Summary of persepolis written by marjane satrapi

Persepolis Reading Response Questions
Use one of the following questions (or create one of your own) to write a reading response that demonstrates your engagement and critical thinking in regards to Persepolis.
1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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?
4. 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?
5. Satrapi explores the different kinds of captivities and freedoms people face in their lives. What stifles or prevents people from being completely free? How do they circumvent and defy the rules imposed on them? How do people attempt to live ordinary lives despite revolution and war? Give examples of specific acts of rebellion from the book, from the world, or from your own life.
6. “ Every situation has an opportunity for laughs” (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?
7. “ In spite of everything, kids were trying to look hip, even under risk of arrest” (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 what ways is Satrapi just a normal kid?
Book Report: Conflicting Philosophies
Persepolis is a book of 341 pages written by Marjane Satrapi and published in October 2007. The title refers to Persepolis which is a historical city. The setting is during a revolutionary period in Iran marked with social injustice with a postmodern genre. As a child, she desired to be a prophet but the turbulent period in the country changed her dreams. She takes courageous steps by publicly involving herself in activities prohibited by the current regime.
Marjane emphasizes the principle by opposing the hostile regime. She attempts to change the dressing codes of society by adopting the western culture. The difficulty she meets makes her comply with the tyrannical regime until she travels to study abroad. She was introduced to Zoroaster since her childhood. Dualistic teachings were the core values of the Persian religion. One of the teachings was a belief in one god, Ahura Mazda who loved peace and truth. The Islamic view conflicted mightily with the Persian religious customs and led to a tug of war that could not be quenched. This idea supports Zoroaster’s argument that two forces in disagreement determine the history of the world (Lewis, David and Kraemer, Christine 236).
Persepolis has a good structure of conflicting philosophies.