Persepolis

Persepolis means City of Persians

Autobiographical graphic novel written in
2000
Author: Marjane Satrapi
Depicts her childhood up to her early adult
years in Iran during and after the Islamic
revolution. (war between Iran and Iraq)
Originally published in French.
Made into a movie

Persepolis
You will be reading the graphic novel
on your own.
You will only read a certain amount of
pages everyday.
You will have to define words each
day and need to summarize after
each section.
We will go back and forth from the
book to the movie

Iran

An Abbreviated History of Modern

Iran
Define the following words:
-

Shah - Appoint - Figurehead

Reign - Revere - Revitalizing
Peasant - Flourish - Turmoil
Abdication - Conservative

Read the article about the history of

modern Iran.

Prejudice &
Discrimination
Prejudice: Pre judging
Discrimination: Unjust treatment due to age, race, sex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P0iP2Zm6a4

What is Prejudice?
1. What prejudices do you hold? Think
hard. Why do you feel that way? Where
does your negative impression come
from?
2. What does it mean to be
Canadian? Explain in a short
paragraph

Themes in the book

Difference
Change
Outsider
Revolution
Violence
Freedom
Family
Forgiveness

Introduction
Read the introduction
While you are reading, write down at
least 6 words that you do not
understand.

Pre-reading Activity
Complete the following worksheet.

The Veil (pg. 3-9)

Symbols of personal and cultural identity
Introduction to Marji and a childs view of the Islamic
revolution: Marji is ten years old in 1980, the year
after the Islamic Revolution, when girls were obliged to
wear the veil and segregated by sex (she previously
attended a co-ed school) and secular education was
abolished.
She struggles with the meaning of the veil, coming
from a religious but modern, avant-garde family. By
the age of six, Marji felt that she could correct what
she saw as injustices in her world by becoming a
prophet. She discusses Zarathustra, the first prophet

The Veil
Define the following words
Write a half page summary.
What happened?

The Bicycle (pg. 10-17)

A revolution is like a bicycle (bikes will stop if they do
not maintain their momentum)
Marji observes the oppression by the Shah and learns
about revolutions and socialism - she refers to Leon
Trotsky, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, The AmericanVietnam war, the Socialist revolutionaries of Iran
(Freza, Fatemi and Ashraf), Descartes and Marx.
Her favourite comic book Dialectic Materialism
inspires her anti-authoritarian/patriarchy attitude and
behaviour but she is barred from attending protests
due to her age.

The Bicycle

The Water Cell

Irans political past
After a long day of socialist protest, ironically Marji
wants to play Monopoly. Instead her parents tell her
the truth about her historical and family background in
contrast to the propaganda she learns at school. She
learns that 50 (1925) years ago, the father of the
current king was Reza Shah, a low-ranking and
illiterate, but ambitious young officer who was
influenced and supported by the British to organize a
coup dtat to overthrow the Qajar emperor, who also
happens to be her great-grandfather. Under the empire
of the Shah, her grandfathers family had everything
confiscated and her Western-educated grandfather
was appointed as prime minister, but became a
communist and was imprisoned. In prison, her

Persepolis
The fall of the great ones
Marjis grandmother visits and she learns more about
the hardship her family endured and that although Reza
Shah had been brutal, his son Mohammed Reza was ten
times worse and kept her grandfather imprisoned.
Marjis mother and grandmother worry about her father
who is overdue and Marji starts fantasizing about him
being shot. However, Marjis father appears and tells
them all the story of how an old man who died of cancer
was turned into a (false) martyr in the name of the
revolution. Marji realises how much she doesnt
understand about things during the conversation and
vows to read everything she can.

