Persepolis

Although Satrapi is quite young in Persepolis, she sometimes allows her adult voice through to narrate the story. Write an essay analyzing why she shifts between a mature and childlike narrator.

Why does Satrapi decide to create a graphic memoir of her story rather than a straightforward memoir or piece of visual art? What does this genre allow for that conventional writing would not?

Write an essay examining how the evolving artistic style throughout the book reveals Satrapi’s evolving maturity. How does her style change at pivotal moments? How do the images correspond with the textual story?

In the Introduction of the book, Satrapi states, “[Iran] has been discussed mostly in connection with fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism. As an Iranian who has lived more than half of my life in Iran, I know that this image is far from the truth” (2). Write an essay arguing whether Persepolis creates a different image of Iran for you as a reader.

Satrapi’s family values education above all else, but her school transforms into an oppressive and fundamentalist place. How does Satrapi “educate” herself about the world around her outside of school? Find three instances of outside “education” and analyze why they are significant to her.

Throughout the book, Satrapi pairs images of experiences happening to different people in Iran at the same time. Choose one of these juxtapositions and analyze it. Why does Satrapi pair these two images together? How does this impact you as a reader?

Uncle Anoosh reminds Satrapi that it is important to learn and preserve their family’s history no matter what, even if it is difficult. What is the role of storytelling and preservation of memory in Persepolis? Why does it matter, and how does Satrapi achieve this goal?

Persepolis is a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age tale. Why does Satrapi pair her childhood story with the story of the revolution in Iran? How does the political history supplement her own history?