." How does
Satrapi go about challenging this myth? How does
Persepolis dispel or confirm your views on Iran? In what
ways does reading this book deepen your understanding and knowledge
of Iran, and the current situation in Iraq?
4. How is Persepolis organized and structured? What has
Satrapi chosen to emphasize in her childhood? How is the passage of
time presented? Describe Satrapi's drawings. How do the drawings
add to the narrative of the story?
5. Describe the writer's voice. Is it appealing? Which aspects
of Marji's character do you identify with or like the most, the
least? Did your reaction to the little girl affect your reading
experience?
6. How did the revolution exert power and influence over so many
people, including many educated and middle class people like
Satrapi's parents? Why did so many people leave after the
revolution? Why do you think Marji's parents send her off to
Austria while they stay in Tehran? Why don't they leave/escape as
well?
7. "Every situation has an opportunity for laughs." (p. 97) Give
some examples of how the ordinary citizens of Iran enjoyed life
despite the oppressive regime. What made you laugh? How does
Satrapi add comic relief? How are these scenes relevant to the
story as a whole?
8. What kinds of captivity and freedom does the author explore
in Persepolis? What stifles or prevents people from being
completely free? How do they circumvent and defy the rules imposed
on them and attempt to live ordinary lives despite revolution and
war? Give some examples of their small acts of rebellion.
9. "In spite of everything, kids were trying to look hip, even
under risk of arrest." (p. 112) How did they do this? What do you
think you would have done had you been a child in this environment?
What acts of rebellion did you do as a teen? In way ways is Satrapi
just a normal kid?
10. What does Satrapi say regarding disparity between the
classes before and after the Iranian Revolution? Discuss some
examples that Marji witnesses and contemplates.
11. At the core of the book is Marji's family. What is this
family like? What is important to Marji's parents? What environment
do they create for their daughter despite living under an
oppressive regime and through a brutal, prolonged war? From where
do they get their strength?
12. What is the role of women in the story? Compare and contrast
the various women: Marji, her mother, her grandmother, her school
teachers, the maid, the neighbors, the guardians of the
revolution.
13. Discuss the role and importance of religion in
Persepolis. How does religion define certain characters in
the book, and affect the way they interact with each other? Is the
author making a social commentary on religion, and in particular on
fundamentalism? What do you think Satrapi is saying about
religion's effect on the individual and society?
14. In what ways is Persepolis both telling a story and
commenting on the importance of stories in our lives? What does the
book suggest about how stories shape and give meaning to our
experience? Discuss some of the stories in
Persepolis-Uncle Anoosh's story, her grandfather's story,
Niloufar's story.
15. What is Satrapi suggesting about the relationship between
past and present, and between national and personal history? What
role does her family history, and the stories of her relatives,
play in shaping Marji?