The Letter
Class-consciousness
Marji describes reading Kurdish author Ashraf
Darvishian (an Iranian Charles Dickens) who makes her
more aware of class structures in her society, even
within her own home. Her nursemaid, Mehri was taken
in by her family at the age of eight as a housekeeper
and was only ten when she was born (1972). By the
age of sixteen she was madly in love with the
neighbours boy but once he discovered that she was
the maid, his interest ceased, which of course broke
Mehris heart. Marji did not understand why, as her
father explained, their love was impossible since one
must stay in ones own social class. Marji sees this as
unfair and one of the reasons for the revolution, so she
convinces Mehri to attend anti-Shah demonstrations

The Party
In celebration of the end of the monarchy
The massacre of Black Friday was only the beginning of
a long period of violence, which led to the decline and
exile of the Shah in Egypt. His departure prompted the
biggest celebration in the history of Iran. Marji becomes
more aware of politics and the fickleness of human
nature as she observes former supporters of the Shah
now touting pro-revolution propaganda and support.
Marji incites action against her classmates who were
children of the Shahs secret service (Savak) who
unapologetically killed and tortured a million
communists. Marjis mother suggests more tolerance

The Heroes
The release of the Shahs political prisoners
3000 political prisoners were released (March, 1979),
and Marjis family knew two of them who were
imprisoned for communist revolutionary acts. When
they came to visit, their family is shocked by their tales
of enduring horrific torture by Iranians who had
received special training from the CIA and the deaths
of many of their comrades. Marji experiences shame
that her father is not a hero of the revolution and is
confused by her mother who is now saying that Bad
people are dangerous but forgiving them is too. Dont
worry there is justice on earth. Marji has no idea what
justice is. Now that the revolution is complete, she

Moscow
The return of a Russian-educated family hero
Marji is over-joyed by the visit of one of her fathers five brothers,
her uncle Anoosh, who was imprisoned for nine years as a
communist revolutionary and hero of the revolution. He tells her
how her grandfather was loyal to the Shah, but his uncle
Fereydoon was devoted to ideals of justice and democracy so he
had gone along with a group of his friends and attempted to bring
about independence from the Shah in the province of Azerbaijan.
Anoosh joined him, much to the dismay of her grandfather, and
together they plotted the freedom and independence of all
provinces in Iran. Fereydoon was arrested and executed, but his
girlfriend escaped to Switzerland with their son. Anoosh was able
to escape to the USSR where he became a Marxist-Leninist
scholar and married a Russian woman and had two girls. Anoosh
tells Marji that Russians arent like Iranians, they dont have
hearts, so they were divorced and in his attempt to return to Iran
to see his family, he was discovered and imprisoned. He

The Sheep
Nave idealism
In discussion with Marjis father, her uncle Anoosh points out that
since half of Irans population is illiterate, the people cannot be
united around Marxist ideals, so only nationalism or a religious
ethic would work. Eventually he thought the working classes
would rule, and in a way he was correct. The exit of the Shah and
the abolition of the monarchy paved the way for Ayatollah
Khomeini and the Islamic Republic in 1979. Marjis world is altered
forever by the creation of the republic, as many friends and family
leave Iran for the United States and Europe. Her uncle Anoosh
encourages everyone by telling them that it is just a period of
transition and that everything will work out. However they soon
discover that their communist-revolutionary friends who had just
been released from prison (see Section 7: Heroes) are either dead
or fled and Anoosh is arrested and executed as a Russian spy. This
leaves Marji in tears; with another swan he made for her she
rejects her faith, lost and without bearing in the universe unable

The Trip
Escape from turmoil
Fundamentalist students were reported in the news as taking over
the US embassy eliminating any future hope for Marjis family
getting a visa to join friends and family there. The universities
were also announced as closed, pending reform (2 years) to
prevent any more imperialist indoctrination, dashing Marjis hope
of a science degree. Marjis mother, who correctly predicts that
women will be forced to wear a veil, is accosted by
fundamentalists for not wearing a veil. Marjis family observe their
neighbours once again changing their behaviour to suit the new
regime as if they had always adhered to fundamentalist ways.
Marji is encouraged to produce similar fabrications to safeguard
her family and at the same time her family demonstrates for
womens rights, although this is brought to an abrupt end when
demonstrators are violently attacked (1980). Marjis family went
on an abrupt vacation for three weeks to Spain and Italy, only to

