Introduction-
● Iran was called = “the origin of the Aryans,” by semi-nomadic Indo-European
invaders who come to the land in the second millennium B.C.
● Medes founded first iranian nation, cyrus the great destroyed it and established persian empire.
● From the sixth century B.C. until the twentieth century A.D., the name of this empire is Persia.
The Persian Empire is often attacked by foreign invaders because of its wealth, but the culture of
Persia remains intact.
● In the twentieth century, Reza Shah renames this Persian territory Iran. He seeks to modernize
Iran and engages the country with Western civilization.
● Oil is also been discovered in Iran which brings “another invasion.” Iran remains a neutral zone
during World War II, and so the allied powers invade and occupy the country. They send Reza
Shah into exile. He is succeeded by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, “known simply as the Shah.”
● In 1951, a new ruler, Mohammed Mossadeq, institutes a number of reforms and takes back
national control of the oil industry. The United States and Great Britain help to organize a coup
against Mossadeq and he is taken out of power. The Shah returns to Iran and rules until 1979
and the Islamic Revolution.
● Satrapi notes that since 1979, Iran has largely been discussed “in connection with
fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism.”, “that an entire nation should not be judged by the
wrongdoings of a few extremists.” the book is a memoir- an adults reflection of a childhood
experience. Through her two-dimensional medium, she counters a one-dimensional portrayal of
Iran as a repressive, terrorist nation.
https://prezi.com/rhpx973inchr/the-symbolic-use-of-black-and-white-in-persepolis/
Public stopped supporting Shah as he dealt with western nations and didn’t make strong economic
decisions. This was also the era of conflict b/w iran and iraq. The islamic revolution led by islamic
fundamentalists against modernism brought by Shah. the revolution brought the ruling of a fundamentalist
who had followers and rebels.
Motifs- (repeating element)
● Mirror/ self reflection- the mirror is an symbol that is repeated to show the transformation marji
had through self-reflection, therefore used metaphorically. The recurring act of perceiving a
reflection additionally depicts the protagonist’s protracted quest for identification, however, relies
upon the eye of the beholder. Satrapi makes this contingent relationship clear in the opening
page of the graphic novel.
, Marji, in her desperate attempt to
contribute to the Revolution, places a beret
with a red star on her head, and asks the
deity if she looks like Che Guevara. The
one-sided conversation is followed by a
panel of Marji alone, adorned in a patrol
cap, gazing into a mirror with an audacious
grin, her eyes shifted towards the right as if
she is addressing a closely located entity,
i.e. God. “Maybe I’ll be even better as Fidel
Castro!”. While the first panel depicts Marji
in the process of dress-up, her hands atop
her head, the second shows Marji fully-
dressed, her hands behind her back. The
two-panel sequence’s demonstration of the
progression from the movement of hands
to their stationary stance is a metaphor for
the conscious forging of identity. By
viewing the reflection of a metamorphosed
Marji, the audience arrives at the
conclusion that the young girl both creates
Not only does the mirror function as a commentary on the formation
and assumesof identity, but also
the persona of aascounter-
a
bridge between Islam and Marxism. The role of God as Marji’s listener
revolutionary.indicates that, while Marji
is a counter-revolutionary, she is a faithful and perhaps paradoxical one at that. In disclosing her
admiration for iconic Communists to a religious authority, young Marji makes no distinction
between opposing worldviews, indulging in what sociologist Richard Alba considers the “blurring
of socially delineated boundaries and assumption of a globalist’s frame of mind.” The shattering
of barriers is reaffirmed in her observation about the similar physical portrayals of secularist and
religious figures: “It was funny to see how much Marx and God looked like each other. Though
Marx’s hair was a bit curlier.”
Sees the
importance of
forgiving
Mirror an indication of the devil she turned
into, turns around with tears using emanata
to show the self- realization through self-
reflection.
● Iran was called = “the origin of the Aryans,” by semi-nomadic Indo-European
invaders who come to the land in the second millennium B.C.
● Medes founded first iranian nation, cyrus the great destroyed it and established persian empire.
● From the sixth century B.C. until the twentieth century A.D., the name of this empire is Persia.
The Persian Empire is often attacked by foreign invaders because of its wealth, but the culture of
Persia remains intact.
● In the twentieth century, Reza Shah renames this Persian territory Iran. He seeks to modernize
Iran and engages the country with Western civilization.
● Oil is also been discovered in Iran which brings “another invasion.” Iran remains a neutral zone
during World War II, and so the allied powers invade and occupy the country. They send Reza
Shah into exile. He is succeeded by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, “known simply as the Shah.”
● In 1951, a new ruler, Mohammed Mossadeq, institutes a number of reforms and takes back
national control of the oil industry. The United States and Great Britain help to organize a coup
against Mossadeq and he is taken out of power. The Shah returns to Iran and rules until 1979
and the Islamic Revolution.
● Satrapi notes that since 1979, Iran has largely been discussed “in connection with
fundamentalism, fanaticism, and terrorism.”, “that an entire nation should not be judged by the
wrongdoings of a few extremists.” the book is a memoir- an adults reflection of a childhood
experience. Through her two-dimensional medium, she counters a one-dimensional portrayal of
Iran as a repressive, terrorist nation.
https://prezi.com/rhpx973inchr/the-symbolic-use-of-black-and-white-in-persepolis/
Public stopped supporting Shah as he dealt with western nations and didn’t make strong economic
decisions. This was also the era of conflict b/w iran and iraq. The islamic revolution led by islamic
fundamentalists against modernism brought by Shah. the revolution brought the ruling of a fundamentalist
who had followers and rebels.
Motifs- (repeating element)
● Mirror/ self reflection- the mirror is an symbol that is repeated to show the transformation marji
had through self-reflection, therefore used metaphorically. The recurring act of perceiving a
reflection additionally depicts the protagonist’s protracted quest for identification, however, relies
upon the eye of the beholder. Satrapi makes this contingent relationship clear in the opening
page of the graphic novel.
, Marji, in her desperate attempt to
contribute to the Revolution, places a beret
with a red star on her head, and asks the
deity if she looks like Che Guevara. The
one-sided conversation is followed by a
panel of Marji alone, adorned in a patrol
cap, gazing into a mirror with an audacious
grin, her eyes shifted towards the right as if
she is addressing a closely located entity,
i.e. God. “Maybe I’ll be even better as Fidel
Castro!”. While the first panel depicts Marji
in the process of dress-up, her hands atop
her head, the second shows Marji fully-
dressed, her hands behind her back. The
two-panel sequence’s demonstration of the
progression from the movement of hands
to their stationary stance is a metaphor for
the conscious forging of identity. By
viewing the reflection of a metamorphosed
Marji, the audience arrives at the
conclusion that the young girl both creates
Not only does the mirror function as a commentary on the formation
and assumesof identity, but also
the persona of aascounter-
a
bridge between Islam and Marxism. The role of God as Marji’s listener
revolutionary.indicates that, while Marji
is a counter-revolutionary, she is a faithful and perhaps paradoxical one at that. In disclosing her
admiration for iconic Communists to a religious authority, young Marji makes no distinction
between opposing worldviews, indulging in what sociologist Richard Alba considers the “blurring
of socially delineated boundaries and assumption of a globalist’s frame of mind.” The shattering
of barriers is reaffirmed in her observation about the similar physical portrayals of secularist and
religious figures: “It was funny to see how much Marx and God looked like each other. Though
Marx’s hair was a bit curlier.”
Sees the
importance of
forgiving
Mirror an indication of the devil she turned
into, turns around with tears using emanata
to show the self- realization through self-
reflection.