The F-14s
Iraq invades
The sight of F-14s, not knowing if they are Iranian or
not, frightens Marji and her family. A radio report
confirms that the capital city of Tehran has been
bombed by Iraq. Marjis father is doubtful about Irans
ability to defend itself since all the pilots were either
jailed or executed after a failed coup dtat, an attitude
that Marji interprets as defeatist and unpatriotic. They
are all shocked and overjoyed when they hear the
Iranian national anthem broadcast on the television as
it had been banned and replaced by an Islamic hymn.
They ascertain afterwards that the jailed pilots agreed
to be freed in order to attack Iraq only on the condition
that the government broadcast the national anthem.
The Iranians fought back and bombed Baghdad but it
cost them heavily. Marji discovers that one of her

The Jewels
Symbols of hope
The war brought strife to Marjis neighbourhood as fearful people
quickly bought out store shelves in order to over-stock their homes
to provide for their families in case of diminished supply. Marjis
mother once again shows her duplicity by scolding bickering
neighbours over hoarding instead of taking what they need so
there is enough for everyone and then sending Marji to different
shops to get as many boxes of rice as possible. The roads become
overburdened with cars and a limited amount of fuel is available
due to the Iraqi bombing of an oil refinery in Abadan and many
other border towns. Marjis mother becomes worried for an old
childhood friend upon hearing the news of Abadan, but she
unexpectedly arrives on her doorstep seeking refuge for herself
and her family with nothing but the clothes on their back and a
handful of jewels to pawn for their survival. They had a large,
expensive (That house cost a million!) and beautiful home that
took a lifetime to build but destroyed in an instant, then to add

The Key
Promises of paradise to the poor
Although the Iraqi army had more modern weaponry, Iran had a
greater number of young soldiers. Marji notices the number of
martyrs reported in the daily news and the twice-daily funeral
marches with self-flagellation sessions at her school. She feels
that Persians are too resigned to the idea of martyrs and wars.
At school none of the students take any of their duties to the
new regime seriously, parents are frustrated that they are
being forced to waste their youth on fundamental ideology and
teachers are angry with their lack of respect for the new laws,
threatening to expel them all. Marji and her mother discover
that young army recruits from the poorer areas are given
plastic keys painted gold and told that if they go to war for Iran
and are lucky enough to die, the key will open the door to
heaven for them where there was plenty of food, women and
houses of gold waiting for them. It was in this way that Iran
convinced thousands of young men to meet their death on the

The Wine
Symbol of decadence and defiance
After the border towns, Tehran itself became a target and the
basement of Marjis building was turned into a bomb shelter. This
was part of an anxious new way of life for Marjis family, where
they routinely went to the basement with every siren that
announced an air raid, followed by calling all their loved ones to
ensure everyone was well. They lived in fear of being caught and
punished for indulging in decadent (Western) behaviour, like
playing cards, or chess, listening to music or watching videos and
drinking alcohol. Nonetheless, having weekly parties or card
games with wine expertly and secretly made by Marjis uncle, was
their only way to alleviate the stress of their new lives and a way
to privately revolt against the new regime. On their way home
from a celebration, Marjis family is stopped by some very young
Guardians of the Revolution, at one of their random check points.
The Guardians threaten to punish Marjis father (suspected of
drinking and for wearing a necktie symbol of Western

The Cigarette
The loss of childhood
After two years of war, at the early age of twelve (1982),
Marji is very astute. She makes friends who are slightly
older than she is and like normal teenagers anywhere, they
experiment with autonomy and sexuality by skipping
classes and ogling boys at a trendy teenager hangout called
Kansas. Marji expects to elicit some camaraderie when her
mother discovers her bad behaviour but when she scolds
her instead, she accuses her mother of being as oppressive
as Guardian of the Revolution in their home. Marji learns
that the Iranian army had successfully pushed the Iraqi
army back to the borders and everyone thought the war
would end. Instead, they plunged even deeper into war as
the Iranian regime now sought to expand their Islamic
Revolution, sacrificing another million to their cause. The
fundamentalist regime used the war as an excuse to

The Passport
The challenges and failings of bureaucracy
After sending his oldest son to Holland for protection
before the borders were closed, Marjis uncle Taher
becomes deeply depressed and further disturbed by
the slaughter of Iranian youth in the war and his
inability to join his son. When he suffers his third heart
attack it becomes apparent that he will not survive
without being sent to England for treatment. When
official channels to procure a passport take too long,
Majirs father attempts to acquire a forged one.
However, the forger is discovered and forced to flee
Iran without completing the passport for her uncle,
who succumbs to his illness the day his official
passport arrives. While at the hospital visiting her

Kim Wilde
Symbols of rebellion
Only a year after her uncles untimely death (see section 16: the
Passport), the borders were reopened (1983) and Marjis parents go
alone on a holiday to Turkey. While away they purchase many
decadent items for Marji that were no longer imported to Iran due
to war or religious bans and smuggle them into Iran for her. Marji
receives a denim jacket, chocolate, a poster of Iron Maiden and a
poster of Kim Wilde, high-top Nike sneakers and a Michael Jackson
button. Marji immediately puts up her poster in her room and is
eager to show off her new gear. She puts on her high tops, her
denim jacket and of course her headscarf. With her mothers
permission, Marji ventures out to connect with the black market
that has grown around the shortages caused by war and
repression. After purchasing two illegal audiotapes, she is stopped
by members of the new womans branch of the Guardians of the
Revolution who are unimpressed with her new symbols of
decadence, improperly worn head scarf and too-tight jeans and
threaten to bring her in front of their HQ committee where she

The Shabbat
The realities of war
Iraq acquired new long-range ballistic Scud missiles from
the Soviet Union to use against Iran that would do more
damage in less time, making the journey to the bomb
shelter in the basement pointless. Once the sirens
announced the bombs that targeted Tehran, there was
only a three-minute warning to know if the end had come.
Many left Tehran and some took refuge in the buildings of
big hotels, but many stayed. Marji and her family stayed
in Tehran, as did their (rare) Jewish neighbours. On one
fatal Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, Marji rushes home
when she discovers a Scud has hit her street. Although
she is happily reunited with her mother, she is saddened
by the realization that her neighbours home has been

The Dowry
The price of freedom
In response to the death of her neighbours daughter,
at the age of fourteen, Marji becomes a fearless rebel
and is expelled from school. Her mother is gripped with
fear by her rebelliousness, explaining that she risks
execution, which is even worse for young women
because it is against the law to kill a virgin. To
circumvent this law, a Guardian of the Revolution will
marry a condemned virgin, take her virginity, execute
her, then sends a meagre dowry (and message) to her
family. In order to save Marji from such a fate her
family decides to send her to Austria to attend French
school.

Volume 2
While you read the following chapters you
need to:
Write down at least 4 words to define and
define them in your own words.
Pick words that you do not know or are difficult.

At the end of each chapter you need to write a

half page summary.
Add in your personal thoughts
What did you like? Not like?
Can you relate to the events? Why?
Did something similar happen to you?

Alternate Cover
You are going to create 2 alternate
covers for the book.
Make sure to include the name of the
book and the author.
BE CREATIVE!!

Wordle
You are going to create a wordle on a
piece of blank paper.
Use words that make you think of the
book.
Use different font, colour
Use images as well as words.

REWRITE
Rewriting Persepolis: Create a non-graphic novel out of
a graphic novel.
For this assignment, you will take a chapter of
Persepolis and re-write it in regular, non-graphic
prose.
Remember, you cannot just write what everyone says,
but also describe everything in the pictures. It will take
several pages to capture all the meaning!
Afterwards, write a few paragraphs about what you
noticed while re-writing Persepolis what were the
advantages and disadvantages of writing it out versus
viewing the pictures as well as the words?